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June 29, 2010

Market News - June 29, 2010

From the Market Manager

   We are in the midst of the best time of year for food. Every week we have more things at the market to choose from. The hard part is deciding what to buy because it all looks good.

 

   Last week I sautéed some vegetables with some olive oil and added a little kosher salt. So many people asked me what I had added to the vegetables. When I said it was only olive oil and salt they were incredulous because the mixture was so delicious. When you have superior ingredients, you don’t have to add lots of extras; the freshness of the vegetables made what I cooked so delicious.

 

   That is part of why I encourage young people who say that they don’t like a particular food, usually a vegetable, to try it now that they are an adult since our tastes change. All of us can remember not liking something (for me it was mushrooms) when we were a kid, that we like as an adult.

 

Where to Donate Books

 

  1. Book Sale Finder; booksalefinder.com Find out about upcoming sales in the area.
  2. Longmeadow Recycling Center; Hands Across the Water program; longmeadow.org. Pondside Rd., Longmeadow.
    Goodwill Industries; goodwill.org
  3. Goodwill store, 473 Sumner Ave. Springfield. 304-2710
  4. Books for Charity. Collection bin located in Temple Beth El’s parking lot, 979 Dickinson St., Springfield
  5. Local nursing homes and senior center
  6. Hampden County Sheriff’s Dep’t.             hcsdmass.org
  7. Reader to Reader, Inc. readertoreader.org. 24 Mtn. View Circle, Amherst. 256-8595

     

    Swap/Give Away Cookbooks

     

       We did this last year, so let’s do it again. Next week and the week after, bring cookbooks that you don’t want anymore to the market and we’ll put them on a table for anyone to take.

    Interfaith Service

     

       Just a reminder about a short service to be held at 6:30 tonight on the Trinity Church lawn to gather together to share feelings and concerns about the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. All are welcome.

     

    Free Lunchtime Riverwalks

     

       Free lunchtime river walks will resume on June 30th     until early September. Meet at

     

    the Monarch Place fountain downtown on the corner of Boland Way and Main St.

     

    The volunteer led walks are designed to call attention to the 3.5 mile riverwalk along the Connecticut River that stretches from Wason Avenue in Brightwood to Riverfront Park.

     

       Tour goers will be able to see more of the river thanks to extensive clearing of brush along the river. For further information call Bob McCarroll at 736-0629.

     

    This ‘n’ That

     

       Someone did a study that found that the reusable plasticized bags could carry bacteria, so wash them out every so often.

     

       If you’d like to learn about a way to keep berries fresher longer, go to “Prolonging the Life of Berries” which you can find at nytimes.com. Plunging berries into very warm water for several seconds/minutes evidently helps to keep them fresher longer.

     

       Someone emailed me after last week’s market and said that she’d just had a conversation with someone about the value of buying food from a farmers’ market. One thing she mentioned that I

     

    hadn’t mentioned, is that when you purchase your food in one place, you don’t use up gas going from place to place.

     

       New England Wild Edibles hasn’tbeen at the market recently because there hasn’t been enough rain to make the mushrooms grow. If you recall Paul grows them on logs in the woods, so they are totally dependent on Mother Nature for their moisture.   Check out our Facebook page for pictures.

     

       Susan Parks won’t be at the market next week, so if you need soap or lotion, buy it this week.

     

       If you have garbage that will get stinky before trash pickup day, put it in the freezer until the last minute and then toss it out. Why didn’t I think of that on my own?!

     

    Too Many Farmers’ Markets?

     

       There are now over 5,000 farmers’ markets in the U.S. and it is expected that by 2012 there will be over 6,000. Since we started our market in 1998, markets in Massachusetts have more than doubled.

     

       Last year I had two people tell me that they thought that they needed a farmers’ market in Agawam. When I said that they had two terrific farm stands there, so why did they think there was a need, they had no answer.

     

       I attend meetings having to do with farmers’ markets and other aspects of agriculture. This is a topic that is coming up much more often. If there are so many markets that few vendors earn what they need to earn to keep them viable, then who benefits? Since we started our market several have begun in Springfield, Hampden, Wilbraham, Longmeadow, Northampton, South Hadley, and Amherst. And those are just the ones I know of.

     

    Soup Recipe

     

       This is for any creamed soup. Don’t use eggplant or green beans, but just about any other vegetable would be good.

     


     

     


       Onions, vegetables, broth, half and half or cream, seasoning, salt and pepper.

     


       Sauté onions until soft, add some cut up vegetables, cover with vegetable or chicken broth, cook until veggies are soft. Cool, then puree and add whatever seasonings you like (curry goes well with squash) and half and half or cream. If you are using spinach or another leafy green, add some potatoes to the broth as that will add some body to the soup when you puree it.

     

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June 22, 2010

Market News - June 22, 2010

From the Market Manager

   There has been a lot of discussion on a farmers’ market manager listserve recently about the cost of food at farmers’ markets. The discussion came about because of some comments from customers saying that the prices are more expensive at farmers’ markets.

 

   Some managers have done cost comparisons with their local supermarkets and have found that some prices are higher there, and some are lower. BUT, there are many other things to take into consideration besides price. There are 3 separate categories to consider—produce prices, meat/cheese prices, and the social justice price.

 

   Where is the food from? How fresh is it? What are the working conditions under which it was grown/harvested?

 

   When we are at the grocery store, we are usually purchasing many items at once, so we don’t concentrate on the individual cost of our produce items whereas at a farmers’ market, we pay for what we purchase right away. According to one person who went to Giant (owned by the same folks who own Stop & Shop) and WalMart for comparison shopping, most produce was more expensive than the farmers’ market.

 

   Since many of us do consider the nutritional value of our food in addition to its flavor, it stands to reason that anything you purchase at a farmers’ market would be fresher than most of what is purchased from a grocery store. Certainly during the summer months grocery stores often purchase some produce from local farms.

 

   It is also important to remember that small production farming is more expensive than large production farming. Just to consider one cost, gasoline is more expensive this year than last, and diesel used for tractors is almost $3 a gallon.

 

  Also (and I know that you’ve heard this from me many times) don’t confuse price and value. Whatever you buy here will be fresher longer; you won’t be throwing food away due to spoilage.

 

   Meat and cheese can cost more at a farmers’ market although in the cheese department at grocery stores you can find some pricey cheese.

 

   Let’s just use our market as an example. We have 6 vendors who sell meat and/or cheese. Trinity Farm from Enfield just started making cheddar cheese curds from  their hormone and antibiotic free milk. Sweet Pea Cheese, from the Hayes Dairy Farm in North Granby, CT also uses only their hormone and antibiotic free goat and cow milk in their cheese and they sell goat meat from their herd. Chicoine Family Farm from Easthampton, raises hormone and antibiotic free grass-fed beef and they don’t feed their cows any grain.  Outlook Farm from Westhampton, while not pig farmers anymore, purchase hormone-free pigs from Amish country in Pennsylvania and all of the processing is done up here. Barnum and Buckley Farm from Southwick raises chickens, turkeys, and pigs, and they also sell their own eggs. No hormones or antibiotics there either. Hickory Dell Farm, while not a cheese producer themselves, does bring local cheese from a couple of Massachusetts farms.

 

   There are some terms that we see that are designed to make us feel good when we are purchasing something, but don’t mean much of anything. “All natural” means nothing as there is no legal definition for the phrase. It says nothing about how the animal was raised or what it was fed. “All-vegetarian diet” presumably means that the animal wasn’t fed any meat by-products which in the case of cows is a good thing as they are herbivores. But, that phrase doesn’t mean that the animal was fed what it was supposed to eat. It could be that it was fed lots of corn, not its natural food. “Minimally processed” also means nothing legally. The food industry at this time can stamp that on anything they want to, but it’s supposed to make you feel good somehow. It could be that the meat was injected with water or a flavoring and the industry is figuring that you think favorably about the term.

 

   While you may find grass-fed beef or organically raised meat/poultry in the grocery store, they may be from factory farms. Again a big BUT, when you purchase these items from a farmers’ market you very likely are purchasing from the person who raised/produced the meat or cheese. Even if the farm isn’t an organic farm, they may very well use organic farming practices and will answer your questions.

 

   What you’re paying for at the farmers’ market, in most cases, is meat/cheese/eggs from healthier, happier animals, which in turn usually taste better, are better for you nutritionally and are better for the environment. You are paying for the health of the land versus the veritable toxicity that comes along with factory farm operations. You get what you pay for.

 

   We are eating more meat now than we were just 25 years ago, so to make your protein purchases more affordable, cut down on your consumption a little and buy what’s good for you, the animals, the farmer, and the planet.

 

   Much of the agriculture in the United States is subsidized which makes for low food prices. We pay, on average, about 9% of our income for food, a much lower percentage than what most of the rest of the world pays. Small farms aren’t subsidized, so consider that when you purchase from a local producer.

 

Honey

 

   Hickory Dell Farm will be bringing local honey to the market when Mayou’s Apiary is not at the market as Don comes to our market every other week.

 

Neighborhood Block Party

 

   Trinity Church is hosting a neighborhood block party on July 17th on the church grounds from 4-7:30 PM, rain date is the 18th. Everyone is invited, it is free, and this is a way for the congregation to get to know its neighbors.

 

Interfaith Service also at Trinity

 

   June 29th at 6:30 on the lawn (weather permitting) there will be a service to gather together to express our feelings about the oil spill in the Gulf. All are welcome.

 


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June 14, 2010

Market News - June 15, 2010

From the Market Manager

   Last week was a banner week. Several of our vendors said that it was the best week they’d ever had at our market. Our new location is sure a winner. We received 3 contributions last week and all of the contributors wrote how much they like it here. We were concerned about the lack of visibility from the street, but you have found us, and we are thriving. Thanks.

 

   Some of you have mentioned that parking is sometimes difficult. Some of you parked on both sides of the entrance driveway, but the park folks fixed that by putting up cones on one side for safety reasons. You always want an emergency vehicle to have access. Come a little farther into the area and you will find lots of parking. If it’s crowded, wait a few minutes and you’ll find something.

 

   You know that expression “from cradle to grave”? Well, we won’t claim that because we can’t take care of you when you’re dead, but we surely can provide you with food from the beginning of your meals to the end. And, now you can purchase prepared food to either have for lunch, or take home, or both.

 

   Here’s an easy appetizer—sauté lots of onions until they are soft and caramelized, set aside. Take two flour tortillas, put onions and smoked gouda cheese on one side, cover with the other tortilla, and put into a frying pan and “cook” until one side is a little brown and do the other side. Cut into wedges and you have a delicious appetizer. You can add prosciutto also.

 

Brassica Family

 

   This isn’t a new family who moved into the neighborhood—it’s a “family” of vegetables that includes broccoli, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards, cabbage, bok choi, broccoli raab, kohlrabi, cress, mustard, turnips and a few more. They are also known as crucifers. They are loaded with vitamins.

 

   Sometimes we don’t like something because we had it as a child and we didn’t like it. That’s understandable up to a point. I always encourage someone to try what he or she says they don’t like because our tastes change. And—there are so many terrific ways to cook vegetables.

 

   I made an Asian salad last summer with red cabbage. I shredded it very thinly and added all sorts of seasonings to it including Asian chili sauce (the type you get with spring rolls which you can buy prepared at an Asian store). I topped it with steak and chopped peanuts and it was fabulous. You can find recipes for Asian salad online. And, as I always tell you, add or subtract ingredients that you like/don’t like to your taste. 

This ‘n’ That

 

   Use your dehumidifier water for your plants; it doesn’t have any chemicals in it.

 

   The Stanley Park Music Series  in Westfield has started. Each Sunday evening at 6 o’clock in the Beveridge Pavilion, through September 5th, a free concert is held. It’s covered, so it’s a rain or shine concert. Bring a picnic.

 

   They also have a free garden series on Saturday mornings from 10-12. The next one is July 10th and then two more after that. They have other programs as well. Website is: stanleypark.org.

 

   This Saturday, June 19th is the last spring household hazardous waste collection in Springfield for homes only, no businesses. Call 787-7840 to make an appointment. The hours are from 8-noon.

 

   Recycling one glass bottle saves enough electricity to light a 60 watt bulb for 4 hours.

 

Rachel’s Table

 

   Rachel’s Table is a joint program between the Jewish Federation of Western Mass and Channel 22. They pick up surplus food from licensed facilities and deliver it to places that can use it. For example, if you have a party at a restaurant and you have leftover food, take note of what you have and call the RT donation line and tell them what you have and where the food is. They will take it from there. They can’t take food from your home. The donation line # is 733-9165.

 

 

 

Gifts from the Market

 

   I know that I’m repeating myself, but a few folks have purchased tokens and/or market bags for teacher’s gifts this year, so my suggestions are working. When you purchase tokens the user can use them wherever they’d like and for whatever they’d like. The only exclusions are for EBT tokens which can only be used for food items (not prepared food), but you won’t be buying those for gifts anyhow.

From Sunday’s Boston Globe

 

   Yolanda Kodrzycki, director of the NE Public Policy Center, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston:

 


Q. Why hasn’t Springfield done better? It’s affordable, it’s near a cluster of colleges and universities. It has easy access to an international airport and it’s located in a major transportation corridor.

 

A. The key in cities that have succeeded is leadership and collaboration. They had people or institutions that stepped forward who said, “This is my city and I’m  going to make it better.” Springfield has a history of being very fractured which one still sees today. I also think Springfield hasn’t advertised its benefits.

 

   As a very involved resident of Springfield asks: “Given this feedback from someone with a regional perspective, what will or should each of us (citizen, public official, or business person)do to provide leadership and to collaborate in promoting what our city has to offer?”

 

   Certainly food for thought.

 

A Little Night Music

 

   Trinity Church will once again sponsor their music and supper series beginning the first Thursday in July at 6PM. Rain or shine. The concert is held indoors in their sanctuary, then supper is served for a free-will donation, and the carillon is played. Bring a lawn chair as the tables fill up quickly.   

 


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Market News - June 8, 2010

From the Market Manager

 

   One of our long-time regular market customers, Kimberly Antal, died last week; she was 51. Kimberly had major health problems that often had her in the hospital for weeks at a time. I didn’t know what her problems were, but many of you would recognize her as she was VERY skinny and I’m sure many of you thought that she was anorexic. I don’t think that that was it because Kimberly loved to cook and eat.

 

   One of her pleasures was coming to our market and talking with the vendors about food. As Caroline Pam from The Kitchen Garden said, “She was one of the first customers whose name we learned when we first came to the market several years ago. We always looked for her when we returned in the spring and were worried if we didn’t see her for several weeks. Although we never knew what she suffered from, we knew that falls and fractures were common, and that she was quite frail. We were always impressed by her love of the market, her passion for baby vegetables, seeking out the best, most blemish free specimens, and her upbeat personality.” 

 

   When blueberry season returns, I will share a recipe that Kimberly sent to me a couple of weeks ago.

I just want to add that the connections that many of us make at our market is part of what makes it so special.

 

Weather, etc.

 

   Today the weather is glorious. We were overdue for perfect weather. Thanks to those of you who do come out when it’s hot or rainy. I’d like to think that you’ve come to value the market so much, and appreciate the hard work that our vendors do, that you are willing to be a little uncomfortable to support them.

 

   Please keep spreading the word about our beautiful new location. The only comments I’ve heard about parking is that someone had to drive around 3 times to find a space. You can park along the driveways also. You won’t get a ticket.

 

The Chester Theatre Company

 

   Their new season begins on June 30th. Chester is only one hour from here, an easy ride. The plays are performed by professionals and the theatre, held in the town hall, is air-conditioned. Their phone # is 413-354-7825, website is ChesterTheatre.org. Definitely worth the trip.

 

Recipe

 

Chicken Breasts in Wild Mushroom Sauce

 

350 degree oven

 

8 boneless breast halves

 

¾# fresh wild mushrooms

 

¾ C. sherry or port

 

4T. unsalted butter

 

1/4 C. flour

 

2 C. half and half

 

1 T. fresh or ¾ tsp. dried thyme

 

1 C. sour cream

 

salt and white pepper

 

 

 

Chop mushrooms, soak in wine for 30 minutes. Drain and save liquid. Heat butter over medium heat, add flour, cook until bubbly about 3-5 minutes. Add cream and reserved wine and cook, stirring until thick, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly then add sour cream, reserved mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange in ovenproof dish and bake 35-45 minutes.

 

Value Added

 

   I’m sure that you have gone to an apple orchard that has a bakery where you can purchase apple pies, etc. Those are value added products. The farm is taking their products, and adding to them so that they can earn more money. Obviously more work is involved, but the profit is significantly higher than if they just sold the apple or quart of milk, or zucchini.

 

   You will see value added products from the two dairies that attend our market. Trinity Farm makes yogurt, butter, and now fresh cheese in addition to their milk offerings. Sweet Pea Cheese is a part of the Hayes Dairy Farm. They have goats and cows on their farm. The cheese and yogurt are their value added products. You can also buy frozen goat meat from them. (Not a value added product exactly, but sometimes a goat isn’t productive anymore and…..

 

   Farmers are doing this because they want to stay in the business of farming, and as you all know, there are many forces at work to discourage farmers.

This ‘n’ That

 

   If you haven’t seen “Food Inc.” yet, rent it. You will find yourself nodding in agreement with much that is in this movie. That is why you patronize this market.

 

   Don’t forget to take down your tag sale signs.

 

   Use your car ashtray for your butts; that’s what they’re for. The street isn’t an ashtray. AND, the filters aren’t biodegradable, so they stay there forever.

 

Curb Appeal Check List

 

   Are you doing all that you can to make your home attractive? Here are a few tips to help.

 

  • Start by taking a close look at your house and yard. Stand across the street and take notes

     
  • Is the gutter free of leaves, sand, litter? Homeowners are responsible for keeping clear 3’ from the curb.

     
  • Tree belt: Is it free of trash?

     
  • Front yard: Is the grass trimmed? Are the plant beds free of weeds. Do your bushes need trimming?

     
  • Fences: Are they in good shape, or do they need shoring up or painting?

     
  • Front porch: Is it clean? Are your stairs in good shape? How about the railing? Is it shaky? These are safety features also.

     
  • Have you collected items that you mean to dispose of? Are they leaning against your house or garage?

     
  • Windows: Are any cracked or broken?

     
 

 

Check out the green crate for newsletters and recipes. You are welcome to contribute recipes that we will distribute.

 

Remember that we are a rain or shine market. We are here 12:30-6 each Tuesday.

 

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Market News - June 1, 2010

From the Market Manager

   On Sunday, a friend and I drove up to Colrain to visit Paul Lagreze, proprietor of New England Wild Edibles. He grows shiitake mushrooms and forages for wild mushrooms and other plants such as ramps (wild leeks.) He had the ramps the first two weeks of our market only as they are an early spring item. Cultivated shiitakes are his primary product. As with any farm crop, there are variables in how many he can bring to market. Moisture is key as you might imagine when growing mushrooms.

 

   The process of growing shiitakes is fascinating. First Paul uses either oak or maple logs no larger than 4-6” in diameter (my math guess as to size). Then he uses a drill and drills  one inch holes all over the log. After that he takes mushroom spore and with a special tool plugs it into the hole. Then he covers the hole with wax, and labels the end of each log with the date of this process.

 

   From there he takes the logs to the woods where he leans them against wooden frames that he has made. The logs can bear mushrooms for up to 3 years.

 

   When you harvest the mushrooms you must twist the stem and then pull them off the log. So now we all know why the fancy mushrooms cost what they cost; lots of labor and time is involved. If you want to see some of what I’m talking about go to our website or Facebook where I’ve posted some pictures.

 

Another Poem

 

   Cynthia Melcher sent me this poem. It is by Max Coots.

 


 

 


Let us give thanks for a bounty of friends.

 


For generous friends with hearts and smiles as bright as their blossoms;

 


For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers, keep reminding us that we’ve had them;

 


For crotchety friends, as sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;

 


For handsome friends who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a row of corn;

 


For plain friends, who, like potatoes, are so good for you;

 


For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussel Sprouts and as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes;

 


For serious friends, as complex as cauliflowers and as intricate as onions;

 


For friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as delightful as dill, as endless as zucchini, and who, like parsnips, can be counted on to see you through the winter;

 


For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening time;

 


For young friends, growing as fast as radishes;

 


For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils and hold us, despite our blights, wilts and witherings;

 


And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past that have been harvested, but who fed us in their times that we might have life thereafter;

 


For this bounty of friends we give thanks.

 


This ‘n’ That

 

   The Downtown Springfield market begins this Friday, June 4th, from 11-2 in the park across from Tower Square.

 

   If you have a special occasion coming up, and you don’t need anything, ask the folks who are likely to give you a gift to give you a book that you can donate to a school, or homeless shelter.

 

   If a census worker comes to your residence, please be cooperative and let them fill out the form even if you sent yours in. Those of us who are doing this work don’t have a clue why we are asked to get information when the person said that they sent in the information previously. Perhaps it got there late. Who knows? All I know is that it is very important that everyone be counted.

 

   Mayou’s Apiary, our honey vendor comes to the market every other week, so plan accordingly.

 

   Please license your dog. If it gets lost, that’s the best way to identify them. Also, it’s the law.

 

   The Sector H (Forest Park/East Forest Park) neighborhood police meeting is this Wednesday, June 2nd, at 7pm. Held at Sinai Temple, 1100 Dickinson St. In July and August it will be held at the Jewish Community Center. Go to the JCC a little early and take a look around—it’s a terrific place.

 

Need More Money While at the Market?

 

   Many of you know that we have a credit card machine at the market table where we can swipe your EBT/debit/credit cards and give you tokens to use just like cash. The EBT tokens can only be used for food, the others can be used for anything. You can also make out a check to the Farmers’ Market at the X for tokens instead of using a card.

 

A Gift Idea

 

   Purchase a market bag at our market table and fill it with non-perishable items from the market. Or, purchase tokens and put them in a card with a note that says that they can be used for anything at the farmers’ market.

 

It’s Strawberry Season!

 

   Due to the warmth of the spring, strawberry season is ahead of schedule.  We are fortunate in that we live near many places for pick your own berries.  Check out the green crate for recipes. Freeze some also.

Senior Farmers’ Market Coupons

 

   We do not give out these coupons. You must contact your local senior center. I think they start giving them out in June. If you don’t have a local center that you go to, contact Greater Springfield Senior Services and they will help you.

 

Like to Cook?

 

   If you haven’t already shopped at our many ethnic markets do so. Milanos, Mom & Rico’s, Zonin’s, Frigos, 3 NG Market & Bakery, Saigon Market, Zone Supermarket, Asian Market. And that’s just the South End and Forest Park. There are others all around the region. Even though it seems as though every region looks alike with all of the chain stores and restaurants, we are fortunate in that we have lots of independent places left. 

 

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