I'm
starting the column this week with a trip down memory lane, revisiting
part of a column from last fall. It was an item after the style of
Carolyn Foat's Acts
of Kindness column in this paper.
“Tim
Green's wife, our dear Vi, was diagnosed with cancer and underwent a
long treatment which ultimately failed last spring. Tim said that
another of our vendors, Carrole Palmer, called Vi on the phone two or
three times a week for 22 months. 'It really cheered her up.' Such an
intentional and sustained act of kindness. Would that the world had
more Carroles or folks like her.”
Sadly
we lost our friend and long-time vendor, Carrole Palmer, last Friday
evening. Carrole, one of the kindest people I ever knew, had a heart
as big as all outdoors, but in the end, that heart failed her. It is
a shocking loss to many of us at the market. Should you wish to send
a sympathy card to her husband Joe, and friend Maria, just drop it by
the information table or mail it to the market at PO Box 1, Webb
City, MO 64870 and we'll be sure it gets to them.
She
taught both Joe and Maria how to make her popular jams, jellies, and
butters so I expect we will continue to enjoy those, along with their
delightful names, like the one filled with many kinds of berries called
Traffic Jam.
I've
found a couple of snippets in past Sentinel columns to give you a
taste of the flavor that Carrole brought to the market.
From
a story on the market's TomatoFest: “Fairhaven wins Weirdest
Tomato every year because Carrole Palmer takes her contests very
seriously. She always keeps an eye out for a curious tomato with a
'face' and decks it out with a little straw hat or some other prop
that makes it stand out. The Weirdest Tomato contest is always
customers’ choice and this year Carrole’s weird tomato won every
single vote.” Carrole was an artist, even when it came to weird
tomatoes. And her sense of humor was keen.
When
a customer stormed out of the market because I responded to his
complaint that too many of our vendors were “foreigners” with
“We're glad to have them” without telling him their story: “I
have to admit that my regret at being inarticulate and unresponsive
was almost matched by my dismay at Carrole’s comment. 'It
(complaints about foreigners) happens more often than I’d like to
say. I just don’t respond to them.' I noticed she also didn’t ask
him if he wanted to buy anything. The Palmer’s are as kind as they
come and have taken the Asian vendors into their hearts, and often
have taken the younger ones into their arms, giving them a hug
whenever they meet. They were proud as punch when Mina, a young woman
who had helped at her parents’ stand since high school, graduated
from college this month.
So
bless the good souls like the Palmers and the other native-born
farmers at our market who have befriended our immigrant farmers, and
bless our immigrant farmers who try so hard, load me down with gifts
of produce and pitch in to help clean tables and take down the
umbrellas at every market, and especially bless our dear customers
who treat all our vendors with respect. Thank you.”
Carrole
was the essence of the market's vision of being a welcoming kind
community. She will be sorely missed.
The
market calendar this week:
Tomorrow
Songbird's Kitchen serves Asian specialties. Drew Pommert plays.
Farmers include Agee's, Braker Berry Farm, E & O Produce, Harmony
Hill (also baked goods), Lee Family Farm, Lykou Farm, Nature Valley
Farm, and Vang Gardens (also cut flowers). (You may have noticed that
Songbird's Kitchen, and the last four farms listed are Asian-owned.
And they continue to make our market a better place!) Stormy Farm
will have pork, chicken, and farm fresh eggs. Helm will have honey
and Juniper Coffee will have freshly roasted coffee beans and iced
coffee.
The
Free Kids meal tomorrow is served hot and packed to go from 11 to 1
in the Kids Tent north of the pavilion. It will be a turkey, spinach,
and provolone sandwich, fruit, and milk.
Thursdays
are lovely days for folks who want room to socially distance
especially between 5 and 7 pm.
Saturdays
are our busiest days and this one is no exception. In addition to
most of tomorrow's vendors, Saturday's vendors include 2Ts
handcrafted soaps, DnD Smoked seasonings and mixes, Garrett Family
Farm and Sunny Lane with all-natural meats, Grison Dairy and Creamery
with cows' milk cheeses, Kings Kettle Corn, MaMa JoJo's Pasta, Misty
Morning Farms, OakWoods Farm, Pate's Orchard, Redings Mill Bread Co.,
Salt & Light Farmhouse (mushrooms), Still Waters Farm, Terrell
Creek Artisan Goat Cheese, and the Yang Family Farm.
Cooking
for a Cause will be served up in the Kids Tent north of the pavilion.
It benefits the Friends of Camp Mintahama this week. Randy and Phil
are on the market stage.
The
Free Kids meal will be served in the Kids Tent. The menu is a Sloppy
Joe (filled with hidden zucchini!), market cherry tomatoes, fruit,
and milk.
Tuesday
Ghetto Taco returns with street tacos. Cochinita Mexican Street Food
will have spicy grilled
