Saturday, 9:30 - 1:30, Town Common 
 August 6, 2011
Dear :
 

Lots of great things are happening at the market this week. Be sure not to miss them!

 

  • Chris Parsons of Parsons Table will be offering delicious samples of cucumber gazpacho using cucumbers from the Wright-Locke farm.
  • The Enka Society and Winchester Cultural Council are sponsoring a fine art and craft fair on the common and on Church and Waterfield Streets as part of Art in August from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm.  
  • Winchester churches will be collecting for the summer food drive in the community tent.
  • Ed Lawton of Lawton's Farm and Foxboro Cheese will be at the market this week. Stop by their tent to meet the farmer and find out more about their farm and cheesemaking operation.
  • Linda Emmanuel of the Winchester Community Music School will be playing songs for children at 9:30, and Claude Barden will be playing folk and bluegrass music at 12:00
  • Students from Climate Summer will be at the market (across from the market managers tent) and hope to get to know more about Winchester and engage in conversations with people around sustainability. Climate Summer is a student internship program in which six teams of riders travel exclusively by bicycle to various communities throughout New England. They stay in a town for approximately one week, working with various community partners to assist and learn from local efforts to stop the burning of fossil fuels.
  • Soluna Garden Farm will have berry lime and strawberry lemonade popsicles.

 

This Sunday, August 7, the farmers market is sponsoring a tour of vegetable gardens in Winchester. Come pick up your tour maps at the market manager's tent or at Book Ends.

  

Are you following the farmers market on Facebook and Twitter? You can get additional information about the market during the week and on market day, and post your pictures and comments about you favorite part of the market. 
 

Stop by the market manager's tent to buy one of our farmers market canvas bags for only $15.

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 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

    Sunflowers    Pattypan squash

Vegetables:
beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, chard, collard greens, corn, cucumbers, garlic scapes, kale, lettuce, peas, peppers, potatoes, radishes, summer squashes, tomatoes, turnips
 
Fruit: blueberries, gooseberries, peaches, nectarines, raspberries

Herbs: basil, dill, mint, dry herb and spice blends, herbal tea

 

Other products: flowers, grass-fed beef and veal, chicken, duck, pheasant, quail, lamb, pork, eggs, sausage and hot dogs, jams and preserves, bread, cheese, fish, pasta, popsicles
 
Entertainment: 9:30 Linda Emmanuel, WCMS, songs for children; 12:00 Claude Barden, folk and bluegrass music 

 

Artist: Art in the Park

 

Community Tent: Winchester churches, summer food drive
 
Business Tent: Cheridan Kader, jewelry

Food Tents: Deborah's Kitchen, Lydia's Handcrafted Foods, Fior D'Italia Pasta & Cheese

Cooking/Nutrition Demonstration: samples from Chris Parsons of Parson's Table

  

Winchester Vegetable Gardens Tour

  

The Winchester Farmers Market is sponsoring a tour of home vegetable gardens in Winchester on Sunday, August 7 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Whether you are a vegetable gardener yourself, or have been thinking about growing your own vegetables, or are just curious to see what other people are growing, this tour has something for everyone. Come find out what residents of all ages throughout Winchester are growing in their own yards and school gardens, ranging from small, simple gardens with a few types of vegetables, to container gardens, to large gardens with a variety of vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers.   Also featured on the tour are the newly planted fields at the Wright-Locke farm with certified organic vegetables as well as the continued tradition of organic raspberries.

 

The tour is free and open to anyone interested in learning more about home vegetable gardening, and you can visit the gardens in any order you choose and at your own pace.  Gardeners will be available at each location to answer questions.  A children's scavenger hunt is included as part of the tour. Pick up a scavenger hunt sheet at any of the gardens and bring the completed sheet to the market manager's tent at the farmers market on August 13 for a special prize.

 

Tour maps will be available at the market manager's tent at the farmer's market on Saturday, August 6. You can also pick up a map at BookEnds, or send an e-mail to [email protected] to request a map.



 

Art in the Park

  



 

Summer Food Drive

  



  

Farmers' Generosity Benefits Local Soup Kitchen

  

This year, vendors at the Winchester Farmers Market have volunteered to donate a portion of their weekly harvests to a local community soup kitchen, The Dwelling Place. Fresh food donations are collected from market vendors near the close of market each Saturday, and delivered later that afternoon to the soup kitchen, where they are either used in the dinner prepared, or given to patrons to take home.

The Dwelling Place, which operates out of the United Methodist Church in Woburn, has been an anchor for food and friendship for over two decades, and is presently the only soup kitchen serving those in Winchester, Woburn, Wilmington and Burlington. They offer hot dinners on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, year round.  All are welcome, and no questions are asked. To date, over 70,000 meals have been served.

The Dwelling Place was founded in 1987 by a group of clergy and laity who wanted to tackle hunger at the local level. It is unique in that it is completely funded and operated by local churches, businesses, and individuals from Woburn and surrounding towns, and receives no public aid or grant money.  Each dinner is prepared, served and paid for by a different group of volunteers.  This year's volunteers include the First Congregational Church and Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church (Winchester), Hope Christian Church (Burlington) and Burlington Presbyterian Church, Wilmington United Methodist Church, North Congregational Church (Woburn), the Greek Orthodox Church (Woburn), St. Charles Church (Woburn), the United Methodist Church (Woburn), First Congregational Church of Woburn, and the Social Capital Youth Initiative (Woburn), one business group, a Hindu group, occasional scout groups, and one family.
Thank you, farmers and volunteers for making a huge difference!
 

With the downturn in the economy, Dwelling Place volunteers and patrons are even more excited to receive the fresh produce. Not only is there an increase in those needing assistance, but volunteers are having more difficulty meeting the financial obligations of funding a meal.

If you are interested in volunteering with this project, please contact Shelley Ayervais at [email protected]. Or to support the Dwelling Place with a contribution, checks may be made out to The Dwelling Place, and mailed to the Dwelling Place in care of the United Methodist Church, 523 Main St., Woburn, MA 01801.
 

 

Mass Farmers Markets Membership

  

Mass Farmers Markets (MFM) is launching a Consumer Membership Program! Now market shoppers can join a dedicated community of market fans while deepening their support of our state-wide farmers market network.

 

Next week (8/13), a representative from Mass Farmers Markets will be at the market to provide information about the consumer membership program and MFM activities, and to answer your questions.

 

Mass Farmers Markets is the non profit organization that works behind the scenes to make sure that the farmers market movement continues to gain momentum and that fresh, local produce is available to a growing, diverse community.

 

The number of marekts in Massachusetts has more than doubled in the past 5 years and MFM has been there every step of the way. This year alone MFM will advise over 40 "rookie" markets on navigating their first season (MFM was instrumental in helping Winchester Farmers Market get off the ground), while helping existing markets maintain sustainability and implementing programs that make healthy farm fresh produce available to low income market shoppers state wide.

Please go to the MFM website for more information:
http://www.massfarmersmarkets.org/

One third of the membership fee will go to the MFM member market of your choice

  • Individual Memberships $40
  • Family Memberships $60
  • VIP Memberships$125
  • Student + Senior Memberships $25 

 

Farmers Market Lawn Signs
       
  
Support the farmers market during the 2011 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. 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 my 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!

 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.
  
We also have many additional volunteer opportunities in which you can use your extertise to help the farmers market, including planning for the environmental fair, maintaning the traffic island, promoting the market, and conducting market research. Please email Fred Yen at [email protected] for more information.
 
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!
  
Follow the Farmers Market on Facebook and Twitter

 

"Like" the farmers market Facebook page to get updates about the market, post comments, and share your photos of the market.

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You can also follow the market on Twitter to get the latest updates from the market on Saturday mornings.

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