Webb City Sentinel market column - Wednesday, November 25, 2020

It's official – we are celebrating the holidays at the market.  Our annual Holiday Market, which always we hold the day before Thanksgiving, will be today from 11 to 1 at the pavilion. Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving seems an especially good time to fill our harvest table with local bounty.  Here are the vendors we expect today:

Goat Cheese – Terrell Creek is back so stock up!

Baked goods - Redings Mill Co. and Sunflower Bakery

Meats – Sunny Lane Farm and Clearwater Shrimp

Produce – Braker Berry Farm

Pecans, jams and jellies, and candies – Fair Haven Gardens

Mushrooms – MO Mushrooms

Honey & honey products – Helms Family Farm

Snacks – Kings Kettle Corn 

Meals to go – Ham & Beans with 2 cornbread muffins – 16 oz for $5, Chili with beans – 16 oz for $5.50, Chili without beans – 16 oz for $7, 1/2 pound of fudge for $4.  All are prepared in the market kitchen by volunteers of Central United Methodist Church.  All profits go to the community Christmas basket program.

As you can see from the above list, it’s a relatively small market, but such a good selection.

On Saturday, the market will delve into the holidays even further.  We’ll host five vendors selling handcrafted items just right for gift-giving  – Nancy’s Doll Closet with handmade clothing for 18” dolls, Jane’s Glass Art with lovely jewelry, window hangers and other pretty glass items, Debbie Feddie with sewn kitchen goods, BDG Creations with holiday woodcraft and ornaments, and our regular vendor 2Ts Soap and Stuff with artisan soaps.  And of course, we’ll have most of our regular vendors well.

The Free Kids Meals this Saturday are Breakfast: Maple porridge topped with Fair Haven pecans and with pumpkin seeds, plus a piece of fruit and milk plus Lunch: Lasagna with garlic roasted cauliflower from Harmony Hill Farm and milk.  The Kids Meals are served from 9 to 11 and children, aged 1 through 18, receive both the breakfast and the lunch.

And just a head’s up – we’ll have two Holiday Markets this year.  Since Christmas falls on a Friday, we’ll have a Christmas Eve market on December 24 (a Thursday) and then take Saturday off so our bakers and farmers do not have to work on Christmas Day.

See you at the Holiday Market!

 

Webb City Sentinel market column - Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Food is front and center again this Saturday at the market. Our farmers are bringing in lots of fall crops like lettuce, spinach, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, fresh ginger, winter squash, carrots, radishes and more. There will be all natural meats, honey, jams and jellies, frozen tamales, kettle corn and other flavored popcorn and pork rinds, mushrooms, freshly roasted coffee beans and coffee drinks. Redings Mill, Harmony Hill, and Sunflower will have a wide assortment of baked goods. DnD Smoked will have dozens of kinds of smoked spices and salts, plus mixes for dips and chili. Our honey vendor is selling honey truffles and other chocolate and honey treats. Fair Haven brings handmade peanut and pecan brittle. Central United Methodist has fudge, as well as chili with or without beans. The church's sales benefit the community Christmas basket program.

 MaMa JoJo's will have fresh pasta and made-at-the-market sauces. You can buy the pasta baked and dressed with sauce or buy the pasta to cook at home. Fresh pasta takes about 4 minutes to cook in boiling water and if you've only had dried pasta, you are in for a treat. Fresh makes all the difference, and not just in veggies!

Songbird Kitchen is expected with made-at-the-market egg rolls and other Asian specialties.

From 9 to 11 adults can buy a breakfast of biscuit and gravy, scrambled cheesy eggs or scrambled cheesy eggs loaded with market veggies, and a drink for $5. All profits from the breakfast benefit the market.

The Free Kids Meals are also served from 9 to 11. Breakfast is biscuit and gravy with fruit and milk. Lunch is a ham, cheese, & lettuce wrap, plus apple slaw, and milk. The lettuce is from Braker Berry Farm (though we could have gotten it from any number of other farms – lettuce is in season!) Brakers is our largest lettuce grower and we can pick up several tubs of lettuce from them without running them short at the market. We want the kids to have our wonderful fresh local produce, but we don't want to leave our customers high and dry. The apple slaw includes local apples, carrots from Harmony Hill and honey from Helm's Family Farm.

We've been really pleased with the response to the kids meals. We're serving about 250 meals each Saturday and would be happy, and ready, to serve even more. Because of COVID-19, children do not have to be present to receive a meal. Their adults can pick up for them as long as we see a photo of the adult and kids so we can get a head count. All children receive both breakfast and lunch for free if they are between 1 and 18.

I took on the Free Kids Meals in October which is why you have read so much about it. Now that I'm in Colorado our manager has taken it over and is doing a wonderful job. It takes considerable devotion, planning, and organization to have so many meals ready and to make those meals as locally based as possible. One tricky part of the kids meals is that we serve every child but don't require reservations. So we prepare for the usual number but have back up ingredients to prepare more if needed. For example, on Halloween we prepared 2 meals for 130 children, so a total of 260 meals. We ended up with about 170 children which means that on very short notice (as in 30 minutes) we prepared an extra 80 meals! And we did it with no one having to wait. It's definitely a learned skill, but we have learned it well.

All meals at the market are served to-go due to COVID-19, but we have picnic tables spread out across the north lawns where people can eat if they wish to do so.

Every farmers market is different Some allow lots of arts and crafts, or businesses selling things they didn't actually make, but Webb City's has from the beginning focused on connecting the community with small and mid-sized businesses growing, raising or making local foods.

We also celebrate and support good works which is why we host the current fundraiser for the community Christmas basket program and why we also currently have handmade bowls and cookbooks for sale to raise funds for the market's WIC program.

We do allow a very limited number of crafts and art, especially if they are connected to food, kitchen, garden or health. That's why you will find 2T's Soap and Stuff and Debbie Fedie with sewn goods for the kitchen at the market this Saturday.

Normally we also have a large Christkindlmarket in November and December when we have fewer farmers and extra room. Sadly we will forego our usual Christkindlmarket this year. We feel it is important to keep the vendors spread out to create a safe shopping space so we will not be filling a large section of the pavilion with crafts. But when we have some space, we will feature one or two of our best Christkindlmarket crafts people. This week we are delighted to have Nancy's Doll Closet back again. Nancy makes the most wonderful, and very reasonably priced, clothes for 18” dolls. Honestly I am so taken with her selection – and it's huge – that I'm buying a wardrobe for each of my daughters' families.

Be sure to place your Thanksgiving baked goods order with Sunflower Bakery on Saturday for pick up at the special Holiday Market on November 25^th, between 11 and 1 at the pavilion. Sunflower will be our only bakery that day but they are expanding their selection to include breads, rolls, and more in addition to their usual pies and fried pies. If you can't make it Saturday but want to place an order, give them a call at 417 888-2000.

If you're looking for fresh produce for your Thanksgiving table, check with your farmer on Saturday about picking up an order at the Holiday Market. All the vendors generally bring extra, but to be sure of getting what you want, ordering ahead is wise.

It's going to be an unusual holiday for many. My mother often
placed a small gift at each plate as a special part of our Thanksgiving meal. It might be a jar of honey or jam, a container of smoked salts, a $5 token to spend at the market, a small bag of candy, soap, chili mix, or some other local treat. For those gathering together this year, I invite you to start that new tradition. And if your Thanksgiving will be smaller than usual, maybe it's the
perfect time to drop off or mail some small gift like that to brighten the day for those you will not be with. Instead of mourning what we don't have this holiday, let's celebrate what we do have – Friends and family that, even from a distance, fill our lives with kindness, thoughtfulness, and love and appreciation for each other.

 

Webb City Sentinel market column - Wednesday, November 11, 2020

The market and I have received exciting news. My news first – Monday my daughter Emily presented the family with a little girl, 19 1/2 inches and 7.5 pounds. No name yet, but she’s a cutie. I’m sure she’ll have a name before I gather her in my arms on Saturday.

The market news is also wonderful. We will be able to continue our SNAP match program when our grant from the Coover Foundation ends this spring. The market partnered with the Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City who applied for a GUS NIP grant from the USDA. The grant will, among other things, fund matching programs at 45 farmers markets in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. When I contacted the Council about including Webb City they were hesitant. We were outside their service area but it didn’t take them long to convince them to include us. After all, we’re an amazing market and would strengthen their application. I have no idea if it really did, but they got it!

The SNAP match program is well used by our customers using food stamps. It allows them to purchase food stamp tokens good to purchase eligible products in the market and also receive free tokens for fresh uncut fruits and vegetables. Our current program is funded by the Coover Foundation and we have been so thankful for the funding but it will end in March. Now we will be able to continue the program for another three years. That’s a lot of healthy fruit and vegetables for our neighbors in need and a lot of produce sales for our farmers.

And speaking of produce, it’s lettuce season! The lettuce is pouring into the market which is why the kids meal this week is Taco Salad – lettuce and tomatoes from Braker Farm, ground beef donated by Misty Morning Farms. I really should say it’s green season because there is also broccoli, kohlrabi, and acorn squash just to name a few other green things at the market.

It’s also chilly and chili season. Dress warm because the market will remain open air as long as we can manage. And load up on chili to-go at the market. Central United Methodist Church is selling chili with beans and without and it sure is good. They also have fudge for your sweet tooth. All profits go to buy food for the Webb City Christmas basket program.

We have two other fundraisers at the market (‘tis the season). Next to the information table you will find handcrafted bowls and cookbooks. All sales benefit the market’s WIC program for low income young families.

This Saturday MaMa JoJo’s will have artisan pasta and red sauce to-go, as well as pasta for you to cook at home. Songbird Kitchen will have made-at-the-market egg rolls, crab Rangoon, and fried rice.

The Free Kids Meals are:  Breakfast – breakfast casserole with eggs, sausage, and cheese, plus a banana and milk AND Lunch – Taco Salad with milk. Kids don’t need to be present, but we need to see a photo of yourself with the kids – or grandkids – so we can get a head count. The meals are free to anyone aged 1 through 18.

Breakfast for adults is biscuit and gravy, cheesy scrambled eggs or cheesy scrambled eggs loaded with market veggies, and juice or coffee for $5. The breakfast benefits the market.

All the meals can be eaten on site or taken home. Randy & Phil are on the market stage. The breakfast, kids meals, and music run from 9 to 11.

Make your plans now for the Holiday Market on the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, November 25. We’ll be open from 11 to 1 under the pavilion and bakers are taking orders now!

Talk of bakers reminds me - pastry is coming back to the market! Juniper Coffee Roastery is adding a pastry to their freshly roasted coffee beans and coffee drinks. Their pastry is inspired by rugelach which was brought to the US by eastern European immigrants and is especially popular for Jewish holidays. The Mayfield’s will do their own interpretation using fillings of orange marmalade and dark chocolate. They’ll be made right in the market kitchen.

Also at the market this Saturday – five produce farms, two mushroom growers, Grison Dairy with cow’s cheese, Clear Water Shrimp Farm, DnD Smoked, Helm’s honey, Garrett’s and Sunny Lane with meats, three bakeries, and 2Ts Soap. It’s going to be another wonderful market. See you there!

 

Webb City Sentinel market column - Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Halloween at the Market was a big hit. We were full of small superheroes, mice (as in Mickey and
Minnie), princesses, dragons, even Baby Yoda, and many other fun characters. The kids searched the market hunting for fall produce, for the market scarecrows, and especially for the last item on the scavenger hunt list – a free bag of festive kettle corn from Kings Kettle Corn. They enjoyed free breakfast and lunch and posed with the market scarecrows for a Halloween photo. What was forecast to be a cold windy morning turned out to be bright and sunny, making me a little over warm in my three layers of clothes but perfect for the kids in costume.

The market ended with a surprise for me. I had finished my kids meal responsibilities and was walking through the market with my husband when a small crowd began to gather in the center of the pavilion. Alan Hughes, my neighbor and a market board member, used a bull horn to

gather people in and Erin Turner with the city’s Office of Economic & Community Development gave a thoughtful speech about the market and its value to the city. Then Mayor Ragsdale took over and I soon guessed what was up. This was my grand send off. Many nice things were said and a very large sign with my name on it was shown. Lynn was right on target in one of his comments. He spoke about various kinds of leaders, including one kind who has avision which they nurture but hold close so when the visionary dies so does the vision and another kind of leader who has a vision but enlists others to ensure the vision continues beyond the originator. And I am so glad that I have been privileged to be the latter. (I was also very glad that I came to the market dressed as Rosie the Riveter and not the mime I had considered. Pictures in a mask are bad enough. A mime in a mask would be beyond bad.)

As the market has grown over the last 20 years I became aware that its future could not and should not depend on me. After all none of us lives forever. But it was when my father died unexpectedly five years ago that it hit home. He had been an essential part of several organizations. Those that did not depend entirely on him, primarily the ones with paid staff, continued, those without staff suffered. And that, as well as my dear mother’s descent into dementia, began my search to find funding for a paid manager. Thanks first to a grant, and now to support from the city, we have that manager.

While I’m still involved in some aspects of the market, writing this column for example, most of the market management has been increasingly transferred to others over the last year. I still handle the grant work and for the last month I’ve ramrodded the free kids meal, but my work with the meals will soon end. I have a new granddaughter due in Colorado this month and will be there doing night duty. Luckily the market has hired a new kids meal cook and I leave that project in his and the manager Rachael Lynch’s capable hands.   The market has a strong board, an excellent manager, strong relationships with the city and its departments, with University of Missouri Extension and Lincoln University Extension, and many other organizations. It has a wonderful base of customers and trained, talented, and committed vendors. And though this particular volunteer will be shifting to lullabies and diapers, many other volunteers help keep the market at its best – and we are always looking for more. 

Two of my favorites are Ann Foos and Vicki Groff who have faithfully dished up and handed out hundreds of meals to children. This Saturday they will serve hot apple* cinnamon oatmeal with white milk for breakfast and ham and cheese rollups with bell peppers* and lettuce*, carrot*/raisin salad, and chocolate milk for lunch. The meals are served from 9 to 11 and are free to anyone aged 1 through 18. Kids don’t have to be present – just show Ann a photo of yourself with the kids – or grandkids.  *locally grown!

The adult meal is biscuits and sausage gravy, cheesy scrambled eggs or loaded (with market veggies) cheesy scrambled eggs, and juice or coffee for $5. Profits from the adult breakfast benefit the market.

Drew Pommert will be on the market stage.

Several seasonal fundraisers begin this Saturday.

The market is selling gently used and new cookbooks (the photo  shows just a small fraction of the books) and handmade pottery bowls. 

All proceeds will go to the market’s privately funded program which provides two $5 coupons good for produce, meat, or eggs to families receiving WIC. You can also make a donation to the program in someone’s honor and receive a very pretty acknowledgement designed and printed by Cardinal Scale for the market. It is just right to slip into a Christmas card or a stocking. WIC, Women Infants and Children, is for very low income young families to ensure little growing bodies receive the nutrition they need to grow into strong healthy adults.

We’ve had a run on our shopping bags lately which folks are using as Christmas bags. Don’t worry, we have plenty more in navy or lime. Our soft caps with the embroidered market logo are back in stock too thanks to the Dug Out.

Central United Methodist Church will sell chili and fudge to benefit the community Christmas basket program. One pint of chili with beans is $5.50. Two pints is $10. Chili without beans is $7 for one pint and $13 for two pints.

Both the WIC and the Christmas basket fundraisers will continue through the month although for some Saturdays the menu will change to ham and beans. I’ll keep you posted on that.

And now for the real reason you come to the market – our vendors. Farmers expected include Brakers, Lees, Misty Morning, OakWoods, and the Yangs. Both mushroom growers will be at the market. We’ll have honey, baked goods from Redings Mill and Sunflower Bakery, and meats from Garrett’s and Sunny Lane. There will be freshly roasted coffee beans and coffee drinks, frozen tamales, smoked spices, salts, and mixes, local shrimp, and handcrafted soaps. The forecast is warm and breezy. It will be another beautiful morning at the market. See you there!