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.