Canning and Community at the Farmers Market

Charlottesville’s farmers markets have been a center for sharing produce and have become an integral outlet in our community, connecting people from all over the area through shared interests and a love of fresh food. One such person who has been touched by this community is Shelly Hitchens, a retired 61-year-old Charlottesville native. Hitchens is a relative newcomer to the farmers market, but she comes almost every week to the Water Street location with spicy wares.

“My family has been canning for over a century and a half,” Hitchens said, as she rolled over a jar of pickled okra in her hands. “I continue it on, but there’s just too much for me. So that’s why I’m here!” 

Hitchens has been coming to the farmers market for a little under a year and a half. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Hitchensfell back in love with her familial pastime. “I put just about everything into these jars,” she explained as she showed me her many products of canned goods. She was not lying; there were onions, beets, mushrooms, and all sorts of produce and meats. 

She explained that the farmers markets around Charlottesville are accessible and friendly to both those who wish to buy or sell. She encourages young people to get into this valuable aspect of the community. 

Community is the word that comes to mind at the farmers market. Looking around at the diverse cross section of Charlottesville, you realize that nothing truly has changed from our collective past. We’re all just a bunch of hungry people walking around a market, looking for something delicious. Thank goodness people like Shelly Hitchens are there. “The thing about it is… so many young people don’t feel like they have a community, but this is it, and what’s more community-like than food?” she said.