Webb City Sentinel Column for 6/24/11

Shop and Be Merry!

“Once you’ve been to the Webb City Market, every other market is a disappointment,” stated a gentleman at the market last Friday. So true—it’s a musical, edible, cross-cultural celebration, and the place to be! An adventure, an experience, a treat … right here in our own backyards!
The scope and quality of the Webb City Farmer’s Market is truly remarkable. Eat a delicious lunch or breakfast, sip on lemonade or a smoothie, listen to wonderful music, and shop for locally grown or produced products. The market offers an incredible array of vegetables, fruit, plants, bread, eggs, cheese, meat, pastries, coffee, honey and more.
Even the hours of our market are ideal! 11 a.m. -2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. 9 a.m. – noon on Saturdays. Where I previously lived, the market opened at 6:30 a.m. and if you didn’t get there right away, the produce would be sold out! Factoring in the 30 minutes drive, I had to get up by 5:30 a.m. to enjoy this Saturday-only market.

Then there are our market’s extremely low prices --many bundles of vegetables are only $1 and those bundles are very generous! When you think about the time spent planting, weeding, watering, picking, churning or baking, you realize that market prices are a real steal.
On Friday, June 24, while enjoying the bluegrass music of Bailed Green and Wired Tight, you can have a lunch of oven-fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, brownies, a drink for $6 or a luncheon salad for $4.
On Saturday, June 25, while the Red Bridge Trio performs, the Temple Association will serve breakfast with proceeds going to the Webb City Cerebral Palsy Center.

Join us for Cooking for a Cause on Tuesday, June 28, and lunch will be provided by the Ronald McDonald house. Rob Pommert will again share his guitar virtuosity.

Peaches have arrived, and gorgeous tomatoes are plentiful!! Here are a couple of recipes that take advantage of the luscious fruit currently available at the market:

Peach Crumble
6 peaches, pitted and thinly sliced
¾ c packed light brown sugar
1 c coarsely crushed cinnamon graham crackers
3 tbsp softened butter
Preheat oven to 375 and coat an 8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine peaches and brown sugar in the baking dish.
Combine graham crackers and butter in a bowl.
Sprinkle graham cracker topping over peaches and bake 30-35 minutes or until peaches are hot and bubbly. Serve warm with ice cream.

Berry Sour Cream Coffee Cake
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup fresh or frozen Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries or a combination
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a Bundt pan, cake pan, or 10-inch springform pan; sprinkle pan lightly with sugar.
In a large mixing bowl, whip the butter at medium speed until creamy. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sugar, mixing well. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well, and then add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Increase the speed to medium and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
In another large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in several increments, mixing well after each addition. Gently stir in the pecans or walnuts and berries.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 40 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.