No food at Paley’s Market this year

SHARON, Conn. — Charlie Paley, grower, gardener, owner and operator of Paley’s Farm Market, has spent the last few weeks fielding the inevitable questions from his regular clientele, “When’s the farm market going to open? When will the cheese be in? The bread? The wonderful pies and gelato?”And then, he must deal with their disappointment when he tells them, “Not this year.”It’s true. He’s taking a break from the food. The rumors that he’s closing, however, are completely unfounded. A quick look around the greenhouse makes it clear that business is going strong. So what is behind this major change, and what does it mean for his customers and vendors?“I’m taking a sabbatical,” Paley said. It was a tough decision. He knew it would impact his staff, his customers and his purveyors. For their part, “they’ve been very understanding.” In past summers, Paley said, “My time off has been measured in hours.”A letter posted on the Paley’s Farm Market website explains a bit more of the thinking behind this change:“We are going to give our fields a rest this year and take time to research and explore new possibilities for Paley’s Farm Market.”Asked to elaborate on what that might mean, Paley said he would be open to a collaboration. “Maybe someone will come out of the woodwork who would be interested in running the food part of the business.”It’s profitable. “It wasn’t the money,” he said. “Last year at this time I wouldn’t have been able to stand here and talk with customers, I would be running around in three different directions.”Paley is a passionate grower; he’s been doing it for more than 30 years. And he’s intent on developing the greenhouse part of the business even more. “Over the last few years all of my capital expenses have gone back into the garden business.” That’s evident. He has built more than 20,000 feet of greenhouse space and last fall installed 144 solar panels to help power the operation.In fact, Paley is hosting a Summer Solstice Open House on Saturday, June 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Litchfield Hills Solar and the Sharon Energy and Environmental Commission will present a talk on energy conservation and green energy.Customers will have to find their sweet corn, tomatoes and basil elsewhere this summer, but Paley’s is still growing.