|
Weekly Newsletter
December 14, 2011
We connect communities and farmers, provide alternate market choices, and create venues that foster civic engagement through fun and informal education:
seasonal & year-round farmers' markets; cooking demonstrations; local food programs; seasonal food celebrations |
| |
Winter Market Dates
| |
Old Trail School
2315 Ira Road
Akron, Ohio 44333
Saturdays from 9-Noon
Nov 5 & 19;
Dec 10 & 17;
Jan 14;
Feb 4 & 18
March 3 & 17
April 7 & 28 Click here for a Map! 
|
|
About Us
| We envision Northeast Ohio filled with thriving farming and food entrepreneurs: where farms are viable businesses, farmland is a treasured resource, and local food is commonplace.
 | |
|
About our Market Partners
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is the partner for our Saturday morning market at its new Howe Meadow location. Established in 1974 as a National Recreation Area, the park received National Park status in 2000. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is also Countryside Conservancy's partner for the Countryside Initiative program, which offers long-term leases of farms within the National Park boundaries.
| | |
| |
| |
Thank you to Old Trail School for their generous sponsorhip of Countryside Farmers' Markets.
 Thank you to Wholesome Wave for their generous support of our "Countryside Carrot Cash" program!
|
|
Celery Root and Potato Puree with Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke "Croutons"
from epicurious.com
**indicates ingredients available at the market
|
2 medium celery roots, trimmed, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups) 1 pound potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 3 cups)** 2 cups low-salt chicken broth 2 cups whole milk 3 garlic cloves, peeled** 3 fresh thyme sprigs 1 fresh bay leaf 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 8 ounces Jersalem artichokes (also called sunchokes), scrubbed** 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (for garnish)
Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large pot. Add enough water to cover. sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer with lid slightly ajar until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain; return to pot. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Stir over medium heat to dry vegetables. Using potato masher, mash vegetables until coarsely pureed. Mash in 3 1/2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut Jerusalem artichokes into 1/2-inch cubes. Place in medium bowl; add oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Dot with remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet; roast until tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes. Place celery root and potato puree in serving bowl. Sprinkle Jerusalem artichokes and chopped thyme over and serve. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Dear Market Supporter,
It's been a whirlwind 12 weeks since my son, Henry, was born! Days full of feedings (lots), sleep (little), diapers, laundry, visitors, etc., blended together in what Ben Bebenroth so eloquently described as "the newborn time tunnel."
Our days were filled with many things, but cooking was not one of them. Thank goodness for that chest freezer full of previously-made dinners, and for thoughtful friends and family, or we might have starved! Other things that were dropped along the way include our garden; composting; even, to a large extent, the farmers' markets. While I'm sure there are many talented parents out there who can do it all with an 8-week-old child, we are not among them.
But last weekend the stars aligned. We all woke at a reasonable hour feeling well-rested, and Henry and I took off for Old Trail School. We zipped right in (three cheers for the new expanded parking!) and were greeted by everything that I've always loved about the markets - the smiles and chatter of friends gathering; amazing smells; mouth-watering foods; and, this time of year especially, gifts galore. Wandering among the tables, chatting with friends, it struck me yet again how lucky we are to be a part of such a vibrant community.
On the ride home, I flipped on NPR just in time to catch an interview with foodie hero Michael Pollan. Listening to his inspiring words on that brilliantly sunny day, with a backseat full of local food and my beautiful baby boy, I felt excited all over again. Excited to start cooking again, to try new recipes, to choose seeds for next year's garden, and most of all, to make sure the market has a permanent - and prominent - place in my son's life.
This weekend will be my first day back working the market, and I can't wait. If it's been a while since you've visited, make Saturday the day you come on back and see us. Whether you've been waylaid by a drooling bundle of joy or just a busy social schedule, I promise you you'll be glad you returned.
See you Saturday,
Heather Roszczyk
Market Assistant
PS: The market is the perfect place to finish up your holiday shopping. With everything from tasty treats to artisan goods, there is something for everyone! |
| |
Market Report for 12/17
| |
Pink Lady apples (and many, many more!) ~ bison ~ handmade jewelry ~ spinach pies ~ stained glass ornaments and gifts ~ 
homemade jams ~ ready-to-eat salads ~ cranberry orange chevre ~ garlic ~ lettuce mix ~ blomma ~ fresh pasta ~ gourmet chicken patties ~ artisan bread ~ Key Lime chevre ~ croissants ~ coffee, by the cup or bean ~ sun-chokes ~ jarred goods ~ honey ~ soaps and balms ~ tea ~ hickory smoked, nitrate free fresh holiday hams ~ stewing hens ~ last fresh chickens until
 May (frozen still available) ~ holiday table centerpieces ~ pierogies ~ brie/camembert ~ small grains ~ Caerphilly cheese ~ organic eggs ~ home-baked pies ~ holiday barley salad ~ chocolates ~ knife sharpening ~ handmade evergreen wreaths, straight from the farm ~ goat's milk fudge ~ Holy Basil Tea ~ and much, much more!
|
| | Participating Vendors
| |
Vendors participate in winter markets as they are able. To connect with any vendor directly or in-between markets, find their contact info on our website.
Cafeteria: Gaelic Imports ~ Glass by Leona ~ Happy Hour Kettle Korn ~ KC Coffee Company ~ Ms. Julie's Kitchen ~ Noon Sharpening and Woodworking ~ Paqarina Farm & Jewelry ~ Plant Kingdom Bakery and Snackery ~ Praise Tea Company ~ Spice of Life Catering ~ Tea Hills Farm ~
Gym: Baker's Fresh Produce and Honey ~ Beads in Variation (BIV) ~ Big Fat Greek & Italian Pastries ~ Breezy Hill Farm ~ Brunty Farms ~ Canal Corners Farm & Market ~ Covered Bridge Gardens ~ Crooked River Coffee Company ~ Curly Tail Organic Farm ~ Great Lakes Baking Company ~ Green Vista Farm ~ Greenfield Berry Farm ~ Huffman's Fruit Farm ~ Humble Pie Baking Company ~ Infinite Garden Farm ~ Jimmy's Jam ~ Kathie McCurdy Botanical Art ~ Klimo's Family Farm ~ Lake Erie Creamery ~ Lazy Bee ~ Mackenzie Creamery ~ Maize Valley Market and Winery ~ McCoy's Custom Catering ~ Morning Dew Orchards ~ Morningside Farm ~ Mud Run Farm ~ Neitenbach Farm ~ Ohio City Pasta ~ Ohio Farm Direct ~ Out of a Garden ~ Peters Creek Farm ~ Pierogies of Cleveland ~ Red Basket Farm ~ Red Run Buffalo Farm ~ Rose Ridge Farm ~ Schmidt Family Farm ~ Seville Berry Farm ~ Spring Hill Farm ~ Storehouse Tea Company ~ Summit Croissants ~ Sweets by Dilley ~ Wonder City Farm ~
|
| Market Happenings | |
Come listen to the rousing sounds of the Akron Ceili Band! Their upbeat traditional Irish tunes will be the perfect background for that last-minute holiday shopping!
We are looking for Peeps! Do you believe in a thriving local food system in Northeast Ohio,  where farming is a viable business, farmland is a treasured resource, and local food is commonplace? If so, consider joining our flock to help bring that vision to fruition! In addition to more peeps, we are also seeking assistance from a community member that is an Excel wizard to help us in streamlining our market record keeping. If you are an Excel Guru and are willing to share your 'mad skills', please contact Heather to arrange a mutually agreeable time. Help spread the word about our Countryside Carrot Cash program, where we match Ohio Direction Card purchases dollar-for-dollar (up to $20) now through the end of 2012. Thank you to Wholesome Wave for making this program possible. More information about this program is on our website, and market staff is always available to answer your questions. |
| Upcoming Events
|
Countryside U Classes are beginning in January- we have a full year of great educational opportunities for beginning and established farmers!
Record and Book Keeping for Your Farm Business Instructor: Maryanne Burger, CPA
January 17, 2012, 6-9 pm The Boston Store $25 per farm operation Additionally, Countryside Conservancy continues to partner with OEFFA to provide webinars covering specific specialty crop production techniques. Look for new webinars in January, February and March. |
| |
A Word from Waste Not... Christmas Spirit & Composting
|
This week's article was inspired by one of our volunteers, Darlene, who recently began composting this past year and was bringing her compost to our market to dispose of because her condo does not offer a composting program. The challenge she is now facing is: we're nesting in our homes cooking more often due to the cold, and the farmers' markets are only every other week. Her compost has nearly doubled and the waste is literally pilling up. What's a girl to do? This got me thinking... Does home composting really make an impact on our landfills?
According to Jonathon Bloom's book American Wasteland "Food scraps account for nearly 20% of what we dump into landfills." "The average American sends more than a half a pound of food to the landfill each day." And the "Food buried in a landfill today could still be emitting gas twenty years from now." So YES, we can make an impact!
With Darlene's words still clattering in my head, or was that Dasher? ..."Now that I've started composting I can't stand the thought of putting my compost into the garbage!" I searched over the mountains and through the woods for a solution but after nearly an hour of looking for composting drop sites I couldn't find one option for our Akron apartment dweller. If anyone knows of a composting drop site program for residents please shoot me an email I would love to hear from you!
With visions of sugar-plums dancing in my head inspired by the sheer joy of the season, I had a thought - What if we could pair people like Darlene (condo/apartment composters) with people who are willing to share their home compost piles? It could work, couldn't it?! It's just a matter of pairing fellow composters together and matching them like a dating site. I can see it now, a page on Facebook with the tagline "Got Compost?" People would enter their zip codes, a list of people looking for compost partners would come up on a friend list, you would send a compost friend request, start a dialogue and soon you'll have a place to take your compost! Sure, it would be a little effort but it could also be the beginning of a wonderful friendship and a BEAUTIFUL COMPOST PILE. This may all seem a bit dreamlike, but I believe any steps we can take to reduce the amount of food scraps sent to our landfills make a difference.
Happy Christmas and remember during this holiday season of cooking a rind is a horrible thing to waste.
~ Sage Culley, Farmers' Market Intern & Waste Not Coordinator
Waste Not Refresher Course:
A quick review fact sheet is on each bin for your review.
WASTE - Coffee Creamers, Boats, Plastic Straws & Stir Sticks
COMPOSTABLE - Wooden Stir Sticks, Brown Paper Napkins
RECYCLABLE - Plastic Cups & Lids from Cold & Hot Beverages
|
|
|
|
|
|
