On March 29 at 11:00 a.m., the Harrisonburg Farmers Market will usher in the spring season with a new tradition: Stone Soup. The event draws inspiration from the traditional folktale “Stone Soup”, retold by Heather Forest, which highlights the power of community and collective effort.
“This will be our very first year having the Stone Soup event,” Sarah Gorman, the Marketing Manager at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market and a contributor to The Citizen, said. “It’s a folktale about hungry travelers who come to town and teach a community about the collective power of everyone giving just a little bit.”
The traditional folktale “Stone Soup” tells the story of those travelers who arrive in a village with nothing but an empty pot and a stone. When the villagers refuse to share food, the travelers start a “stone soup,” claiming it would taste better with just a few extra ingredients. One by one, the villagers contribute vegetables, herbs, and spices, transforming the simple pot of water into a rich, flavorful meal. In the end, they all sit together, realizing the power of generosity and community.
“We will be collaborating with the Massanutten Regional Library, so we’re really wanting this to be a family-friendly event where families can bring their kids to listen to this folktale inspired by generosity,” Gorman said.
At the center of the Farmers Market will be a series of tables and chairs, and a bubbling pot of soup. Starting at 11:00 am, the event will feature an interactive read-aloud of the folktale, where children will be tasked with adding some ingredients to the pot of soup as the story goes along.
“The soup will be vegan and gluten free, and based on what’s in season at the market right now,” Gorman said. “It will be a seasonal sample of our produce vendors, so it will be a real taste of what’s happening here locally.”
The regular market will be open during the event, operating on its final winter hours of the season from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We have vendors that sell fresh and hot ready to eat food for breakfast, like sweet and savory crepes,” Gorman said. “We have a woodfire pizza vendor, a coffee vendor and grocery items like honey and produce.”
In addition to food, shoppers can enjoy products from local artists, such as herbal self-care items. The Massanutten Library will also have a table with free books for the children.
“We really want it to be a celebration since this is our last winter market heading into spring,” Gorman said. “We would love for Stone Soup to be an annual event. The Market is a really special place in the community that just provides a lot of value in terms of community and connection.”
