Greenwich shoppers looking to support local farms this week can head to the OG Farmers Market on Wednesday, Aug. 5, where Connecticut Grown vendors like Jackie's Empanadas and Wave Hill Breads will be set up alongside a new sustainability initiative that connects three neighborhoods.
National Farmers Market Week runs Aug. 2–8, encouraging residents to visit any of the state's more than 120 farmers markets and buy products carrying the Connecticut Grown logo. The OG Farmers Market, now in its 16th season at 11 Riverside Ave., is open every Wednesday from 1 to 5 p.m. through Nov. 11, according to the Greenwich Free Press.
The market relocated this year from Living Hope Community Church in Old Greenwich to the St. Catherine's parking lot in Riverside, which offers roughly 100 parking spots. Co-founder and manager Dana Lee told the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission on July 31, "The new location has been really good for the vendors. … We have new shoppers and people who can find the market better than they could down at Old Greenwich."
The market draws 200 to 400 shoppers per week and hosts 12 to 15 vendors.
Smart bins tie Old Greenwich, Cos Cob to the market
At the Waste Free Greenwich tent each Wednesday, volunteer Hillary Harper has been helping shoppers download the free metroKEY app, which unlocks new smart food-scrap recycling bins the town launched July 9 at Binney Park in Old Greenwich and Cos Cob Park.
The stainless-steel, pest-resistant bins are accessible 24/7 via the app, which residents can download from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Accounts are verified within 48 business hours.
The bins expand the town's Scraps to Soil program, which has diverted more than 390 tons of organic material since June 2020, according to the town's Conservation Commission. Food scraps account for more than 22% of Greenwich's waste stream.
Waste Free Greenwich founder Julie DesChamps said in a July 18 Facebook post that the app-enabled technology lets residents drop off scraps "whenever it's convenient for them, instead of being restricted to when town facilities are open."
Funding came from a competitive Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection grant. Greenwich was one of only nine recipients out of 20 applicants.
Shoppers can also purchase a food scrap starter kit at the Waste Free Greenwich tent, which includes a countertop pail, a larger weekly storage bin and rolls of compostable bags.
