Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm
Farm Fresh Food for the Holidays and Beyond!
This week is the last regular season farmers’ market for 2009, but don’t worry, I have the answer to your fresh food needs for the Holiday season and beyond!Our market is looking for an indoor location for a pre-Thanksgiving (November 20th) and a pre-Christmas (December 11th)market.And Mass Local Food will be open all year, providing delivery once per month (next delivery November 6th – check the website for the soon-to-be-determined Westminster delivery Location – or Berlin or Sterling for that matter).
Massachusetts Local Food…
Orders are closing for Massachusetts Local Food on Monday so don’t forget to place your order.Membership fees are refundable through the end of this year if you decide this program is not for you, so you can try it risk free!All products are locally produced and offered directly from the producer – just like at the farmers’ market.We are adding more eggs this month and we hope to have pastured veal and organic yogurt online soon.Go online and read about each producer and consider your food needs for the winter.Orders close on Monday and Delivery day is Friday November 6th -- after our farmers market has closed for the season.
What’s in the market…
Even this late in the season there is plenty of food available in the market.If you have spent the past six months eating one (at least) local meal a week, this is your last Westminster Farmers’ Market local meal in a while.If you haven’t taken the challenge of one local meal a week, might I propose one local meal a season?And it is not too late for that.Of course there are still [Read More]
HR 2749 could hurt small-scale agriculture, local food efforts, and organic producers. But according to this (LA Times) article 90% of industry and consumers approve of passing it into law.
Like I said in the tittle, who could be against safe food. Please read it for your self and make your own decision.
With their current record of voting against public opinion, The111th Congress will be looking to curry favor with the electorate. Let's hope it's not at the expense of your local farmers.
Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm
Winding Down with the Pumpkin Festival
Join us for the Pumpkin Fest this Friday!Come for a hayride, chowder, cider, coffee, homemade pumpkin donuts, and the musical talent of Gibby Lashua.Between and there will be a pumpkin art contest for grades k-5.Judging will begin at and winners announced at .Many thanks to Wiinhaven farm for providing the pumpkins and for the hay ride!Donation for the pumpkin art contest is $5.00 and your child will be able to take home their painted pumpkin.All proceeds will help fund Mass Agriculture in the Classroom programs in our schools.
I've put off this post for some time. We were unsuccessful in our request for an FMPP Grant from USDA-AMS. The main part of the request was for an EBT (electronic benefit transfer) machine. An EBT machine would enable us to take SNAPP (food stamps), credit cards, debit cards, and ATM transactions, at the Westminster Farmers' Market. There was only one award in the state of Massachusetts.
The state Department of Agricultural Resources is offering an EBT grant program. We plan on applying for this program. If we are unsuccessful, we will do it the old fashioned way, DIY.
Check out this link to see who got what in your state. Congratulations to the Rochester N.Y. Public Market. But $ 100,000 for a trolley system to cart people to and from the parking lot? Really, it's not sour grapes; it's just that our customers walk.
Central Massachusetts usually has the lowest energy and food expenses in the state, but this is surprising.
This article, from The North Central Massachusetts Economic Development Council, confirms what I have long believed; that an area that has small and medium sized independent small businesses, will benefit from lower consumer prices.
Central Massachusetts and Worcester County have been strong holds of "mom and pop" businesses. Competition is a benefit of a capitalist economy. Everyone benefits from healthy competition. Businesses have to keep on their toes and provide better service at a lower cost than the shop down the road. The consumer is the big winner.
Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm
Preparing your Pantry for Thanksgiving
Our Pumpkin Festival has been postponed due to a chance of showers predicted for tomorrow. Painting pumpkins gets incredibly messy if the weather is at all wet. So, plan on next week for our harvest activities. Come this week to enjoy the market, work on your Christmas shopping, and stash a few more morsels for Thanksgiving.
Drizzle and a chill did not dampen the spirits of our vendors or shoppers last week! The market continues to thrive as shoppers seek out the last of the great summer flavors. Our free raffle was a great success! We gave away two bags full of farmers’ market treasures, fine food and gift certificates! Congratulations to our winners Francis Landry from Westminster and Jean Brady from Gardner.
What’s in the market…
Westminster grown cranberries, all the fall (cool weather) vegetables that taste so good this time of year, beef and pork roasts, cheese and most of the usual items that you expect to find. Don’t forget to get your last meal of corn in (if we are lucky enough to have it available), and get an extra dozen for your freezer (remember to blanch it first). I continue to hear a buzz about Robin’s (Honeybee Baking Company) scones. I would appreciate it if you all would finally leave a few for me to try! I’m hoping this is the week I can get some before they sell out. I have visions of Saturday lunch (in between FOUR cold soccer games) of some hot tea with a warm scone slathered with fresh Farmers’ Market raspberry jam and some of Brenda St. Claire’s chocolate goat cheese at room temperature.
The Pumpkin Festival scheduled for this Friday, October 16, has been postponed until next Friday, October 23. We had to postpone due to the forecast of an abnormally early New England Nor'Easter.
Current forecasts call for between a dusting and one inch of snow. Not much of a snow storm, but not very nice for the children to be decorating pumpkins in either.
The Westminster Farmers' Market will attempt to open, unless the weather gets to darn severe. You know we are a rain or shine market. It is yet to be seen if we are a snow market also. It may be a good dry run (?) for the holiday markets we are planing.
Westminster Farmers’ Market Pumpkin Festival! The Westminster Farmers’ Market will be hosting a Pumpkin Festival this Friday, October 16th with a rain date of October 23rd.
Stop by for some fun, pumpkin decorating, chowder, coffee, donuts, hay rides, entertainment, face painting and more fun. Prizes will be awarded to elementary age students for pumpkin decorating. Vendors will be selling a variety of local products including:
Vegetables, Fruit, Beef, Pork, Eggs, Jams, Cheese, Bread, Baked Goods, Fudge and Confections. And for your Holiday shopping pleasure: you will find hand crafted cutting boards, birdhouses, hats and purses, art tiles and earrings, soaps and lotions/hand-creams, hand painted tin pieces including mailboxes and antique reproductions, ornaments, quilted items and tote bags.
The Westminster Farmers’ Market is open every Friday from 3:00 p.m. until dusk on Academy Hill Rd in Westminster. This market will run rain or shine from now until October 30th.
I have listed our farmers' market on "going boston", a social network for venues and events in the Boston area. This should give our market some exposure to a younger urban population, that isn't really represented yet. If you can, go to this site, (you may have to register first), please click on that you like our market, and leave some positive comments. This will hopefully create some "buzz", and get a new group attending the market.
There are "going" networks in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia. If you are promoting an ag event, or farmers' market and are near one of these major metro areas, you may want to try this site out, as a way to bring people "out to the country".
Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm
It’s Still Easy to Eat Seasonally!
Our market is still as active as it has ever been!We had several new vendors last week and I hope you were able to find them and visit their booths.This week we expect a new soap/lotion vendor and also a vendor who will be selling salsa kits!Don’t think for one minute that our market is slowing down!!A bit of a nip in the air, a few raindrops, no matter -- you still have to eat and you deserve farmers’ market fresh!In addition, keep in mind that it is your patronage that keeps our vendors coming.The reason that you are able to find such great food at our farmers’ market (when many area markets are closing for the season), is simply because you shop there!Keep up the good work!
I hope you have been able to time your visits to enjoy our market entertainment!So much thanks to Dr. B and the Homemade band and the father/daughter team of Ron and Megan McGuire for performing at our market over the past few weeks!The music has been fantastic and makes the afternoon incredibly enjoyable for everyone!
This week Warren Rasmussen will be performing.He is raising new awareness about ground nuts in this area and will also be selling his book, The Mary Rowlandson Story, which is a piece of local history involving Mary, Wachusett Mountain and Redemption Rock!)
And don’t forget that this is the week for our free raffle.We will be raffling off 2 bags of farmers market products (each worth about $100).Included in the raffle we have everything from Nancy Sampson’s pottery to a beautifully handcrafted cutting board from Bob Richard.We have gift certificates from vendors, meats, cheese, a beautiful birdhouse donated by Bob Richard’s adorable grandchildren, spice rubs, photo cards and more.These items will be divided into two baskets.To enter the raffle, bring your free raffle ticket (handed out during the parade) and drop it in the picnic basket by the cooler.We have extra forms by the picnic basket if you forget yours.At 6:00, Dean Johnson will draw the 2 winning entries!
Next week (October 16th) is the pumpkin festival so come along, enjoy the festivities, bring your children to enter the pumpkin painting contest and enjoy a hayride.Have a hot cup of soup or coffee and enjoy a homemade pumpkin donut!
It is still easy to eat seasonally
We are in this great overlap of seasons where we can still have the freshest summer vegetables along with any of the fall and winter varieties which include leeks, squash, potatoes, beets, carrots, kale, Brussels sprout, salad [Read More]
Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm
Farmers’ Market Value?You Bet!
This week for your entertainment we bring you the award winning, father daughter team of Ron and Megan McGuire! We are thrilled to have them and they will be playing and singing from 4:00 until 6:00! So, stop by and enjoy the afternoon, grab a cup of coffee, linger with your friends and neighbors and shop, shop, shop for Christmas! Please remember that tips are always appreciated for all our performers.
The delivery day for Mass Local Food is this Friday and this is going to be THE place to get your farmers’ market fresh food this winter. Mass Local Food runs like an online farmers’ market which uses preordering and monthly deliveries to Westminster, Berlin and Sterling. If we can get volunteers, we will set up deliveries wherever you want them! Currently listed on the website, you can order from over 450 products including beefalo, pork, beef, jams and preserved fruits, breads, pies and pastries, award winning cheeses, eggs, cereal, garlic, squash, herbs for your winter windowsill, honey, soaps, coffee, tea, pesto and many handmade products. Many of our producers can be found right in our local farmers’ markets. There is a $25.00 fee for a temporary membership (refundable if you don’t like the co-op) and a 5% order fee. This cooperative is run by volunteer effort and all money received is put back into the coop by purchasing software and supplies.
The parade went off without a hitch, if you don’t count the weather! It was loads of fun and if you didn’t get a free raffle ticket handed out as the Agricultural Commission fleet passed, stop by the water cooler at the farmers’ market and fill one out (or drop off the one you got at the parade). This raffle will be held on October 9th and we will be raffling over $200 in farmers’ market items. You don’t want to miss this one
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