By Nitya Wanchoo

From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, the Christopher Morley Farmers Market is the place to be. The strip by the entrance is lined with tents, and between the sunny weather and fresh food, there’s no better spot to pick up ingredients for your next meal.

There must have been more than 15 spots in all advertising a variety of different products. Most vendors are there in the heat every week while others show up less often.

AroChili is set up at the beginning of the strip, with appetizers for passersby. AroChili oil is a relatively new business, which started up in May and has sold 500 bottles since. The brand’s motto is “put Asia on anything” and the product is available online and quickly gaining traction. The oil can be used to marinate meat, as a topping for eggs and snacks, and even mixed with mayonnaise and cream cheese as a dip or spread. AroChili puts up recipe ideas on its Instagram.

William Tomi and Harneet Madhray are the married duo who put this together, and they try to stop by the market every week for exposure. The recipe for the oils includes bay leaves, peppercorn, garlic, shallots, oil, chili flakes, habanero (for the spicier ones), and more. The best part – the oils are sodium- and sugar-preservative free.

One of the most popular stands is Peck’s of Maine, selling jams with flavors like Long Island Raspberry Peach, Prickly Bush Blackberry, Sunshine Strawberry, Four Berry Moose Mashup, Cranberry Jalapeño, and Roasted Garlic. The jam-making started off as simple gifts for teachers, described as “elementary school presents,” but quickly gained popularity. Now, they cook in a commercial kitchen out in Calverton and sell the perfect preserves for a charcuterie board. All the jams are low in sugar, as Peck’s of Maine makes an active effort to “cut sugar down as much as possible while making sure it tastes good”.

Further down is Miss Molly’s Honeydrippers, a stand with an abundance of honey. They’ve been in business for about 12 years now and sell a wide variety of products. Even the honey sticks have different flavors based on the flowers they’re from and the time of the year. The honey has more subtle flavors in the springtime and it transforms to a more robust taste in the summe. The honey is made up in Riverhead and sold every week at the farmers market. Aside from the honey, products like pollen, lavender, moisturizing body lotion, soap, natural deodorant, insect repellent, and lip balms crowd the colorful table.

Across from Miss Molly’s Honeydrippers is Frubae, perfect for a hot day. The exotic frozen fruit is a Hawaiian and Taiwainese fusion food. Fresh fruit is pureed, then frozen and carried out to be hand shaved with a machine for each order.  The bowl can then be topped with granola and more fresh fruit. The company has a permanent stand at the local market in Port Washington. In addition to the Christopher Morley farmers market, they’re at the Glen Cove farmers market on Saturdays and often at the Smorgasburg food festival in Brooklyn.

For those who want something sweet, there’s homemade almond brittle sold by A Little Brittle Heaven, made with all natural and organic ingredients. The brittle is simply made from butter, organic sugar, and almonds. They also incorporate the brittle into vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and strawberry ice cream. The brittle is sold in bags of different sizes: the small bag, which is two ounces for $5; the big bag, which is six ounces for $10, and the skipping bucket, which is eight ounces for $13. A Little Brittle Heaven has a store front, or a brittlery in Massapequa, and they’ve won an award for being the Best Binge-Watching Snack.

Towards the end of the strip, there’s Catch of the Hamptons advertising scallops, tuna, hake, black sea bass, swordfish, fluke, mahi-mahi, shrimp, and salmon (which sold out very quickly). Catch of the Hamptons is a commercial fishing business, which catches fresh fish off the Shinnecock shore of Long Island. Everything is locally sourced except for the shrimp, which is wild caught from the gulf, and the salmon, which is farmed in Norway and then flown over. Catch of the Hamptons is owned by fourth generation commercial fishers who work the farmers markets so that they can sell directly to customers. During the summer, they go out from 4 a.m. in the morning to as late as 11 p.m.

These are just a few examples of all the tables set up at the Christopher Morley farmers market. For those in need of a new succulent, beach-n-barn designs sets up shop every Wednesday. Moreover, there’s flavored Arlotta oils for any cooking endeavors and MOMO dressings for salads. There’s just no shortage of options, check it out next Wednesday!