Farmers' Market at Forest Park

Market News - July 12, 2011

2011-07-13T01:29:13Z

From the Market Manager

   Trinity on Sumner Avenue is having a neighborhood party this coming Saturday at 4:30. Everyone is invited to this free event. There will be activities for the children, food and more. Pick up a flyer on the market table for more details. The rain date is Sunday the 17^th.
   Blueberries are in season and there are many places to pick your own. They freeze beautifully, and this way you can make blueberry pancakes, muffins, cakes, jam, sauce, and more throughout the year. Val’s Berry Farm at 81 Parker St. in East Longmeadow is open every day from 8-noon and from 3:30-6:30. They are $2.35 per pound. Two quarts is about 2#. Pick up a copy of CISA’s Locally Grown publication at the market table, or go online to buylocalfood.org and look for where to go for any farm product in Western Mass.
   As many of you know, for food to be certified kosher, it has to be prepared in a certain way, some animals or parts of animals can’t be eaten, and there are rules about not mixing dairy and meat/poultry products. These rules were established many, many years ago.
   Today there are discussions that we call eco-kashrut--expanding what is kosher—pure. To the best of our ability we should be thinking about how animals are raised, how farm workers are treated, and what we can do individually to eat more sustainably. Eating less commercially raised meat is one of the ways some people are changing their diets. If you speak to our two meat farmers, Chicoine Family Farm or Wild Mountain Farm, you can learn how they raise their animals. You will learn that they are raised very differently than commercially raised animals.
   Many of you patronize our market regularly, so you are already thinking about what you eat. It is easy to take our food for granted since we are fortunate to live where it is plentiful for most of us. At the very least, we should all thank the farmers for their hard work in bringing us food.

Tokens

It’s interesting to me that no matter how often I write about being able to buy tokens to use just like cash at our market, or how many signs we post, there are still folks who are regulars who haven’t picked up on it yet. You don’t have to go to an ATM before you come to the market. Use your debit or credit card (or if I know you) a check, and purchase tokens. If you don’t use them all in one week, hang on to them because they’re good all season long. EBT uses the same process.

WIC/Elder Coupons

Many farmers’ market WIC coupons aren’t used. I’m sure that’s because some recipients don’t have a farmers’ market close enough to where they live. Or others don’t have transportation. So this year the system is different. They are being handed out at the WIC offices on a first come, first served basis. The WIC coupons are only for produce, and the Elder coupons are for produce and honey.

Speaking of Honey

Tom Flebott is our new honey vendor. Don Mayou, our previous vendor for many years, was Tom’s mentor, so those of you who liked Don’s lip balms and creams will like his also. All of Tom’s honey is raw; he makes creamed honey (both flavored and non-flavored) and sells candies and sips that he doesn’t make. He also sells beeswax candles and beeswax. As he still works a full-time job, he won’t be here every week, but will make it as often as he can. He has about 25 hives.

Garlic

Those of us who like garlic can follow the progression of it through its growing season. First we have green garlic that looks very much like green onion and has a mild garlic taste. Then it grows into the bulb, but it is still evolving, as it is still fairly mild. When it is mature it has the papery covering on the bulb and it has its full flavor. There are many varieties of garlic. Most of the garlic found in grocery stores is from China or Argentina; it has little flavor. Local garlic is fabulous.

Neighborhood Walks

Mayor Sarno and various City officials will be walking around some of our neighborhoods this summer. The purpose of these walks is to identify public safety concerns and other issues from residents. The first walk is TODAY, July 12^th at 7:30 PM here in Forest Park. Meet at the corner of Belmont Ave. and Oakland St.

“Haycation”

A really enjoyable place to have a vacation especially with young children is to go to a farm and stay there. Go to farmstayus.com for listings of farms that welcome overnight guests. My husband and I did that when our children were young, and it was a real memory maker. We didn’t go far either. We were living in New Hampshire and we went to a place in NH.

Recipes, etc.

The market table has all sorts of interesting items for you to take free of charge. There are recipes with items that are in season, brochures from our Mass Department of Agricultural Resources, community information, and the weekly newsletter. Also, on the table nearby where you can sit and enjoy a visit or something to eat, check out the cookbooks that people have brought to give away. Bring some yourself, take one or more, or take some even if you don’t bring any.

Riverwalk

Reminder that each Wednesday at 12:15 a group meets at the fountain at the corner of Boland Way and Main Street Downtown, and walks to and on the Riverwalk. It’s takes about an hour.

A Little Night Music

Once again Trinity United Methodist Church is having its Thursday night musical performances followed by supper throughout July. Music is at 6 in the sanctuary, and supper (weather permitting) is outside. If the weather is lousy, supper is inside in Asbury Hall. The carillon plays during dinner. A $5 contribution for dinner is requested. Everyone is welcome.

Have any Recipes You’d Like to Share?

Bring them to the market manager at the market table and they’ll get copied and put in the green crate.

Market News - July 5, 2011

2011-07-06T22:06:03Z

From the Market Manager

   An announcement from the Park Department—evidence of coyotes are in Forest Park, so it is recommended that all dogs be on leashes while in the park, leave no garbage around after you picnic; if you live near the park don’t let cats or small dogs out by themselves.
   Last week two of our regular customers (husband and wife) were upset with me. They told me that they think that I am running a closed market, that we are elitist, and that we should have more produce farmers. I explained that all of our farmers (and other vendors as well) have the capacity to bring more of what they have to sell to our market. And, just about everything that grows in Western Mass is represented at our market especially since we aren’t a producer only market. None of our farmers ever leaves the market with an empty truck. I explained that while I do receive many requests to join our market, I only add new vendors if we need what they have to sell. It’s a delicate balance to make sure that we have variety at the market and that we not have so many vendors selling the same things that no-one earns sufficient income to make it worth their while to come here.
   As you are aware, our long-time honey vendor, Don Mayou isn’t here this year. He had surgery and won’t be back. I have been trying to get a honey vendor, but they are scarce. Hickory Dell Farm has honey from hives on their farm when it is available. The wet spring has made honey scarce. If there is something you’d like to have at our market that we don’t already have, let me know.

This ‘n’ That

   South End News: Mom & Rico’s will be re-opening today. Milano’s hopes to be open in about 2 months bigger and better they say.
   Corn should be at our market within 2 weeks. I was told that someone in Windsor, CT already has it.
   Pick up a copy of the Bing Bulletin with all of the summer information in it.
   We don’t want anyone to run out of money at our market, so you can come to the market table and purchase wooden tokens with your EBT/debit/credit card. And, if you use your EBT card at our market for $5 or multiples of $5, you will receive a 40% bonus. We have grant money for this special program this year.
   Last week’s cooking demo was very simple—sautéed cabbage, onions, and Outlook Farm’s kielbasa. I sautéed everything together using a neutral oil, added some salt and pepper and that was it. If you add cooked noodles, you will have lazy pierogies. You can use any kind of cabbage, but I used the cabbage that is in season now. It is delicate and cooks quickly.
   Something that makes me wonder—how can anyone live someplace and not pick up the trash that is in their yard, or in front of their house? There was an article in   Sunday’s Boston Globe Travel section about people who visit Boston. They are from all over the world as you might think, and two things that were mentioned several times were the friendliness of the people and the cleanliness of the city.

Integrated Pest Management, cont.

·         IPM principles can be applied wherever pests are found. Programs have been developed throughout the world for use in schools, hospitals, golf courses, restaurants and home gardens.
·         To grow quality produce, farmers compete with many types of pests including weeds, fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects and other animals.
·         One acre of soil can contain more than 100 million weed seeds. Most of these will live for only one year, but some can survive for more than 80 years.
·         Since ancient times, ants have been used in China to eat pests in orange trees. Farmers provide rope bridges to help ants move from one tree to another.
·         Starlings were introduced to this country by a group attempting to bring all of the birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays to Central Park. 100 birds were released in the 1890s. Now over 40 million starlings live in the U.S.
·         Imported pests (including chestnut blight, Dutch elm disease, Gypsy moth and 70% of our weeds) are responsible for some of our greatest agricultural losses. In a single year, 16,000 potential pests are confiscated from tourists at U.S. borders.

Nationally, Massachusetts is ranked 2^nd in cranberry production, 10^th in sweet corn, and 14^th in apples.

· Massachusetts farmland is ranked 4^th in its value per acre.
· The 5,600 farms in Massachusetts keep over 500,000 acres of land in productive open space.
For further information contact: UMass Extension IPM Program (413) 545-1044 or umass.edu/umext/programs/agro/ipm.

Gifts from the Market

A nifty way to give a gift from the market is to purchase some wooden tokens. Enclose them in a greeting card and then the recipient can come to the market and purchase what they’d like.

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is that funny looking round vegetable that has things sticking out of it. You eat the round part. Peel it and then either steam, or stir-fry it, or cut it up and put it raw into a salad or use it as a dipper for a dip. It is crunchy when raw and it tastes sort of like a mild turnip or broccoli stems.

Attracting Birds to Your Yard

Flowers for birds—Aster, coneflower, coreopsis, sunflower.
Nectar plants for hummingbirds—hummingbirds are typically attracted to red and yellow tubular flowers, although they frequently visit others as well. Bee balm, columbine, delphinium, fuchsia, honeysuckle, jewel weed, lobelia, penstemon, phlox, salvia, trumpet creeper.
Vines for birds—American bittersweet, native honeysuckle, strawberry, trumpet creeper, Virginia creeper, wild grape.
Trees for birds and other wildlife—American beech, American holly, apple, balsam fir, black cherry, black gum, cottonwood, crabapple, flowering dogwood, hawthorns, hickories, live oak, oaks, red mulberry.

Market News - June 28, 2011

2011-07-06T22:04:42Z

From the Market Manager

   8 years ago I participated in a citizen’s panel on the Future of Food in New England through UNH’s Department of Sustainability Programs and Cooperative Extension. It consisted of people from all over N.E. who had something to do with agriculture. It was a very interesting process. As I read over our findings again, I see where some of our recommendations are coming to fruition, and where some of the problems that existed then, are still serious problems.
   One place where I particularly see improvement is in the buy local campaigns where many more schools and businesses that have cafeterias are sourcing more of their food from local farms. It’s called the “farm to cafeteria” movement. While I can’t speak for the other N.E. states, I know that our Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is VERY pro-active in helping farmers with marketing both at farmers’ markets and at their farm stands.
   I encourage you to go to the Internet and look up Citizen Panel on the Future of Food in New England and read it for yourself. It isn’t long, and every time I read it, I am impressed with what we accomplished. It is as timely today as it was 8 years ago.

This ‘n’ That

If you have cookbooks that you don’t want, bring them to the market and leave them on the table next to the market table. You can take one or more home with you, or not. You don’t have to donate books to take one or more.

Beat Management Team

The Sector H Beat Management Team will be meeting in July and August at the Jewish Community Center, 1160 Dickinson St. on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30. You don’t have to have a problem to go to the meetings. You can find out what’s going on in our neighborhoods of Forest Park and East Forest Park. You can also pick up lots of information and meet our sector officers.
It’s interesting to hear the reports because sometimes the crimes are crimes of opportunity such as someone leaving their car running in their driveway while it warms up, or having doors and windows unlocked. I am not forgiving the crooks, but why make it easy for them?! Keep your front light on at night; a lighted neighborhood is a safer neighborhood. If you see something that you think is not right, call 911. The cops would rather you were safe than sorry. If you see something during the day that looks “fishy” go out and sweep your sidewalk or porch. The crooks don’t want anyone watching them. Let your neighbors know when you’re going away. Do the usual—stop the paper, have your mail picked up by someone, have some lights on timers. Don’t advertise that you’re not home.

Summer Squash

Summer squash isn’t an unusual vegetable, but there are some varieties that you may not be familiar with. Pattypan comes in 3 colors, dark green, pale green, and yellow; zucchini is dark green, light green, or yellow; there is an Italian variety that is ribbed, yellow squash is straight neck or crookneck. They all taste fairly similar, so you can mix or match easily. It’s pretty to cut up different types of squash and sauté them with onion, garlic and olive oil. Small squash are much more tender than large ones. Use the larger ones for relish or soup. I know that The Kitchen Garden often has baby squash with the blossom still on them. Those have to be cooked very carefully, but it’s worth the extra care because they look beautiful on the plate. They often have zucchini blossoms also. You have to use those up quickly as they are delicate.
Caroline once told me that they are picked very early in the morning before they have a chance to open up so that the bugs don’t get into them. The things you learn from hanging around a farmers’ market.

What is Integrated Pest Management?

I think that everyone knows in their heart of hearts that using too many chemicals isn’t great for the environment. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an approach used to control pests in an environmentally responsible manner.
IPM uses a combination of pest control practices in concert with naturally-occurring controls. By combining a number of practices, pest damage can be prevented without harming the environment.

IPM techniques include monitoring, maximizing the effectiveness of natural enemies and cultural controls, as well as the judicious use of pesticides.

Examples of IPM research and implementation from the UMASS IPM program.

Apples—developed a method to trap apple maggot fly using imitation apples made of wood and plastic. This technology has been adopted throughout New England result in better control of the fly with the use of less pesticide.
Cranberries—refined methods of flooding cranberry bogs to manage insects, diseases and weeds with less dependence on pesticides.
Sweet corn—developed a system to protect sweet corn from corn-infesting worms using organic farming methods on a commercial scale.
Strawberry—demonstrated to growers how to control gray mold on strawberries by using fungicides on strawberry flowers early in the season, eliminating sprays on the berries themselves.
Poinsettia—developed a technique to use parasitic wasps from the Middle East for the control of whitefly in greenhouses.
Wine grapes—introduced the use of mating disrupting pheromones to eliminate insecticide use for grape berry moth.
Our tax dollars at work!

We have T-shirts for Sale

We have snazzy new t-shirts with our new logo on them for sale for just $10 each. We have sizes from child’s large to 3X.

Health Bucks—Tokens

We are doing our part to help folks eat healthier food. If you have SNAP/EBT, use your card at the market table for $5 or more and you will receive $2 tokens to be used for fruits and vegetables at our farmers’ market.
Also, I learned recently that the farmers’ market WIC coupons are on a first come/first served basis. They want them to be used, and when they’re sent to everyone, they’re not...

Market News - June 21, 2011

2011-07-06T22:02:03Z

From the Market Manager

   Hickory Dell Farm has fresh apple cider this week from Bashista’s Orchard in Southampton.
   Last week I put a recipe for Swiss chard cheese casserole in the green crate. I made it again and this time I used some smoked cheddar cheese in addition to other types of cheese. It was fabulous. I used half smoked cheese. The slight smoky flavor was so good. You can make this with spinach also, but I like Swiss chard because it has more texture. I sauté the stems with onions and garlic, or just onions, then add the green part of the chard. I don’t make it with a crust because it isn’t necessary.
   I was reading the Annual Drinking Water Quality Report from the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission. In addition to other interesting information, they had a picture of a sewer pipe that was partially blocked by congealed fat. I never thought about that even though I don’t put fat down the drain. You may pour it down the drain and use hot water, but once it gets to the sewer pipe, it’s cold, so it congeals.

Music Surrounds us

We are so fortunate to have many places to enjoy music free of charge. The East Longmeadow Rotary Club’s 2011 concerts begin June 22^nd at the East Longmeadow High School campus field at 7PM and continue each Wednesday (rain date the next day) through August 10^th.

Stanley Park in Westfield has already started its Sunday night concerts. They are at 6PM and they continue into September. Although the pavilion where the concerts are held has been torn down, they have a large tent instead, so the concerts are held rain or shine. Bring a picnic and enjoy the park and the concert. No dogs allowed.

Theatre

Check out New Century Theatre, Majestic Theatre, and Chester Theatre Company online for their schedules for this season’s performances. Chester is about an hour from here, New Century is in Northampton, and the Majestic is in West Springfield.

From Dara Bartlett, Registered Dietician

Want to eat healthfully, but frustrated by the long list of dos and don’ts? Organizing your thoughts can help.

Take baby steps as you make small healthy changes.
Preparing food for you and your family can be made into a fun activity.
Meal planning will help you meet both your nutrition and budgetary goals.

Stay positive and open to new ideas. Something you haven’t thought of yet may really be the key to

overcoming a challenge.

Organic Land Care, cont’.

   How does one do organic land care?
Regular soil tests—The basis of an organic landscape is healthy soil. It contains the proper balance of minerals, nutrients, organic matter, air, and water. Soil tests are the first step to creating healthy soil. Use them to determine exactly what nutrients and organic materials are available to the plants in your landscape and identify deficiencies, excesses or imbalances that can be corrected with approved organic cultural methods, amendments or compost. Unnecessary applications of ANY fertilizer of soil amendment can cause mineral nutrients to build up to excessive levels in the soil or escape to nearby waters and cause pollution problems.
   In order to get useful information from a soil test, it is important to sample the soil correctly. Lawns, vegetable gardens, and trees and shrubs all require slightly different soil sampling techniques.
   The Master Gardeners are at our market most weeks from 12-4; they will test your soil for $1. Take samples from several parts of your yard and mix them together and bring that to the market.

Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops

From Cook’s Country—Recipes that Work
1 cup shredded smoked gouda or cheddar cheese (Hickory Dell Farm has these)
1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
¼ cup barbecue sauce
4 boneless loin chops, about 1 ½ inches thick, about 8 oz. each.
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cook onion until soft and deeply browned, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to bowl and stir in barbecue sauce and cheese.
2. Using sharp paring knife, cut 1” opening into side of each chop, then cut pocket for stuffing. Place 1/4^th of stuffing in pocket of each chop. Seal chops with toothpicks and season with salt and pepper. (Chops can be stuffed and refrigerated up to 1 day in advance.
3. Prepare charcoal grill, wait until coals are covered with fine gray ash. Pour coals into pile on one side of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and let heat for 5 minutes.
4. Grill chops directly over coals until browned on both sides, about 2 ½ minutes per side. Transfer chops to cooler side of grill, cover with disposable aluminum foil pan, and cook until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, 6-8 minutes longer. Transfer chops to platter, cover with foil pan and let rest for 5 minutes. (internal temp. should rise 5 degrees.) Serve.
(Those of you who have gas grills can figure out how to make this on one.)

Jam, Salsa, Applesauce, etc.

Last week a young woman said she wanted to buy strawberries at our market to make jam and she also said something about making salsa. I told her that she should use the berries from our market for eating, and either pick her own berries, or buy jam berries at a place that has pick your own. You don’t need to use perfect fruit or vegetables when you’re going to turn them into a sauce, or jam, etc.; it’s too expensive that way. You do need perfect cucumbers for dill pickles though. If they have blemishes they don’t cure properly.
You want to wait until you can buy tomatoes, etc. when they are plentiful and inexpensive for this kind of cooking. Buy utility apples and peaches; they have small blemishes that are easy to remove, and you’ll get perfect final products just the same. There are many places where you can pick your own vegetables and fruit, so you can have perfect produce at a reduced price because you’ve done the labor. Pick up a copy of CISA’s Farm Products Guide.

Market News - June 14, 2011

2011-07-06T21:58:33Z

From the Market Manager

   This comment was relayed to me last week “If Springfield can have a farmers’ market like this, there is hope for Springfield.” She said that this was said by a friend of hers who used to live here who now lives in Illinois.
   There are many things that make up the fabric of a city. The tendency is to concentrate on the negative and not the positive. We have all seen examples of the positive as a result of the tornado that hit our city. Sure, this is some negative news, but most of it is positive.
   I think the people who complain the most about Springfield are the folks who have never lived anyplace else. If they had, they would know that no place is Utopia; every place has problems. It is up to each and every one of us to do something to improve where we live even if it’s nothing more than picking up some litter, or keeping our property neat and clean.
   Join your local neighborhood association. Don’t leave it to the few folks who seem to do everything. Take an interest in what is going on in your neighborhood. Whether you own your home or rent, it’s up to all of us to improve where we live.
   Last week CISA did the dot survey that many of you participated in. They will send me the results in a couple of weeks and I’ll report them to you.
   I did notice that many of you put a dot in the section that said you’d like more variety at our market. What else would you like to have here? We are not going to have any produce that isn’t grown in western Mass or northern Connecticut. If you go to California you will see citrus, nuts, avocados, and more. That’s because it grows there. We won’t have fish because we aren’t a seaport. Sometimes we don’t have something because we can’t make the connection. So, let me know what you’re thinking, and if it’s doable, we’ll do it.

Vote for Your Favorite Farmers’ Market

Go to our website listed above and click on the logo for voting for your favorite farmers’ market. It’s a contest run by American Farmland Trust. I will try to change the name of our market on their site, but for now it’s still The Farmers’ Market at the X. If we win, we get some sort of prize.

Organic Land Care, cont’.

Isn’t organic land care more expensive? If your landscape is already chemically dependent, organic land care will initially be more expensive. It will be necessary to analyze the property to create an appropriate treatment plan for the transition to organic practices. In the long run, organic land care actually costs less because “routine” applications of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are avoided. A healthy soil, high in organic matter, stores more water and encourages plants to grow deep roots so you will not need to water except during establishment of new plants and in times of serious drought. Once established, an organic landscape uses fewer materials and requires less labor for mowing and maintenance. Consider the reduced costs to your health and the environment, and an increase in free time too. What will happen when I switch to organic land care? If your landscape is not chemically dependent, the transition should be fairly simple. Otherwise, detoxification can be a difficult process particularly for turf grasses. Whether you try going “cold turkey” or gradually wean your plants away from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, there will be a period of time where everything will look less green and manicured. During this time, good things are going on underground as soil health is re-established and plants switch their energies to growing healthy roots. Eventually, your yard can be lush and beautiful and you will have the additional peace of mind of knowing you are not sacrificing your health and the environment for green grass.

Springfield Riverwalk

Every week on Wednesday at 12:15, a group meets at the fountain at Monarch Place Downtown, and continues to the Riverwalk for a guided walk.
For more information pick up a brochure at our market table.

Worth Repeating—a Poem/Prayer

By Max Coots, who was a Unitarian Universalist minister.
“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 Brussels 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.

Lettuce

We all know lettuce. There are many varieties of this vegetable as you know. It’s really pretty when you use different types of lettuce in a salad. Combine it with some fruit, maybe some cheese, some fresh herbs and your own salad dressing. Keep different olive oils and vinegars on hand, and you can change the way your salad tastes by varying the oil and vinegar. Use fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar. Add either fresh herbs right in the salad, or put dried in with the oil and vinegar and let it sit for a while. I use kosher salt in my dressing; it isn’t as salty.

Market News - June 7, 2011

2011-06-07T01:27:12Z

From the Market Manager

    What an incredible week! It is hard to comprehend how everything can be fine one moment, and the next it isn’t. We all “know” this, but the reality seldom hits us such as it has this past week. My home is fine, but a friend’s home was destroyed. Two of my favorite stores, Milano’s and 3 NG Bakery are heavily damaged. It is just about incomprehensible.
   I think that there are two things that everyone should always do—treasure the people who are close to you every day, and keep your insurance up to date.
   There are many places where we can donate. Something that is an immediate need is food, especially non-perishable food. Rachel’s Table, a surplus food program run by the Jewish Federation of Western Mass and Channel 22, has asked for items that don’t have to be warmed or cooked, in packages that have tops that come off easily. You can bring them to the Federation office at the Jewish Community Center on Dickinson St. The Food Bank of Western Mass is also distributing food and water, so go onto their website and get details.
   Make sure that you or anyone you may be helping only uses companies that are licensed and local and come with recommendations. I have already read about an elderly couple that was scammed. If it takes a little longer to get something done, so be it, at least it will be done properly.
   One of the joys of participating in a farmers’ market for a lengthy period of time is seeing children grow up. We have kids who have been coming to the market since they were infants, and who are now in middle school.
   And, lucky us, Caroline Pam and Tim Wilcox, owners of The Kitchen Garden, have had two children since joining us—Lily, 3 and Oliver 1½. Tim brought them to the market last week for a “viewing.” They are adorable!
   Studies have shown that when children help to shop at a farmers’ market, work in a garden, or help to prepare meals, they eat more fruits and vegetables.

Senior Farmshare

CISA has a program that gives elder folks fresh produce for 10 weeks during the summer. They have pick up locations in Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties. Each share costs $100. In previous years they have received grant money from the Commonwealth, but not this year, so they are raising funds so that vulnerable seniors don’t have to be without fresh local produce. If you’d care to donate something, either pick up an envelope at the market table, or send your contribution to CISA at 1 Sugarloaf St., S. Deerfield, MA 01373.
This program also benefits the farms that provide the produce. It’s a win-win situation for everyone concerned.

Japanese Turnips

Small, white, sweet, delicious. Use them in a salad, or cook them and add a little butter and salt and that’s it. Of course you can be fancier if you want to be, but they are so good plain that you don’t have to dress them up.

Organic Land Care, continued

If I want to go organic, what’s the first thing I need to do?
The first thing to do is to decide if you are going to do it yourself, hire a professional, or do some yourself and hire a professional for larger or more complicated projects.
Can anyone do organic land care?
In a healthy, natural landscape organic land care can be very simple. Landscapes that have been conventionally treated with synthetic chemicals and fertilizer on a regular basis are harder to rehabilitate. In such landscapes the soils are altered, the natural balance of beneficial organisms to pests has been destroyed, and the plants chosen may be species dependent on heavy doses of chemicals or water to survive. Anyone can reduce the application of chemicals to their landscape, but successfully changing a chemically managed landscape to an organic one can be complicated and may require professional help. (from the NOFA Organic Land Care Committee for CT and MA)

It’s Strawberry Season!

There are a zillion things you can do with strawberries. Add them to salads, make a puree, add some sugar and some yogurt or half and half, a little lemon juice and a little nutmeg, and you have strawberry soup, or chop up some basil, add some lemon juice and some balsamic vinegar to the strawberries and you have a strawberry salad.

Welcome to our New Vendors

Chop Box Gourmet has fresh prepared food items for you to enjoy at the market or to take home. Bad Apple Baby Food Co. makes fresh organic baby food. Good Food by Donna Fisher has freshly prepared items that you can consume here or take home. All of the above use as many local ingredients as they can for their offerings. Tortured Orchard has seasoning sauces and marinades. Happy Tails Dog Treats makes treats that even my fussy dog likes.

Health Bucks and Tokens

We have received grant money from the Xeric Foundation and the Eugene Dexter Foundation to fund Health Bucks. If you have an EBT/SNAP card, we will give you bonus tokens to spend at our market for fruits and vegetables. For every $5 swipe, we’ll give you a $2 token. We will do this until our money runs out. EBT/SNAP tokens are worth $2.50 each and are used for food (but not prepared food) and plants that grow food. Please let others know that we not only take the EBT/SNAP card, but that we have a bonus program this year.

You can purchase tokens to use just like cash with either a debit or credit card. Swipe your card and you can get as many tokens as you need. They are each worth $2.50 and are good every week so if you don’t use them all one week, use them the next, etc. You don’t have to stop at the ATM before coming to the market anymore.

Cookbook Exchange

If you have any cookbooks that you don’t want/need anymore, bring them to the market and we’ll set them out for someone else to have. You don’t have to bring a cookbook to take one. We’ll keep this up all season long, so start culling your cookbooks.

Market News - May 24, 2011

2011-05-23T15:50:42Z

From the Market Manager

This is Dan Higgins’ (Blue Moon Coffee Roasters) last week at our market. He is still going to be in the coffee business, but not his own business. Good luck Dan! We will miss you.

I tried Tortured Orchard’s balsamic and garlic sauce on some chicken the other night. I didn’t marinate or cook with it, but put some on a plate and dipped it in. It was delicious. I encourage you to try some of their sauces yourself.

Have you noticed our new logo? How about our new name—Farmers’ Market at Forest Park? We have Nancy Urbschat’s firm TSM Design to thank for it. Nancy said that since we are IN the park, and we aren’t at the
X any longer, that this made more sense.

Agriculture is an over $200 million industry in the 4 western Massachusetts counties.

Compost Your Kitchen Waste

If you don’t already own a composter, get one. Then put all of your kitchen scraps (not meat, poultry, or bones) into it. You’ll be amazed at how quickly it becomes usable compost. What a pleasure it is to go to the composter for soil to fill pots and not have to buy potting soil for $8+ a bag. If you’re a good recycler, you’ve probably noticed that your recycling bin fills up quickly, and that you don’t have a lot of trash. You’ll notice how your kitchen scraps add up when you don’t push them down the disposal.

Organic Land Care (courtesy of the NOFA Organic Land Care Committee for CT and MA)

Chemicals used in lawn and yard care do not stay where they are applied. When applied to the ground, chemicals can be carried into buildings and cars on shoes and paws. Without exposure to sunlight and water, they break down very slowly and can remain for months in carpets, toys and dust bunnies.
Chemicals also move around in the environment. Rainwater washes them down streets and storm drains to streams, wetlands lakes and oceans. Rainwater soaking into the ground carries fertilizers and pesticides into ground water, contaminating wells and aquifers. Pesticides absorbed by plants or insects can accumulate in the food chain as birds, fish, other wildlife, or people feed on the contaminated organisms. When chemicals are sprayed, breezes can carry the droplets to neighboring properties or even miles away. Cleaning sprayers and dumping the wash water down the drain sends pesticides and fertilizers directly into a septic system (and the groundwater) or a sewage treatment plant (and the local river.) You know the green scum you see on some ponds? That’s from too much fertilizer making its way into the water that feeds the pond.
What is organic land care? A primary principle of organic land care is to DO NO HARM. Another principle is to grow the RIGHT PLANT IN THE RIGHT PLACE. Plant health depends on the plant growing in healthy soil appropriate to its needs. Following these principles protects and enhances natural ecosystems while substantially reducing the need for inputs such as fertilizer, pest controls and labor.
Important objectives of organic land care include: Working with natural systems to enhance biological cycles rather than seeking to dominate them; maintaining and improving the long-term health of soils; avoiding pollution when creating or caring for landscapes. MORE NEXT WEEK

Tokens Anyone?

You don’t have to stop at the bank before coming to the market. We sell tokens that you use just like cash. If you don’t use them all the day you purchase them, hang onto them because they’re good every week. We also have EBT tokens that are also used just like cash, BUT they can only be used for food or for plants that grow food, (no prepared food) and there is no change given for them. This year we have a bonus program for EBT use when the purchase is $5, or multiples of $5. The bonus $2 tokens are used only for fruits and vegetables at our market. We are calling this program Health Bucks. We will have the Health Bucks program all season long, or until our grant money runs out.

Walk on the Riverwalk

This Wednesday, May 25^th, at 12:15, Sheila McElwaine will be leading the first of this season’s guided riverwalks on the South end of the Springfield Riverwalk aka the Connecticut Riverwalk and Bikeway. Meet at the corner of Boland Way and Main Street. It lasts about an hour. Free of course.

Master Gardeners

Once again we thank the Master Gardeners for coming to our market almost every week. This year they are going to try to alternate their hours some. Instead of just being here from 12-4, they are going to come from 2-6, so that those of you who can’t get to the market early can get your questions answered and/or your soil tested. They don’t usually come on a rainy day.

Jewish Community Center

If you’ve never been into that building I encourage you to do so. The JCC has programming for little children through senior citizens. Recreation, education, child care, trips, physical education, etc. As with any United Way agency, everyone is welcome to belong; you don’t have to be Jewish. They are at 1160 Dickinson St. in Springfield. Go in and ask for a tour. They’re open 7 days a week except when there is a major Jewish holiday. Try it, you’ll like it.

Green Garlic

Green garlic looks like scallions, and it has a mild garlic flavor. Try it in salads, or stir-fry it with asparagus or other vegetables. Put some olive oil in a pan, cut up asparagus and green garlic, add a little salt, cover, and stir every so often until the asparagus is tender. Use green garlic in a bean dip; it’s delicious.

Market News - May 17, 2011

2011-05-23T01:33:37Z

From the Market Manager

Isn’t it wonderful how the market changes from week to week? Last week we had rhubarb, the week before, we didn’t. That’s part of the reason why it’s such a good idea to make coming to the market part of your routine. Especially if, like me, you wait for some things to be native before you buy them. I only buy local blueberries (actually I pick them myself) peaches, corn, squash, and a few more things. I must admit that I do buy tomatoes and strawberries once in awhile that aren’t native, but that’s mostly for color. I’m sure not buying them for flavor.

I froze some corn off the cob last summer, and used it this winter. It was so sweet. I only cut it off the cob and put it into containers; I did no special preparation, and it was fine. I also made lots of roasted tomato sauce; it’s very delicate and delicious. What a pleasure it is to have these things during the cold months.

I know that “putting food by” is an age-old thing to do, but since most of us have good access to grocery stores, most of us don’t do that. I don’t do lots of it, but I do take pleasure in putting something on the table that I have frozen or canned. And, I’ll admit, when I serve these things to company, I love the compliments. At this time of year you can freeze rhubarb; it needs no special preparation. Just wash, cut and freeze.

How do I Know if a Product is

Hazardous?

Look for These Signal Words—

Caution: slightly toxic
Warning: moderately toxic
Poison: highly toxic
Danger: highly toxic, and/or extremely flammable, corrosive
Carcinogen: substance that can cause cancer
Irritant: substance that can cause inflammatory damage to living tissue inside and outside of the body

What are Household Hazardous Products?

Some of the products that we routinely use to maintain our home and yard, control pests, and provide recreation, contain chemicals that can harm humans and the environment. We can be affected through overexposure due to mismanagement, and/or through routine exposure over time. Manufacturers, waste haulers, and landfill operators can also be impacted during production and disposal.
Types of Common Hazardous Products

Cleaning—cleansers, polishes
Maintenance—paints, solvents
Auto—waste oil, antifreeze, batteries
Personal care—hair dye, nail polish
Hobbies—photo chemicals, glues

Recreation—pool chemicals, munitions

Gardening Tips from UMASS Extension

Divide hardy chrysanthemums. Separate and replant small, vigorous shoots.
Spot treat weeds in lawns rather than broadcasting weed killers over the entire lawn.
Don’t get too close to tree trunks with nylon filament trimmers.
Never use your lawn as a parking lot. Grass doesn’t do well in compacted soil.
Six summer squash plants is enough for a family of four.

When can I Expect…..?

Some folks who have never had a garden, or don’t come to the market often, have no idea when something is going to appear at the market. So, here are a few of the more popular fruits and vegetables and when you can expect them.

Lettuce—May
Greens—May
Strawberries--June
Blueberries—July
Tomatoes (field)—July
Summer squash—June/July
Corn—July
Cucumbers--June

We have all become so used to having everything available to us all year in the grocery stores, that we often forget that the local crops have a season when they appear in our farmers’ markets.

I remember when I had a garden what fun it was to see things grow. I was amazed at some of it especially the vegetables that started out a smaller version of themselves like eggplant, cucumbers, and squash. It was so enjoyable to watch their progress as they grew and then to pick them just before using.

Studies have been done that show that children who garden eat more vegetables. Another way to get kids to eat more vegetables is to have them help you prepare meals.

Thank you to our Contributors

Concerned Citizens for Springfield, our sponsor, The Robyn Newhouse Foundation, United Bank, TD Bank, Forest Park Branch, and The Forest Park Civic Association. And, although the Springfield Parks and Recreation Department doesn’t give us any money (we pay them something) we must thank them profusely for all the support that they give us in so many ways.

Farmers’ Markets on the Rise

There are over 6,000 farmers’ markets in the U.S. these days. It seems that everyone wants one in their neighborhood. Last year two people told me that they thought that they should have one in Agawam. I told them that since they had two of the best farm stands in the area right there, (Cecci’s and Calabrese) that a farmers’ market would be superfluous. When we started our market 14 years ago, there were 98 in Massachusetts; now there are over 200. We weren’t exactly ahead of the curve, but we were somewhat farsighted thinking that a market could be successful in our neighborhood.

Market News - May 10, 2011

2011-05-10T11:50:10Z

From the Market Manager

   There is a lot of discussion about food stamps on the Farmers’ Market Coalition list serve that I subscribe to. Since those of us who are involved with farmers’ markets care about providing healthy food to our customers, we are always trying to find ways to encourage more folks to come to our markets.
   One of the ways is to make it easy for everyone to shop at the market. Forgot to stop at the ATM before coming to the market? No problem, swipe your credit or debit card at the market table, and we’ll give you tokens that you use just like cash. Have SNAP benefits? No problem, you can swipe your card at the market table also, and this year receive tokens and, this year, a bonus..
   Nationwide participation in SNAP increased in 2/11 for the 28^th consecutive month. There were 44,199,091 people in the U.S. receiving these benefits in February. Approximately 1 in 7 Americans rely on food stamps.
   Unfortunately (my opinion) the card can be used to purchase candy, chips, soda, and other foods that have little or no nutrition. I don’t think that will ever change because the outcry from the companies that produce these foods would be heard from coast to coast if that were ever proposed.
   A lot of people don’t know how to shop to get the best value. I remember years ago being behind a woman who was using food stamps. She was buying ice cream treats for her children. I couldn’t help but think that if she bought ice cream in a carton, she’d have more, and her children could have ice cream more often.
   FYI, you can use your food stamps to purchase plants that will produce food. Herbs also.

uNi Coffeehouse

This coming Saturday night, the 14^th will be the last concert of the 26^th season of the uNi Coffeehouse held at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Porter Lake Drive in Springfield. It starts at 7:30 and is $15 at the door.

This ‘n’ That

If you have a cat that goes outside, please put a collar with a bell on it, so that the birds have a chance.
How come some of the people who have tag sales can find places to put their signs, but can never find the same places when it comes time to take the signs down?

How come people who smoke in their cars don’t know that it comes with an ashtray and throw their butts onto the street?

What’s the deal with graffiti? No one can read it anyhow.

A Twilight Zone Moment

Saturday I stopped at the Forest Park branch library to drop off some publicity for our market. I visited with Reggie Wilson, our wonderful head librarian. He told me that he had just finished a book called “Alicia, my Story” by Alica Jurman Applebaum. What made it a Twilight Zone moment is that I had just finished the book 2 days previously. It isn’t a new book, (published in 1987) it isn’t on any bestseller lists, and no one recommended it to either one of us. I found it on my bookshelf and took it with me to the JCC to read when I went into the Jacuzzi. It’s about Alicia’s life during WW 2 when she was a girl. The courage she had is truly amazing. It’s a very thought provoking book. Reggie said it’s one of the best he’s ever read. I’m going to give it to my grandsons to read.

Welcome to our new Vendors

   Chef Donna Fisher is selling prepared foods to either eat at the market, or to take home. She worked with Susan Chicoine last year, and this year has her own spot. Stop by for a sample of her delicious offerings.
   Chop Box Gourmet (Robert Valenti) will be serving lunch at the market He’ll have something different each week.
   Tortured Orchard (Amanda Walley) joins us from North Egremont in the Berkshires with their delicious, very flavorful sauces. You can sample all of them. Try them on top of a little cream cheese on a cracker for a quick snack.
   Blueberry Hill Gardens (Debra Hamm) will be joining us in a

couple of weeks. Debra will have plants and herbs. She was at our market a few years ago.

Help us get the Word out

Do you work in an office where you can bring some of our post card sized handouts about the market? Stop by the market table and we’ll give you some.

Plant and Seed Exchange

On May 15^th, from 2-5 PM at 127 Marlborough Street in Springfield, Kristen Brennen and Daniel Staub are hosting this event. Bring plants, and seeds of perennials, annuals, flowers or vegetables to swap, or if you don’t have anything to bring, and you want something, feel free to bring some cash.

Senior Farm share

For the last few years CISA has offered farm shares to some senior citizens in Hampshire and Hampden County. The shares are fairly small and each one costs $100. In previous years they have received some funding from the Commonwealth, but not this year. So, if you’d like to help some old folks eat well this summer, consider sending CISA some money. There are envelopes at the market table.

Sautéed Kale

You can sauté any leafy green, but the younger the leaves are, the more tender they are. Cooking them couldn’t be simpler. Use either butter or olive oil, add some fresh garlic if you want to, stir it around over high heat, and in very short order it will be done. You can do the same with spinach.

Did you Know?

   One acre of soil can contain more than 100 million weed seeds. Most of these will live for only one year, but some can survive for more than 80 years.
   Starlings were introduced to this country by a group attempting to bring all of the birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s play to Central Park. One hundred birds were released in the 1890s. Now over 40 million starlings live in the U.S.
   Imported pests (including chestnut blight, Dutch elm disease, Gypsy moth and 70% of our weeks) are responsible for some of our greatest agricultural losses. In a single year, 16,000 potential pests are confiscated from tourists at U.S. borders.
   Nationally, Massachusetts is ranked 2^nd in cranberry production, 10^th in sweet corn, and 14^th in apples Massachusetts farmland is ranked 4^th in its value per acre.

The 5,600 farms in Massachusetts keep over 500,000 acres of land in productive open space.

Market News - May 3, 2011

2011-05-05T01:10:39Z

From the Market Manager

   Even though it was a miserable winter weather-wise, it seems as these past 6 months have flown by. I think part of the reason for that was our winter market. We held it twice a month in the old monkey house here in the park. It was so nice to see so many of you on a regular basis. We’ll do it again later this year starting in November.
   Meanwhile here we are at the beginning of our 14^th year of operation. Everyone loved having our market in the park last year. Except for the visibility from the street and the walk from the entrance for some folks, the setting is perfect. The park personnel are so kind to us, and the space is lovely. Make sure that when you mention the market to your friends, you tell them that they don’t have to pay to enter the park for the market either from the main entrance or Trafton Road.
   We have some new vendors this year as we do every year. When we started the market 14 years ago, it was difficult getting vendors to take a chance with us. Today, I regularly receive requests to join our market. I say no to most of them since we don’t need them. I don’t mean that to sound harsh, it isn’t. Since we aren’t a large market with thousands of people coming to us every week, I have to be careful that we don’t have too many of the same type of vendor that would keep the ones we already have from earning enough to make it worth their while to come to our market.
   In November I visited the Union Square Market in New York City again. Of course it is much larger than ours, but we have pretty much what they have. We don’t have fish, or turkey, and they have a lot more cheese than we do, but I’d say that for our size, we compare very favorably.
   Every farmers’ market is a destination retail space. Everyone who shops at one has gone out of his or her way to be there. So, welcome back, tell your friends, come when it’s hot, or rainy, or cold, and support our wonderful vendors who do the hard work to provide us with fabulous products.

Farm Visits

I recently visited the Hayes Dairy Farm in North Granby, CT, home of Sweet Pea Cheese, and Diemand Farm in Wendell, MA. The latter raises chickens, turkeys and they sell lots of fresh eggs. Wendell is near Greenfield.
There is a goose in residence on the Hayes Dairy Farm and Dorothy gave me the egg that was in the nest. I had it for breakfast the next day. The egg is about the size of 3 chicken eggs. Go to our Facebook page to see a picture of it in the pan.

Diemand Farm has a farm store where you can purchase prepared foods as well as turkey, chicken and eggs. The kitchen is right on site and it smelled so good when I was there. Their website is DiemandFarm.com. Phone # is 978-544-3806.

Food Stamp (SNAP) Bonus

Everyone likes a bonus. We are going to give those of you who use an EBT card here at the market a bonus, a 40% one in fact. Here’s how it will work—for every $5 you swipe your EBT card for, we will give you a $2 token that you can use to purchase fruits and vegetables. You can save them up and use them whenever you’d like, but ONLY HERE AT OUR MARKET. We are calling this our Health Bucks program.
The purpose of this is to encourage more people who have SNAP benefits to shop at farmers’ markets (this sort of thing is being done at many farmers’ markets in the U.S.) and to eat more fruits and vegetables. There is great concern about the increasing rate of diabetes 2 and obesity, so making better food available to more people can only help. This is being done with grant money.

Many years ago when food stamps were paper, they could be used at farmers’ markets. Then, when they went to the EBT card, we didn’t have the technology to accept them, so we had to wait for technology to catch up. It took about a dozen years, but we now have wireless credit card machines that we can use outdoors. So, we hope that having Health Bucks encourages more people to come to the market and find out how fabulous a farmers’ market can be.

Some of you might be saying, but some of the things are pricey. Sure, but many items in the grocery store are also. The produce at a farmers’ market, compares very favorably to a grocery store, plus you have more varieties. And, the value is really good because of its freshness; it will last a long time.
You always have to keep in mind that small production farming costs more to do than large-scale farming. That is reflected in the prices.

Impoco’s Poultry Market

I know that I’ve written about them before, but I want to remind you that we have a poultry store right here in Springfield. Impoco’s has been in business for many years at different locations. The current location is at 468 Walnut St., corner of Hickory (near Kakley’s Hardware.)
While the chickens aren’t local, Tony told me that they are raised in what they call floor barns mostly by the Amish in Pennsylvania. Not crowded, no medication, plenty of room to run around, but not outside. You may not know this, but Pennsylvania has very strict health department rules. The chickens come to him live and they are killed right there. You can also buy other types of poultry there. The market is open Tuesday through Friday, 9-6, Saturday and Sunday 9-3, closed Monday.

Cookbook Exchange

We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again-bring your unwanted cookbooks to the market for someone else to enjoy. You can take some if you’d like, or not. If you don’t bring any, you can still take one or more. Bring cooking magazines also. Those of us who like to cook LOVE to look at cookbooks and cooking magazines.

Winter Market Update

2010-12-10T03:55:46Z

Plans are shaping up nicely for our winter market. It should be about twice the size of last year's market. It will begin on Saturday, December 11th at 10:30 AM and continue until 1:30 PM on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, but NOT on Christmas.

The best way to access the market is from Trafton Road. Free entry to the park for the market. It's not far from our regular market.

We will have some of our usual vendors, and some new ones as well. We will have produce, maple syrup and candy, meat, dairy, baked goods, prepared foods, soap, lotion, honey, and more. You will be amazed about what is available in Massachusetts during the winter. (That includes northern Connecticut as we have 3 vendors from CT).

We will also be selling passes to the Springfield parks.

Any questions, contact us.

Market News - October 26, 2010

2010-10-26T01:00:31Z

From the Market Manager

   Please change your calendars for our winter market. We will have it on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, December through April. Of course since the fourth Saturday in December is Christmas, we will only have one market in December. Same time, 10:30-1:30, same place—the former monkey house next to the administration building here in Forest Park. Come in the Trafton Road gate, or if you come in Sumner Ave. go as if you’re coming to this market and you won’t have to loop around the park.
   You WILL have the opportunity to shop at another winter market in December as CISA is planning on having a WInterfare market here in Springfield. December 18^th, 10-2 at STCC. You will see signs telling you where it is located once you are on STCC property.
   I was going through one of my scrapbooks the other day and it had cards and other stuff in it from my engagement and wedding 50 years ago. My husband and I went to New York City for our honeymoon and we stayed at the Barbizon Plaza Hotel. Our bill for one week was $97.26. A few years ago I found a receipt for one semester at Syracuse University where he had been a graduate student. In 1956, one semester’s tuition was $225.00. 51 years ago it cost a little less than $2000 for a year at Boston University where I first went to college.
   One place where prices have gone up, but not in comparison to many other things, is food. We pay way less for food in our country than they do in many other parts of the world. That is partially because so much of the agricultural industry is subsidized. Our local farms aren’t subsidized by any means.
   Sometimes someone says that farmers’ markets are too expensive. I truly don’t know if they’ve done comparison shopping, or if they’re comparing farmers’ markets to off-price produce stores. I know you’ve heard me say this before, but often they are confusing price and value.
   I just used some spinach yesterday that I’d had for 2 maybe even 3 weeks. Most of it was perfect. I knew when I bought it that it had been picked within a day or two of the market.
   I do not think that locally produced fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, eggs, etc. will ever be produced as cheaply as mega farms can produce them, but there is much more to food than just the cost. I don’t recall there being any salmonella outbreaks at any of the farms in the Pioneer Valley in all the years (13) that I’ve been managing this market.
   Intrinsic value is important also. Western Mass is beautiful; farms help to keep it so. When we buy local, we are doing our part as well.

A Community Garden Story

From Sheila McElwaine
   A true community garden story from Seattle:
   When Maxine moved into a condo, she managed to get a community garden plot across the street. That garden became her life. She could see it from her balcony. She grew flowers, ate off her vegetable harvest for months, used only "safer soap" (as the garden rules required), and made many friends there. It was in her garden plot that she had her stroke and where fellow gardeners found her and called 911.
   In going through her things, her daughter found a note she had written ages before, asking that when she died her ashes be sprinkled on her community garden plot. Other co-gardeners planted a cherry tree and put up a sign reading: "Maxine's cherry tree, the community garden queen." Then a few years ago, the land was taken over and built on by a children's hospital, but the garden, including the tree and the sign, was dug up (literally) and moved to a nearby park. Her daughters visit regularly.

Community gardens are much more than they seem.

Want to Make Your own Vinegar?

Sheila McElwaine has starters for making your own vinegar. If this interests you, call her at 788-8898 and she’ll give you a jar.

Recipe—Pork Stroganoff

Use boneless pork chops or tenderloin for this.
Ingredients—boneless pork, flour, salt, pepper, oil, butter, onions, mushrooms, sour cream, white wine, tomato paste, paprika.

Dredge pork in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, set aside. Cut up onions, slice mushrooms and sauté together until onions are softened. Meanwhile, melt some butter (not a lot) and add some oil in a skillet and sauté the pork until it is almost cooked through. Add about a tablespoon of tomato paste to the pan, add some white wine, put the mushrooms and onions back in that pan, add the sour cream and some paprika for color, gently heat through, add more salt and pepper if it needs it, and serve over noodles. You can do this with boneless chicken breasts also.

A few Hints

Poke a couple of holes in winter squash, microwave it for about 8 minutes, and when it

cools off it will be easy to peel and cut. Cook it in orange juice for nice flavor.

If you have a recipe that calls for cutting off bread crusts, use your food processor to make fresh bread crumbs out of them, but store them in the freezer so they don’t get moldy. If you have leftover crumbs from breading something, store those in the freezer to combine with new seasoning and more crumbs the next time you need them.

Market News - October 19, 2010

2010-10-19T00:30:07Z

From the Market Manager

   My grandmother used to say that we learn something new every day. I am reminded of that on a regular basis. Last Tuesday I was talking with Rick Wysk from Riverbend Farm about cauliflower. I asked him if he had to tie the leaves of each plant together to prevent sunburn. He told me that the varieties he grows are self-blanching. Who knew?!
   I hope that you have tried the cauliflower that is here at the market. Look at the varieties—white, purple, yellow, and pointy green Romanesco which is an heirloom variety. There are so many ways to cook this vegetable. Try roasting it, make cream of cauliflower soup, or sauté it for a change.
   The maple tree in front of my house is usually a bright yellow, but this year it has lots of orange on it. When the sun hits it just right, it makes the room I am in glow. Lovely.

Winter Market

   We WILL be having a winter market right here in the park. It will be in the old monkey house, which is right next to the administration building. If you come in the Trafton Road entrance you will find it easily. The market will be on the FIRST AND THIRD SATURDAYS OF EACH MONTH, DECEMBER THROUGH APRIL FROM 10:30- 1:30. You won’t have to pay to get into the park for this market either. We will also be using the card machine for credit/debit and EBT just like we do now.
   Except for our lack of visibility from the street, moving into the park this year has been a good move. Not only is it pretty, but we have plenty of room for the vendors with enough parking, and the park personnel have been terrific.
   We will be selling park passes as soon as they are printed. Hopefully before Chanukah and Christmas so that you can give them as gifts.

Breakfast with the Mayor

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Springfield is hosting a breakfast on November 20^th from 10 AM to noon with Mayor Sarno. Everyone is welcome. The cost is $25 per person. For further details please call 348-1431 or 736-2324.

Planning for Next Year

   As you might imagine, planning for our market continues through the year. We are always grateful for your suggestions. Now that we have a winter market, suggestions for that are also welcome.
   Butler Farm will not return next year. Farming was Glenn’s avocation (he was a systems analyst), and Louise is a teacher, so she can’t do all that he did. I am not going to replace them with another produce farmer. Frankly we don’t need more produce as all of our vendors have the capability of bringing more to the market. Since the Butlers started coming to our market we have evolved so the other farmers who grow produce can supply us well.
   I continually receive requests to join our market most of which I have to decline. If a vendor has something that we don’t already have, I will consider them.

Recipe-Sautéed Kale with Kohlrabi

From Gourmet, September 2009
1 ¼# kohlrabi, bulbs peeled and greens reserved for another use
½ tsp. lime zest
2 T. fresh lime juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
2# kale, stems and center ribs discarded
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/3 cup salted roasted pistachios, chopped
Very thinly slice kohlrabi; whisk together lime zest and juice, 2T oil, and ½ tsp each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss kohlrabi with dressing. Finely chop kale, Heat remaining 2 T oil in a 12” heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sauté garlic until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add kale by the handful, turning and stirring with tongs and adding more kale as volume in

skillet reduces. When all of kale is wilted, sauté with ½ tsp salt until just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Toss kale with kohlrabi and pistachios. Kohlrabi greens can be combined with other greens such as kale, collards, turnip, dandelion etc. for cooking.

Kohlrabi can be eaten cooked or raw (it makes a good vegetable for dips, peel first); it has been cultivated for hundreds of years.

Learn About the Asian Longhorned Beetle

This Wednesday, October 20^th, 7PM at the Greenleaf Community Center, 1188 Parker St. in Springfield. there will be a meeting to learn about the Asian longhorned beetle which has been responsible for destroying many trees in central Massachusetts. We also have an information sheet at our market table about them. The MDAR is being vigilant to preclude destruction of trees in other parts of the state.

Jewish Community Center

In our neighborhood of Forest Park we have a magnificent facility that is open to all—the JCC. There are programs there for toddlers through senior citizens. They also have fabulous physical education programs for all ages including several programs for children who have disabilities. Check them out. Their website is springfieldjcc.org .

Market News - October 12, 2010

2010-10-12T15:58:33Z

From the Market Manager

   Although I like to cook and bake at all times of the year, the cooler fall weather has me in the kitchen more often. The fabulous selection of fall fruit and vegetables complements many meals. I always like to use as many local products as possible.
   Last Friday evening I had several friends to dinner. I didn’t have any appetizers since dinner was after services at my synagogue and it was late enough already. I made cream of broccoli soup with local onions, broccoli, and cream, green salad with local mesclun, rice pilaf with local onions and parsley, chicken piccata, and blueberry/apple crisp with local fruit.
   Because I have a big freezer (actually 2) I am able to pull things out in the middle of winter that I’ve frozen. I love to announce that what I’m serving has local ingredients in it. I especially like to announce when I serve blueberry anything that I picked the berries. A little awe goes a long way in my life.
   There is still plenty of time to purchase fall produce and preserve it for the winter. If you haven’t made applesauce yet, do so. It’s easy, especially if you have a food mill, and it freezes perfectly. Wash and cut the apples into halves or quarters, put into a pot with a tiny bit of water so they don’t stick, then when they’re mushy, turn off the heat. When they’ve cooled a little bit, put them into a food mill over a bowl and start turning. When they’ve been pureed, add sugar (or not) a little cinnamon to taste, and you’re done.

I make lots of applesauce and give much of it away. The other night I gave some to a friend who has two children. A short while later I got a phone call from her and she was raving about it as were the kids in the background. Said the kids had practically devoured it already. The difference between home made applesauce and what you buy in the store is huge, so try making it yourself. Buy utility apples or pick apples. Don’t buy perfect apples for applesauce; it’s too expensive.

Poem/Prayer (Again)

I printed this poem earlier this year, but some of you wouldn’t have seen it. I think it’s worth repeating. It’s by Max Coots who is a Unitarian minister.
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 Brussels 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.

Planting Perennials

Fall is an excellent time to plant perennials. The roots get a chance to grab hold and get established before the winter. We have a lovely supply here at the market.

Soup

   Soup is so easy to make. It’s hard to screw it up, but if you do (other than burning it) you can easily fix it by adding more broth, or bouillon cubes for flavor. Since soup is always better when the flavors have had a chance to blend, strong seasonings should be added carefully when cooking. You can always adjust the seasoning when you warm it up. If you’re making a creamed soup, you can always cook a few potatoes with your vegetables, which will make the soup thicker when you puree it.
   Some soup freezes well. If you want the base of a creamed soup, sauté your onions, add broth, add your vegetables, cook, then when it’s done and cooled some, puree it. At this point you can freeze it. When you go to warm it up is when you want to put in the dairy and seasonings other than salt and pepper which you can add when first cooking.
   I understand that restaurants have to charge a significant amount for a cup or bowl of soup because they have overhead, but it is cheap to make and makes a wonderful lunch or supper. When you don’t know what to eat and you open your ‘fridge and see soup there, you’re going to be satisfied. Add some warm bread and a salad, and you have a meal.

Market News - October 5, 2010

2010-10-04T16:28:54Z

From the Market Manager

   We’ve all had the experience of not seeing something that is right in front of us. That’s where the head slap and “duh!” are appropriate.
   Someone asked me where Trinity Farm was one week. I said they’re in the same spot they always are, and they’re always here, week after week; she had walked right by them. Someone else emailed me and asked why we don’t take the food stamp card at our market since the Mason Square market does. I emailed her back and said that if she attends our market she isn’t paying attention. We have been taking EBT/debit and credit cards since 2008. It is in all of our advertising, it is on a sign right in front of the market booth, and I put it in this newsletter on a regular basis. Plus, it is in every brochure or website that mentions our market including the one listing all the farmers’ markets in Massachusetts this year. Other than asking all of you to mention this when talking about our market, I don’t know what else to do to get the word out. Suggestions are welcome.
   Although our market is continuing until November 16^th, 3 weeks longer than previously, if you have elder or WIC farmers’ market coupons, you must use them by the end of October. WIC is for produce, and the elder coupons may also be used for honey.

Special Meeting of the Forest Park Civic Association this Thursday

At 6:45 this Thursday, October 7^th at the Forest Park branch library there will be a special meeting with Rita Cappola-Wallace who will inform us on the latest information regarding the renovation of the Forest Park Middle School. We must be out of the library by 8, so please be prompt.

Sector H Beat Management Meeting

It’s that time of month again for the neighborhoods of Forest Park and East Forest Park to meet with the police officers who are responsible for our sector. The meeting is open to everyone whether or not you have a problem, and it is this Wednesday at Sinai Temple, 1100 Dickinson St., at 7PM. Go in the right rear door.

This ‘n’ That

   Susan Parks and her partner are having a great time in Italy. She said that they are doing most of their cooking at home because the markets are so wonderful and eating out is expensive. The open-air markets that they have attended have many other offerings besides food.
   New England Wild Edibles won’t be coming to our market anymore with his marvelous mushrooms. He has a day job, the mushrooms didn’t do that well due to the lack of rain, and his son went back to Australia. We will miss Paul and his interesting produce.
   Trinity Farm said that the kefir (liquid yogurt), a new product for them this year, is fabulous in smoothies. What a great way to get good nutrition into a child’s body. Or anyone’s for that matter.
   Don’t forget to check out the recipes in the green crate at the market table. We only have seasonal recipes in the crate.
   I was recently told that more people are buying goat meat, not just those who grew up eating it.

Recipe

Shepherd’s Pie (my way)
This will fill a deep 9” pan
1 # grass fed hamburger
onions
oil
flour
boullion or broth
potatoes
milk
butter, salt, pepper
vegetables fresh cooked, frozen or canned (corn, peas, combination whatever)
Peel, cut up, and boil about 5-6 large potatoes (you want lots of mashed

potatoes for this, can’t have too many potatoes for this dish.)
Meanwhile, sauté onions in a little bit of oil until they are softened. You can also sauté some garlic with them.
Add hamburger and break up into small pieces; cook until red is gone.
If using boullion cube, dissolve it and put the broth in the pan with the meat mixture. Mix a little cold water with some flour and shake well to mix. Add this to the meat mixture and cook until the liquid is thickened some. (You are making gravy.) If you need more, then add more. If it’s too thick, add a little more broth.
Drain cooked potatoes and mash adding butter and milk or cream. Mix up vegetables that you are using. Last time I made this I used frozen peas, corn, and drained diced canned tomatoes. I like the frozen corn/creamed corn combination also.
Place meat mixture in baking pan, put vegetables on top and finish with a layer of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika, and bake until the edges are bubbly, maybe a half hour. I cook so much by looks that I really can’t tell you how long to cook it. Of course you can prepare this and refrigerate it, but allow for the longer cooking time when it’s cold.

uNi Coffeehouse Concert Series

The second concert of the season will be on Saturday, October 16^th at 8 PM. It is held at the Unitarian Universalist Society Meetinghouse on Porter Lake Drive in Springfield. Priscilla Herdman is performing. Cost is $15. Refreshments are sold.