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. 

This weekend at the market - 10/11 & 12

            It’s a Bright Futures weekend at the market with Cooking for a Cause benefiting Carl Junction’s Bright Futures program.  Plus we have Fall Foos Fotos on Saturday!  The Webb City Farmers Market is open on Friday and Saturday this week.

            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.

            Friday lunch, served from 11 to 1, is all-you-can-eat chili, plus drink and a brownie for $5 and will benefit Carl Junction’s Bright Futures program.   William Adkins will perform Friday.

In addition to tables loaded with fresh local produce, there will be honey, jams and jellies (including this season’s apple butter), farm fresh eggs, baked goods, beef, chicken, lamb, pork, freshly roasted coffee beans, energy bars and mums.  The Joplin Business Women will sell Rada utensils as a fundraiser for their MSSU scholarship program.  

            On Saturday, the market is open from 9 to noon under the pavilion.  Breakfast benefits the Carl Junction Bright Futures program and features pancakes, ham, and farm fresh eggs cooked to order.  John Henry & Friends, a great young bluegrass/folk group from Fayetteville, Arkansas, take the market stage on Saturday.  On Saturday we expect local produce, honey, baked goods, energy bars, farm fresh eggs, bbq ribs, tamales and mums.  

            On Saturday, Bob Foos (who is honored in the Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame) will take fall portraits in a setting of market mums and pumpkins.  Photo package prices are:  8 wallets with two 4x5s - $15; 8 wallets with one 5x7 - $15; Either of the previous plus an 8x10 - $20;  Extras:   two 4x5s - $6; 4 wallets - $6; 5x7 - $6; 8 wallets - $8; 8x10 - $8.  Bob calls this annual event “Photos for a Cause” because he donates all profits to the market’s music program.

Last market column of the year!

I hope you get your paper in the morning – otherwise you may miss our first ever Friday Cooking for a Cause today. During October, the Friday meal, served from 11 to 1, will benefit a local non-profit. Today Webb City’s Bright Futures program receives the profit and to make it even better, it’s being served up by the R-7 Foundation’s 2013 Distinguished Citizens, Jim and Karen Latimer. For a mere $5 you get all-you-can-eat ham and brown beans, plus cornbread, a brownie and a drink. (And since it was prepared by my husband, Phil Richardson, who is a carnivore of the first order, it will have LOTS of ham.)

It’s a Bright Futures weekend at the market because the Cooking for a Cause breakfast tomorrow also benefits the Webb City program. Bright Futures fans Emily Wade and Cheryl Moreland will help market volunteers serve up pancakes, grilled ham and farm fresh eggs from 9 to 11.

Bright Futures was started last year by the school district to build partnerships between the community and the school district to ensure that every child has his or her needs met and is successful. It’s a great program that involves individuals, businesses and churches in the schools. 

Next week, you can support the Carl Junction Bright Futures program. Same menu on Saturday, but Friday will be all-you-can-eat chili!

And on that Saturday, October 12, Bob Foos will be at the market taking fall portraits. The prices and packages available will be in next week’s Sentinel, but make plans now to bring the family in their fall glory to the market between 9:30 and 11 to make a memory amid the mums and pumpkins.

This is the last week for the market column. Market news will appear in the Neighborhood section of the paper. Be sure to check there because the market will be going all winter long. Plus we have some exciting plans for our farmers and area growers. We’ve teamed up with Lincoln University Extension to bring in Dr. Betsy Bihn of Cornell University to lead a Food Safety on the Farm conference in November. She’s the national expert in the field and we’re super excited to have her come train our farmers. For more information, you can go to our web site:  webbcityfarmersmarket.com.

Today we have Jack and Lee Ann Sours playing traditional music on the market stage. Our wonderful Extension ladies are serving and sampling Herbed Baby Eggplant. This recipe uses the small Asian eggplants grown by several of our farmers.

Tomorrow William Adkins takes the stage.

And don’t forget, no Tuesday markets until next spring!  

See you at the market!