Thanksgiving pop-up farmers market this Tuesday in Ocean Pines

(Nov. 23, 2020) This Tuesday, the race against the clock to pull together the perfect Thanksgiving feast will have shoppers with baskets in hand at the Ocean Pines Farmers & Artisans Market for a special pop-up market day.

Farmer's Market Manager David Bean said the pop-up event, from 9 a.m. to noon at White Horse Park in Ocean Pines, would allow shoppers to grab last-minute groceries and specially ordered baked goods for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

“Our Tuesday pop-up market was founded several years ago, when primarily our bakers wished to deliver their special-ordered items to their customers, at the peak of freshness for the holiday,” Bean said. “Several other merchants participate with last-minute items, as a convenience to shoppers.” 

Participating in the pop-up this year are D. J. David & Company, Gourmet Soutionz, Toute de Suite, Pies Etcetera, Cropper’s Farm, Brightman Farm, Lyon Rum, and Rainbow’s End Tack Shop. Several artisan and craft merchants will also take part.  

Throughout the holiday season, Bean said the Ocean Pines Farmers & Artisans Market would highlight unique gift items, along with the usual variety of fresh produce and baked goods.  

For example, he said Synder's Firewood will sell fresh holiday greens, wreaths and pine roping, and bundles of firewood, while Longridge Gardens will have dried florals, magnolia wreaths, and forced holiday bulbs.    

“The market's artisans will have lots of holiday decor and local handmade gifts to put under the Christmas tree,” Bean said. “Shoppers will find handmade jewelry, accessories, fashions, candles, country signs, pottery, paintings, photography and more.” 

Starting on Nov. 28, Jackie Blue Crabs will join the market lineup and offer a variety of seafood, including live crabs. 

Bean said the farmers market has endured during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its vendors continue to follow safety protocols. The State of Maryland included farmers markets in the list of essential services and allowed them to remain open.  

“While the pandemic has placed many of the market's extra social activities on hold, it has also introduced a lot of new people to the marketplace, and many are finding the open-air shopping format a safer environment,” Bean said.  

The Ocean Pines Farmers & Artisans Market is held each Saturday in White Horse Park, near the Ocean Pines Community Center on 235 Ocean Parkway. Winter hours, through March, are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

For more information, visit www.oceanpines.org/web/pages/farmers-artisans-market.