Homegrown Goods Abound at Needham Farmers Market

September 2, 2024
By Molly Krupat
• The community indulges in baked goods, creativity and farm-to-table delights each Sunday.

While some sleep in on Sunday mornings, others line up along Highland Avenue, awaiting fresh pastries, produce and other goodies on the Town Common.

As is a yearly summer-through-fall tradition, residents and out-of-towners take part in the Needham Farmers Market, where vendors from across the region share their hobbies and livelihoods along Garrity’s Way on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The market runs from June through October.

During one of the last summer markets on Aug. 25, a variety of products were up for sale, from Parisian-style baguettes to handmade crafts to specialty soaps.

One of the most popular vendors is Le Petit Four, the Needham-based bakery owned by French-born Valerie Coullet. Opening up her own bakery has always been a dream of Coullet’s, but one that wasn’t fully realized until she moved to the United States about 10 years ago.

That dream started small out of her house in Needham, Coullet said, and she’s been sharing the creations out of her “petit four” — “little oven” in French — at the farmers market for the past five to six years.

Coullet’s cinnamon buns, apple turnovers, almond croissants, baguettes and laminated sausage rolls were available Aug. 25.

While her boulangerie serves up a host of sweet and flakey confections — similar to what you’d find in Paris — Coullet said Needhamites favor the classic croissant.

“People love it, me too,” Coullet said of the croissant. “I think I really love the classic croissant, because for me, it’s a way to really see the dough… You don’t have to add any cream or anything, it’s just good by itself.”

With plans of opening a store in Wellesley in October, Coullet said she’s pleased with the popularity of her South Street business.

Her love of baking derived from a fascination with “the chemistry of the dough,” particularly in bread-making, she said. Plus, it runs in the family.

“My great, great grandparents were bakers in Italy,” Coullet said, “so I have this in my body, my mind. I was always attracted to making croissants, making bread, making patisseries, all these kinds of things. It was just natural for me.”

On that recent visit to the market, her baked goods sold out in just about an hour since opening, with a line stretching around the Town Common. Le Petit Four only takes online orders during the week.

It’s that small-town feel that the market aims for, Manager Phu Vo said. The market offers spaces for local operations as opposed to big corporations, he said.

With a team of volunteers — which he hopes to grow — as well as a blossoming vendor community, Vo said he’s excited to attend the upcoming Harvest Fair later this month.

“We want to make it better for the residents,” Vo said.

Silverwood Organic Farm leans on its local roots and community when conducting its business. Located in Sherborn, the certified-organic farm sells its fresh produce to restaurants and schools in the area.

Laura Rainey, a manager of the farm, said it’s their second year at the market. On Aug. 25, they had a variety of seasonal produce, and once the fall begins they will update the produce to the freshest and newest grown food in stock.

A goal of the farm is “making sure their produce is accessible to low-income students and the elderly population,” Rainey said.

Artist Madeline Huang shared pottery, knitted head bands, jewelry holders and other goods she and her sister Annabelle made under the name Crochet & Clay. The sisters, from Lexington, began selling their creations in their hometown before tabling elsewhere. While it was there last time tabling this summer, Huang said they hope to return to the Needham Farmers Market each season.

Huang, 16, said part of their core mission is to “make people happy by sharing our art.”

Vilca Body Arts displayed cosmetic-type art, including soaps, candles and lotions at the market. Gabriela Varano, who hails from Ecuador, created the business alongside her friend from Puerto Rico.

“The name Vilca comes from the town in Ecuador called Vilcabamba, which is known to be a Blue Zone, which is where people live a very long time,” Varano said. “So we’re trying to bring that back. Nature can also be your therapy.”

Using simple ingredients, Varano said she strives for toxic-free candles. They also sell coconut soy wax without additives, she said. Their best selling product is the soaps, which are also made from more natural ingredients, fats and butters.

This is the first year they have come out to the Needham Farmers Market, Varano said, but they’ve been in Clinton for the past few years.

Varano’s guiding principle is the value of skincare, which she compared to eating healthy.

“We’re here because we love what we do, and we think more people should be able to also have that love for nature,” Varano said. “Little by little, we’ve forgotten about that.”

Molly Krupat is a junior at Needham High School. She has previously written for The Hilltopper and NewspapHER, both out of NHS, as well as the Needham Observer.