Medfield Garden Club appears at Farmers Market June 6.

The Medfield Garden Club was the first non-profit organization to take advantage of the opportunity to explain its mission to the shoppers at the Farmers Market on opening day last Thursday.  The club plants and maintains 20 public sites throughout Medfield during the spring, summer and fall as well as decorating many of the permanent containers in the business district during the holiday season.  Monthly programs help gardeners with tips on growing, arranging and caring for plants, flowers, gardens and lawns.  Interested new members may visit the organization’s booth this week when they return. Other organizations wishing to participate, without paying the required vendors fee, should contact the market manager, Eve Potts, 508-359-6581

The weekly market boasts six vendors on the lawn of the First Parish Church 26 North St. each Thursday from 2 until 6:30 through the end of August.  The market is conveniently located just off the center of town with plenty of parking along the street and in the rear of the church

Two local family owned farms: Wards Berry Farm of Sharon and Langwater Farms of Easton have been the anchors for three years now and residents can rest assured the fresh fruit and vegetables, pastries and other delectable items will be as good as ever.  Fresh fish will also be a staple offered weekly by Jordan Seafood Co. of Brockton.  Specialty vendors include, after a successful market in 2012, Wild Daisy Soaps offering soaps, lotions and potions handmade from natural products without artificial additives or preservatives and Garden Farms permitting a taste test of sweet or spicy homemade preserves, relishes and mustards prior to purchasing. Bark Back Bakery (new this year) will have gluten-free doggy treats.

Langwater Farm,  Langwaterfarm.com, consisting of 80 acres, half woods and half fields, belongs to the Ames family of Easton. Part of the property was originally designed by landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmsted, the creator of Central Park. Back in its early days, Langwater Farm was famous for its Guernsey cows and Clydesdale horses.   Since then, it was mowed for hay until the Ames family decided to seek a farmer to start a community farm for Easton.  Working with a nonprofit called Land for Good, proposals from farmers were solicited and the O’Dwyers became the new farmers in  2009.  2010 was the first growing season at Langwater Farm, named to continue the rich history of the land.  Today it grows a diverse mix of vegetables, fruit, flowers, herbs, berries, and pumpkins.  The vegetables are grown under organic certification, using only certified organic growing practices. For the fruit orchard, we use IPM (integrated pest management) practices are used.  This includes lots of preventative care and monitoring and very careful decisions regarding the use of inputs, always choosing the least toxic alternative.

Wards Berry Farm, more familiar to many due to its close proximity to Medfield, use certified organic methods on 18 of their acres. The remaining 160 acres are farmed using IPM. The goal of IPM is to manage pest damage economically while protecting people, property, and the environment. All available pest control methods, including the judicious use of pesticides, are considered; choices are based on extensive data about the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. Organic farming employs many of these same methods, but prohibits the use of synthetic chemicals.

June is a great time to think salads as green leafy vegetables, radishes, cucumbers and other healthy veggies come into season, and don’t forget the variety of sweet berries-strawberries freshly picked soon. What a great time to enjoy what all these vendors have to offer early in the season and to anticipate new produce weekly. The location is convenient and there is plenty of parking in the rear of the church.