what's FRESH at the
FARMERS' MARKET
JULY 24, 2010
7:30 a.m. - Noon -- on the Square in Downtown Bloomington
rain or shine! |
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| THIS WEEK'S EVENTS |
Musical Entertainment by DAVID BERCHTOLD on the north steps of the Museum
Miller Park Zoo Critter Encounter: Visit the Miller Park Zoo booth on Center Street to see what critters are at the market this week.
Museum at the Market: Visit the McLean County History booth on Main Street for children's activities and information on upcoming Museum events.
A Renee Market Cafe: New this year, A Renee's market cafe located at the corner of Jefferson and Center features their specialty -- their Farmers' Market Bloody Mary, along with a special brunch nosh tray. (Use your farmers' market tokens to pay!)
McLean County Museum of History: Opens at 8:30 through October 9. Tour the Museum's latest exhibits and shop at Farmer's Market-how convenient is that! Also, don't miss the special exhibit, "Come & Get It: The Way We Ate, 1830 - 2008. For more details, visit the Museum website. |
| GEMMA'S PHOTO GALLERY | |

The Browns of Brown's Fresh Produce Market bring their classic pickup to the market only once a year -- during sweet corn season. This is just one of Gemma's awesome farmers market photos. More scenes from last week's market are available here.
Also, we had problems with the photo link for the last two weeks, so here are links to the slideshows for those weeks:
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| NEED CASH?
GET TOKENS! |  Short of cash? You can now use your credit, debit, or Link card to buy farmers' market tokens. Get more information at our Token Booth under the RED TENT at the intersection of Main and Jefferson. Farmers' Market tokens make great gifts, too! When buying tokens as gifts, pay with cash -- and there is no service charge. |
| BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL DIRECTORY NOW AVAILABLE! |  The 2010/2011 Buy Fresh Buy Local Bloomington/Normal Directory is now available online. You will find many of your favorite purveyors of local food listed here, along with some that may be new to you. Printed copies of the Directory will soon be available at member and sponsor locations, including here at the farmers' market, Kelly's Bakery & Cafe, Common Ground Gocery, and Coffee Hound. |
| LOCAL FLAVORS DINNERS . . . COMING RIGHT UP! |
LOCAL FLAVORS brings you farm fresh food from Central Illinois' finest restaurants. Here is a list of upcoming dinners. Contact the restaurants or Heartland Local Food Network at hlfn@hlfn.org for more information.
- Kelly's Bakery & Café -- Saturday, July 31
- Kelly's Bakery & Café -- Saturday, August 28
- Medici -- Tuesday, August 31
- The Coffee Hound -- Quiche made with local eggs available every Sunday morning (Bloomington location only)
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| Reserve Your Holiday Turkey Now! | |

Brad Dearing of Dearing Country Farms and Jon Freed of Vermillion Valley Meats are taking reservations for their pastured, all-natural turkeys for Thanksgiving. You can reserve your turkey now with a $25 deposit. Cost will be $3.50 per pound for Vermillion Valley turkeys and $3.75 per pound for Dearing Country Farms turkeys. (All birds will be naturally raised, and the Dearings' will be Certified Naturally Grown.) Sign up at the farmers' booths at the market -- or send them an email. You can contact Jon at freedlivestock@hotmail.com and Brad or Jackie at farms@dearingdesigns.com. |
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| CAROLINE'S MARKET TO MENU BLOG
Life is Just Peachy | |

How do Farmers' Market shoppers love peaches? Let us count the ways! Read this week's edition of Caroline's Market to Menu blog to find ways to use the big bags of peaches from the market - including jam, salsa, and pastries! |
| THIS WEEK'S PODCAST | In this week's GLT's Market to Menu podcast, Laura Kennedy and Lyndon Hartz of Hartz Produce introduce us to the sweet, juicy Japanese turnip -- plus you can get Lyndon's awesome recipe for Turnip Onion Soup. If you missed the broadcast on GLT, you can listen to the podcast here. Make sure you keep up with what's in season by listening to Laura's weekly Market to Menu broadcasts on GLT Tuesdays and Fridays at 3:52 PM throughout the season.
Check out the video version of this broadcast here on our way-cool Market2Menu channel. |
| THE DINNER BELL
SUMMER NEWSLETTER
GET CHEF BELL'S RECIPES & GRILLING TIPS! |
Chef Bell shares his recipe for Stuffed Zucchini and some great grilling tips in The Dinner Bell's summer newsletter. BONUS: The Chef also relates stories about his recent trip to France, including some insights into French attitudes toward sustainabilty and local foods. |
| COLORIZING FOR A CAUSE
OUR T-SHIRTS GET AROUND! |  Here is a photo of Colleen Turner's Uncle Revis, showing off his colorized Downtown Bloomington Farmers' Market t-shirt at the Twin Falls Farmers' Market in Idaho! Get your very own colorized t-shirt this Saturday. The $5.00 cost goes to support the Humane Society of Central Illinois and to help the National Wildife Federation save animals affected by the Gulf oil spill.
Colleen will be colorizing farmers' market t-shirts at the intersection of Main and Jefferson, starting at 8 a.m. for the next few Saturdays. You can buy a colorless t-shirt at the Information Booth next door to Colleen for just $10, then drop it off with Colleen -- and she will work her magic while you shop. |
| WHAT MAKES EGGS BROWN, BLUE . . . OR WHITE? |
You know the local eggs you buy at the farmers' market are tasty and nutritious -- but do you know why they come in so many different colors? The Bishops of PrairiErth Farms answer that question in a recent Best of Mother Earth blog. In a short video we made in 2006 (when Chef Narss applied for a spot on the Next Food Network Star), Brad Dearing of Dearing Country Farms explains what kind of chicken lays his farm's light blue eggs. (C'mon . . . try to guess before watching the video.) |
| baby leeks -- adorable and great for grilling |
Katie and Hans from PrairiErth Farm will have "baby" leeks this week at the market! Katie says they are "small and adorable!" They taste really mild and are super tender. They are full of vitamins, calcium, iron and fiber. Normally leeks are harvested later in the season but PrairiErth is building a new greenhouse right where the leeks were planted so some early picking had to be done. Rather than just bulldozing over the plants they will be pulling the tender stalks and selling in bunches. Stop by their stand and grab a recipe for Grilled Baby Leeks! You can also get the recipe on Katie's Farm Blog. |
| WHAT'S FRESH THIS WEEK? |
 NEW! Muskmelons (also called -- inaccurately -- cantaloupe), ground cherries, baby leeks, okra, and all-beef franks. Look for muskmelons at the Mitchell Farms Produce booth at Main and Jefferson and ground cherries at the Trailside Gardens booth on Main and Washington. Hans and Katie will have baby leeks at the PrairiErth Farm booth on Main. The franks are available from Vermilion Valley Meats on Main at Jefferson. Don't forget to ask Kim for her ground cherry pie recipe -- and grab a recipe for Grilled Baby Leek from Hans and Katie!
ALSO: Peaches, peppers, blackberries, sweet corn, tomatoes, eggplant, leeks, summer squash, cucumbers, prairie flower bouquets tied with lace, blueberries, raspberries (red and black), potatoes (red, white, and blue), beets, salad mix, romaine, mizuna, green onions, radish, assorted varieties of lettuce, broccoli, bok choy, turnips, carrots, arugula, sorrell, and assorted herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme, cilantro, mint, chives, shallots), honey, popcorn, cornmeal, whole wheat berries, dry soybeans, and freshly ground whole wheat flour. A special feature this time of year is a wide variety of hanging baskets and homegrown bedding plants -- vegetables, heirloom tomatoes, herbs, aloe vera, and perennials -- for planting in your home garden.
The market also has fine local arts and crafts, fresh eggs, pastured certified organic and certified naturally grown poultry, natural and certified organic hormone-free beef, and local cheeses -- including artisan goat cheese, farmstead fruit preserves, coffee-infused syrups, pasta, homemade soup, granola, homemade pita chps, hummus, fresh-baked breads, croissants, pies, and other bakery goods, homemade soups, herb vinegars, organic sauerkraut, and local farm-raised tilapia. |
Be the first to know what's new at the market . . . Click HERE to Join Our Mailing List!
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| browns produce and dearing country farms offer new csa subscriptions | |
HERE IS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO GET IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF TWO NEW CSAs! Both Dearing Country Farm and Brown's Produce are starting new Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs for a limited number of subscribers. If you would like more information about what a CSA is and how it works, click here.
BROWN'S PRODUCE has subscriptions available for 30 members. The cost is $300 for 18 weeks of seasonal produce. You can get more information from Dave and Kathy Brown's booth on Jefferson Street -- or send them an email at browns80@msn.com.
DEARING COUNTRY FARMS is accepting a maximum of 20 members -- and will offer 20 weeks of products, with three different options:
- Option 1: Produce Only -- $200.00 A box with seasonally available produce such as radishes, onions, lettuce, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, okra, squash, zucchini, sweet corn, etc.
- Option 2: Meat & Eggs Only-- $300.00 A whole or cut up chicken averaging 3 pounds and a dozen eggs (Large, Extra Large or Jumbo)
- Option 3: Combination of Produce, Meat and Eggs -- $475 (Options 1 AND 2 combined)
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