Our Farmers Are Getting Ready!

Tim and Vi Green have two high tunnels full of tomatoes & they look great!

Free High Tunnel Installation Workshop

If you are considering putting in a high tunnel at your farm or garden, you'll want to attend all or part of the free workshop on Thursday and Friday, March 24 & 25, from 8:30 to 4:30 each day. It will be on the Xiong Farm in Exeter, west of Cassville. Registration is required so enough lunches can be on hand. For details,click go to the flyer

Vendor Applications Available

The Webb City Farmers Market will have applications available for new and returning vendors this Saturday from 10 to 11 am at the Webb City Public Library, 101 South Liberty.

The market is a producer-only market. No resale is allowed. Vendors selling edible produce must complete a food safety: from field to market class prior to selling at the market. A food safety class will be held in Mountain Grove on Thursday, March 8, from 1 to 4 pm. To register for this free class, call 417-547-7533.

Applications, policies and rules may be downloaded here.

The winter market, held on the first and third Friday, will continue through April. The regular weekly Friday and Tuesday markets held from 11 am to 2 pm will begin on Friday, April 22. The weekly Saturday market held from 9 am to noon begins May 7. Food, garden and recycling-related crafts are allowed on Saturdays only. The market will host an Art Market on the second Saturday of each month. Download the Art Market application here.

All applications must be approved prior to selling at the market.

The market is located at the Main Street entrance to King Jack Park under the market pavilion. It’s open rain or shine. For more information, call 417 483-8139.

Market just keeps getting better

LOMAH Farms adds mild cheddar to their selection of cheeses on Friday, 3-4. Donna was making neu chattel and cheddar cheese curds last night, so they'll be super fresh. She'll also have havarti and Monterey Jack - and larger quantities and a second salesperson to keep up with the demand. (Above - Yes, we were excited about cheese at the last market!)

JJ Blueberry Farm will be back with frozen blueberries grown on their farm in Fairland, Oklahoma. Perfect for baking, these berries also make a healthy, delicious frozen snack.

Also at the market Friday – Marlee’s Dairy with raw milk, Amos Apiaries’ honey, Black Forest House with American and European pastries, Redings Mill with artisan breads, Freda Mae’s with cakes, pies, and fruit breads, Small Cottage Coffee with freshly roasted coffee beans, Broken Wire with eggs and our ranchers with all-natural pork, beef, chicken, lamb, elk and bison.

Jimmi’s will have corn chowder with ham and leeks soup and herb tomato soup with dumplings for eat in or take out. Weather permitting, Bill Adkins will perform from 11 to 1.

The market will be open from 11 to 2 under the market pavilion at the Main Street entrance to King Jack Park.

The Winter Market is open from 11 to 2 on the first and third Friday of each month through April.

Selection and sales begin when the bell rings at opening. The market is located at the Main Street entrance to King Jack Park under the market pavilion. It’s open rain or shine, but not ice or sleet. Customers wanting last minute information on Friday can call 483-8139 or check the market’s facebook page.

Today at the market

The Webb City Winter Farmers Market welcomes LOMAH Farms to the market on Friday. LOMAH (Land of Milk and Honey) produces cheese from the milk of their Jersey cattle. The cattle are grass-fed on their 400 acre farm near Wyandotte, Oklahoma, and watered from an artesian spring. On Friday, they will have waxed wheels of Monterey Jack, Cheddar Cheese curds, Havarti, and Neu Chatel soft cheese.
The market will be open from 11 to 2 under the market pavilion at the Main Street entrance to King Jack Park. Jack and Lee Ann Sours will play traditional music from 11 to 1.

The market ranchers will have pork, beef, chicken, lamb, buffalo, and elk. Fairhaven will have jams, jellies, and fresh pecan meats. Amos Apiaries will have quarts of local raw honey for sale. In celebration of the weather, Black Forest House will have spring flower basket cookies in addition to a large selection of their usual products. Freda Mae’s is adding whoopee pies and buttery rolls to her baked goods selection. Small Cottage Roasters will have freshly roasted coffee beans in light, medium and dark roasts.

Soup Du Jour by Jimmi’s will serve a bowl of Greek Potato soup or Chicken with Homemade Dill Noodles Soup with bread for $4. The soups will also be available for take home by the jar.

The Winter Market is open from 11 to 2 on the first and third Friday of each month through April.

Selection and sales begin when the bell rings at opening. The market is located at the Main Street entrance to King Jack Park under the market pavilion. It’s open rain or shine, but not ice or sleet. Customers wanting last minute information on Friday can call 483-8139 or check the market’s facebook page.

To Sell At The Market

We've gotten a few inquiries from folks wanting to sell at the market this year, so here's reminder that all growers of edible produce at the Webb City Market must complete a food safety training course before selling.

We've already held our food safety workshop for this year. There are a couple of other options - there's a workshop in Mountain Grove on Thursday afternoon, March 10. To register, call 417-547-7533.

Cornell University is opening an on-line course up for registration in the next couple of days. http://www.gaps.cornell.edu/eventscalendar.html

The Mountain Grove workshop is free, the Cornell University course is $50 and this may be the last course they offer at that rate. Their grant is running out and it may have to go up to $300.

Taking the training does not guarantee a spot at the market. The vendor still has to have an application approved.

We'll have information available at our new vendor meeting at 10 am, Saturday, March 12 at the Webb City Library, 101 South Liberty.

Smoked Chicken Salad

I was with Carol Parker today on KSN and did a smoked chicken salad recipe that's really good. Sunny Lane Farms sells fully cooked smoked chicken that's perfects for this recipe.

Smoked Chicken Salad

1 smoked chicken
1 half lemon
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons minced chives
8 oz mayonnaise
Garlic powder to taste
Salt & pepper to taste

Remove skin and debone chicken, keeping dark meat separate. Rough chop white meat. Pulverize dark meat in a blender.

Add lemon, parsley, and chives. Mix in mayonnaise little at a time until desired consistency is reached. Season to taste with garlic powder, salt and pepper.

I forgot to take the garlic salt to the studio, but I didn't think we needed it. I also added red seedless grapes cut in half which added a nice burst of sweetness. I would have included a photo of this because it's quite pretty, but the KSN folks snarfed it all up!

The market is open this Friday from 11 to 2 and Sunny Lane will be there.

Winter Market - call for crafters & artists

The market is seeking high quality arts and crafts for the Winter Market through December. The seller must be the producer of the product and must submit photos of their work for the jury committee. Crafters/artists will be located in the southern part of the pavilion. Each space is approximately 6 feet deep by 9 feet wide. The cost is 5% of sales per market day. All vendors at the market must have a state sales tax number. For more information, email eileennichols@sbcglobal.net

We're aiming eventually to add a Kris Kindle market atmosphere to our Winter Market in November and December, though we never expect to match those of Germany (as in Munich below)

Just in case you didn't believe me....

when I said the Lors loaded me up with greens on our last farm visit. This is what happens when a friend asks for "half of a head of mustard greens"!!! Notice Der in the back scouting out more to give me.

Thanks to Sara Becker of Lincoln University Extension who captured the moment.

Sentinel column - 11-5-10

Today is our first day of Winter Market and with a high of 50 degrees forecast, it will certainly feel like it. It’s the perfect day for our first ever Soup Day. Why Soup Day? Well, for one thing, what’s better on a cold day? For another, we have a new soup vendor – Jimmi’s of Lockwood. And finally, Trish Reed, our regular Friday lunch vendor, is serving soup this year at every Winter Market. We’re really excited about that last news. Trish, and her husband Jim, are wonderful at comfort food, and if this winter is as cold as the last one, warm soup will be super comforting for those of us on site every first and third Friday from 11 to 2. We think our customers will like it too whether they eat it at the market or take it home hot. (That's Carrole Palmer at the market. Sad to say, the zucchini and berries are long gone, but Fairhaven will bring green beans, lettuce, Swiss chard and Carrole's jams and jellies today.)

Lunch today is chicken vegetable rice soup with a roll and crackers for $4. Trish will also have coffee and tea for $1.

Soup Day entails one of our favorite activities – sampling. Sunny Lane Farms will serve samples of Crockpot Tortilla Soup, the recipe for which is printed below. Flintrock Ranch is scheduled to serve samples of Buffalo Stew and Jimmi’s will have samples of Greek Potato Soup and Double Cheeseburger Soup.

This may be our last market for a good selection of produce. With cold weather upon us, many of the tender plants like peppers, tomatoes and eggplants will be a fond memory by our next market on November 19th. Fredrickson Farms will be back at the market today now that their busy season of pumpkin picking and tours at the farm are finished. Tami expects to bring pie pumpkins, decorative pumpkins, winter squash, and pots of oregano, thyme, sage, parsley, chives and peppermint, plus flowering kale for winter color in your beds.

We’ll also have lettuce, boc choy, green beans, Swiss chard and other cool weather crops, meats, jams, jellies, raw milk, and baked goods.

Our vendors are gearing up for the Holiday Market on November 24. An annual tradition for the market, it is held from 11 to 1 the day before Thanksgiving at the Clubhouse, 115 North Madison. Amos Apiaries will be there so you can stock up for the winter. Resa tries to make the Winter Market, but the weather has to be fairly warm or the honey will sugar. That lets today out. Since the Holiday Market is indoors, you can count on buying honey then.

Our bakers, soup makers and jam and jelly makers are taking orders for the Holiday Market. Pick up a flyer at the information table for the contact numbers for all the vendors selling at the market or just place your order with the vendor at the market today.

I resolved last year to give as many locally made products for Christmas as I could. Many I bought at the Holiday Market – honey, jams, jellies, peanut brittle. I found family and friends appreciated the personal touch and I appreciated keeping my gift giving dollars local a little longer.

Crockpot Tortilla Soup – the winter version – we’ll still have fresh peppers today so you can substitute those for the can of chile peppers and also make fresh enchilada sauce if you want.

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth or chicken stock
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
shredded cheddar
sour cream

Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn, beans and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken breasts, shred & return to soup.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup and top with dollop of sour cream and shredded cheddar.