Webb City Sentinel Market Column - 11/8/17

News flash!  We expect to have 60 handcrafted bowls from the Empty Bowls Fundraiser available at the market Saturday.  Make a donation of $25 and get a piece of art you can eat in, a meal to put in it at Phoenix Fired Art on Thursday, November 16 & that lovely warm feeling you get when you help your neighbors in need.

What a lovely beginning to our Christkindlmarket last Saturday. We saw returning and new craft vendors plus two new food vendors – Mac’s Cinnamon Rolls left folks raving. Mac sells the rolls individually or in packs of 6. He also does three cinnamon rolls and three pecan rolls in a pack. Mac is adding pumpkin cheesecake to his offerings this Saturday!  Fudj 417, our other new holiday food vendor, was well received too. Both are new small businesses starting up in the market kitchen.

 

Our newest farmer was a big hit. Mervin Yoder is a shrimp farmer!  He raises shrimp in tanks filled with filtered water at his farm near Golden City. The only thing he adds is salt (they are salt water shrimp) and their food. No antibiotics or hormones. When Mervin contacted me I was thrilled. We’ve been seeking local seafood/fish for years. But I know nothing about food safety and seafood – either raising it or selling it at the market. So I called my food safety go-to guy, Steve McCarus with the county health department. Since Steve lives near the farm, he met our market manager there and they did the inspection together. The farm passed with flying colors and was at the market Saturday. The shrimp are a live product, though they are not active because they are on ice. While

some folks were a bit squeamish, it seems we have plenty of customers wanting fresh seafood and willing to do their own prep. An hour before the market closed, Mervin asked me “should I stay till noon?” I responded “Of course, we’ll have plenty more customers.”  “But I have sold out.”  “Great, stay and tell your customers that you will be back with a bigger supply next week.”

Last fall we had no apples, no honey and certainly no shrimp. Things are looking up at the market, in fact they are looking great.

We have, however, received the sad news that Edith Bayless will be retiring at the end of the year. She has been our most excellent seamstress, bringing kitchen linens and baby items to the market for years. She will be at the market Saturday and hopes to attend regularly through December. 

Robertson Blueberry Farm is back with frozen blueberries from their farm. Ed Cook returns Saturday with his honey. The Chaffin Family will be at the Christkindlmarket every week with their beautiful pens (above), rolling pins, salt and pepper mills, wine stoppers and more.

Saturday William Adkins will be on the market stage.

Stewart’s Bakery will have breakfast – biscuit and gravy, sausage, scrambled eggs, hashbrown casserole and juice or coffee for $6, as well as goulash for eat-in or take-away, $5/pint.

Dinner’s Ready! will have frozen ready to put in the crockpot meals. The cost is $15 for a package generous enough to serve 4 to 6 people. This Saturday's menu:
Pork tenderloin with potatoes and carrots
chili
taco soup
chicken and noodles with carrots
Chicken breast with potatoes and green beans

There will be a class in the market kitchen Saturday from 1 to 4 pm - All-American Apple Pie (and other fruits) $20 Call or text Mende Staggs at 417-529-5715 to register.

We have a blackberry workshop on Wednesday at the Southwest Research Center, 14548 Highway H, Mt Vernon. The cost is $10 per person. This final blackberry workshop of the year will focus on fall and winter management, blackberry economics and a recap of the 2017 season. A question and answer period will be followed by an examination of the market’s blackberry planting on site. Register by calling 417 483-1839. Walk-ins are welcome.

This is a wonderful time of year but when is it not at the market?  We’ll see you Saturday.