| Join us for the Winchester Farmers Market
Saturday, 9:30-1:30, on the Town Common |
Greetings!
Welcome to the July 5 issue of the Winchester Farmers Market newsletter. The market is open on July 5, and we hope that you will include a trip to the market in your plans for the long weekend.
The amount of produce at the market continues to increase each week, but there are many early summer specialties that will be available for only a few more weeks, such as peas and bing cherries. Globe Fish will be at the market this week (their sign last week indicated they were not planning to attend this week, but they are now able to come), and a new farmer, Flats Mentor Farm, will be at the market for the first time this week.
We have been lucky to have beautiful weather for the market so far this season, but remember that the market will take place rain or shine throughout the season. Please try to ride your bike or walk to the market if you can, or park your car in the Aberjona or Shore Road lot to leave parking spaces surrounding the common open for short-term parking near downtown businesses. The Aberjona lot, which runs along the commuter rail track across from the post office, is free on weekends, including the permit spaces in the end of the lot.
Remember to bring your own shopping bags to the market if you can.
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday on the common.
Sincerely,
Winchester Farmers Market Organizing Committee
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This Week at the Market |
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The list of produce at the market continues to increase each week! This week at the market, the farmers expect to bring broccoli, herbs (sage, thyme, oregano, mint, cilantro), basil (green, thai, purple, african blue), chard (green, red, and northern lite), kale (red, green, and dino), collard greens, rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, bing cherries, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce (baby lettuce mix, iceberg, romaine, Boston, red leaf), green garlic, spinach, peas, eggplant, peppers, new potatoes, beets, summer squash, kousa squash, sunburst squash, zucchini, bok choy, and corn.
Globe Fish will be at the market this week (their sign last week indicated they were not planning to attend this week, but they are now able to come), and a new farmer, Flats Mentor Farm, will be at the market for the first time this week.
Featured entertainment this week at the market from 9:30 to 11:15 am will be guitarist Mike Maloney, a recent graduate of Medford high school.
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| New Vendor This Week: Flats Mentor Farm |
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Song Yang and Pang Xao Yang raise Oriental vegetables on a one-acre plot at the the Flats Mentor Farm (FMF). The FMF is located on 70 acres of river-bottom land in Lancaster, Mass. Immigrant farmers have been farming at this location since 1985. In 2005, the FMF was officially established with the support of University of Massachusetts Extension, Heifer International, the Massachusetts Society for the Promotion of Agriculture, and the National Immigrant Farming Initiative. FMF assists and supports small farmers of diverse ethnic backgrounds by providing them with access to land, farming infrastructure, and marketing assistance needed to promote and sustain successful farming enterprises. FMF promotes economically viable agricultural production that protects the environment through the practice of sustainable farming methods through hands-on training and technical assistance on soil fertility, irrigation, pest and weed management, and marketing planning, training, and implementation.
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| Photos from June 28 |
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Dancing on the common. Enjoying the common. Colorful swiss chard. Moms, kids, and strawberries.
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| Featured Item of the Week: Kohlrabi |
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 The kohlrabi at E. L. Silivia Farm's tent last week prompted questions such as "What is that?" and "What do you do with that?" Kohlrabi is sometimes referred to as the Sputnik vegetable or the alien vegetable because of its unusual shape.
Kohlrabi is part of the cabbage family. People often assume it is a root vegetable, but it is actually an enlarged, bulbous stem that grows above the ground. Elizabeth Schneider, author of The Essential Reference, Vegetables from Amarath to Zucchini, describes kohlrabi bulbs as tasting like a combination of broccoli stalks, water chestnut, and cucumber and kohlrabi leaves as tasting like a combination of Swiss chard and bok choy.
Kohlrabi can be eaten raw in salads and slaws or with dips on a vegetable platter, and it can be cooked (both the leaves and the bulb) by sauteing, stir-frying, or stuffing, as well as in soups.
Following are some recipes that show the wide range of possibilities for preparing kohlrabi.
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| Solar Challenge |
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In only four months since the solar challenge started, more than 300 Winchester residents made contributions by the June 30 deadline to the New England Wind Fund to support clean energy wind turbine projects in New England, and Winchester has earned a second 2 kW solar installation (a total value of $50,000) for the high school. The solar panels come with software that will create an excellent teaching tool and learning opportunity for students in our schools.
Our community's success in meeting the solar challenge is a testament to the commitment of Winchester residents to learning about and promoting sustainable energy. Thank you for supporting lower-cost, sustainable energy in Winchester!
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| Other Local Farmers Markets |
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If you ever have to miss the Winchester Farmers Market on Saturdays, there are several other great local farmers markets you can visit on other days.
Lexington, Tuesdays 2pm to 6:30pm, Mass Ave. and Fletcher Ave., Lexington Center
Somerville, Wednesdays 12pm to 6pm, Day St. and Herbert St., Davis Square
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