"You just never know — six people could show up," said Ms. Close, who came up with the idea for the market.
Not to worry: The premiere event, held Jan. 12 at the visitors' center at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in Morris Township, drew 800 shopping-bag-toting visitors over four hours to investigate the market's 16 booths, staffed by vendors selling locally produced meat, cheese, bread, honey and other products (but no fruits or vegetables).
"It looks like we're filling a void," said Ms. Close, the executive director of the Foodshed Alliance in Blairstown, a nonprofit organization that connects farmers with their communities.
Though most farmers' markets in New Jersey are two- or three-season affairs, with tents dismantled and tables collapsed for the winter by November, in recent years, a steady trickle of indoor winter markets has opened around the state.
Ms. Close, 44, of Blairstown, began planning a winter market in Morris County a year ago, after two successful seasons of the Newton Winter Farmers' Market, in Sussex County, which she helped start in 2011.
"It was one of the first ones," she said. "We saw a need because farmers lose income in the winter months. Everyone goes back to the grocery store, which we don't want."
Newton, which has a three-hour winter market with nine vendors each Saturday, is more of a farming area than Morris County is, she said. "There are farm stands on every street, and people are accustomed to going to them" even in winter, she said. In Morris County, "people have access to Costco and every convenience, but they don't have access to farmers, which is one of the reasons we wanted to come here."
Shoppers like Nadja Davidson, 43, of Morris Plains was waiting in line at the booth of Glenmalure Farm of Branchville, which sells meats from grass-fed animals. "We all miss the chance to buy fresh food in the winter after the outdoor market closes," Ms. Davidson said.
Year-round markets also are helping to close the gap, including the Stockton Market in Hunterdon County, which opened in 2010.
"People in this area really needed the option" of a weatherproof market, said Dawn Mcbeth, 56, of Stockton, the manager of the 12,000-square-foot market, which has 25 winter vendors. "The vendors needed a way to make money year-round, and people needed a place to buy locally made stuff."
Ms. Mcbeth said, "People have embraced us not just as a place to buy fresh cheese and beef and pasta in the winter, but also as a community meeting place." That was evident on a visit this month, when patrons lingered at a market cafe selling coffee and crepes, as well as at booths such as Sciascia Confections of Stockton, where a specialty is handmade macarons ($2 each). Stockton Market is home to a fishmonger, a pasta maker, an organic farmer, a bakery, a mushroom stand and beef and poultry producers.
"So you can essentially come here and get everything you need for dinner. It's one-stop shopping," said David Borgert, who operates the Eat This booth, selling pâtés, jams and marmalades made in Erwinna, Pa.
The Ramsey Farmers' Market in Bergen County began opening in 2011 on winter Sundays at a local middle school, said Nancy Boone, the founder and manager, "because every November when we'd close outdoors people were asking us, 'What are we going to do all winter?' "
Previously, the market was open June through November at the Ramsey train station; now it also runs from December through March indoors.
Ms. Boone, 69, of Ramsey, started with 20 vendors at the middle school. Now there are 30, including a cheesemonger, a dried flower vendor, several farmers and a seafood vendor, with a few other stands, such as from WoodsEdge Wools Farm of Stockton, setting up outside the middle school entrance when weather allows.
On a recent Sunday, the booth of Homespun Chili of Fair Lawn, offering varieties of chili including vegan, turkey and beef ($12 for 24 ounces), had heavy traffic. Also popular was Madura Farms of Goshen, N.Y., a booth specializing in exotic mushroom varieties, such as reishi, which is said to have medicinal properties ($20 an ounce for the dried reishi).
While newer markets begin to make their year-round presence known, at least one has maintained cold-weather hours for decades.
"There was a time when Trenton Farmers' Market was the only game in town" in winter, said Jack J. Ball, who manages the 20,000-square-foot market, in Lawrence Township, with his wife, Marcia.
The Trenton market, with space for up to 40 vendors, has been in its current location since 1948, said Mr. Ball, 70, of Ewing. It began operating year-round sometime before 1980, when he became co-manager.
"Naturally, the farmers have very little to offer in the winter months," he said. But several, including Pineland Farms of Hammonton and vendors selling meats and baked goods, even jewelry and Tupperware, are there each Thursday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., from January until March. On a recent Saturday, Pineland Farms sold freshly shelled black-eyed peas, cider, several varieties of sweet potatoes and other root vegetables. By May, the market has nine farmers six days a week.
"Now that more markets are opening in winter, it's put a bit of a strain on us," Mr. Ball said. But he understands the motivation of the other markets: "This is a way to be loyal to our regulars and keep winter economically sound for the farmers," he said. "We think that's important."
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The following are among New Jersey's farmers' markets that are open in winter:
LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP Trenton Farmers' Market, 960 Spruce Street, Lawrence Township. Open year-round; winter hours (through April): Thursdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with additional hours before Easter. (609) 695-2998 or thetrentonfarmersmarket.com.
MORRIS TOWNSHIP Morris County Winter Farmers' Market at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, 73 Kahdena Road. Second Sunday of each month, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. January through May. (908) 362-7967 or njlocalfood.com.
NEWTON Newton Winter Farmers' Market at Springboard Shoppes, 145 Spring Street. Saturdays through April, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (908) 362-7967 or njlocalfood.com.
RAMSEY Ramsey Farmers' Market, at Eric Smith Middle School, 73 Monroe Street. Sundays through March, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (201) 675-6866 or ramseyfarmersmarket.org.
STOCKTON Stockton Market, 19 Bridge Street. Year-round Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. stocktonfarmmarket.com or (609) 610-3532.
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