What's fresh this week?
Early Crops!
Asparagus
Basil
Carrots
Chard
Collard Greens
Green Onions
Herbs
Kale
Lettuces
Peppers*
Potatoes
Radishes
Rhubarb
Spinach
Strawberries**
Tomatoes*
New item from Brenda Jo: Rosewood Tofu
Seedlings - herbs, flowers, and vegetables
And always - meat, cheese, breads, honey, and baked goods.
*Out of season - from storage or grown outside of Michigan
**Maybe -- depending on weather
Featured recipe: Rhubarb Stir Cake
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
4 cups chopped rhubarb
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions:
1. In large bowl, cream together butter or margarine and brown sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. Sift or stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually stir in to butter mixture. Fold in sour cream and rhubarb. Spoon batter into greased 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish.
3. Stir together white sugar and nutmeg; sprinkle over batter.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.
Our outreach intern, Laurie, made this and substituted whole wheat flour for about half of the all-purpose flour, and it was delicious- and healthy!
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New Market Money!
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Have you seen our new market money? To make credit cards and EBT easier to use, we're introducing market tokens! Go to the Ypsilanti Food Co-op table to run your card, then spend your colorful wooden tokens with any of our vendors!
We also have "Market Dollar" tokens available for purchase. Business owners, buy them as rewards for your employees. Parents, give them to your kids as allowance. You'll know you're supporting local farmers and helping someone eat healthier - and that's worth more than a wooden nickel!
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Summertime fun at the market!
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Feel that? That strange warm sensation on your cheeks? The summer sun has finally come out of hiding, and it looks like it's here to stay. So get outside, and walk over to the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers' Market!
We are working on a full program of activities for the Market this year- it's going to be more than just a place to pick up your local veggies. Think about sample dance lessons and Tai Chi classes, free massages, and a Four-square tournament. And for kids- storytime with the vendors, art contests, and youth vendor days. The Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers' Market is more than just a market- it's a place for Ypsi residents to come together, have some fun, and celebrate the bounty of the season, all summer long.
Come out and join us this Tuesday! Local musician Joe Reilly will perform, starting at 4:30pm!
Do you have a suggestion for an event at the Market? Email me! rachel@growinghope.net
Would you help us spread the word about the DYFM? Forward this newsletter to a friend!
Did you friend forward you this newsletter? Thank him or her - then click on "Join Our Mailing List" below!
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Featured vendor of the week:
Perry and Leila Mackall
Pallet Garden Farms
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"Whatever's in season, we bring it in," says Leila Mackall, and it's true. You'll find the freshest picks of the season in this big white tent- already we've seen rhubarb, asparagus, and three kinds of lettuce, and they're just getting warmed up. The Mackalls grow a little bit of everything, so stop by to see what they found in the field this week!
And while you're there, pick up some of their unique canned foods. Perry makes his own BBQ sauce, because nothing in the grocery store could live up to his expectations. It took him years to perfect the recipe, but it really is perfect - one tiny taste of his barbecued turkey leg almost turned this vegetarian back into a meat-eater! The Mackalls also make chow-chow, a vegetable relish that is a stable of southern cuisine, and a pumpkin stew. The pumpkin stew was an experimental solution to what Perry calls "the great waste of pumpkins" each fall, and it turned out to be a great success. The unique recipe has beef in it, but he promises me he's working on a vegetarian version.
The Mackalls haven't always been farmers. They bought their 15 acres in Belleville in 1992, but before that, "we had regular jobs," they say. Perry was a painter and Leila worked as an accountant in Detroit, but when they retired they wanted to keep working and fulfill their lifelong dream of farming. We're happy to have them at the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers' Market. We share them with two other markets- one in Detroit and one in Highland Park. They'll also supply Locavorious in its inaugural season this year.
Between the fresh produce, the BBQ turkey legs, and the banana bread and other baked goods, you can find a complete meal in just one tent at the Mackalls'! Stop by this week and try something new from a pair of dedicated growers who love good food!
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The Farmer's Market Is Open Through October!
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Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers Market
Tuesdays 2-6 pm
Corner of Michigan Ave & Hamilton in the Key Bank parking lot (#6 AATA bus)
EBT, Credit Cards, Cash & Project Fresh accepted all market days!
Upcoming Events:
June 10: Local musician Joe Reilly, starting at 4:30; Dueling Robots with Ann Arbor's Rocks and Robots
June 17: Participate in an interactive survey about the market!
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The Market Relies on Volunteers Every Week-- Will you help?
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Volunteers are essential to making our market work. By volunteering, you can get to know the market and feel a part of the community!
Downtown Farmers' Market:
On Tuesdays, volunteers are needed for shifts between 12:30 and 7:00 pm, and include set up, signage, transporting market supplies, helping other vendors, helping seniors cross the street, and counting people at the market. Volunteers are also needed to do demos, play music, and hand out signs.
Choose a shift that works for you and contact Growing Hope at 734-786-8401 to volunteer once or every week!
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