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Mid-Week Markets
The Market at Pen Park
Penn Park on Rio Road
Tuesdays, 3-7 pm
Farmers in the Park*
Meade Park
Wednesdays, 3-7 pm
*Market Central will be at Farmers in the Park for all your tokens and E.B.T. needs!
For more information and for directions, click here.
The mid-week markets run through September. Last chance to shop at Farmers in the Park is Wednesday, September 26.
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Don't miss a thing!:
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Save the dates, and make plans for:
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Gardener's Party at
Mountaintop Montessori:
We at Mountaintop Montessori enjoyed the opportunity to meet everyone who attended the School and Community Garden Network meetings last spring to share ideas, resources, knowledge and challenges. In hopes of continuing to connect with and support each other, we would like to host a simple, casual (and hopefully fun!) get-together here next week.We will be here at Mountaintop on Thursday, September 13th from 5 to 6 p.m., prepared for the following. Please come for:
- swap: Do you have surplus resources or supplies in your garden? Seeds, perhaps? Or excess seedlings? Pots or starter trays? Bring them along to swap with others for things you might use in your space.
- treats: At Mountaintop, we believe that food creates community, so bring a little something yummy to share!
- ideas: Bring your thoughts about how future gatherings can be of the most use to you and your organizations. We are interested in hosting mini-presentations or workshops on topics of interest to the group, as well as resource swapping and sharing, or any other ideas you might have to maximize this dynamic resource of people!
Please send this message along to others involved with school & community gardens, and if you have family to balance, feel free to bring them along as well! We hope to see you all here!
Meet in the middle school classroom. You are welcome to park in the middle school lot at 1462 Richmond Road (just west of the Rolkin Road light) or one of Mountaintop's two main lots (accessible from the entrance to the school on Rolkin Road).
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And don't forget, the
Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival
happens Saturday, September 29 in Lee Park!
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Power of Produce Program
Market Central is proud to continue our partnership with the UVA Jefferson Public Citizens program. In 2011, the JPC team performed unprecedented research on the customer base at the City Market. In September 2012, they introduce the Power of Produce Club. The program, for children between the ages of 5-12, is a healthy eating club, designed to encourage kids to explore the bountiful produce choices available at the City Market. There are demonstrations, games, give-aways, and much more ahead at the market over the next several weeks. Read more about the program here, and sign your child up at the market, beginning September 15!
And guess what? YOU can sign up to volunteer with this program: the JPC students are looking for volunteers to help with a vegetable art activity, story corner (you can read a storybook to a group of interested kids, right?), and more! Please contact the JPC team if you're interested in offering a little time and talent to this wonderful program!
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IT'S A WRAP! MEET YER EATS FARM TOUR 2012 WAS ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS! 
If you'd ask the farm animals, they'd tell you they felt just like movie stars: they made a few new friends, were abundantly petted and constantly photographed. If you ask their new human friends, they will probably tell you that it was one of the coolest experiences of their young life. By all accounts, the 2012 Meet Yer Eats Farm Tour was a huge success!
Photo Courtesy of Gary Birmingham
On Labor Day, Families packed their coolers, strapped their youngsters in their car seats, picked up a few friends and made their way through Central Virginia's vibrant farm community. With 21 farms participating, the tour was already bigger and better than years past, and we are still tallying visitor logs. Thanks to all who came out and turned a grey sky day into an unforgettable experience.
We would like to thank our sponsors, Relay Foods, for supporting the farm tour program, and for their enduring commitment to local producers.
 Thank you to the City Schoolyard Garden for joining the party as our in-town tour hub. Kids and adults alike had the chance to learn crop identification, a bit of healthy garden etiquette and, best of all, started their farm tour with a scavenger hunt!
A special thank you to the dozens of volunteers who welcomed visitors to the farms and guided them through the mud or grass, and held little hands as kids pet lambs, chickens, goats, farm dogs and kittens.
And, of course, a huge thank you to all of our participating farms, who graciously agreed to let us take a look into their world.
So, who is ready for next year? (You do have the date saved, right?)
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We've put a LID on the canning program for 2012!
Canning is definitely IN among Charlottesvillians. The Discover You Can program for 2012 may be over, but we can still hear enthusiastic canners rave about the classes that enabled them to keep, and feast on, their favorite fruits and veggies just a little bit longer.  And if the number of market goers who stopped by Market Central's booth on Saturday mornings to pick up coupons and either pectin or dill pickle mix packets is any indication of the popularity of canning, well, we can honestly say, Charlottesville is preserving plenty of local foods! The Discover You Can program is jointly sponsored by Jarden Home Brands (the Ball Canning Jar Company) and the Farmers Market Coalition. Through this program, 30 farmers markets across the country were given educational materials and funding to hold canning events in their communities and the Charlottesville City Market was one of them! With the funds, we were able to organize four canning classes, where dozens of participants had hands-on lessons in water bath canning, pickling, pressure canning, and jam-making! We also hosted three market demos: jam-making, pressure canning, and salsa. We purchased over 200 pounds of local produce from market vendors for our classes and demos. . Most of our canning classes were held at the Haven, and class registration fees totaling over $600 were donated to the Haven to support the Kay's Kitchen program. Thank you to everyone who participated, and supported, the 2012 Discover You Can program!  | | Can it Forward Day in Charlottesville 2012 |
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