| Join us for the Winchester Farmers Market
Saturday, 9:30-1:30, on the Town Common |
Greetings!
Welcome to the August 30 issue of the Winchester Farmers Market newsletter.
As we head into Labor Day weekend and the beginning of school and fall activities for many people, we are also entering the height of the harvest season, and the farmers market is overflowing with a great variety of fruits and vegetables. The farmers market runs through October 25, so be sure to schedule a weekly trip to the market in your fall schedule.
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, wax), beets (Chioggia, standard red), bok choy, broccoli (Chinese, standard green), cabbage (green, red), chard (bright lights, green, red), carrots, collard greens, corn, cucumbers (lemon, pickling, salad, white pickling), eggplant (Chinese, fingerling, Japanese, traditional purple, white), fennel, garlic (braided), kale (green, red), lettuce (red leaf, romaine), mustard greens, pea tendrils, peppers (green, Jalepeno, purple, red, sweet carmen, Thai chili, white), potatoes, radishes (red, Shunk-yo), scallions (green, red), squash (crookneck yellow, kousa, pattypan, Romanesco zucchini, standard zucchini, sunburst, Zephyr), tomatoes (cherry, grape, plum, red, San Marzano, yellow), water spinach, winter squash (butternut)
Fruit: apples, blueberries, blackberries, canteloupe, ground cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, watermelon
Herbs: basil (African blue, Italian, purple, Thai), chives, cilantro, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme
Other: cut flowers, 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.
Featured entertainment from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm will be the family band The Pixie Sticks.
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| Eating Local during the Winter: Winter CSA Shares |
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Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a system in which customers purchase a share in a farm at the beginning of the season and then receive a box of produce selected by the farmer each week. Customers usually pick up their share at the farm, and some farms offer the option for customers to work on the farm and pay a lower price for their share.
Many farms offer CSAs during the summer, and some also offer winter CSA shares, with produce distributions in November, December, and sometimes January and February. Winter CSA shares include vegetables that are still being harvested from the fields in November (depending on the weather), vegetables that can be stored for many months in a root cellar, and often greenhouse-grown salad greens. Examples of common winter share vegetables are beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, celeriac, garlic, kale, onions, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins, rutabaga, turnips, and winter squash.
Purchasing a CSA share in the winter is a great way to continue to eat local, even after many farmers markets have ended and locally grown produce is harder to find (the last day of the Winchester Farmers Market is October 25). The sign up for most winter CSA shares usually takes place in September. Following are links to some information about local farms that offer winter CSA shares.
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| Mike's Maze at Warner Farm |
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 Warner Farm of Sunderland has been a regular vendor at the farmers market throughout the season. Warner Farm is also home to Mike's Maze, a corn maze that opens this weekend. Visit the Mike's Maze website for details.
The theme of the maze this year is an original illustration of a scene from the Odyssey: the Cyclops, Polyphemus, enjoying a goblet of strong Greek wine offered by Odysseus, who peers at the giant from behind a rock as he plans the escape of his surviving crew (they poked out Polyphemus's eye and hid beneath the sheep exiting the cave). Mazegoers will be challenged to beat Odysseus's time of 10 years to return home from their own Odyssey and to match Odysseus's feat of launching an arrow through 12 aligned hoops but instead using 21st-century high-tech potato accelerators.
Photo by Will Sillin, with thanks to Paul the Pilot at Northampton Aeronautics.
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| Winchester Eco Festival |
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Winchester's first Eco Festival will take place on Saturday, October 25 from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm at the town common, town hall, and First Congregational Church. This date is also the last day of the farmers market this season, so be sure to mark your calendars for what will surely be a fun and educational day. We will continue to provide updated information about the Eco Festival in this newsletter.
Sustainable Winchester, in collaboration with the Family Action Network (FAN), will showcase the concept of "reduce, reuse, and recycle" by presenting fun and engaging children's events, offering unique recycling opportunities, and providing community members with opportunities to learn about how to integrate a sustainable lifestyle within their homes and everyday lives.
Start collecting these items now to bring to the festival to be recycled. Please refer to the Eco Festival website for detailed information about the strict donation guidelines of some of the participating organizations. Bicycles Computers Eyeglasses Kitchen cabinets and countertops Doors Windows Vanities, Drop-in and pedestal sinks Faucets Some tubs Light fixtures (no recessed lights), Ceiling paddle fans Lumber, Plywood and Sheetrock Wood Flooring Carpeting Carpet ceramic and vinyl tile Sheet vinyl (new only) Fluorescent Light bulbs Rechargeable batteries Button cell batteries Cell phones Thermostats Thermometers Mercury switches This list is growing every day, so to learn more about what you can recycle on the day of the Eco Festival as well as find out about the activities and exhibitors that will be present, please visit the Eco Festival website.
We still need volunteers to help with many aspects of the Eco Festival. If you are interested, please attend the Sustainable Winchester meeting this Tuesday (see details below), stop by the Sustainable Winchester booth at the farmers market, or contact us by e-mail. |
| Sustainable Winchester Meeting Reminder |
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Sustainable Winchester meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month in the Winchester Room at the Town Hall from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Any Winchester residents interested in learning more about sustainability and getting involved in community sustainability projects are welcome to attend.
At the next meeting on September 2, the following topics are on the agenda: farmers market update, Cool Cities campaign, solar challenge update, raspberries at Wright-Locke Farm, and planning for the Eco Festival.
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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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