Webb City Sentinel column - 8-9-13

Well, I’m going to do it – name the fruit which shall not be named – it’s peaches!  And we’re going to have a LOT of them this weekend. 

As I’ve probably told you too many times this summer, everything is running late this year, but it’s finally peach season – almost a month late.  Pate’s Orchard is bringing in two trucks today and hope to bring in two tomorrow.  John thinks he’ll have enough to last the whole market.  I’ll be thrilled if we have peaches for the first two hours because that would mean no need for a long peach line.  Much as I love our peaches – and I do – I’m not a fan of the peach line, especially when it snakes all the way out of the pavilion.  While harvesting is at its peak, I’m hoping that the line stays much shorter or, better yet, that folks will wait until about half an hour after opening to come to market or do their other shopping first so they have no line at all.  

If you need a large quantity of peaches for freezing or jams, you’ll need to pre-order by calling the farm store at 417 276-3297.  And now’s the time to do it while larger quantities are available.

And speaking of quantities, we should have tons of melons this weekend, cantaloupe and watermelon.  We’re expecting the first of the butternut squash as well.  

Walter Brubacker of Harmony Hills, our new farm on the southeast corner of the pavilion, read this column a couple of months ago when I confessed that I would love to have ice cream at the market.  He immediately ordered a soft serve ice cream machine.  It took a while to wade through the state’s permitting procedures but the machine is up and running.  Ice cream by the cup or cone is $1.50.

I guess I need to tell Walter about some of my other wishes – like having my granddaughter a bit closer than Perth, Australia.

I’d also wish for a more consistent supply of some of our favorite produce.  We’ve been shy of sweet corn for a week now.  Three of our farms, Braker, Harmony Hills and Fairhaven, all planted sequentially about 10 days apart and it turns out that the 10 days between plantings on all three are matching.  So don’t give up on us, we should be buried again in sweet corn, hopefully by next week when the three new fields come in.

We’re also having trouble meeting the demand for tomatoes, but that’s because of the weather.  All this rain causes the full-sized tomatoes to swell and split.  The cherry and pear tomatoes are once again proving to be the workhorse of the market.  Last year only the wee tomatoes could set fruit during the extremely high temperatures, this year they are the only ones surviving the rains intact.  So it’s definitely time to come up with some good cherry tomato recipes and I’ve printed one below that Market Lady Susan Pittman shared last week.  

Today at the market we host The Josh Jenson Band.  Granny Shaffers at the Market serves chicken and noodles, chicken salad sandwiches and a fresh fruit plate.

Tomorrow we have lots going on.  Robert Bruce Scott makes his annual appearance during his Midwest tour.  Robert, who lives in Indianapolis, puts on quite a show.  You never know whether he’s going to pull out a song from the ancient Celts, from the 16^th century Europe, from modern-day America or from 23^rd century Kronos (yes, he sings in 20 languages including Klingon).  In addition to singing, he plays the Celtic harp, the classical guitar, and the mandolin.  Robert is performing a completely different set tomorrow evening at Minevera’s from 7 to 9.

Market Lady Carolyn Smith is demonstrating and giving samples of peach salsa tomorrow.  And we’ll have our annual tomato contest tomorrow.  Winners will be announced at 10.  Our judges this year include Mike Wiggins of Granny Shaffers, Sean Wheaton of Wilders, Jason Miller of Instant Karma and The Eagle Drive-In and Frank Reiter of franklyfoodblog.blogspot.com.

Next Tuesday we’ll have our usual bounty of produce and baked goods and fewer customers to wade through.  The Pommerts play for the last time this season and Granny Shaffers at the Market serves freshly grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, chicken salad sandwiches and a fresh fruit plate.

Here’s that recipe I promised.  I like to make it without the pasta to use as a dip or side dish.  Chop the tomatoes into quarters and it’s also great in a taco.  And since it’s even better the next day, add the pasta and enjoy it as an entrée.

Ranch (Greek Yogurt) Salad Dressing

About 2 cups of Fat Free Greek Yogurt
1 envelope of Ranch dip mix
0.5 cup of milk

Mix all ingredients together in a mason jar and refrigerate.
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Number of Servings: 16

Summer Black Bean Pasta Salad

1/2 pound favorite small pasta
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups of cherry tomatoes* cut in half
2 ears fresh corn* or 2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 small red bell pepper,* seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion,* chopped
fresh basil* leaves to taste
1 large garlic* clove pressed
½ cup Ranch (Greek Yogurt) Salad Dressing (or dressing of your choice)

Cook pasta al dente.
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix well and let salad sit for about 15 minutes before serving so that the flavors meld. Tastes even better the next day. This makes an excellent salad with or without the pasta - you decide.
Serving Size: 12 1-cup
Number of Servings: 12

*in season now at your local farmers market

Sentinel column - 8-3-13

Last week I shared one of the pleasures of volunteering at the market – getting to visit the farms. Little did I know that an extraordinary pleasure was waiting for me and market volunteer Marilyn Thornberry the very next day. We were invited to a Xa Noob Ncoos/Tsoog Laug. Yes, it was a new one on us, too, and please don’t ask me to pronounce it. Our long-time vendor and friend Der Hang Lor (photo left) invited us to this special party given in her and her husband’s honor by their children. Although I was scheduled to drive to Fort Worth to visit my parents, I could tell by the invitation that I needed to at least make an appearance at the party before heading south. It was a formal invitation, printed and embossed and included the following: 2 pm Doors Open, 3 pm “Khi tes”, 4 pm Dinner, 6 pm Entertainment, Midnight Doors close. Now that’s a party!

The invitation also said “proper attire required” and as we got ready I told my husband Phil that I was pretty sure that didn’t include the shorts he was wearing. He changed to slacks and a polo. When we arrived at the Neosho Civic Center I turned to him and said “uh oh, you’re still underdressed in a big way.”  In the lobby were Der’s three sons, all in suits, giving each guest a special drink. At the door to the banquet area were Der’s daughter-in-laws pinning a silk rose on every guest. They were dressed in long silk and satin brocade dresses with sashes over one shoulder, beautifully made up and bedecked with jewelry. Once inside we saw round tables with seating for about 250 people, all of whom were equally beautifully dressed, even the children. The tables were covered with white cloths and broad golden satin runners. Each table held a tall pedestal topped by a floral arrangement. The chairs were draped in white covers with matching golden satin sashes.

As soon as we stepped through the door, Nhao Hang, Der’s sister-in-law and fellow vendor at the market, spotted us and took us to a table at the front. Der and her husband, Nhia, appeared almost immediately, exchanging hugs and handshakes with us and much to our surprise sitting down at the table on either side of us. 

Though they obviously hoped we could stay till midnight, they graciously accepted that we would have to leave on our trip before long and insisted that we eat dinner early. The appetizer tables were covered with fresh fruits and desserts – some of which were familiar like cupcakes, some of which I’d never seen like silken slabs of neon colored firm puddings.

Directly in front of the stage was a huge table loaded from edge to edge, primarily with fruits but also bearing two of the  four pigs roasted for the event and other ceremonial items like two roasted chickens complete with heads and feet and the tail of the beef roasted beef for the event. A niece had carved melons into bouquets with the unpeeled section serving as the vase and the peeled section carved into patterns. I asked Nhia the purpose of the table which was so loaded that no one could possibly eat on it. It was to be used for the Khi tes, a ceremony where each child gave their parent the end of a string keeping hold of the other end while giving a formal speech of thanks (below).

I also asked Nhia about the entertainment planned. He said that there would be dancing and that he and Der had never danced before in their life but their children had informed them they were dancing tonight!  The entertainment also included a professional Hmong group from Alabama.

The party is, as best I could tell, a traditional event that children give for their parents when they are old – Der and Nhia are younger than me (which I don’t think of as being all that old). The age of celebration is probably a traditional one based on the shorter life spans of an earlier age.

We were able to stay for the first of the ceremonies which involved all nine children and their spouses standing on stage while Nhia gave a very long talk, which I assume was about their family and their family history in the Hmong language, which made sense since Phil and I were the only non-Hmong in the room. There were several touching moments that had pretty much everyone in tears, including me even though I couldn’t understand a word. Then Der gave a much shorter talk. I'm guessing that Nhia had already pretty much said it all.

By that time our departure was overdue so with hugs and thanks we headed for the door only to run into Marilyn and our friend Cindy LaMere walking in the door. After they were appropriately pinned with silk roses and given their special drink I took them to the places of honor that we had vacated. Later Marilyn told me that she had never had so much fun in her life. They stayed for four hours of music and dancing.

It was the party of a lifetime, which is exactly what it was meant to be. 

We market volunteers are so blessed to know these kind and generous people. And we’re all lucky to enjoy the fruits of their labor. 

Today at the market Extension folks will demonstrate and sample Fresh Peach Smoothies. (Yes, I said it – Peaches!  We’re expecting two truckloads from Pates Orchard today.)  Patrick Byers and Shon Bishop with Extension will answer gardening questions. Granny Shaffers at the Market serves home style chicken and noodles, chicken salad sandwiches and fruit plates. The Sours play traditional music.

Tomorrow, the Civil Air Patrol serves breakfast. We always enjoy working with these teenagers looking forward to a future in flight, particularly the Air Force. William Adkins performs. Don’t forget to drop a dollar or two in his tip jar. He comes a long way from Arkansas for the meager amount the market pays. Market Lady Susan Pittman will demonstrate and sample Summer Black Bean Pasta Salad.

Tuesday, of course, we’ll have music and lunch and short lines.

A week from tomorrow is our annual Tomato Contest. If you’d like to enter, stop by the information table for an entry form or go to our web site, webbcityfarmersmarke.com, for details.

Sentinel Column - 7-26-13

Do we have cucumbers?  Oh, YES!  (& lots of kids too)

One of the many pleasant and interesting aspects of volunteering at the market is making farm visits. This year I’ve done it a bit differently. Previously I always took another volunteer or board member along – our policies require two people to make inspections on most visits. This year I have been able to take Patrick Byers and Shon Bishop, horticulture specialists with the University of Missouri Extension and Lincoln University Extension respectively. It’s been a win-win for everyone. Patrick and Shon get out in the field and see what’s happening on the farms in Southwest Missouri (without having to worry about mileage costs), I get the inspections completed, and our farmers get the benefit of expert advice. 

On Monday, we had a full day from 8 am to 7 pm, starting out south of Mount Vernon at Madewell Pork’s farm, then heading up to Lockwood to see Nancy Rasmussen and her sheep, chickens, cattle and one llama at Sunny Lane Farm. The llama is a “watch dog” and indeed he gave me a very close eye when I approached the yearlings to take pictures. After that we stopped at Broken Wire Ranch just south of Stockton and then Pate’s Orchard in Stockton. We finished up at Fair Haven visiting Joe and Carrole Palmer.

That particular loop is one of our longest inspection trips, over 250 miles. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll be heading over to Springfield to see PT Gardens’ urban farm and to Fordland to Terrell Creek dairy. And on another trip we’ll visit two of our new growers, Harmony Hills and Zebra Farms for the second time this year, as required by our policies. Once they have a year at the market under their belt, they’ll have just one visit each year. 

The market began requiring farm visits about 10 years ago. Our rules from the beginning (in 2000) required sellers to grow or make what they sold at the market. And that is what I publicize regularly on behalf of the market. That’s what makes us different from other food outlets. But I soon became uncomfortable with making that claim based just on a farmer’s signature on the application. Much as I’d like to just trust all farmers, the fact is that sometimes folks aren’t truthful and I didn’t want my word to be based on someone else’s honesty – or lack thereof. So the market members agreed to require an inspection of all vendors. Initially it was once a year, then we went to twice a year. Now we’re back to once a year, except for new growers who are inspected prior to setting up and again later in the season the first year. Market policy allows me to visit, with or without notice, anytime and I’ll often pop in to see how things are growing if I’m in the neighborhood. 

Even with inspections, the producer-only requirement means there must be a lot of trust between the grower and the market manager. After all, I can’t be on every farm every time they harvest. That’s the reason that if that trust is broken, there’s no going back. A few years ago, I had two farmers within a week come under suspicion. One had a ton of beautiful green beans which someone questioned. I had actually been on that farm the week before and could check my records. They had four fields of green beans and photos showed them ready for harvest. There was no question that the farm produced the beans being sold at the market.

The second farm didn’t have such a happy ending. They sold beautiful sweet corn in August, so beautiful that it would have had to be sprayed and irrigated. I knew from my prior visit that particular farm didn’t spray and had no irrigation in place. I called immediately after market to tell them I was heading their way for an inspection. Before I got in my car, they called back to say that it was their cousin’s corn, not theirs. Well, I knew it wasn’t their cousin’s corn either, but it didn’t matter whose corn it was. If they didn’t grow it, they couldn’t sell it. I told them they could no longer sell at the market and sent them a list of area markets that they could apply to, some of which did allow resale. Those particular growers will never sell at Webb City again, though we are on amiable terms and they have since attended some of our training sessions.

It was a disappointing experience but it had its pluses. The farmer found another outlet for their product through the list I gave them and word quickly spread through our vendor community that producer-only meant producer-only. You better believe when I visit a farm, they show me every last thing that they’re growing and if any question comes up later, they want me to immediately come inspect their farm to verify that they’re following the rules.  Trust, but verify – it’s a combination that seems to work for us.

Trish Reed, one of our Market Ladies, is focusing on food preservation. Last Saturday she showed folks how to pickle – cucumbers, zucchini, and okra. Tomorrow she’s demonstrating how to can tomatoes. It’s a perfect time of year to do both. The farms are loaded with tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini and many of the farms are bringing in boxes of seconds that are more economical and just right for preserving. Seconds are veggies that have a blemish that makes them unsuitable for the vendor’s market table, but are otherwise sound. A little prudent trimming and they’re just fine for canning and pickling. If you’d like to buy in bulk, just visit with your favorite farmers. If they don't already, have what you're looking for, ask them to bring it to the next market for you.

Tomorrow Apple Road Farm will have cucumbers for sale in “pickling batches”. That’s about 6 pounds. Xiong Farm, Brakers, Fredricksons and others have been bringing big boxes of tomatoes for canning.

Today, William Adkins will perform. Granny Shaffers at the Market will serve homestyle chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes, chicken salad sandwich and a fresh fruit plate. Our Extension ladies will demonstrate and sample “Farmers Market Salsa”. They’re spicing up the recipe with corn freshly roasted at the market. (Broken Wire has started roasting corn as well as peppers at the market.)

Tomorrow, the Loose Notes play at the market for the first time this season. The Master Naturalists will serve breakfast till 11. 

Tuesday, our easy day – after the first 15 minutes, the Pommerts will play and Granny Shaffers at the Market will serve freshly grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, chicken salad sandwiches and a fresh fruit plate.

A week from tomorrow will be our annual Tomato Contests. Bring us your biggest, weirdest and tastiest tomatoes (in the tasting category we need two version of the same tomato, one for tasting, one for looking at.)  There’s $20 in market tokens for the winners in each category.

Farmers Market Salsa

Serves 4

1/2 cup fresh raw or cooked sweet corn*

1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, diced*

1/4 cup onion, diced*

1/4 cup green pepper, diced*

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 cloves garlic, finely minced*

1/4 cup picante sauce

Baked corn tortilla chips or cut up vegetables for dipping

Wash your hands well. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Drain before serving. Serve with chips or veggies. Refrigerate leftovers immediately.

*Available now at the market.

Webb City Sentinel column - 7-19-13

One of my growers asked me last Friday towards the end of market, “Who moved the Fourth of July to today?”  She was referring to the mob scene we usually encounter around the Fourth of July. We had the perfect storm at opening last Friday when the sweet corn and tomatoes came into season on the very same day  I don’t think we’d ever had so many people under the pavilion at one time. There must have been close to a thousand. There were long lines at no less than 7 vendors – and when I say long, I mean long, 50 feet long. All blending together so some folks weren’t sure they were in the right line and some folks didn’t even know they were IN a line. It was pretty much chaos for about 20 minutes. And, frankly, for those 20 minutes it was just not fun to be at the market.

Tuesday was so much better. We had a good crowd and even a number of lines for the first 30 minutes, but it was not jam packed and the sweet corn and tomatoes lasted for the entire market so that should reassure folks that they can come after the initial rush and still get their sweet corn and tomatoes, along with a ton of other things (The photo was shot on Tuesday.). 

One of our customers suggested giving a sign to the last person in a line so folks could figure the lines out more easily. I was afraid customers would see it as just one more rule of a notoriously rule-making market but no, people seemed to like the signs and be happy to hold them and pass them on. The lines were more organized and easier to identify which made everyone, especially me, happy. I’ve printed up more for other vendors (where’s MY sign?) so if you are at the market early today, you may see them about. We probably won’t need them for more than a few weeks. The lines will dissipate as people become confident that supplies are adequate to meet demand and they’ll be able to fill their market basket without coming early.

Tuesday was a lovely day for several reasons, not the least of which was that one of our newest volunteers, Silas Gray, showed up unexpectedly and took care of ferrying customers from and to their cars in the market cart. I had been worried about having a driver – I was expecting a crowd, a crowd that would be loaded down with corn and other bulky purchases far, far from their cars. This is the first year that we’ve really needed the cart on Tuesdays. Previously we didn’t have enough customers to more than fill the close by parking. But the last few weeks, we’ve had folks parking way south into the park and that’s a very good thing. The fields don’t know to produce less for the Tuesday market than the Friday and Saturday markets so it’s wonderful that we’re getting more customers for that Tuesday harvest. More profits for our farmers, a pleasant and bountiful shopping experience for our customers – everybody’s happy.

Speaking of profit, one of our customers made a particularly apt comparison after last Friday’s market. When the bell rang, it reminded her of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when many retail stores have hordes of people taking advantage of holiday sales and when typically those stores finally begin to show a profit for the year. Indeed the week before the Fourth of July is typically when our farmers begin to show a profit on the farm. Not so this year. With the harvest running at least two weeks late, our “Black Friday” – last Friday - was also two weeks late. We’re just hoping that the high season extends later than usual because if market attendance drops dramatically, as it always has previously, when school begins in mid-August, our farmers will lose about one-third of their most profitable season. It would be a bit like ice and snow shutting down the mall from December 15th to the 24^th. In other words, a financial disaster. It will be critical this year that our customers stick with us through the fall. So think fresh and local even after school starts in a month.

I know the crowds are a hassle and we’re doing what we can to spread those crowds out over more time and days so we can maintain the lively but pleasant atmosphere that we want to be known for. That’s one reason we added the Saturday market several years ago. But the reality is that during the high season when produce is coming in by the truckload, we have to attract two and three times our normal customer base to ensure that most of it is sold. Our faithful year-round customers can’t absorb the quantity the fields are producing. So next time you’re stuck in line, remember you and all those folks in line with you are making the market possible. To have a healthy market, we need financially healthy farms and that takes year-round supporters and a large influx of high season shoppers. The large crowds certainly make my volunteer job more challenging and, since I buy last, I sometimes miss out on the most popular items, but to me it’s worth it because large crowds and high sales keep our farmers in the business they love and make the market a vital connection between the farm and the community.

Today we’re open from 11 to 2. Gospel Strings performs. Our Extension educators are making and giving samples of Veggie Dip. Granny Shaffers at the Market is serving homestyle chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes, chicken salad sandwich and a fruit plate. 

Tomorrow we’re open from 9 to noon. The Joplin Exchange Club serves breakfast until 11. They are donating all their profits to the tornado recovery in Moore, Oklahoma. Red Bridge plays bluegrass and gospel. Market Lady Trish Reed demonstrates pickling and canning cucumbers and zucchini. She’ll also hand out free pickling mixes and will have drawings for canning equipment and books.

Tuesday, of course, is our easy shopping day. Granny Shaffers at the Market will serve freshly grilled hotdogs and hamburgers, chicken salad sandwiches and a fruit plate. Rob and Drew Pommert will perform. And we’ll have tons of produce waiting for you. See you at the market!