Webb City Sentinel - 4/11/14

It’s that time of year again, time for the market to open full swing. Now, don’t get me wrong, the market has actually been in full swing all year. So where to start?  A round-up of news since last October when the last Market Fresh column was printed or the news about “opening day” next Tuesday?  Let’s start with the winter market and then you’ll have to read the whole column to find out about next week (and believe me, there is some important information you won’t want to miss at the end of this column).

You may remember that during the  previous two winters we moved to the Historical Society’s Clubhouse for winter market so we could be indoors. This winter we knew that we had outgrown the Clubhouse and would have to move back to the pavilion. Luckily the city had secured funding to enclose and heat it for the winter. But my oh my, what a winter it was. One Saturday the weather was so bad that we just had to cancel market, but otherwise we managed and were extremely thankful for the protection and heat. Kudos to the late Chuck Surface for securing the grant that paid for the improvements and to Parks Director Tom Reeder who designed and implemented the sidings. (When I say “we” managed, I have to admit that I spent most of the winter in Australia with my daughter’s family so it was other hardy folks who did the managing. There were days this winter when my “high” in Perth was about 100 degrees higher than your “high” in Webb City. I like my high better.)

In case you missed it, not only did we stay at the pavilion this winter but we added what we hope will become a major addition to the winter market – our Christkindlmarket. Look for an even better version of it next November and December.

And look for a special market Saturday when we have our Spring Celebration. We’re open from 9 to noon and we’re expecting at least four farms with all sorts of lovely spring greens, as well as our bakers, egg farmers, and honey vendor. There will be lots of plants, flowers, vegetable, herbs and hanging baskets.
 

William Adkins will perform from 9 to 11. We’ll have free seed packets from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds – one per person till we run out. Three artists will be on hand selling jewelry and glass work. Randi Bachman returns after an absence of four years with her repurposed fabric items and pottery. Jim Oxley, Tami Fredrickson’s grandpa, returns with his frilly handcrafted dresses for little girls, newborn to 12 years. He only comes two or three times a year for our special markets, so don’t miss him.  (Right - That's little Josephine in her Jim Oxley dress.)

We’ll have cards at the information table for customers to sign. The first card is for Dr. Mark Robinson, our dairyman. Mark was hit by a baseball earlier this week and is in ICU at Mercy in Springfield with a very serious head injury.

The second card is a secret one for Bert and Daffol Ott of Black Forest Pastries. They are retiring from the market at the end of the month. Tomorrow is their last Saturday and then they’ll be at the market for the last two Fridays of the month. 

And now for the important information I promised. The market opens for the regular season on Tuesday and (get ready for it) the new Tuesday hours will be 4 to 6 pm. So between 4 and 6 next week, we’ll have free hot dogs, grilled up by our super volunteers and former city officials Glenn Dolence and Don Meredith, we’ll have a free Washington Hawthorne seedling for each customer. The Sours will play traditional music. Stop by the information table and pick up your free refrigerator magnet with our hours and days for the season – Tuesday from 4 to 6 pm, Friday from 11 to 2, and Saturday from 9 to noon.

And while you’re at the information table, you might pick up a volunteer form. The market wouldn’t exist without its volunteers and there plenty of tasks to suit any ability. Just this week, three volunteers worked with 30 middle schoolers to plant onion sets in the Kids Community Garden. And, of course, the volunteers pretty much run the market. So if you want to join our volunteer family for a couple of hours a month or a few hours a week, just let us know.

Next Friday Some Strings Attached play gospel, bluegrass and whatever else strikes their fancy. Granny Shaffers returns to the market with homemade bierocks (a German meat-filled pastry that will be available hot for lunch or frozen for your later enjoyment), chicken salad sandwiches and strawberry/spinach salad. 

It’s going to be another great year at the market. See you there!

It costs you nothing and reaps big dividends for our food stamps customers. Five percent of your qualified purchase at Amazon goes to the market just by clicking below. We'll use the funds to increase the amount of produce our food stamp customers can buy. Win - win. Healthier families - healthier farms.

 

Webb City Farmers Market

The Good News - & the bad.....

The good news is that you have 9 markets to load up on all those pastries and baked goods that you love from Black Forest Pastries. The bad news is that Bert and Daffol are retiring at the end of April and, boy, will we ever miss them - the goodies, the smiles and the hugs. The Otts have decided it's time to take time for their grandchildren and after years of saying, "we can't come to (fill in the blank with - your concert, your game, your special event), because we'll be baking", they are looking forward to saying "we'll be there!"

But there are NINE Saturday morning markets between now and the end of April so don't miss a single one!

Update on Bert and Daffol - first of all - what an outpouring of appreciation!! Second, we'll be planning something special for them on the last Saturday of April (more on that later) and third, due to the pleading of their customers, though Bert and Daffol will not be at the market after the last Saturday in April, they will continue to take special orders that can be picked up at their bakery south of Carthage through June. Place your orders at the market or at 417 325-7506.

Christmas Eve Holiday Market - Tuesday!

The Christmas Eve Holiday Market at the Webb City Farmers Market will be from 11 to 1 on Tuesday, December 24, in the pavilion at the south end of Main Street in King Jack Park.

The following vendors will be at the market to provide fresh, local produce and products for holiday feasts:

• Black Forest House Pastries – American and European baked goods, with lots of German Christmas specialties
• Xiong Farm, Nature Valley Farm, green's Greenhouse and Gardens and Frederickson Farm - with tomatoes, radishes, lettuce and other greens, turnips, carrots and other produce. To quote Tami Frederickson “Beautiful produce at the market right now!”
• Fanning Egg Farm – with farm fresh eggs from happy hens
• Endless Bounty - energy bars
• Weather permitting – Edith Bayless – with sewn goods

The market will also be open next Saturday for the regular market from 9 to noon.

Now that the Christkindlmarket is finished for the year, we will be in the north section of the pavilion. Please come in the north door.

It's Christmastime at the Market

It’s Christmastime at the market. Saturday, from 9 to noon, the pavilion will be filled with fresh local foods and the Christkindlmarket with gifts for giving. Carolers will stroll through the pavilion filling it with Christmas cheer (Amanda Jones from Seneca. Sydney Shannon from Galena, Forrest Bunter from Neosho, Chris Tanksley from Baxter Springs, all students from MSSU).

We’ll have a wide variety of vegetables, as well as pecans, pork, beef, lamb, chicken, raw milk, honey, energy bars, baked goods, freshly roasted coffee beans, jams and jellies, and eggs. The Butcher Block will have ribs, tamales, brisket, hot coffee, and breakfast burritos and will take orders for cheese balls for pick up at the Christmas Eve Holiday Market (which will be at the pavilion from 11 to 1 on Tuesday, December 24).

In the Christkindlmarket, there will be plenty of Christmas specialties at Black Forest Pastry (they’re taking Christmas Eve orders as well). Jim Oxley returns with his remarkable dresses for girls, newborn through 12 years. Full of ruffles and lace or simple and sweet, these dresses are a bargain and often include matching socks and hair bows. (That's my (Eileen's) little Australian granddaughters modeling them in the photo.) Minerva’s Candy Co. returns with their handmade chocolates and candy canes. Other crafters will have glasswork, knitwear, jewelry, wood crafts, metalwork, and sewn items.

The pavilion is enclosed for the winter with supplementary heat (our thanks to the parks staff that operate the two massive heaters that keep it “jacket weather” inside the pavilion) so even when it’s frosty outside, it’s comfortable in the market.

Folks wanting to place orders for the Christmas Eve Holiday Market can order at Saturday’s market or see the sidebar at right for a list of the most commonly requested vendors and their phone numbers. They can call the market manager at 417 483-8139 for contact information.

How to Order for the Holidays

With the holidays coming up, folks are asking how to order items from the market vendors. You can stop by the market and place an order or just give them a call. I've listed the most often requested vendors below and on the sidebar but if you need numbers for other vendors, just email me at eileennichols@sbcglobal.net. Don't forget our Holiday Market - 11 to 1 at the pavilion on Tuesday, December 24, Christmas Eve, also 11 to 1 at the pavilion.

Amos Apiaries - honey - 417 529-3545
Edith Bayless - seamstress - 417 439-4292
Black Forest Pastry - 417 325-7506
The Butcher Block - tacos/ribs/pulled pork/brisket & other great meats, plus cheese balls - 417 624-1000
Fairhaven - pecans/jams & jelly - 417 432-3458
Hazel's Bakery - 417 529-2030
Minerva's Candy Co - 417 717-0042
Mohaska Farmhouse - artisan breads - 417 206-3473
Sunny Lane Farm - all-natural beef, chicken & lamb - 417 637-2991

Saturday at the Market

This Saturday the Webb City Farmers Market welcomes another new vendor to its Christkindlmarket – Jim Oxley of Mountain Grove.  Jim has close ties to the Webb City Market.  His granddaughter, Tami Fredrickson with Fredrickson Farms has sold at the market since it opened in 2000.  She’s also the market board president this year.  But Jim is joining the market on his own merit as the creator of lacey, fun dresses for girls, newborn through 12 years.  (You can see a photo of more of his dresses on the market’s Facebook page.) 

In Tami’s words, this is how her grandfather got into this unusual – for a man – line of work:  “My grandma made dresses for all of her granddaughters. She and Grandpa both worked at Brown Shoe factory in Mountain Grove.  Grandpa began helping my grandma after she was diagnosed & treated for breast cancer in the mid eighties.  Grandma would get calls from all over to make dresses like we wore.  After she passed away my grandpa began making the dresses like she did & now travels around to different events to sell them. He uses patterns that my grandma designed & drew.  His prices are affordable for the quality & complexity of each garment.  He tries to keep costs down so anyone can purchase. I am super proud of him!”

Jim joins glass artists, weavers, knitters, potters and others in the Christkindlmarket this Saturday in the south end of the market pavilion.

On Saturday, the market is open from 9 to noon in the pavilion (which is sheltered from the weather by sides now) just southeast of the Main Street entrance to King Jack Park. The Butcher Block will offer breakfast tacos and coffee.  Bill Adkins takes the market stage with contemporary classics. We’re expecting eight farms with fresh local produce like tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce, spinach and other greens, winter squash and more, plus a rancher with pork, and lots of baked goods, raw milk, honey, energy bars, tamales, bbq ribs, and farm fresh eggs.

This Saturday at the Market

      

This Saturday, the Webb City Farmers Market welcomes its newest vendor who also happens to be one of Webb City’s oldest merchants – The Minerva Candy Company. The company was founded in 1905 and was famous for its handcrafted candy canes until it closed in 2005. The business was reopened in 2012 by current owners Tom and Mary Hamsher, but candy cane making had to wait on careful restoration of the huge copper pots and burners, as well as availability of former owner and candy cane maestro Duke Mallos.  It all came together in late October with the creation of 2,000 two-foot candy canes, some of which will be on sale at this Saturday’s Christkindlmarket in the Farmers Market.  (that's their photo in the candy store - notice the big copper pots hanging on the wall - want to see the candy store in person?  & enjoy lunch, breakfast or dinner Tuesday through Saturday?  You'll find them at 12 South Main in Webb City.)

On Saturday, the market is open from 9 to noon in the pavilion (which is sheltered from the weather by sides now). Mark Berger will take center stage, playing his large collection of Native American flutes. We’re expecting nine farms with fresh local produce and two pork ranchers, plus baked goods, raw milk, honey, energy bars, tamales, bbq ribs, and farm fresh eggs. The Christkindlmarket will fill the south end of the pavilion with locally made art, crafts and knitted and sewn goods.

This Saturday at the Farmers Market

You might think the market would be winding down this time of year – but not so! We’re actually gearing up for our best Winter Market season ever. The Webb City Farmers Market will be open this Saturday from 9 to noon in the pavilion just southeast of the Main Street entrance to King Jack Park. (Notice that “in” the pavilion instead of the usual “under”?  That’s because the pavilion has sides now to keep us warmer and out of the wind.)   And this Saturday is the premier of our Christkindlmarket featuring artists, crafters and artisans selling their locally-made goods. The whole south section of the pavilion will be filled with pottery, glass work, art, knitware, sewn items, even locally made vanilla extract, all sold by the persons who made them.

And despite the hard freeze of last week, we’ll have lots of produce – the cool weather crops like spinach, broccoli, and cabbage that laugh at the cold and the tender crops like tomatoes, green beans, lettuce and peppers that are protected in the high tunnels and the storage crops like onions, butternut, sweet potatoes and spaghetti squash. In fact, we’re welcoming a brand new winter grower Saturday, Karen Scott of Granby, with eggs, bell peppers, beets, turnips, radishes, sweet potatoes, potatoes and winter squash. Broken Wire Ranch is bringing their pepper roaster.  (the photos are both from Braker Farm's high tunnels)

We’ll have a lot of farm fresh eggs – cool weather really gets those hens laying! Marlee’s Creamery will have fresh raw milk – hormone and antibiotic free. Black Forest Pastries will have their European and American baked goods and at Hazel’s Bakery you’ll find pies, cakes, fruit breads and cookies. There’ll be local honey, freshly roasted coffee beans, bbq ribs and tamales and energy bars. Sunny Lane Farms will sell their all-natural beef, lamb and chicken and Lumen Farms will have Berkshire pork.

Saturday is our last Cooking for a Cause breakfast for this year. It benefits Crimestoppers and is served till 11. (But not our last breakfast - expect warm cinnamon rolls, coffee and hot chocolate this winter.)  The Pommerts take the market stage with light contemporary music, jazz and classical guitar.

This Friday and Saturday at the Market

This is the last Friday of the season. 

Starting in November, we will be open every Saturday from 9 to noon in the pavilion – and, in addition, to the farmers market we’ll have our Christkindlmarket featuring artists and artisans selling their locally-made goods.  

We’ll be glad of the sidings on the pavilion with the cool weather moving in this weekend.  Our farmers have been busy placing row covers in the fields to save the crops from freeze damage.  High tunnel crops are protected as well.  We should have a LOT of produce, including pumpkins, at the market this weekend.

On Friday the Webb City Farmers Market is open from 11 to 2 under the pavilion at the Main Street entrance to King Jack Park.    Lunch, served from 11 to 1, is all-you-can-eat chili, plus one drink and a brownie for $5.  Friday’s Cooking for a Cause will benefit the Tri-County Cerebral Palsy Center.   The Granny Chicks perform Friday.  Marlee's Creamery will be here Friday after an absence of almost a month!

In addition to tables loaded with fresh local produce, there will be farm fresh eggs, baked goods, beef, chicken, lamb, pork, freshly roasted coffee beans, energy bars.  The Joplin Business Women will sell Rada utensils as a fundraiser for their MSSU scholarship program on both Friday and Saturday.  

On Saturday, the market is open from 9 to noon under the pavilion.  Breakfast benefits the Webb City R-7 Foundation’s Latimer Scholarship and features pancakes, ham, and farm fresh eggs cooked to order.   Jim and Karen Latimer, honored by the Foundation as this year’s Distinguished Citizens, will be serving breakfast.  Marshall Mitchell takes the market stage Saturday.  He always gets the kids dancing!  

On Saturday we expect local produce, energy bars, farm fresh eggs, freshly roasted coffee beans, bbq ribs, and tamales.  Green’s Greenhouse and Gardens is back on Saturday after a several month absence preparing for winter market production.  They will have bell peppers, spinach, green beans, onions, butternut squash and spaghetti squash.