Business notebook: Pennings Farm Market reopens this Saturday

WARWICK - It must be spring. The popular Pennings Farm Market, Route 94 south just past ShopRite Plaza as you drive from the Village of Warwick, will reopen for the season this Saturday, March 22. And the kick-off will be the annual Easter egg hunt at noon sponsored by Pennings and the Warwick Fire Department. For many years, the market has become a favorite destination for families who can shop for country products in a comfortable and appealing environment while their children enjoy a petting zoo, ice cream stand, seasonal decorations and even, in the Fall, a haunted house at Halloween. Since it is the day before Easter Sunday, the Garden Center will be stocked with lilies, tulips, daffodils, cut bouquets, hyacinth and hydragenas. Throughout the day, in the farm market, there will be free tastings of special soups and in-market cooking demonstrations with Chef Shawn Hubbell. Pennings Farm Market recently had a “soft opening” on March 13 to allow Steve and Jill Pennings an opportunity to properly stock the garden center, farm market and Harvest Grill while putting proper staffing in-place and making sure everything operated properly after being closed, according to tradition, for the winter. The Pennings family is well established in Warwick and has a long history of being an integral part of the business community. Jake Pennings emigrated from Holland to Warwick in the early 1940s. He and his wife, Johanna, raised 10 children and operated several diary farms in this area. His legacy is that his descendents founded numerous local businesses, all successful, including Pennings Orchard, Penning Plumbing & Heating, Pennings Landscaping, The Green Team Real Estate, Pennings Green Houses in Salisbury Mills, Knapp Consulting in Newburgh, Legacy Stone Works in Tuxedo, Matthew Green Enterprises, Top Flight Driving Service and Pennings Farm Market. And in the professional area, Dr. Nicholas Pennings is currently associated with Horizon Medical Group in Warwick. Today, Pennings Orchards operates on its original farm properties and grows the same apples and peaches sold at the Pennings Farm Market. “Shopping locally,” said Steve Pennings, “is not a dictate for people to blindly follow. It’s about being engaged in sustainable communities, investing in the place one calls home and making thoughtful decisions about where each of us commits our dollars. We are facing a time,” he added, “when so much of what we acknowledge as being important and characteristic of our communities, is being eroded by malls, corporate retail giants and e-commerce. People like our downtowns. They like walking Main Streets and entering businesses that know their name and sponsor their child’s Little League team. Sustainable communities and a viable local economy give people a sense of comfort and security. They provide value far beyond any dollar saved at the mall. And as a business entity, Pennings Farm Market is deeply rooted in the Warwick community.” The range of products available through Pennings Farm Market is impressive, from the farm market to the garden center to the Harvest Grill. The garden center, for example offers items such as annuals, perennials, nursery stock, seeds, potting soils, fertilizer, mulch, outdoor furniture, hand tools, fungicide & fertilizer, garden gift items, fire pits and chimeneas. The farm market features organic fruit and vegetables, locally grown in-season by Pennings and other local farmers, fresh bakes breads and pies, homemade soups, Boars Head deli meats and cheeses, prepared foods and salads, cold beverages, local eggs, cheeses, a wide assortment of sauces/marinades, packaged grocery items such as pasta, rice jam, jelly, fruit butters, chips, salsa and humus. From the Harvest Grill, Pennings is best known for its homemade soups, fish ‘n chips and a variety of appetizers. “There is a trend in our culture, “ said Pennings, “whereby people are more interested in knowing where the food they purchase and eat comes from. Pennings Farm Market is concerned about the impact of the food delivery system upon the environment.” For information call 986-1059. Communion dress fashion show On Saturday, March 8, Victorian Treasures, 21 Main St., hosted a special fashion show for parents and their daughters who will be making their First Communion this Spring and who were interested in seeing the shop’s selection of dresses for that special event. “I would like to thank all of our pretty little models who participated in our Communion dress fashion show,” said Victorian Treasures owner Heidi Seeley. “In spite of the poor weather that day, everyone had a good time and the girls looked beautiful.” For more information about the shop’s collection of First Communion dresses, call 987-9420. Business briefs • One of Warwick’s oldest businesses, G’s Restaurant, is under new management. The new owners are Jo Ann and Glen Kim. More to follow in a future column. • Liz’s Fine Jewelry, 17 Main St., Warwick is having a “going out of business sale” with everything reduced by 40 to 60 percent. More news about this and Liz’s future plans in a few weeks. • Mount Peter will host an “Easter Egg” hunt this Easter Sunday, March 23. All kids age 12 and under can ski free. Next Saturday, March 29, the ski area will hold its traditional “Spring Rally and Pig Roast.”