On the Town Common,
Saturdays, 9:30 - 1:30
 
September 4, 2010

Dear :
 
Stop by the market on Saturday to get some delicious local produce and foods for your Labor Day weekend celebrations. You can get some great ideas about foods to prepare from Denise Costello's Farm to Table cooking demonstration (see details below). The weather reports are indicating that the rain should be stopping in time for the market, and it should be a lovely day to spend on the common.

Thank you to the customers who have used our system for advance ordering from participating farmers and other vendors. Try out advance ordering when you have a busy Saturday scheduled or when rain is predicted or to be sure you get an item that might sell out. Let us know if you have any questions or suggestions about advance ordering.

Check the farmers market website for additional information about the market, including vendor profiles, frequently asked questions, and the schedule for artists, entertainers, and the rotating business, food, and community group tents. 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 the common on Saturday.

Sincerely,
Winchester Farmers Market Organizing Committee
 
This Week at the Market

  Carrots      Sunflowers 
 
Vegetables:
beans (burgundy, green, roma, wax), beets, bok choi, broccoli, cabbage (green, red), calalou, cauliflower, chard (bright lights, green, red), corn, cucumbers (lemon, pickling, salad), eggplant (Japanese, purple), garlic, kale (green, red), okra, peppers (cubanelle, green, jalapeno, poblano, purple, rainbow, red, serrano, white), squash (kousa, patty pan, summer, zucchini), tomatoes (cherry, grape, heirloom, yellow, plum, red), zucchini flowers
 
Fruit: apples (Ginger Gold, Gravenstein, Jersey Mac, Mcintosh, Paula Red), blackberries, blueberries, grapes (green, purple, seedless), melon (athena, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon), nectarines, peaches (regular, white), pears (Bartlett), plums (prune, sugar), strawberries

Herbs: basil (green, purple), chives, mint, sage, thyme, dry herb and spice blends, herbal tea
 
Other products: grass-fed beef, bread, cheese, chocolate, cut flowers, eggs, fish, honey, lobster, maple syrup, popsicles

Entertainment:
9:30 The Pixie Sticks; 11:30 Adrija Navarro

Artist: Nina Lapchyk, painted scarves

Community Group Tent: League of Women Voters

Business Tent: Kim King, My Carseat Blankie and Arbonne Skin Care

Food Tent: Tracy Kinsey, Vermont maple syrup

Cooking/Nutrition Demonstration: Denise Costello (The Energized Body)

Cooking at the Market

Cooking and nutrition demonstrations have been a great addition to the market this year. Market customers have had the opportunity to learn about cooking with local produce and taste a lot of amazing food samples.

The market has been really lucky to have dedicated volunteer Sara Ferguson coordinate the cooking demonstrations (Sara also coordinates all of the great musicians at the market each week, as well as doing lots of other things to keep the market running smoothly) and to have so many talented local chefs, nutritionists, and home cooks share their time and recipes in the demonstrations.

Last week, Chef Barbara Lynch demonstrated recipes from her new cookbook and signed copies of the book. See local media coverage of this event at Winchester Patch and in the Winchester Star. If you missed her demonstration last week, you will have a chance later in the season when Chef Lynch returns to the market for another demonstration on October 30.

This week, Winchester's Fit Foodie Denise Costello continues her Farm to Table series, which focuses on using local produce to create nutritious meals (see details below). For the following two Saturdays (September 11 and 18), Chef Vittorio Ettore will demonstrate recipes inspired by his Heirloom Tomato Tasting Menu, which is featured at Bistro 5 during the month of September.                                                                               Chef Barbara Lynch at the market on August 28.

Farm to Table Series

Fall Food Preservation Workshops

Wondering how to save some of the bountiful summer produce available at the market now to enjoy into the fall and winter? The Massachusetts Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA/Mass) is holding its second annual statewide Fall Food Preservation Days. On September 11 and 18, there will be food preservation workshops throughout the state covering topics such as: 
  • Lacto Fermentation: Using salt to suppress spoiling bacteria while fostering growth of beneficial lacto bacillus bacteria, which are present on vegetables and produce the preservative, lactic acid.
  • Pickling: Using vinegar to preserve vegetables or fruits along with spices and herbs.
  • Water bath Canning: Using a boiling pot of water to push out air and seal the rubber lid of glass jars containing high acid foods.
  • Pressure Canning: Using a pressure canner to create high temperature steam that pushes out air and seals the rubber lid of glass jars containing low acid foods.
  • Freezing: Maximizing nutrient preservation in the food.
  • Drying: Removing most of the water from a food and then keeping it dry so molds cannot take hold.
  • Culturing: Using microorganisms to transform the sugars or lactose of various liquid foods into other kinds of nutritious and tasty substances.
  • Root Cellaring: Putting foods - particularly root crops - in cool, dark, and properly humid conditions for extended storage.
(Information from the NOFA/Mass website.)

Wright-Locke Farm Raspberry Picking

It's raspberry season at Winchester's own Wright-Locke Farm! Come pick your own certified-organic raspberries from the 1 1/2 acre field at the farm. Set in a town-owned heritage landscape, the farm is stroller friendly and a great destination for families. Buckets are provided for picking. Take your picked berries home in your own containers or our compostable pint boxes.

Where: 78 Ridge St, Winchester, at the intersection of Lockeland & Ridge Streets

Hours:  Tu, Wed, Th:  9 am - 12 pm
             Fri, Sat, Sun: 1 pm - 4 pm
             Mon:  CLOSED
                                                                                                     Photo by Jim Whitehead
Pricing:  1st and 2nd pints, $5 each
              3rd pint and beyond, $4 each.
              Similar quantity discount if picked by the bucket

Info & Email: Updates, www.wlfarm.org; 24-hour info line, 781-721-7128.
                     
Volunteer: Help our friendly team with U-Pick sales under the shade of the old maple tree. Visit www.wlfarm.org/volunteer for more information and to sign up for a full shift or an easier-to-manage 1 1/2 hour shift.

The Wright-Locke Farm Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) organization, manages the land and buildings of the Wright-Locke farm.

Farmers Market Lawn Signs
       
  
A special opportunity is available to support the farmers market during the 2010 season by displaying a lawn sign in your yard to help promote the market. We are looking for several people who live in Winchester or surrounding towns who would be willing to display a lawn sign on their property from Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon each week during the market season. If you would be willing to have a sign in your yard but do not want to have to remember to put it out every week, we will arrange to have a volunteer put out the sign on Friday afternoon and remove it on Saturday afternoon. All you have to do is make a few inches of lawn space available!
 
If you are interested in supporting the market by displaying a lawn sign, stop by the market manager's tent at the market to pick up a sign. 
 
Thank you to everyone who has already agreed to display a lawn sign!

Follow the Farmers Market on Facebook and Twitter
 
Visit the farmers market Facebook page to share your photos of the market, post comments, and get updates about the market.

Find us on Facebook

Follow the market on Twitter to get the latest updates from the market on Saturday mornings.

Follow us on Twitter

 Volunteer at the Market

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!

We also have some short-term volunteer positions to fill for the next Environmental Fair, which will be held on the town common on October 16. Be a part of this fun, informative, and community-building event! Planning starts in July, with some of the legwork already underway. 

We need Publicist/Marketing, Fundraiser Liaison, and Volunteer Coordinator. Please email Fred Yen at [email protected] for more information.