Sentinel column - 6/29/12

We’re entering the biggest week of the year at the market – when our customers bring out those grills and gather with family and friends to celebrate the 4th of July.

This Saturday, the market will celebrate the holiday by hosting its Cooking for a Cause breakfast to benefit Crosslines, our regional food and clothing pantry. For the last 10 years, it’s been our biggest fundraiser of the year. My husband, Phil Richardson, who ramrods the Saturday breakfast, is gearing up to cook extra quantities of farm fresh eggs cooked to order, biscuits, gravy and sausages. Lisa Sweet has organized friends and members of Central United Methodist church to prepare and serve the breakfast. I’ll be getting out the donation jar so we can all demonstrate one of the best things about our country and citizens – generosity towards our neighbors in need. America has a big heart and we see it every year when it comes to supporting Crosslines.

(Last week's Cooking for a Cause volunteers for Crimestoppers.)

And this should be the best Crosslines year yet because the Saturday market has come of age. We added Saturdays to the market schedule about four years ago. Saturday is far and away the most popular market day nationwide, but we were a bit slow on following suit. When we opened in 2000, Carthage had the only other farmers market in the area and they were open on Wednesday and Saturday. We thought it wise to be open on different days. At the time we thought we would be competing for customers. That shows what novices we were. Actually, farmers are usually in far shorter supply than customers for markets. We’re lucky here in southwest Missouri that there are so many small farmers. In many other parts of the state, markets are searching for farmers. We have for several years directed farmers to other markets unless they have a product that’s missing at ours.

Five years ago we realized that none of our farmers sold at Carthage. Adding Saturdays was an opportunity for our farmers to increase their sales, though it also meant more hours for our volunteers. But it was time. We had way too many customers and vendors coming on Fridays and it was our hope that we could bump some into Saturday. And, too, we had many folks who could not come to a weekday market because of their work schedule and we didn’t like leaving them out almost as much as they didn’t like being left out.

The first couple of years our Saturday market was small. Word was still getting out to the customers and we didn’t have a lot of produce on Saturdays. Last year Saturdays had grown to the point of being similar to the Tuesday market in terms of sales and customers which meant it was about half of Friday.

As I began reviewing vendor applications this year, I still was in the mindset that we needed to build Saturdays. I should have considered a little more carefully because we are absolutely packed now with vendors on Saturdays. It’s often as full or even fuller than on Fridays. And sales are way up. Saturdays have been running at about 80% of Fridays and are continuing to increase. I don’t think it will be long before Saturday surpasses Friday as our biggest market of the week.

Saturday has a lot of other pluses from the market’s standpoint. Because it’s hard for some vendors to do two days in a row, we have been able to bring in new vendors on Saturdays. Hazel’s Bakery is a Saturday-only baker. Several of our small egg ranchers are Saturday only. Certain types of crafts are currently allowed on Saturdays.

Saturday is our day for nutrition education when we demonstrate a healthy, easy recipe using market produce. Tomorrow Trish Reed, who catered our Friday meals for several years, will demonstrate (and you can sample) Chilled Cucumber Soup. Now doesn’t that sound good in the midst of this heat we’re experiencing? (photo: Trish teaching folks at the market how to make sugar-free freezer jam.)

On Saturdays we can book bands unavailable weekdays. And on Saturdays we’re seeing lots and lots of young families.

Saturday is also a relatively calm day compared to Friday. Last Saturday we did have well over one thousand customers but they didn’t all come through in the first half-hour. Instead they filtered in throughout the morning, making for a much more pleasant experience than the “search and secure” approach many of our Friday customers take when market opens.

Luckily, this year we’re experiencing such abundance that there’s no need to brave the crowds at opening. Folks can come at 11:30 on Fridays and still get everything we started out with (excepting for blackberries, which are nearing the end of their season). By then, the lines are usually short or non-existent and the traffic and parking much easier. In fact, we’ve been sending home some sweet corn and tomatoes at every market lately and even sent peaches home a couple of days. The market is just loaded with produce.

Today we have Center Creek Bluegrass playing. Granny Shaffer’s at the Market is serving meatloaf and mashed potatoes for lunch ($6). And, in keeping with the season and the market setting, they also have boiled and buttered sweet corn from Wells Farm for $2 an ear.

Tomorrow, Red Bridge Bluegrass will keep your toes tapping with their high energy style and four-part harmonies while you enjoy breakfast and shopping.

Tuesday, July 3rd, should be a big day for the market. Just as Black Friday on the day after Thanksgiving is a big day for retailers, the day before the 4th of July is typically our biggest day of the year. We might call it our Red, White and Blue day for lots of reasons. Small businesses, which are the backbone of our nation’s economy, incubate and flourish at the market. We’re a tossed salad of American citizens ranging from those with Native American roots to first generation immigrants. The market is full of small farmers and ranchers following in the footsteps of the independent, self-sufficient farmers and ranchers who settled this country. The American Dream? Most of our market folks feel they’re living it. We love what we do.

Zoua Hang Yang shares the market experience with students from the Webb City school district - everybody gets a cucumber!

Webb City Sentinel Column - 6/22/12

It’s time for peach and blackberry cobbler. We’ve got loads of both fruits and their season doesn’t overlap for long. It’s also the season for other favorite pairings like green beans and new potatoes and cucumbers and onions.

But let’s talk peaches and blackberries. Did you know that peaches are thought to have originated in China but that blackberries hail from many parts of the world, including America? In fact, new blackberry varieties with names like Apache, Navaho, Arapahoe, Ouachita, Kiowa and Chickasaw honor Native Americans, who used the berry for food, medicine and dyes. And are blackberries ever good for you. So good that the Center for Disease Control suggests incorporating them into yogurt and blending them with low-fat ice cream or topping hot or cold cereal with them and adding them to spinach salad, plus lots of other ways that we’ll have at the cooking demonstration table on Saturday and on our web site (webbcityfarmersmarket.com).

The CDC has a list of ways to add peaches to your diet as well and we’ll have that list at the market. Frankly, I could eat half of the recommended daily five servings of produce just in fresh peaches. But the CDC list will give you lots of other ways to use peaches – salsa, fruit leather, sautéed, grilled, in drinks.

And because of the incredibly abundant season we are experiencing this year, we should have plenty of peaches, especially on Fridays.

For the first time ever, Pate’s Orchard is bringing two truckloads of peaches to market today. Add Agee’s peaches and we should have a good supply until about 1:30. So there is no need to panic about peaches running out. By the same token, we’re going to need a bunch of peach customers to encourage the Pates to bring two trucks every Friday. John has said that if there is customer demand, he’ll bring two trucks every Friday through the season. Let’s hold him to it.

Note to peach eaters – I find the best way to keep the peaches fresh is to put them in the fridge and remove those I plan to use the night before, or a little earlier if they need ripening, so they come to room temperature – and perfection.

Now for the best of both worlds. This recipe is from the July 2007 Light and Tasty magazine.

Blackberry and Peach Cobbler

12 medium peaches, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups fresh blackberries

TOPPING:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup cold butter, cubed
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon coarse sugar

In a large bowl, combine the peaches, flour, honey, lemon juice and salt; let stand for 15 minutes. Fold in blackberries. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.

For topping, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until crumbly. Make a well in the center; pour in buttermilk. Stir just until a soft dough forms. Drop by tablespoonfuls over fruit mixture; sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until filling is bubbly and a toothpick inserted in topping comes out clean. Serve warm. Yield: 12 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving equals 263 calories, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 286 mg sodium, 51 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Today at the market, in addition to an amazing amount of fresh local fruits and vegetables, we’ll have Spaghetti Red for lunch, as well as chef salad. Jack and Lee Ann Sours and Bruce Harvey play for us.

Tomorrow Crime Stoppers serves breakfast from 9 to 11. Ask this group of dedicated volunteers what they’re doing to make our area safer.

Mark Barger plays Native American flute music for us tomorrow. It’s quite a treat, don’t miss it.

Saturday is our day for nutrition education when we demonstrate a healthy, easy recipe using market produce. Susan Pittman, diabetes educator with Freeman Hospital, is demonstrating Green Beans and Parmesan with Garlic tomorrow. Learn a new dish and try a sample.

Next Tuesday, we welcome Rob Pommert back to the market with his lovely combination of popular tunes from the 60’s and 70’s with a little classical and jazz guitar thrown in. Granny Shaffer’s at the market serves up freshly grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, chicken salad sandwiches and chef salads. Our last group of students from the Webb City school district visits the market and rides the streetcar at noon.

It’s a busy week, but we might as well get in practice because the Fourth of July is upon us and we’ll be entering our busiest time of year. Luckily we should have plenty of produce for everyone as they celebrate the season and our nation.

Webb City Sentinel column - 6/15/12

I just have one question for you – is your carrot planted? You may have noticed large plastic “carrots” at the information table. The carrots can be used beside your driveway to mark the entrance or just “planted” in a flowerbed or with a potted plant. We hope to see them popping up in yards all over the area as another way of saying “We love our market”. And, what a deal, they’re only $2 each. They’d also make a fun gift, especially with a $5 market token.

The information table sells $5 tokens good with any market vendor. They’re treated just like five dollar bills and at the end of market, we give the vendor $5 for each one. Customers can buy them with checks, credit or debit cards. We’ve even had folks buy them with cash when they buying them for gifts. We also sell $1 tokens for our food stamp customers. The rules are a little different for food stamps. The vendor can’t give change but the customer can combine the token with change to come up with the exact amount. They are good for any food except hot food and food eaten right at the market. They can also be used to buy edible plants, like culinary herbs, and plants that produce food like tomato and pepper plants (Frederickson Farms has all of those). Our market was the first in the state to accept food stamps and plastic money market-wide. We’ve been doing it about five years now and have seen use grown hugely. It allows our low income neighbors with food stamps to take advantage of the many cost-savings available when a crop is in abundance (for example – squash and zucchini are usually a great buy) plus increase their consumption of fresh, local fruits and vegetables. It allows our other customers who either carry little cash or forgot to bring enough to buy what they need. And it allows our farmers to sell more, which this year will be especially important because there is a lot to sell.

Most the crops have been coming in about two weeks early and very abundantly this year due to the mild spring. Peaches arrived last week and next Friday, Pate’s Orchard is planning to bring two truck-loads of peaches. They’re bringing a truck and a carload today. If you’re in the market for a lot of peaches, like a peck which costs $16 or a 1/2 bushel, $26, call the orchard the day before market and place an order - 417 276-3297. Otherwise, the peach line moves quickly and is usually short within 20 minutes of opening.

Yes, it’s that time of year when we have lines – lines for peaches, lines for the fruit at Agee’s Garden, lines for Black Forest House (we always open market with lines at Black Forest House regardless of the season), lines for sweet corn. Sometimes I wonder how folks know which line they’re in as they seem to converge on each other. Luckily the lines move quickly and supplies this year are so abundant that hopefully customers won’t have to choose between securing one special crop over another. In fact, the fields and orchards are just bursting with produce this year. You’ll probably hear me say this way too often – but after last year’s abysmal weather we deserved a good year and so far we are getting the best year ever.

And did you catch that mention of sweet corn lines? Yes, the sweet corn has arrived. We’re expecting five farms today with sweet corn and at least three tomorrow. And the field tomatoes are not far behind. There should be some today and tomorrow. And, don't forget the flowers - I got these Tuesday (that would be two days ago) from Abby Vang and blooms are still opening.

Today Granny Shaffer’s at the Market serves chicken enchilada, beans and rice, dessert and drink for $6. They’ll also have chef salads. Gospel Strings performs.

Tomorrow Cooking for a Cause is served by volunteers from the Carl Junction chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. They’ll serve breakfast starting at 9. The Green Earth Band performs. Eden, on the south end of the pavilion, is serving a grilled Madewell Meat smoky ham and Swiss panini on Black Forest French bread with chips and a homemade chocolate chip cookie for eat-in or take-out - $6.

Our MSSU intern, Lindsey Rollins, demonstrates Summer Squash and White Bean Sauté in the center of the pavilion tomorrow. Filled with zucchini, summer squash, and fresh tomatoes, this quick, easy, and very good-for-you recipe can also incorporate eggplant, peppers and corn, all of which are in season right now. Stop by the demonstration table to give it a try and pick up information on eating healthier.
At every market you can pick up coupons, food preservation mix samples and recipes and enter a drawing thanks to our grant from Jarden, makers of Ball jars.

On Tuesday, William Adkins performs easy listening classics. Granny Shaffer’s at the Market grills up hot dogs and hamburgers and also serves chicken salad sandwiches and chef salads. And we’ll have a ton of produce. Easy time to shop? Tuesday at 11:30ish. Great selection, small crowds. See you at the market – and don’t forget to pick up your carrots – the real ones and the fun ones.
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Sentinel column - 6-8-12

While visiting my daughter in Australia this spring I noticed many differences between the Perth area and ours. The price of eating out was at least 50% higher in Perth, the number of cyclists and pedestrians on the roads and pathways even higher. Energy consumption was less with many houses, including my daughter’s, sporting solar hot water heaters and having no clothes dryers (Perth’s sunny climate makes the first practical and the second unnecessary). Many families have only one car in Australia and they often park them on the grass in their yards and on the medians. I asked why 3-foot stakes had appeared stuck along the curbs of yards near where a new house was being built. “So the construction workers don’t park in their yard.” Apparently unless you take measures to keep people off your yard, it’s fair game. The people in Perth seemed a far healthier weight than our population and that probably goes back to the high number of cyclists, walkers and active people, as well as a diet that includes a lot of produce. In fact, in Perth there are more produce stores than grocery stores. The Aussies are big on their veggies. And, according to the Center for Disease Control, we need to follow suit.

Particularly alarming are the CDC’s statistics on children:

• Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years.

• The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.

• In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.

That does not bode well for our children’s future, not that we have any room to talk. Missouri is one of 10 states with the highest percentage of obese adults – over 30%.

So what’s the big deal over a few pounds. Well, a long list of chronic diseases is associated with obesity and there’s the loss of quality of life. Let’s face it, those extra pounds make it hard to get up out of the chair and get moving, which in turns causes us to pack on more pounds. The CDC calls it a health crisis, so does the Missouri Foundation for Health which is stepping up to give us a hand in creating better health here in Webb City. MFH is providing the market with a grant that will allow us to do nutrition education at the market, through cooking demonstrations, recipes and dietary advice. Last week our market intern demonstrated grilled zucchini roll-ups at the Saturday market. Packing only 20 calories each, the roll-ups are quick, easy, satisfying and tasty. This Saturday, Trish Reed, who was our Friday caterer last year, demonstrates no-sugar freezer jam. It’s full of the goodness of blackberries without the added and empty calories.

We’ll be sharing tools to make better food choices. Tools like myplate.gov, the nutrition tool of the United States Department of Agriculture that replaces the food pyramid. And it makes a lot more sense than the food pyramid. At each meal, you can just look at your plate and compare it to the USDA’s recommendation. Is one half of it fruits and vegetables, with an emphasis on vegetables? Should be. Another tool we’ll share is the CDC’s “More Matters – Fruits and Vegetables” program which encourages increased consumption of produce and provides motivation and recipes to make it happen. And it suggests making your choices colorful. Red, green, yellow fruits and veggies – lots of different colors give us a variety of nutrients. Again, an easy way to make good food choices – go for a colorful plate. Here’s the recipe we did last week for the green and very abundant zucchini -

Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups

3 medium zucchini
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
3 ounces goat cheese
1 Tablespoon finely minced flat parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Fresh baby spinach
Fresh basil

Slice each end off the zucchini and slice lengthwise into ¼ inch strips. Brush both sides with olive oil. Grill each side for 4 minutes.

Mix goat cheese with parsley and lemon juice.

Remove zucchini from grill and place on a plate lined with paper towels.

Place about 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture about ½ inch from the end of each zucchini strip. Add 2 spinach leaves and 1 basil leaf and roll up with end at bottom of roll.

From http://www.kitchendaily.com

Today, Granny Shaffer’s at the Market serves ham & beans, fried potatoes, cornbread, dessert & drink for $6. The Plainsfolk play Irish music.

Tomorrow’s Cooking for a Cause is breakfast served by volunteers of Greyhound Pets of America. Since opening its doors in 1987, Greyhound Pets of America Chapters have worked together to adopt over 80,000 Greyhounds into loving homes. Breakfast, served from 9 to 11, includes biscuits and gravy, sausage, farm fresh eggs fried or scrambled, with all the fixings and coffee and orange juice.

Jim Graham plays from 9:30 to 11:30. The Art Market featuring the work of local artists runs from 9 to noon. Old No. 60, Webb City’s restored streetcar will give free rides from 9 to 11 just west of the market. It’s another fun weekend at the market.

Sentinel column 6-2-12

In 2000, I was chairing the Chamber’s downtown committee and looking for a project. A farmers market sounded like a good idea to bring a few more people to the downtown area so we held an organizational meeting at the Chamber office, which at the time was in the streetcar depot at King Jack Park. The farmers looked east in the park rather than north to downtown. Unlike me, they knew that protection from sun and rain was essential and the sheds put up for the Mining Days craft show were just the ticket. We had about 4 farmers at that first meeting. Of those, Frederickson Farms is still with us. Carl Carnahan, a long time bee keeper, was also there and offered valuable advice. Carl sold at the market for several years before becoming ill, at which point his partner Jann Amos and wife Resa took over honey sales at the market. So 13 years later we still have two of those original vendors, plus some 30 more. And 13 years later, the market has finally come to the very center of downtown at Broadway and Main Street, symbolically anyway. That’s where the market mural is taking shape.

That location may seem suspiciously familiar to those who know me. The mural is on the north side of the building where I live with my family and where my husband Phil has his law office. And you may think I pulled strings to secure the mural for my building, but not so! We identified three downtown locations for the lead artist and he made the selection. He chose the Middlewest Building for its visibility, large “canvas” and its pristine painting surface. And it’s that later quality that gives me true deniability. Many years ago I spent three very hot, very hard weeks removing every bit of paint off that wall. It was downright painful for me to watch the artists prime over my pretty clean brick with white paint last week.

But that evening I watched as the lines of the mural were projected against the wall and the artists moved in to transfer the drawing onto the wall. And the magic began. The artists were all dressed in black, and as they worked, they seemed to be part of the mural itself, moving among the farmers and tables of the market.

Over the weekend about 150 members of the community dropped by to paint a section of the mural and the white primer began to take on brilliant colors. This week the artists, led by lead artist and native Webb Citian Kyle McKenzie, have begun the refining process. By this time next week, the mural will be essentially completed. The official “unveiling” will take place in early July, but of course, it is actually on view right now as we certainly don’t have a tarp big enough to cover it.

Meanwhile, there's a lot happening at the actual market this weekend. On Friday, we have Patrick Byers and Shon Bishop with University of Missouri and Lincoln University Extension respectively, advising our customers and farmers on growing issues. If you have a plant, tree or shrub with a problem, they can probably point you in the right direction. Just bring the bug or a sample of a damaged plant in a clear plastic (& sealed) bag for them to examine. Or if you just want some good tips on growing, they can help you with that, too. On Friday, Granny Shaffers at the Market serves home-style chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, bread, drink and dessert for $6. They’ll also have chef salads. The Plainsfolk will play Irish music.

We begin our nutrition education on Saturday when our market intern Lindsay Rollins demonstrates grilled zucchini rollups. Satisfying and only 20 calories, the roll ups make a tasty appetizer or side. Lindsay will also have coupons for Ball Jar products and samples of canning mixes and there’ll be a place to sign up for more coupons direct from Ball Jar as well as for a drawing. Lindsay is a senior at MSSU working towards her honors diploma by volunteering at the market this summer.

On Saturday, Big Brothers, Big Sisters serves breakfast till 11. Their volunteers spend individual time with their “Littles”, giving them attention on a regular basis, usually two to four times a month. There’s also a lunch buddy program when volunteers regularly eat lunch with their “Littles” at school. Both programs give children a consistent connection with a caring mature mentor that fills a gap in their lives and leads them towards a healthy, productive future. Like every Cooking for a Cause at the Saturday market, you get a tasty breakfast, support an important community project and – bonus! - enjoy some live music, which this week is provided by the Granny Chicks. Bring your dancing shoes, they do some lively polkas.

Planning the week ahead, don’t forget the Tuesday market where you can get most the selection but half the traffic and crowds. And next Saturday is Second Saturday and that means the Art Market and free streetcar rides.

See you at the market!

Sentinel Column 5-25-12

Our farmers often share their abundance with those in need. Howard Thompson, who comes to the market on Saturdays with his fruit, has a bumper crop of blueberries and asked me what local feeding program would like a portion. I responded what local feeding program wouldn’t? and directed him to Crosslines. But it turns out that he’ll be feeding some very different neighbors. Several large sections of wooded land near his orchard have been cleared for development. That has pushed the deer that had lived there onto his land. He figures the deer population on his farm has tripled and they’re hungry and they love blueberries. They’re leaving enough for him come to the market, but he’s shut down his you-pick operation – at least for humans.

Deer are often a challenge for farmers. They jump high fences and are notorious for cleaning out sweet corn fields. One year I had a farmer put a 10-foot fence around his entire corn field. He also used organic methods to keep the worms out of the ears by putting a few drops of vegetable oil on the tip of each ear. It works pretty well, but the farmer discovered it was like buttering the corn for the deer. The day before harvest he found the deer had taken a bit out of the tip of every single ear of corn and the ground was covered with tale-tell prints. He didn’t get a single ear. He took it with amazingly good humor.

The most interesting response to critter theft I’ve come across was in northern California while visiting a farm with a group of market managers. The farm was actually a Buddhist retreat that also grew a large amount of produce. They sold the produce at area markets, raising funds for their program, and they also used gardening as a meditation tool. Every Thursday all the folks at the retreat spent the morning hoeing in silence. The head gardener, a young woman with dred locks, said silence on her part was very difficult as she watched them step on or hoe up the crop.

One of the visitors in my group asked if they were ever bothered by wildlife. The land lay in a valley surrounded by wooded foothills that had to be full of all sorts of birds and other creatures. The head gardener looked mystified. She didn’t understand the question. So the visitor rephrased it. Do deer and other wild animal invade the gardens? Oh, she said, the birds will fly out into the first couple of rows but, no, the animals don’t take much. The coyotes and bob cats keep the deer and other animals in check and if the birds fly too far out into the garden they risk attack by hawks. No, they don’t take too much. Leave it to a Buddhist gardener to just plant extra so nature can exist in harmony. However, I don’t think Howard’s deer are Buddhist. They are taking way more than their share!

We should have a good supply of blueberries. Our other growers are not running into deer problems. We’re also seeing the very first of the raspberries and blackberries. In another two weeks, we should be buried in them (or should I say “berried” in them?).

We’re got a great supply of zucchini and yellow squash, cucumbers are coming in, as are onions. Sadly, this is probably the last week for strawberries.

The Agees, who garden using organic methods, will be at the market for the first time on Saturday. Sunny Lane Farms should be back Friday after a week’s absence.

Music on Friday is by Center Creek Bluegrass. This is a favorite local band led by Donnie Howard. Granny Shaffer’s is serving Spaghetti Red for lunch. They also have a chef salad available and slices of pie.

On Saturday, breakfast benefits Cub Scout Pack 25. The pack, based at First Presbyterian, is one of the oldest in the state and many, many men in our community have been part of it. The pack will also be selling their Boy Scout popcorn. Drew Pommert will play Saturday morning. If that name sounds familiar, it should. Drew is the son of Rob Pommert who plays most Tuesdays for us and Drew plays the same style of music which is usually easy and gentle.
Next Tuesday, Carol Parker of KSN is visiting the market for a live remote. You’ll see the KSN van with that giant antenna. And speaking of Tuesday, for those of you who took me up on the suggestion to try shopping on Tuesday – good idea, right? Easy to park, short lines, good selection. And, my, oh my, could you tell school was out. We must have had over a 100 children come with their families on Tuesday. They especially had a good time drawing at the mural booth. We love our kids! We hope to see lots of them – and YOU – at the (shady) north wall of the Middlewest Building, Broadway and Main, tomorrow and Sunday between 10 am and 4 p.m. when the community starts the Market’s Community Mural. We’ll supply the paint and the brushes, you supply the labor – for 5 minutes or all day, whatever suits you. So come to the market Saturday morning, then head up to the first stop sign on Main Street and join in the community mural.

Webb City Sentinel column 5-18-12

Supply and demand – that’s one of the biggest challenges of managing the market. It’s my job (as a volunteer) to recruit enough vendors to meet our customers’ demand and needs and to attract enough customers to support our farmers. It’s a hard balancing act but I’m going to give it a try – Did you know that this past Tuesday we actually sent tomatoes and strawberries back to the farms? Shocking – especially when you consider that we’ve been running out of both in 30 minutes or less on Fridays. Friday is always our biggest day of the week. Sales are twice as much on Friday as on Tuesday or Saturday. Some of that is because we have a few more vendors on Friday but most of the reason for more sales is that we have many, many more customers on Friday.

I’d like to encourage you to add Tuesday market to your schedule. On Tuesday you will find, with the exception of meats and coffee beans, pretty much the same products as on Friday. What you will not find are crowded parking lots and long lines. In fact by 11:30 you will likely find all the products and none of the lines at all. On Tuesdays you can still enjoy lunch (Granny Shaffer’s sold out of chicken salad sandwiches this week. I’m sure they’ll bring more of that increasingly popular choice.) You’ll hear the dulcet tones of Rob Pommert (he denies it, but I’m pretty sure he took voice lessons over the winter – he has an even more mellow gorgeous sound than last year.). And you’ll find a tremendous supply of produce.

Now I don’t want to discourage you from coming on Friday or Saturday – they each have their special qualities, too, but Tuesday market is relaxed, easy and a great day to pop in or meet friends for lunch. Why not introduce a friend to the market on Tuesday?

We received some good news this week. We are receiving, for the second year in a row, a small grant from Jarden Home Brands, makers of Ball brands preserving products. Only 30 markets in the country received the grant. We’ll be doing lots of demonstrations and handing out sample mixes and recipe booklets.

We also received a grant from the Missouri Health Foundation to do nutrition education at the market. So I’m looking for a nutritionist, dietician, home ec teacher or college intern with that expertise to work at the market about 6 times a month this summer. If you know of someone give me a call at 483-8139.
The farmers market can be a key component of a healthier diet for our area families, which in turn should result in healthier families. These grants will allow us to show folks easy, simple ways to eat healthier and to incorporate more local foods into their diets now and, with food preservation, even into the winter. Since we’re looking at a bumper crop this year, that will make for a healthier community and stronger family farms.

Speaking of a bumper crop, sales at the market are 60% higher than this time last year. I think most of that increase is due to more produce being available. Many of our farmers planted what we call a “risk crop”. That’s an early planting of a variety of crops that likely will never get past the last freeze – but this year they did and that risk is paying off with abundance at the market. We already have loads of summer crops coming in like zucchini and squash.

The photo at right is of one on of two high tunnels at Braker Farm, loaded with tomato plants. The photo was taken 5/17 during farm inspections.

And some of the credit for more produce has to go to the market’s training program, our close connection to the state’s extension horticulturists and to the mentoring that goes on between our farmers. They are constantly trying to improve their quality and production.

And let’s not forget Mother Nature. Two years ago, we thought we’d gone through the worst growing season in living memory. In August it was so hot and dry that production was halved. Then last year happened and we realized that the year before was a walk in the park. The tornado was weather like we’d never seen before, and it was followed by 2 months without rain and 30 days of over 100 degrees. When it gets that hot, vegetables won’t pollinate no matter how much water you pour on them.

This year, thus far, has been the best growing season in living memory. Take advantage of it. We may not see another like it in a decade.

On Friday, Granny Shaffer’s serves chicken enchiladas, beans and rice, drink and dessert for $6. The Loose Notes play blue grass, gospel and cowboy music.

On Saturday, the Ozark Gateway Audubon Chapter serves breakfast from 9 to 11. They use their profits to provide education about the natural world to children and adults. Another of their projects is bringing birds back to the Joplin tornado fields. The Granny Chicks play from 9:30 to 11:30.

On Tuesday (remember that’s the day with lots of produce and easy parking!), Granny Shaffer’s serves freshly grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, chicken salad sandwiches and chef salads. Rob Pommert performs.

It’s going to be a great year at the market. Don’t miss it – and don’t let your friends miss it!

We're back!! & here's a lovely recipe to celebrate

For some reason our blog was temporarily suspended (I think we were hacked!).

In any case, we're back now and to celebrate, here's a lovely recipe that the Market Lady did at our market today:

Tomato, Basil and Couscous Salad
2 1/4 cups canned chicken broth
1 10-ounce box couscous 1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup diced seeded tomatoes
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Cheese curds or feta for garnish

Bring broth to boil in medium saucepan. Add couscous. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Fluff with fork. Cool.

Mix all ingredients except cherry tomatoes into couscous. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and cheese.

Webb City Sentinel Column 4/27/12

It’s opening day for the market. Come down to the pavilion at the Main Street entrance to King Jack Park from 11 to 2 today to celebrate and savor.

Just a quick recap of last week’s column – from 11 to 1 we’ll have the Clayton Family of Stockton playing, there’ll be a free hot dog meal and a free dogwood or red plum seedling for each person till 1 (or earlier if we run out).

And what do we expect at the market? Lettuce galore, boc choy, spinach, broccoli, garlic, leeks, Asian greens, green onions, dill, cilantro, mint, pea tops, asparagus, new potatoes, spinach, radishes, turnips, beets, and Swiss chard. (And the first of the strawberries, but they’ll go fast!)
We’ll have bakers three – Hazel’s, Black Forest and Arma. Redings Mill won’t be back for a few weeks. They are putting in a new kitchen and need to go through their health department inspection.

Cottage Small coffee roasters will have fresh roasted beans. Stella Dolce has a new name “Eden” and has added organic black iced tea and organic cool mint iced green tea to their popular smoothies and lemonade. Amos Apiaries will have raw honey and several of our farmers will have lots of farm fresh eggs. Hector Troyer is bringing a trailer load of his big, beautiful hanging baskets – mostly petunias. Greens Greenhouse (aka Shoal Creek Gardens before they moved out of the flood plain) has tomato and cucumber plants. From our ranches, you can buy pork, beef, chicken and lamb, all raised in the field with no hormones or antibiotics. Made of Clay Pottery will be on hand.

Kyle McKenzie, our resident artist, will be on hand to gather your ideas on what should be included in the market mural slated to be painted on a wall in downtown Webb City this June. He and his assistant artists will be at every market through May.

Our thanks go to the Missouri Arts Council (a state agency who also underwrites our music at the market), to Cardinal Scale, Bob and Frances Nichols, Josh Hensley, Sharon Beshore, Justin Coke and the more than 50 community folks who are funding this project.

Next Tuesday is our first of the season and Jack and Lee Ann Sours will perform from 11 to 1.

For many years, the market operated a benefit cookout for the Tuesday market but we found it almost impossible to ensure a properly grilled hamburger with new volunteers coming in every week. Some volunteers grilled them into charcoal briquettes, others seemed to just wave them over the flames. The first was inedible, the second unsafe. So we this winter while we were looking for a Friday meal vendor, we also advertised for a Tuesday meal vendor and we think we have struck gold. Continental Catering by Granny Shaffer’s is doing both. On Tuesday, the menu will include grilled hot dogs, burgers and cheeseburgers with chips and a soft drink. The hot dog meal is $3, the burger meal is $4. They’ll also have a chicken salad sandwich with chips and a soft drink for $4 and have a limited number of small chef salads, which with a drink will cost $6. On Fridays, all the meals are $6 and include homemade bread, sweet and a drink. The menu includes: Homemade chicken & noodles with mashed potato; Ham & Beans, fried potatoes, corn bread; Chicken enchilada, beans & rice; Spaghetti Red; and Small Chef salad.

On both Tuesdays and Fridays, you can get a slice of their fabulous pie for $2.

While we’ll no longer have the benefit meal on Tuesday, our area nonprofits will still serve Cooking for a Cause on Saturday mornings, which begin May 12.

We’re looking forward to a great season. See you at the market!

This Friday is our last market at the Clubhouse

Friday is our last Winter Market and it should be a dandy. We’re expecting at least four farms with spring produce like lettuce, green onions, radishes, asparagus, spinach, leeks, fresh garlic, dill, mint, cilantro, boc choy, cauliflower, and broccoli. Our ranchers will have with pork, beef and lamb. And we’ll have eggs, lots and lots of farm fresh eggs, plus baked goods, jams and jellies and raw food bars. (That's Nhai Xiong at last week's Winter Market.)

We’ll be open today from 11 to 2 at the Clubhouse, 115 North Madison.
It’s that time of year when every market just gets better as the produce starts rolling in.

Next Friday (April 27) we open for the regular season back at the market’s home, the pavilion at the Main Street entrance to King Jack Park. Thereafter we’ll be open every Tuesday and Friday from 11 to 2. We begin Saturday markets on May 12, the day before Mother’s Day, from 9 to noon.

With the early spring weather we’ve had, we expect opening day to be loaded with produce, as well as flower and vegetable plants and hanging baskets. Hector Troyer is raising 250 of his beautiful petunia hanging baskets and several of our growers will have tomato and herb plants for sale.

For opening day next Friday we’ll have free hot dogs, and yes, we plan to have chili and cheese for those of you who like to dress up your dogs. Market friends Glenn Dolence and Don Meredith will grill up the hotdogs till we run out or until 1 o’clock. The Clayton Family will fill the pavilion with their lively music until 1 and master gardener Dale Mermoud and his wife Beverly will hand out free red plum and dogwood tree seedlings for the market, one to a customer. If we have any seedlings left after 1 o’clock, folks can have as many as they want.

When we moved the Winter Market to the Clubhouse I told our vendors that it would guarantee a mild winter. Last winter we stayed under the pavilion and just about froze at every market, this winter the pavilion would have been fine. Still we appreciated setting up inside on cool windy days and having the indoor bathrooms and kitchen was wonderful. We really appreciate the Historical Society letting us camp out at their place this winter.

So come on out to the last Winter Market today and, next week, we’ll see you at the pavilion.