If you didn’t make it to the market last
Saturday, you may have been the only one. Well, not really, but we estimate
that over 2,000 people did come. Bob Foos was kind enough to take some drone
photos overhead and at the moment he captured I can count about 150 customer
cars. And there were more beyond the view of the camera. Thank goodness for our
improved parking. Hopefully, the traffic wasn’t such a trial Saturday that all
those customers will come back after savoring what the market has to offer. (I've included a few of those photos so you can see what a tremendous crowd we had. Thanks, Bob!)
This time of year our regular customers can
get a bit grumpy about the crowds at the market. They tend to see all these new
customers as interlopers or fair weather customers. And it is true that this
time of year we do see folks who only come during the highest part of the high
season. In previous years I think the early July traffic has been so terrifying
that many wouldn’t make a return trip. Hopefully, that won’t be the case now
that the parking is better because we need those extra customers. During July
and August our farmers will bring in two and three times as much produce as
they might during other months. The crops are pouring in this time of year and
we need lots of customers to buy them.
That said, tomorrow will no doubt be an easy
day to shop as those sated during the Fourth of July holidays may stay home. Don’t
be one of those! Enjoy the sweet corn, tomatoes and other goodies while you
can.
The Sours will play tomorrow. Stewart’s Bakery
is serving hamburger steak, oven brown potatoes and fried cabbage for $6. The
Free Kids Meal is ham and cheese sandwiches and market fruits and veggies. MU
Extension is demonstrating and sampling “Salsa for One”, no doubt using some of
the fabulous tomatoes that are filling the farmers’ tables. In fact, if you
like to make your own salsa, now is a good time to pick up some bulk tomatoes. Braker
Farms usually has several 20-lb boxes available and on Saturday there will be
several farms with bulk canning tomatoes available. The canning tomatoes are
usually seconds, which means they’re not as pretty but they taste just as good
and are less expensive.
On Thursday we begin our Feed the Heart
project. Feed the Heart is a food pantry in Carterville that twice a month
supplies food to many families in need. Thanks to a grant from Empty Bowls,
Missy Donham, who helps organize the pantry, will be at the market tomorrow to
shop for the pantry.
Fresh produce is hard to come by for both low
income folks and for food pantries. Much of the food donated to food pantries
is processed foods and much of that is not very healthy.
You may remember that Empty Bowls is a
national fundraiser to address hunger and is sponsored locally by Phoenix Fired
Arts in Joplin. Thanks to the recommendation of a loyal customer, the market
became one of its beneficiaries this year and has $2,200 for the food pantry
project and $2,200 for our pilot WIC program.
Feed the Heart will pick up their produce on
the first and third Thursday each month so it will be fresh from the market for
the distribution that night. Because we know our customers are among the most
generous in the world, we will also have a cooler at the market those days for those
who would like to add to the bounty and for our farmers who want to make a
donation.
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| Apple Road Farm will be back Saturday with honey |
We know the WIC program is making a big
difference for low-income moms and kids – not only in improving their diets,
but also in knowing that the market and the community care about their families.
Last week, one young mom told us “if it wasn’t for this program I would not
have any fresh vegetables on our table.”
We hope to make the same difference in our partnership with Feed the
Heart.
On Saturday, Richard Hugh Roberts will sing
from the Great American Songbook – classic songs from Broadway, the movies and
other American standards from the 1920s through the 1950s.
Cooking for a Cause benefits the scholarship
program at Cottey College, an independent, liberal arts and sciences college
for women in Nevada, Missouri. The college is owned and supported by the PEO
Sisterhood, a local chapter of which will be volunteering at the breakfast.
The Free Kids Meal will be breakfast casserole
with market fruits and veggies.
On Tuesday, William Adkins plays and Stewart’s
Bakery will serve supper. The Free Kids Meal runs from 4:30 to 6:30. Check for
the menu on our website – webbcityfarmersmarket.com
It’s high season at the market. Savor the
season. And remember - we've got more parking than ever before (although not quite enough for our Fourth of July Saturday).
