NORWICH – Most people come to the Chenango County Farmer’s Market with one item in mind, market President Ellen Adams says, but they almost always end up leaving with a full bag.

Adams attributes the trend to the market’s 15 to 30 vendors who try to keep a good mix of products, like locally produced eggs, meat, produce, flowers, herbs, baked goods, maple syrup, jams, jellies, soaps and crafts.

“Our main goal is variety,” Adams said. “It’s a one stop shop, really.”

This week, August 5-11, is National Farmer’s Market Week.

The Chenango Market, located in the East Side Park in downtown Norwich on Wednesdays and Saturdays 8 a.m. to around 1 p.m., has been operating since 1933. Adams says where the market used to be a main source of food, it’s now become an alternative to big box shopping.

“Our vendors who grow vegetables sell them fresh from the garden to the consumer. It gives people a chance to buy fresh and eat healthy,” she said. “It hasn’t been in a store for long time or trucked from across the country. There’s no middle man; it’s sold direct.”

The push for locally grown products is evident in two on-going programs being ran through two local non-profit organization, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County and Opportunities for Chenango.