| Join us for the Winchester Farmers Market
Saturday, 9:30-1:30, on the Town Common |
Greetings!
Welcome to the August 2 issue of the Winchester Farmers Market newsletter.
New to the market this week will be Sara Brown selling art prints and cards.
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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This week at the market, the farmers expect to bring the following:
Vegetables: amaranth, arugula, beans (green, purple, roma, wax), beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage (green, red), chard (bright lights, green, red), carrots, collard greens, corn, cucumbers (pickling, salad), eggplant (Chinese, Japanese, traditional purple ,white), green garlic, kale (green, red), kohlrabi, lettuce (baby lettuce mix, red leaf, romaine), mustard greens, new potatoes, pea tendrils, peppers, radishes, scallions, squash (kousa, sunburst, yellow summer, pattypan, zucchini), tomatoes (cherry, grape, plum, red, yellow), water spinach
Fruit: apples, black raspberries, blueberries, currants, golden raspberries, gooseberries, peaches, plums, raspberries, strawberries
Herbs: basil (African blue, Italian, purple, Thai), chives, cilantro, dill, mint, oregano, sage, thyme
Other: cut flowers, herb plants, perennials
In addition to the farmers, Globe Fish will be selling fresh fish, Glutenus Minimus will be selling gourmet gluten-free cookies, Cocoa Express will be selling coffee, tea, and baked goods, and Trooper's Treats will be selling homemade, all natural dog biscuits.
Sara Brown will be selling art prints and cards.
Featured entertainment from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm will be Carol Fraser and friends cello music.
The featured artist in the Winchester Artists Network tent will be painter John McConnell (see below for more information about John and his work).
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| Focus on Sustainable Agriculture |
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Many customers at the farmers market have asked questions about the growing methods employed by the farmers. Because local farmers have a personal and economic investment in the land they farm, they follow organic and/or sustainable practices to protect and enrich their farmland and to produce the most nutritious, safe, and flavorful produce possible. Both Lanni Orchards and Warner Farm have some crops that are certified organic. In order for a farm to be officially certified organic, there are a lot of strict requirements, paperwork, and costs that are not always easy for small farmers to manage. All of the farmers at the Winchester Farmers Market do use organic practices for most of their produce, even though some of them have not gone through the extensive documentation and paperwork to be certified, and all of the farmers are employing many sustainable agricultural practices. They use cover crops to enrich the soil, practice IPM (integrated pest management, a system used to manage pest damage with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment), use minimal or no pesticides for most crops, and use drip irrigation for efficient water use.
Local farms also play an important role in sustainability by preserving open space and healthy ecosystems. The farmers at the Winchester Farmers Market grow many different crops, and crop biodiversity is important for healthy natural ecosystems.
Members of the farmers market organizing committee have visited in person all of the farms that are selling at the market to observe the farmers' practices and discuss with them their use of organic and sustainable methods. We would not accept any farmers for the market that we did not feel confident were using sustainable practices. We hope you will have a chance to talk to the farmers. They are happy to answer questions about their growing practices and enjoy talking to customers.
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| Featured Item of the Week: Pickling Vegetable |
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 Many of the vegetables available at the farmers market can be pickled. Pickling is a fermentation process in which vegetables are fermented in vinegar or a salt brine. The vinegar and salt used to make pickles preserve nutrients in vegetables and enhance the flavor and texture of many vegetables. Pickling is both a way to preserve vegetables and a way to enjoy vegetables in a different way, with flavors ranging from sour to sweet.
Although people most often think of pickles as being made from cucumbers, all of the following vegetables (and fruit!) also make excellent pickles: apples, beets, cabbage, carrots, eggplant, green beans, onions, peppers, radishes, and turnips.
Some pickles must undergo a fermentation process of one to six weeks, but "quick pickles" can be ready to eat right away. Pickles are often preserved in canning jars once they are fermented, but you can also make sweet pickles that are preserved by freezing.
Following are some recipes for different pickling methods and different vegetables.
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| Featured Artist of the Week: John McConnell |
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 The featured artist in the Winchester Artist Network tent this week will be painter John McConnell. John was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1948. He earned a B.A. degree in English at Michigan State University, followed by a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard University. A practicing architect, he has devoted himself to oil painting since 1990, specializing in traditional landscape painting. He studied portrait painting with David Lowrey and landscape painting with Dennis Sheehan, both members of the Guild of Boston Artists. With the latter, he developed his love of late 19th century American "Brown School," Luminist and Tonalist landscape painters, such as George Inness and Alexander Wyant.
John's work is shown in a number of galleries in eastern Massachusetts. He has had works included in juried shows at the Concord (MA) Art
A Splash of Sun, The Berkshires Association and The Whistler House Museum in Lowell and the
Harvard Club of Boston, and has mounted several one-artist shows in Winchester, Massachusetts. His work is in private collections around the United States and France, and may also be seen at his website, www.JohnMcConnellArtist.com.  In addition to his painting, John is a founding principal of McConnell+Partners Architects Inc in Boston, specializing in residential and small-scale institutional and commercial design. He is adjunct professor of American architectural history at Boston College, a lecturer at the Harvard Architecture School, and a lecturer-in-residence at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Finally, he is a Director of the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, Massachusetts, where he resides.
Afterglow, Upper Mystic Lake
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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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