In This Issue
Photo Contest Winners
Customer Dot Survey
Featured Vendor
This Week at
the Market

The Usual Suspects

Hollywood Neighborhood Association

Sons of Norway
Tip of the Week
Fennel Tops

Fennel tops are a great addition to homemade soup stock, and a fragrant accompaniment to fish baked in a foil packet in the oven. Experiment, explore, enjoy!

- Seth Belber,
Persephone Farm
Join Our Mailing List
The Local Dirt

Mark your calendar for our annual Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, September 29th. The Hollywood Farmers' Market's Oktoberfest features a traditional oom-pah band, sauerkraut demonstration, beer samples and more.


Photo Contest Winners

The winning photos of the Hollywood Farmers' Market Photography Contest were announced at the market on Saturday. Contestants were asked to enter photos that captured the spirit of the Hollywood Farmers' Market and fit into one of three categories: Products, Pets, and People. Four beautiful photographs were awarded first-place (there was a tie in the People category) and small baskets filled with goodies from the market were given as prizes. The photos were on display at the information booth last week and each photo will appear in future editions of The Local Dirt. A very special thanks to all the photographers who participated in the contest!

First-place prizes were awarded to the following contestants:

Colleen Hoyt, Products
Aileen Cava, Pets
Colleen Buggs, People
Kendra Brooks, People

Photo Contest Winner - Products

Colleen Hoyt receives first-place prize in the Product category for her photo capturing onions from Winter Green Farm.

Customer Dot Survey

Customer Dot Survey

Last week, we conducted a survey to learn more about our customers and to get your feedback about the market. Our annual customer dot survey was administered by Larry Lev and Linda Brewer from Oregon State University and a group of 16 workshop participants from eight western states. The group conducted the survey as a part of their market research training.

The questions (and possible answers) were posted on easels near the west entrance to the market. Customers were encouraged to put a colored sticky dot next to their response to each question.

What did we learn? We were pleased to see the positive response from customers about our extended market season. Most people (84%) indicated that they plan to attend two or more of our November markets this year.

On average, Hollywood Farmers' Market customers buy a quarter of their food at the market each week, spending about $28. Customers also spoke out in favor of dogs at the market. About half of the 900 respondents supported or strongly supported having dogs at the market and 29% had no opinion on the issue.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions last week and for your continued support of the Hollywood Farmers' Market. We couldn't do it without you!

Buns on the Run
Featured Vendor: Buns on the Run

Buns on the Run is a family-owned business operated by Mark and Barbara Curtin of Portland, Oregon. They have been with the Hollywood Farmers' Market since its inception and originally sold only two types of sausages. They now offer both chicken and pork sausages in a variety of flavors: Lemon Herb, Pesto, Sun-Dried Tomato with Portobello Mushroom, and Apple Spice chicken sausages; and Bratwurst, Mild Italian, Hot and Mild Smoked German, Chorizo, Breakfast, and the unique "Longanisa" pork sausages.

For those counting fat calories, Buns on the Run's chicken sausages are a dieter's dream. They are made with skinless thigh meat and seasonings and contain no cereal or flour binders. The chicken sausages are boiled from a frozen state to defrost and seal in the juices, then are cooked to temperature and held in hot water. By the time you purchase a hot one, it is full of flavor with very little fat.

Buns on the Run's sausages can be purchased hot on a bun or a stick, or in a frozen four-pack. Barbara's preferred method of cooking the frozen sausages is to drop them in boiling water for 10 minutes and then to brown them in a fry pan. Brown the chicken sausages for 8 minutes on each side, and the pork for 6 minutes per side.

Many customers may not realize that you can use these sausages in other than "link" form. Try cooking the sausages, then slicing them into small discs to put in your favorite casserole, soup, stew or chili. You can also take a partially frozen sausage, slit open the casing, scrape the raw meat into a fry pan and sauté just as you would with ground beef. The sautéed meat makes a great addition to soups, sauces, tortillas or lasagna.
The Hollywood Farmers' Market is open Saturdays, May through October from 8am - 1pm and November 3rd, 10th and 17th from 9am - 1pm. We are located on NE Hancock St between 44th and 45th Ave (one block South of Sandy Blvd).

For more information, check us out online at
www.hollywoodfarmersmarket.org.

See you Saturday!


Hollywood Farmers' Market