Shopping at the market often means eating seasonally. 

This is something that was the common and expected experience before grocery stores began selling imported foods. When my mother was young, she would never have expected to eat summer fruit like blueberries or strawberries in the winter. Apples were stored for fresh winter eating but it would have been a special treat. Canned peaches were a possibility and my grandmother was renowned for her peach cobbler. She also was famous for her chocolate meringue pies. It a testament to her kindness that she never scolded her oldest granddaughter, who didn’t like meringue, for scraping off that beautiful layer before digging into the chocolate filling. But I digress.

Root crops like potatoes, onions, carrots or the winter squashes would be typical vegetables in the winter, along with canned green beans, tomatoes, and pickles to name just a few. We have been spoiled by access to food grown in other climes and many of us are unaccustomed to eating in season as was done for centuries.

Tis the season to can green beans!

I think it’s great that we have access to so much more food than before, but I also think those who ignore seasonal eating are missing some of the very best food. One reason is freshness. Imported food must spend time traveling so even if kept under ideal conditions, its shelf life is diminished by that travel and handling time. And travel requires a certain toughness to arrive in a saleable state. My family has a small claim to fame thanks to my first cousin twice removed (he was the son of my great-grandmother’s sister), Walter Baxter who owned a seed company in south Texas. According to family lore, Walter bred the first tomato suitable (i.e. tough enough) to withstand shipping. It was called the Baxter Beauty.

Much of the produce varieties at the market are too fragile for shipping. The variety may be an heirloom variety from the days before shipping or perhaps it was developed for other qualities like flavor and texture. But our farmers don’t take quality for granted just because they travel only a short distance to the market. They have received training on post-production handling, not only for the sake of safety but also for keeping the produce in the best condition possible. That’s one reason the market’s last purchase for our Jesup Wagon 2.0 was a cool-bot. Many of our farmers have an insulated room that is kept cool by a cool-bot. It’s a device that tricks a window air conditioner into cooling below the usual temperature. In fact, it can cool the room as low as 35 degrees without the unit freezing up. This is a technology that can significantly improve a small farmer’s bottom line by reducing waste and maintaining a high quality product.

Shon Bishop with Lincoln shows hand tools at a conference

As you may remember, the Jesup Wagon 2.0 is a market-led collaboration with Lincoln University Cooperative Extension and University of Missouri Extension and supported by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The original Jesup Wagon was a George Washington Carver concept that used a wagon and later a motorized vehicle to take the latest in agriculture technology to rural areas. It might include seeds, tools, fertilizer, and literature. Professor Carver called it a Moveable School and it reached about 2,000 people a month during its first summer in 1906.

Time to say goodbye to Canary melons

Our Jesup Wagon 2.0 includes hand tools for small spaces like high tunnels, irrigation equipment and supplies, fertilizing tools, attachments for small tractors, tools to make caterpillar tunnels, tools to reduce injuries on the farm, adaptive tools for farmers with disabilities, and many other tools. We even have a drone and two of our extension specialists have become licensed commercial remote pilots as part of the project. During normal times, the Jesup Wagon goes to meetings all over Missouri, to workshops in Southwest Missouri, and to national conferences. With all those cancelled, our team is working on online videos demonstrating the various tools so the learning can continue.

But we'll soon say hello to an abundance of greens.

So we finally come to the point. The seasons, they are a-changing. Owen with E & O brought mums to the market yesterday. Several growers have winter squash - acorn, butternut, and spaghetti. Boc choy is back. Pumpkins are appearing. Sadly that means a few things are leaving. Owen tells me he’ll have a few Canary melons on Saturday and then they are done for the year. We have sure enjoyed them and we can look forward to an even bigger crop next summer. Owen said he grew just a few to try them out several  years ago, and each year since he had doubled and tripled his planting and the demand is still growing. Weather permitting he’ll bring even more in 2021.

This Saturday we’re expecting 11 farms with local produce, plus two mushroom farms, a flower farm, a shrimp farm, and three ranches with beef, chicken, lamb, and pork. There will be tamales, honey, smoked salts, seasonings, and mixes, kettle corn, artisan pasta and sauces, and baked goods.

The Community Clovers 4-H Club is serving Cooking for a Cause.

Tim Snyder is on the market stage.

Monday is Labor Day, so please don’t forget the Tuesday market. People tend to get their days mixed up when there is a Monday holiday.  Tuesday, Ghetto Taco cooks up street tacos and Chochinita Mexican Street Food offers spicy grilled Mexican corn.  Tuesday continues to be our easiest market day for social distancing, although Saturday is easy too after the first hour. Tuesday is pickup day from 5 to 7 pm for our on-line store. Go to webbcityfarmersmarket.com and click on the link to “walk” through the store and do your shopping. Or come see us in person! See you at the market.