Brooke Werley and her family moved down to Dartmouth from Vermont with the dream of starting their own farm. 

Though their dream appeared to be short-lived when they lost their land tenure, Werley said she began selling plants out of her driveway until they finally obtained a lease for two acres of land from the Dartmouth Natural Resource Trust. 

Now, “Emergence Farm Project” is in its third season at Dartmouth’s Farmer’s Market, where Werly sells a variety of organically grown produce, including snow peas, lettuce, radishes, kale, herbs and flowers.

“It’s really been a great market for us because we started so small,” Werley said.

The Farmer’s Market just finished its third week of the season, which concludes at the end of October.

At the market on Wednesday, June 19, Werley said it's been a late and wet growing season, but now with the heat, “everything’s looking good.”

She added, “We have a resident woodchuck who keeps us on our toes, so we don’t always have everything, but it’s been good.”

The Farmer’s Market itself has undergone a few changes this season, including the introduction of a new market manager, Sarah Alves, who is the owner of Salty Paws, a dog grooming business in Dartmouth.

Alves highlighted the market’s schedule change, now operating Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Parish, 789 Dartmouth Street.

“We’re hoping to make it a little more accessible for people who work to 5,” she said.

The market has also welcomed food trucks this season, which weren’t possible before due to permit complications, Alves said.

Sorbae Frozen Treats, Ella’s Wood Fired and Cup of JoJo’s Coffee Truck will be available at the market on alternating weeks.

“The hope is, especially with the pizza trucks, that you might come a little later, get some dinner and get your shopping done,” Alves added.

She said the market is still accepting vendor applications from anyone who may be interested.

Donna Cordeiro is a seasoned vendor at Dartmouth’s Farmer’s Market, with this being her ninth year. 

Cordeiro of “Crochet by Donna” sells a variety of items, including pot holders, pot scrubbies, purses, summer and beach Afghan blankets, Dunkin’ cup cases and cork keychains.

“I’ve been crocheting since I’ve been a young girl — in my early teens,” she said. “I retired to do this market”

She recalls making various clothing items for friends and family all throughout her life, and beyond spending time with her granddaughter, she couldn’t see a better way to spend her retirement from 40 years at the New Bedford Library.

“I like talking to people,” she added. “I like just being out here in the fresh air, the sun and the breezes. In fact, I’m crocheting right now.”

“This is a fabulous market,” Cordeiro said. “We’re out in the sunshine and it’s just a good place to be in the summertime.”