Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm

More Ketchup Trials Give Me Better BBQ Sauce and Simple Catalina Dressing

 

Vegetables, Goat Cheese, Cheddars and Goudas, Beef, Pork, Artisan Breads (including Gluten-Free), free-range eggs, herbs, crafts and everything you could hope to find at a farmers’ market.  </span />We are in full swing and the market is as busy as it ever gets.  </span />Stop by for an iced coffee and a donut as you wander through the booths.  </span />Talk to our local farmers about their production methods.  </span />Watch the children run and play and blow bubbles (or bring your own to do the same).  </span />Take in a puppet show or a blacksmithing demonstration.  </span />I don’t think there is a better, or less expensive way to entertain yourself on a Friday afternoon!

 

Entertainment this week at Westminster Farmers' Market…
Entertainment by Gayle Craig who is a singer/songwriter from Ashburnham. She is also a member a Westboro based band called Fine by Friday! We also welcome the musical talent of Kevin Jones!

Stop by for another delightful puppet show at 6:00 from Button Box Theatre!

And don't forget to visit Robert Phillips for another informative blacksmithing demonstration.

 

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Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm

Hay Season Always Slows Me Down!

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Corn is in!  </span />Corn is in!  </span />The market is now overflowing with everything you could possibly hope for from our local producers.  </span />It has been a fantastic season for corn (I guess to make up for last year, which may have been the worst in the 112 year history of the Hertel family farm) and it will be available this week at the market.  </span />Nothing compares to farm fresh, Massachusetts grown corn and I cannot wait to make a meal of it on Friday evening!  </span /></font />

Have a local Holiday…

While shopping for your local corn and vegetables, don’t forget to pick up some items for your 4^th of July parties.  </span />The market is well stocked

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Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm

 

Visit us on Facebook!

 

 

 

Last Friday we had a terrific afternoon at Westminster Farmers’ Market and I am looking forward to another great afternoon this Friday.  Russell and I were delighted as we watched “Jack and the Beanstalk” at Button Box Shadow Theatre and our whole family was treated to the music of Patrick Carroll as he played his guitar and sang for much of the afternoon!  We are certainly hoping he is available for future weeks at the market.  This week, we are expecting great weather and I am looking forward to another puppet show by Button Box Shadow Theatre.  In addition, I cannot wait to see Ron and Megan MacGuire who will be performing again this year.  I have not seen this incredible father-daughter team perform since last fall and I am truly looking forward to their performance.  Tess Rebetsy-Brown will round out the afternoon performances.  This twelve year old, award-winning singer, songwriter, piano player usually stops all activity at the market with her original sound.  Please remember that our performers are “buskers” and work only for tips.  This highly respected practice is an important way to bring local talent to our farmers’ market while introducing you to some of the up-and-coming talent in our region.  If you enjoy a performance, consider adding a few coins (or bills) to their “hat”.

 

 

 

 

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  We are on facebook! Kerrie Hertel just signed us up this week. Click on the link and express yourself. Facebook will help us to keep you informed on events at the market, what produce is in season, and which of your friends are going to the market on Friday afternoon.

  Let us what you like, and any additions or improvements you would to see at the market.

  American Farmland Trust is having it's "Vote for You Favorite Farmers' Market Contest" again this year.  Follow the link on our blogroll, or go here to vote. Once you are on their site, check out what you can do to help preserve farmland.

Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm

Do we really need ANY more proof that healthy eating starts at home?

This Week at the Market…

Button Box Shadow Theatre is performing at our market this week and it is a show that you do not want to miss! Don’t miss this opportunity to listen to stories for children, grown-ups and the whole family, original tales, historical narratives, and folklore! Stories include “Puss in Boots”, “Timo and the Princess Vendla” (Finnish), and the original story called “The Reluctant Butterfly”, about a GORGEOUS insect who wishes to be a caterpillar again. This interactive theatre involves children who get to manipulate the puppets! Sally Cragin is an award-winning writer for the Boston Globe, Boston Phoenix and other publications.

For those of you bringing your children up the hill from Westminster Elementary School, why not park at Academy Hill, walk down to the school to pick up your children and then walk back up the hill with them? I am a firm believer in making memories for our children, and walking to the Farmers’ Market on Fridays is something they will remember all their life. And of course the hike up Academy Hill will be a perfect complement to the healthy lifestyle that the Farmers’ Market inspires!

Flowers are plentiful and gorgeous at the market and you do not want to miss collecting a bouquet. Turn your child loose with a couple of dollars with the task of bringing home a beautiful bouquet. Use a few on your family dinner table, but then have your child make a small arrangement for their bedroom and one for yours. There is nothing like waking up to the smell of lily-of-the-valley or peonies wafting in on a morning breeze! Encourage your child to get some flower arranging advice from Rachel’s Everlastings or Dr. Pat Glover or from our resident Master Gardener, Sue Nickerson. What a great way to build communication skills that will last them a lifetime.

A Little More Proof That You Should Be Eating Farm Fresh…

If you didn’t have time to see Food, Inc., you should order it right away. It’s a great documentary and for the most part, very well done (except for the Burger King segment that I took issue with a few reports back). One particularly disturbing segment was about a company called Beef Products, Inc (BPI) and some of the work they are doing to make our meat supply “healthier”. As stated on their website, they are “the world’s leading manufacturer of boneless lean beef”. That is something I never hope to be. Think about it. Beef is GROWN, not manufactured. And how do you “manufacture boneless lean beef”??? There is a whole animal there to begin with – and the bones and fat are pretty important parts. Of course, I have to know more. BPI’s Process Page says it all (…almost) and I encourage you to read it, paying particular attention to the pH enhancement process, the labeling requirement (yes, this is allowed to be labeled 100% pure beef), and the in-process metal detector! No kidding, a metal detector! Why on God’s green earth does the meat you eat have to be run through a metal detector?!? I have to read their food safety page to find out that “incoming raw material” (notice that they don’t call it meat) is checked for metal as well as the “finished product”. Good thing you are not eating this healthy, ammonia-washed, metal-free, “100% pure beef”, right? Think again! I find it extremely disturbing that the focus of some of these companies is on making contaminated meat healthier rather than using healthy practices from the beginning! Healthy practices that virtually eliminate E.coli 0157:H7, metal in the finished product, wacked out balances of Omega-3 and a myriad of other issues. Even more disturbing are the companies that incorporate it into their product to improve their bottom line.

So Build a Meal at the Market…

Because of all this, I encourage you to stop by the market and pick up the makings of a meal. Not just ingredients for various meals throughout the week, but one whole, entire meal that you will consume without one single non-local, non-fresh ingredient! And don’t forget a small vase of flowers for the center of the table.

Visit our Westminster Farmers’ Market website…

The Westminster Farmers’ Market website is being updated with vendors for the 2010 season. Visit for ideas on how you can help the farmers’ market, participate as a vendor, or get information on our schedule for the season. Visit us at www.WestminsterFarmersMarket.com. We are looking for an individual who is willing to implement SNAP benefits with an EBT machine. The latest stats are that 15% of students within our school are getting free and reduced lunch. A SNAP program at the market will go a long way in helping families obtain the healthy food they need.

Maple Heights Farm…

Due to graduation requirements at Oakmont, we will be leaving the market around 6:00 this week, so please plan accordingly. And we hope to see you there.

Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm</font />

Too Busy To Cook?</font />

The Westminster Farmers’ Market</span /> is now open for the season! We not only have all the vendors that you remember from last year, but we also have some new vendors that you will want to meet! You can find an incredible assortment of plants for your garden (vegetables and ornamentals) as well as overflowing baskets of greens that you can pick and eat when you get home. You cannot get any fresher than that! Don’t forget that it is rhubarb season and you DO NOT want to miss this fresh, local treat. Asparagus is also available, along with beautiful bouquets of fragrant lilacs! Come early because some of these products run out early.

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  Yes, The Westminster Farmers' Market will be open today. We are a rain or shine market. It is raining now, as I write this, at 6:45 AM. But according to " Weather Underground", the chance of precipitation is only 20%, this afternoon between 3 and 6.

  Friday was our first market of the 2010 Season. The weather was great, sunny and warm, with a slight breeze.

  I counted twenty vendors. There were venders of meat, eggs, cheese, baked goods, fudge, and handcrafts. But also at least four venders had perennials and vegetable seedlings.

  We gave away quite a bit of composted cow manure and composted chicken manure; self serve, of course!

  You can read the report from The Fitchburg Sentinel here.

  The time to support local food against federal government sprawl is now. If we don't take action, they will legislate local food right off your plate. 

 Please read this excellent blog piece, by Pat Stewart, one of our grower/venders. :

Hello,

This is a scary time for those of us who value locally raised food, raising livestock and promoting sustainable agriculture. While the National Animal Identification
System is being retooled, its successor
has yet to be seen. But while we wait
for that word, and while groups and individuals work with the developers to
craft this new program, a larger specter looms on the horizon.

   Here is the rest of it.

  When a large corporation, in my opinion markets the product.

  Newman's own is among three companies that are under investigation, following complaints by The Cornucopia Institute, a watchdog group. Read about it in a CBS article:

http://wcbstv.com/business/organic.labeling.cornucopia.2.1660070.html

  If USDA can't handle regulating The National Organic Program, what is going to happen if S.510 passes, and FDA is in charge of food safety?

  I guess more sales for Kraft, Dean Foods, and Monsanto.

Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm</span /></font />

Opening Day is Upon Us…</span /></font />

The Westminster Farmers’ Market</span /> will be opening on Friday, May 7th! Come and enjoy the festivities, shop for your dinner, visit with friends and neighbors and relax! For our opening day, we will be giving away compost for your garden. Bring a bucket and take home some of this “black gold” that will give your plants the healthy start that they need! And for the really good stuff, expect to find local meats, cheeses, eggs, artisan breads, desserts and confections in the market on opening day!</span /></font />

Busking Opportunities in Westminster…</span /></font />

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  This commentary in "Poultry USA" caught my eye. Editor Gary Thornton states, "Backyard poultry keeping will influence consumer views and possibly, at some point, buying behavior for retail poultry products."

http://www.wattagnet.com/14746.html

  I think he makes some excellent points. At the Westminster Farmers' Market we can clearly see a consumer preference for local eggs.

I am a person with a foot in each camp. I was a commercial egg producer for over 25 years. Our family is now involved in backyard egg production. There is a joke that made the rounds a while ago that a chicken is involved in breakfast (the eggs), but the pig is committed (the bacon). OK, so maybe we are committed to chickens.

  In my opinion, the backyard chicken movement isn't anywhere near peaking. Every month I hear about more friends and acquaintances starting a flock of backyard birds for the first time. There is an interest in local food, but it's more than that. People seem to want to take some personal responsibility for putting food on their table. I see the same interest growing in backyard gardening. It is a real DIY revolution.

    There is a time-lapse video, on YouTube, of a blonde princess (self described) building a backyard chicken-coop. She is very proficient in carpentry skills, and in using power tools. She does a great job on the coop. Her choice of wardrobe is interesting, (not that I noticed) but I would recommend wearing shoes while doing any construction.

  This maybe a way, to get your husband, boyfriend, or significant other to build that chicken-coop you’ve been wanting. Or it may just give you the needed self-confidence to do-it-yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xBiSp6rQM0&feature=player_embedded

  Let him watch the whole video.

    Wired.com has a list of seven disruptive foods that could change the way we eat.   

  OK. So, I know about GMOs, but, organic pancake batter in a can, and nano-bots in your body, carrying energy to your cells? How about non-sentient lab meat? No thanks. Call me old-fashioned.

  You can read about it here:

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/04/seven-disruptive-foods-changing-the-way-we-eat/all/1