Join us for the Winchester Farmers Market
Saturdays, 9:30 - 1:30, Town Common |
Greetings!
Welcome to the September 5 issue of the Winchester Farmers Market newsletter. It sounds like we have a beautiful holiday weekend in store, so stop by the common to enjoy spending time with friends, family, and neighbors. Now is a great time to enjoy the bounty and variety of the late summer harvest. Stop by the Soluna Garden Farm tent for some tasty popsicles made from nectarines and peaches from E. L. Silvia Farm.
Whiskers of Hope will be at the market with cats and kittens available for adoption.
Stop by the market manager's tent to buy a Winchester Farmers Market T-shirt and to support the Rotary Club by entering their 50/50 raffle--the winner will get 50 percent of the proceeds of the raffle.
You can check the farmers market website for additional information about the market, including vendor profiles, frequently asked questions, and the schedule for artists, entertainers, and community groups. Visit the website for Sustainable Winchester, the sponsor of the farmers market, to get information about current projects, monthly meetings, and volunteer opportunities.
Remember that the market will take place rain or shine throughout the season. Try to bring your own shopping bags to the market, and please ride your bike or walk to the market if you can. If you drive, 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.
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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Vegetables: amaranth, arugula, beans (green, yellow), beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers (slicing, pickling), eggplant, kale, kholrabi, leeks, lettuce (mixed), onions, pea tendrils, peppers, potatoes, pumpkin vine, radish, scallions, squash (kousa, summer, zucchini), squash blossoms, Swiss chard, tomatoes, water spinach
Fruit: apples, canteloupe, peaches, nectarines, red raspberries, watermelon
Herbs: basil (cinnamon, dark opal, Genovese, lemon), cilantro, dry herb and spice blends, herbal tea, lemon balm, lemon thyme, mint, summer savory, thyme, winter savory
Flowers: cut flowers
Other products: bread; chocolate; cow, goat, and sheep milk cheeses; fish; fruit and spice popsicles
Entertainment: Pixie Sticks
Artist: Debbie Taylor-Smith
Winchester Business Tent: Jessica Klau, Queen Bee Designs, jewelry
Whiskers of Hope will be at the market this week with cats and kittens available for adoption.
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| Massachusetts Raw Milk Dairy Day, September 9 |
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Nine Massachusetts dairies that sell raw milk will open up their farms for tours and other activities on Saturday, September 12. Visit your local dairy and learn why raw milk tastes so good and why it's so good for you! Meet your farmers and their cows and get to know where your food comes from. For more information about Raw Milk Dairy Day, contact Winton Pitcoff, NOFA/Mass Raw Milk Network Coordinator, at winton@nofamass.org, or (413) 634-5728. For information about raw milk, see www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/rawmilk.php.
The following farms are participating in this year's raw milk dairy day.
www.chasehillfarm.com10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Chase Hill Farm produces organic raw milk, farmstead cheeses, pasture-raised veal and beef from grass-fed cows, eggs from pastured poultry and whey-fed pork. The farm practices sustainable farming methods, including rotational grazing, seasonal calving, and the use of draft horses. The farmers will offer grazing tours of their farm and cheese making facilities. Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic lunch. Cricket Creek Farm, 1255 Oblong Road, Williamstown, MA 413-458-5888 info@cricketcreekfarm.com
www.cricketcreekfarm.com10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Property Tours at 12:30 and 3:30 Observe milking at 4:30 Cricket Creek Farm consists of over 500 acres of rolling fields and woodlots, old apple orchards and sugarbush. Our herd of 90 cows is made up of registered Brown Swiss and Jerseys. Property tours will be at 12:30 and 3:30 and you're welcome to watch milking in our swing-barn at 4:30. Visit our farm store for local products such as syrup, honey, Cricket Creek Farm pasture raised, grass-fed beef and pork, farmstead cheeses made on the farm. Also, baked goods are made fresh daily.
Davenport Maple Farm, 111 Tower Rd, Shelburne, MA
413-625-2866 davenportmaplefarm@crocker.com10:00 - 5:00 Come see our small grass-fed herd of Normande/Holstein cross cows. See our milkroom and barn, and pet the calves. We'll have milk, eggs and maple products for sale. Visitors can also see our wood processing facility. 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Lyons Brook Farm is a small goat milk dairy on the Westport River. They raise registered Alpines and Nubians. Goats are shown at many New England fairs. Raw milk is sold at the farm. Come and enjoy walking tours of the farm and barns, milking demonstrations and goats being fitted for fall shows. Misty Brook Farm, 830 Springhill Rd., Barre, MA 413-477-8234 mistybrookorganicfarm@yahoo.com9:00 - 6:00
We will have Certified Organic 100% Grass-fed Raw Jersey Milk available at the farm shop along with our organic pastured pork, beef, and veal. We also have Sidehill Farm yogurt, organic local eggs, and Seven Crows chemical free veggies. Come at 5:00 p.m. to try milking a cow by hand and taste the milk straight from the cow.
www.lawtonsfamilyfarm.com12:00 noon - 4:00 p.m. Oake Knoll, a working dairy farm, is located on a 275 year old family farm. We sell raw milk and harvest and sell vegetables in season. Our strength is milk quality, and customer input is very important in our management process. We will have milking demonstrations, calves to pet and cheese and raw milk sampling. Robinson Farm, 42 Jackson Road, Hardwick, MA 413-477-6988 info@robinsonfarm.org
www.robinsonfarm.org2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Come help us celebrate raw milk dairy day and the full Organic Certification of our raw milk. We will offer tours of the calves, chickens and cows, games for kids, a hayride at 3:00 pm, free snacks, our farmstand store will be open, and at 4:00 pm we will fetch the cows for milking and then have a milking demonstration. Sidehill Farm, 137 Beldingville Rd, Ashfield, MA 413-625-0011 amy@sidehillfarm.net
www.sidehillfarm.net2:30 p.m. tour Sidehill Farm will offer a guided tour beginning at 2:30 pm, including visits to pastures, the town's oldest milking parlor, and their unusual facilities - a milk room built into a step van and a yogurt plant in a semi trailer. Stay after the tour for samples of their raw milk and yogurt.
Upinngil is a diverse farming operation. The principal enterprises are: small fruits (strawberries, raspberries and grapes); dairy (Registered Ayrshire Cattle); field crops (potatoes, wheat, spelt, beans, pumpkins, corn); forage crops; and market garden crops. Most of the farm's production is sold at the farm through a year round farm store, seasonal farm stand and u-pick. The farm's milk, cheeses, whole grain flours, honey and maple syrup are available only at the farm. Fruit and vegetables are sold also at local food coops and markets. We will be open from 10-5 for farm tours, including our milking and cheesemaking facilities, with sampling of cheeses and other farm specialties. Tours of the whole farm including pastures, vineyards, berry patches at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. Upinngil is open in the fall for raspberry picking and there is a picnic area.
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| Certified Organic Raspberries at Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester |
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 The Fruit: A bountiful crop of certified ORGANIC raspberries.
Hours:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 9 to 12
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1 to 4.
Call the 24-hour Wright-Locke FarmInfo Line at 781-721-7128 for updated announcements on field conditions.
Pricing: 1st pint for $5; 2nd & 3rd pint for $4 each; after that just $3 each! Use our picking buckets or your own. Pack in your containers or provided berry baskets.
Where is it? 78 Ridge Street in Winchester, not far from Winchester's West Side fire station and St. Eulalia's. Near Arlington Heights -- just up Park Avenue Extension and Ridge Street. Abuts Lexington's Whipple Hill Conservation Area.
Volunteers Needed to Staff the Pick-Your-Own Experience: On-the-job training provided. Lots of roles to pick from: orienting "newbies" to raspberry picking, letting folks know which rows are over-picked, working the scale and cash box, keeping clean buckets in supply, talking with folks who want to know about the Hubbard squash demonstration patch, or "the development" that's to come, and just making this a social place to be. It's fun, the weather is fantastic, and the customers so appreciative of this special place! Sign up to volunteer at www.MySignUp.com/winberries (We'll see your name on the schedule and make sure you work with an experienced volunteer.)
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| Bistro 5 Heirloom Tomato Tasting |
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| Follow the Farmers Market on Twitter |
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The market is now on Twitter. Follow winchfarmmkt to get the latest updates directly from the market on Saturday mornings. |
| Volunteer at the Market |
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We need volunteers this week (and every week) to help with the farmers market, especially for setup before the market between 8:30 and 9:30 and takedown after the market between 1:30 and 2:30. If you are able to help, please sign up at our online signup sheet to let us know when you are coming.
Thank you to everyone who has already volunteered to help. Your assistance is especially important in keeping the market running smoothly, and we appreciate everything you do!
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