Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm

Hay Season Always Slows Me Down!

Corn is in!  Corn is in!  The market is now overflowing with everything you could possibly hope for from our local producers.  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.  Nothing compares to farm fresh, Massachusetts grown corn and I cannot wait to make a meal of it on Friday evening! 

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.  The market is well stocked with meat (we will be restocked today on steaks for those of you that have been waiting for so long – I know I am looking forward to a small sirloin cooked on a hardwood fire in my backyard), cheese, berries, spice rubs, gluten-free breads and everything you could possibly need for your long holiday weekend!  And while you’re stocking up on local fare, stop for some of our local Wachusett Brew on the way home (their on-site store is open until 6:00 on Fridays)!

Entertainment this week…

Music by Ron and Meghan McGuire.  You do not want to miss this performance.  This father-daughter duo will be scheduled a few more times throughout the season and they bring a liveliness to the market that I look forward to whenever they perform.  Their music selection is incredible and covers a wide range of genre so there is truly something for everyone!

Tess Rembetsy-Brown will perform throughout the afternoon.  She is a young singer-songwriter that plays completely by ear!  Her musical selections always seem to stop everything at the market while shoppers turn their attention to her.

Robert Phillips will be demonstrating blacksmithing at the market after 5:00.  Save a few extra minutes of your afternoon as Robert is a great story-teller as well as blacksmith and children of all ages will be captivated by this demonstration!

Summer is here, but we prepare for winter…

It’s a busy time of year.  We are expecting a week of warm, dry weather and that means tractors are gassed up, mowers have been through a pre-flight to head off any potential problems, balers are threaded so the twine will wrap properly and we look forward to long, hot days mowing and then baling and storing hay for the winter:  converting the amber waves into neat rectangular bales. 

Bodies so tired at the end of a day that they can barely crawl into bed.  Short nights of very deep sleep and then, up early the next morning to do it all again.  Arms aching from moving 40 pound bales and then “tossing” them six feet into the air onto a hay wagon.  Last year I estimated the TONS of hay that I personally moved each day(believe me, I didn’t “toss” any) – but if I think of that now, I’ll lose my motivation.

But, while all this takes place, great things are happening all around us.  While haying, we are far removed from computers, ipods, and video games (though I cannot say from mobile phones) and around us we get to witness barn swallows dancing across the flowing waves of grass, clear blue skies filled with the brightest of sunlight, the lowing from cattle in the distance as they wish for a few bites of this nourishment, and the heavenly smell of fresh cut grass.  This busy time of year is also a time to slow down and notice our surroundings.  A small blonde child at the top of a hill, dressed in red, silhouetted against the sky, mesmerized by a swarm of dragonflies.  A group of children heading to the lower field to play with the newest addition to our herd (a remarkably tiny (knee-high) female calf).  Old hay wagons filled to overflowing with hay that we can only hope won’t fall off onto the roads.  Scenes that, except for the tractor, could be directly out of Little House on the Prairie.  Minute by minute there is another reason to wish for a camera like Jen Shenks!  Yes, no matter how busy, we can’t help but take time to reflect too.  I love this time of year.  It is symbolic of the things to come: the putting by of a winter’s supply of food for our animals and the hope for a mild and short winter.  And, for now, we will try to not think of spending a week recovering from sore muscles, the scratches and punctures from the hay that swell up overnight (and stay that way for two weeks) even if you have never had allergies, and the pure exhaustion from days of work that require more effort than anything else we do.  Is it worth it?  You bet!  And all the hardship is forgotten when the barn is full to the brim with a winter’s supply of food – at least until the rafters start cracking and need to be shored up from the weight of the hay!  But, thankfully, that is usually a few weeks down the road…

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. 

Kerrie Hertel   

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