| Join us for the Winchester Farmers Market
Saturday, 9:30-1:30, on the Town Common |
| Issue 15 |
September 13, 2008 |
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Greetings!
Welcome to the September 13 issue of the Winchester Farmers Market newsletter.
Mamadou Artisan Bakery, a new bakery in Winchester, is joining the market this week (see below for a description).
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), broccoli (Chinese, standard green), cabbage (green, red), carrots, chard (bright lights, green, red), 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, onions (red, white), pea tendrils, peppers (green, Jalepeno, purple, red, Sweet Carmen, Thai chili, white), potatoes, radishes (red, Shunk-yo), scallions (green, red), squash (crookneck yellow, kousa, Romanesco zucchini, standard zucchini, sunburst, Zephyr), tomatoes (cherry, grape, heirloom, plum, red, San Marzano, yellow), water spinach, winter squash (butternut)
Fruit: apples, blueberries, blackberries, canteloupe, golden raspberries, mellon, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, watermelon
Herbs: basil, 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; Trooper's Treats will be selling homemade, all-natural dog biscuits; Taza Chocolates will be selling organic, stone-ground chocolate; and Mamadou Artisan Bakery will be selling bread.
Featured entertainment from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm will be Mariani's Children's Music.
The featured artist in the Winchester Artists Network tent will be Gigi Mederos (acrylic painting).
The Jenks Senior Center will be in the community groups tent.
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| New Vendor: Mamadou Artisan Bakery |
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Mamadou Mbaye recently opened Mamadou Artisan Bakery on Swanton Street in Winchester, and he will be attending the farmers market for the first time this week. Mamadou is originally from Senegal in West Africa. He attended the University of Maryland, and while in school, he took a job as a baker at Fresh Fields, where he first developed his passion for bread making. Mamadou says the he was fascinated by the process of bread making and all of the factors involved, from the choice of flour to the shape of the loaf for different kinds of bread. He worked for Whole Foods for ten years as head baker of the bakehouse in San Francisco and as bread trainer for the Northeast region and regional assistant bakery coordinator.
Mamadou has always wanted to own his own bakery to make bread the way he always wanted to and to make a living doing what he loves. He is happy to have been able to open his bakery in Winchester and looks forward to meeting Winchester residents at the farmers market. Mamadou's breads include sourdough, semolina, rye, whole wheat, challah, baguettes, raisin pecan, and Italian.
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| Massachusetts Raw Milk Dairy Day, September 13 |
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The 2nd annual Massachusetts Raw Milk Dairy Day on September 13 features eight dairies across the state that are opening up their farms to people interested in learning more about raw milk and visiting a working dairy farm.
Raw milk is unpasteurized, unprocessed milk. Many consumers prefer raw milk and raw milk cheeses for the taste and for the health benefits, and a widespread, strong demand for these products has developed among New England consumers.
Raw milk contains many nutrients essential to human health, as well as companion enzymes and amino acids necessary for the human body to make use of those nutrients. Many of these nutrients and enzymes are destroyed or greatly reduced during the pasteurization process.
Raw milk is extremely versatile. The milk and cream can be separated, and the cream can be used to make butter, buttermilk, cream, ice cream, and sour cream. The milk can be consumed directly or used to make kefir, yogurt, and cheeses. The freshness and purity of farm-fresh milk leads to very little waste. Milk purchased fresh from the farm will keep up to two weeks when refrigerated. If it sours, raw milk is still healthy can be used for baking, unlike pasteurized milk, which goes bad.
Massachusetts has many small grass-based dairies that are able to foster long-term sustainable farming practices--protecting the environment and preserving the rural and agricultural character of Massachusetts.
Farms participating in Massachusetts Raw Milk Dairy Day on September 13:
Bostrom Farm 701 Colrain Rd., Greenfield, MA, (413) 772-3732, 10 am-3 pm
Chase Hill Farm 74 Chase Hill Rd, Warwick, MA (978) 544-6327, 10 am-4 pm
Cricket Creek Farm 1255 Oblong Road, Williamstown, MA (413) 458-5888, 10 am-6 pm
Lyons Brook Farm 76 Drift Road, Westport, MA (508) 636-2552, 10 am-3 pm
Oake Knoll Ayrshires 70 North St., Foxboro, MA, 12 noon-4 pm
Robinson Farm 42 Jackson Road Hardwick, MA (413) 477-6988, 2:30 pm-5:30 pm
Sidehill Farm 137 Beldingville Rd, Ashfield, MA (413) 625-0011, 2:30 pm tour
Upinngil Farm 411 Main Road, Gill, MA (413) 863-2297, 10 am-4 pm
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| Featured Artist: Gigi Mederos |
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Gigi Mederos will be displaying her acrylic paintings in the Winchester Artists
Network tent at the farmers market this week. She paints mostly abstracts
based on the realm of the microscopic. Gigi grew up in Venezuela as the
daughter of a geologist specializing in microfossils, particularly pollen. A great
number of her paintings are based on the memory of looking at all sorts of
fascinating images through an old microscope at home and playing with other
patterns and shapes found in the natural world.
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| Raspberries at Wright-Locke Farm |
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Wright-Locke Farm's U-pick organic raspberry operation in Winchester is now open. The raspberries are especially bushy this year, so if you visit to pick you will probably be glad to wear long sleeves and perhaps bring bug spray. Consider cutting the toes off old socks to put on your forearms if you want to wear a short-sleeved shirt.
Wright-Locke Farm is located at 78 Ridge Street. Hours for picking raspberries are 9:00 am to noon on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and 1:00 to 4:00 pm on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The field will be closed on rainy days and occasionally for ripening. The town of Winchester website and the Town Manager's office (781-721-7133) will have updated information. The price for raspberries is $4 per pint with discounts for larger quantities.
The raspberry farm is always looking for volunteers, both to help with the U-pick operation now and throughout the season to help with weeding. New volunteers get a brief training on procedures and background information for frequently asked questions. They also get a free sample picking. To sign up contact donna.wainwright@comcast.net, cell 617-686-8641. Please contact Susan Youmans at Eosystems@aol.com for other questions.
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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.
Sustainable Winchester, in collaboration with the Family Action Network (FAN), organized the Eco Festival to showcase the concept of "reduce, reuse, and recycle." The primary aim of the Eco Festival is to educate community members about the conservation of our natural resources, innovative alternative-energy technologies, and waste-reduction practices. Through children's activities, dynamic exhibits, workshops, and stimulating speakers, the Winchester Eco Festival will foster public awareness about opportunities for environmental change. It is hoped that the event will inspire community members to make their homes, businesses, and town more ecologically minded and environmentally sound, while also encouraging activism and volunteerism.
The Eco Festival is free to the public, thanks to the support of corporations such as Whole Foods Market, REI, Staples, and LL Bean, as well as the support of local businesses including Carole's Kitchen and Bath, Gerrity Stone, Boston Tree Preservation, Local Hero Tech Support, Moriarty & Berty General Dentistry, Pywell Contracting Services, and the Anderson Team Realtors. Winchester residents can bring many types of household items to the festival, where the items will be collected by different organizations to be recycled. Start collecting these items now to drop of in the recycling area at the festival. Please refer to the Eco Festival website at www.fanwinchester.org/ecofest 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 at www.fanwinchester.org/ecofest. We still need volunteers to help with many aspects of the Eco Festival. If you are interested, please stop by the Sustainable Winchester booth at the farmers market, contact us by e-mail, or sign up online. |
| 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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