Make a commitment to your health and to our local economy by preparing one local meal each week. Shop our local farmers' markets, farms, grocery stores and your own garden to procure ingredients to prepare a delicious, healthy, LOCAL meal for your family. Invite a friend for dinner and top it off with a local beer from Wachusett Brewery or Nashoba Winery (I bet Westminster Pharmacy can get what we need). Sign in here for this event ending on the first day of summer, June 20th. Record your menu here to help inspire us all!

This appeared in The "Fitchburg Sentinel" yesterday: Concert at Westminster gazebo Friday Sentinel & Enterprise Sentinel & Enterprise Posted:

sentinelandenterprise.com

Here is a message from our Chair, M.L. Altobelli, to the venders, of The Westminster Farmers' Market:

Hello and Welcome to the 2012 season at the Westminster Farmers’ Market!

Opening day:

• This coming Friday, May 4th, 3:00pm ? 6:30pm
• Set up from 2:00pm on
• Market opens with the singing of the national anthem by Ann Patsis at 3:00pm

I know you know these next details ? but...

• If you are selling baked goods ? we need to have a copy of your current Board of Health approved kitchen permit attached to your paperwork in our files.
• If you are selling meat ? you need a Food Safety Inspection certificate and your meat must have USDA labeling on it.
• Keep frozen items frozen and cold items cold ? check with a thermometer ? our Board of Health will be!
• Household scales are not permitted ? any scale used must have a seal by an official state Sealer of Weights and Measures.

And a last note...
The Westminster farmers’

Market is certified to accept coupons from the Farmer's Market Coupon Program,? we do not have an EBT machine.

If you have any questions ? let me know.

Here’s to a great year for all of us.....See you there!

M.L.
--
M.L. Altobelli
Westminster Agricultural Commission -chair

  I would like to add that you cannot set-up to sell, until your application has been approved by The Jury Committe. If you have not sent in your application yet, please do so ASAP.

  Our mail address is:

Town Hall

11 South St.

Westminster MA 01473

  Our email is forwarded to us through the "Local Harvest" email function on the listing page.

http://www.localharvest.org/postemail.jsp?id=24478

You Can Help Your Town's Farmers’ Market,

 Join the Friends

A new group has been formed by Patty Hurd and Karen Sargent; “Friends of Westminster Farmers”. They will endeavor to form a cohesive group of volunteers, that will foster community awareness, and assist in promotion, of agriculture in Westminster (including The Westminster Farmers’ Market).

They have a Facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Westminster-Farmers-Market/133750303302808#!/FriendsOfWestminsterFarmers

This is sure to be a dynamic group. If you would like to get in on the ground floor, contact either Patty or Karen.

You can email Patty. She gets email at AOL. Her handle is HURDEST.

Pay no attention to the frost on the ground this morning, or the snow and sleet that was falling yesterday. In just three short weeks Westminster Farmers' Market will be open for the season; the first of twenty-six weeks of food, friends, and fun.

For your listening pleasure, Joe Reidy and Keith McLinden will be preforming at the gazebo.

3:00 - 4:30 Joe Reidy

5:00 - 6:30 Keith McLinden

From Our Website:

Market Opening!

May 4th, 2012

What to Expect in May...

Meat

Cheese

Eggs

Breads

Sweets

Garden Plants

Seedlings

Vegetables: rhubarb, greens, asparagus

In Season:

Meat: Free-range Chicken, Grass-fed Beef, Pastured Pork

Eggs: Free-range, Farm-fresh Eggs

Dairy: Goat Cheese

Vegetables: Asparagus, Rhubarb, Lettuce, Spring Garlic, Radish, Herbs

Breads: Whole Grain Breads, Artisan Breads

Sweets: Cakes, Pies, Pastries

Garden plants: Potted plants and seedlings

Hours:

Fridays from 3:00 until 6:30 from May through October

Location:

Academy Hill

Academy Hill Road

Westminster, Massachusetts

Building our Community through Local Food

Don't forget to bring a bucket to get some free compost!

 Thank you to the local press for running pieces on our Holiday Market today.

http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/ci_16646500?IADID=Search-www.sentinelandenterprise.com-www.sentinelandenterprise.com

http://www.telegram.com/article/20101118/FLASH/11180319/1180/Westminster&TEMPLATE=TOWNPORTAL&WT_TOWN=Westminster&WT_CAME_FROM=MAIN_PAGE

 I got a request on "Local Harvest" for driving directions to the Holiday Market this Friday.  

 From Monty Tech, take a right on South Ashburnham Rd. Go (about) two and one half miles, you will pass two lakes on your left. When you pass the second lake, take a right on Barrel Hill Rd. Go less than a mile on Barrel Hill Rd. Take a left on Woods Rd. Wildwood Farm is at the end of Woods Rd.

  From the center of Westminster, take Bacon St. to North Common Rd. to Oakmont Av. At the end of Oakmont Av. take a left on South Ashburnham Rd. Go (about) one mile, take a right on Barrel Hill Rd. Go less than a mile on Barrel Hill Rd. Take a left on Woods Rd. Wildwood Farm is at the end of Woods Rd.

  From Ashburnham Center, take either Platts Rd., Cashman Hill Rd., or Westminster St., to South Ashburnham Rd., in Westminster. About one mile down, take a left on Barrel Hill Rd. Go less than a mile on Barrel Hill Rd. Take a left on Woods Rd. Wildwood Farm is at the end of Woods Rd.

                                         Save the date.

We are holding our Holiday Farmers' Market at Wildwood Farm next Friday, November 19,2010, from 3 to 6 PM. In Gretchen (Foster) Hildreth's riding arena.

More to follow.

Pumpkin Fest

At The

Westminster Farmers’ Market on the Town Common

Pumpkin art contest grades K-2 and grades 3-5

Friday October 22,(rain date Oct. 29) 3 to 7 PM

Pumpkins provided by and

sponsored by Wiin Haven Farm

Pumpkin art contest 3 to 5 PM, judging 5 to 6 PM winners announced 6 PM, pick up your decorated pumpkin before 7 PM, donation for pumpkin art contest $5, all proceeds go to local Ag in The Classroom projects

    Our Market Manager, Al Magane, showed me this article in Telegram Towns on The Westminster Farmers' Market. Telegram Towns is a weekly publication of "The Worcester Telegram". The photographer was at the market a month ago. The reporter came a couple of weeks ago. I had given up looking for it in the paper. They did a very nice job of descrbing our market.

  Thank you Sandy Quadros Bowles and Mark C. Ide.!

    I have some survey questions up at "Survey Monkey". I am trying to gather information to make The Westminster Farmers' Market an even greater experience for you.

  If you are a customer at our market, please take a minute to answer our survey (only six questions). You don't have to register to take it, just click here.

  If I get enough responses I can report the results at the Westminster Agricultural Commission Meeting Wednesday night (07-14-10).

                                                                 Thank You,

                                                                 Dean Johnson

  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.

.

  Last week one of our local parent-teacher organizations, PTO ran their annual "bunny breakfast", in the cafeteria of the middle school. At the same time in the lobby and mezzanine The Young Children's Festival  (sort of a mini trade show for kids) was set up.

 My wife, Debbie and I, along with Anne Patsis set up a table at The Young Children's Festival. We were representing The Westminster Farmers' Market, Mass Local Food, and The Westminster AgComm.

 The festival was well attended by young families. They showed a lot of interest in locally grown food and asked good questions.

  In the first hour we gave away 100 helium filled balloons monogrammed with “I love eggs". When we ran out of monogrammed balloons, Debbie went out and picked up some generic balloons and we gave away another 30 balloons before the helium ran out. We also gave away "I love Eggs" stickers, children’s activity books, and "Kids in the Kitchen" recipes from The American Egg Board. We had information sheets on The Westminster Farmers' Market and Mass Local Food. Sheryl Vaillette provided us with a sign up sheet for people to receive the MLF newsletter.

  There were a lot of comments that people can't wait for The Westminster Farmers' Market to open. (Neither can we.)

  This function was well worth attending. We got a lot of information out to the local community, and had a good time doing it. We look forward to attending The Young Children's Festival again next year.

  Just a quick note to let you know Kerrie Hertel is developing a web page for The Westminster Farmers' Market. Here: http://www.westminsterfarmersmarket.com/

  We will continue to post on our blog here on Local Harvest. We will be able to post current vendor applications, market rules, upcoming events , and entertainment.

  Check back on our site, as the market season approaches, and see what we will have in store for you.