Holiday Market Braves the Snow

Our first Holiday Market of the Season braved an unexpected snow on Saturday. Despite the heavy snow vendors and shoppers toughed it out to come and stock up on winter veggies, breads, soup, and other winter treats. We will be having two more Holiday Markets Sat. December 12 and 19 from 9 a.m. to Noon. We will have a variety of winter produce, breads, meats, cheeses as well as  handcrafted gifts from our local artisans.

North Mountian Produce Braves the snow on our first Holiday Market of the Season

After hours of snow the carrots started looking like they were for snowmen.

Winter Vegetables are still growing even in the snow.

The snow started coming down and kept our veggies cold!

Fall Festivities!

Last Saturday at the Farmer’s Market we celebrated our first anniversary under the Turner Pavilion. We honored our customers with free coffee, cider, baked goods and creative dishes made from local produce. We had a live acoustic  jam, pumpkin painting and nutritional advice. Vendors, children, adults and dogs donned their costumes while they shopped. The weather was great and the Pavilion was packed. Thanks again to all of our great customers and vendors. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Kids and adults enjoyed the painting pumpkins while they shopped.

Thank you Grains of Sense for providing customers with free hot coffee while they braved the crisp fall weather.

Even the dogs dressed up!

The Downtown Renaissance helped us out too.

The acoustic jam was just tunning up. Getting ready for a 2 hour set.

The finished products.

Thanks to Christina and Jenn for their awesome nutritional advice

Customers got to try a variety of fall baked goods from pumpkin brioche to squash cookies.

Super Martha! Even our vendors dressed up.

Colorful Fall Produce

Just because the winter months are nearing doesn’t mean you have to give up fresh foods from your local Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market. Check out these fresh and delicious photos of what you might expect to find this fall at the Market

butternut, delicata, hubbard, spaghetti, acorn, kabocha and pumpkin are all winter squash varieties with unique textures and tastes.

Potatoes will keep for months if keep them in a cool dark place you and don't wash them.

Turnips are a delicious and savory addition to mashed potatoes.

greens are a cool weather crop but will not surrvive in freezing conditions.

Beets are great baked or boiled and full of color and nutrients.

Broccoli is a great cool season crop that is good in stir-frys, cassaroles and rice.Radishes add a kick to any fall salad.

local foods building community

How many times have you been greeted by name at the supermarket? Do you recall the last time you had a conversation with the person who personally handled and grew your food?
One of the reasons for buying food from the market is that you know the growers and producers, and they know you. Growing For Market, a monthly journal for farmer’s markets, has published a list of ten reasons to buy local foods. Number six is “local food builds community.” When you decide to buy local rather than at the supermarket you establish a connection between the eater and the grower. Food is an important part of life, and in all cultures sharing a meal together symbolizes community and fellowship. Therefore I believe our community is strengthened when we support and get to know our vendors at the Market. There are many benefits to personally knowing the people who make up our local foods community. By deciding to buy food from a vendor you establish an element of trust, which is a crucial element to building community. We are given insight into the rhythms of nature, the seasons, and weather when we participate in a local foods system. We learn more about our local environment, and have a deeper understanding for how our food system works. This strengthens our community by having a stronger respect for the foods that grow and thrive in our area. By building connections with your vendors you open up opportunities to visit their farms. This is a great way to teach your children about nature, farming and the cycles of life. Food is something that all of us have in common. By building a movement in our area based around local food we gather community and support our vendors at the market. By coming to the Market you meet a variety of people in your community who share the same interest in local foods.

Manager Musings

On being a Farmers Market… The answer to “What exactly is a Farmers Market?” might seem, at first glance, to be perfectly obvious, but if we look a bit closer it soon becomes clear that it is not that simple…  To some a Farmers Market is just that – very literally- a place for farmers to sell their produce directly to the public.  On the other end of the scale, a Farmers Market is a place where there are a lot of different merchants selling many different things.  It is my intention for the Harrisonburg Farmers Market to embody the best of both of these concepts.  Our Mission Statement is very clear: we intend to “provide the public with easy access to fresh, healthy, locally-produced agricultural goods and crafts of the highest quality while assisting local and regional farmers and other producers in directly marketing their products to the local customer base.”

A Market that is strictly for farmers and does not include any crafts or produced food is a wonderful source for fresh produce and fruit.  It provides a place for local farmers to sell products directly and gives the community access to fresh local produce.  This is our first and most important commitment to our vendors, local agriculture and the community.   How to actually accomplish this in the optimum way for the vendors, the customer and the community remains the question.

Based on our history as a Market, input from many customers and what I have observed since coming on board as Manager in 2007, it seems pretty clear that the Market is enhanced and improved with thoughtful and intentional diversity of products and producers.  Customers enjoy sipping freshly brewed coffee and munching on a variety of prepared treats while they shop… Many customers are happy to be able to purchase local handcrafted items directly from the creators of the items. As we look at how we can best support our local agricultural community one valid approach is a diverse Market that appeals to a wider population of customers and provides food and drink for shoppers to enjoy on  site while they browse and chat with friends and neighbors.  This is our approach at The Harrisonburg Farmers Market and we welcome your input as we continue to grow the Market in as thoughtful a way as possible.

Josie Showalter, Market Manager

Customers learn about a handcrafted rolling pin at the Market

A Bowl of Good Opens Their Doors Today!

Katrina Didot’s fresh baked breads and savory salads and hummus are expanding with a new location on 831 Mt. Clinton Pike next to Gift and Thrift. Today  A Bowl of Good will open its restaurant location selling its “globally inspired local goodness.”  Katrina has made it her mission to integrate as many local ingredients as possible into her menu. So far she is using Green Haven Farm cheeses, Mountain View Farm cheeses, coffee from Grains of Sense, eggs from Sharon Payne, local wheat berries and lettuce from Marlan and Miriam Showalter. Katrina is also planning on buying produce from vendors who have extra vegetables (contact her if interested). The menu will feature 10 different internationally inspired “bowls,” which will include a stew, soup or salad complimented by bread, rice, or noodles. Katrina’s top three picks include:
1.    Bada Bun Bowl: a Vietnamese summer rice noodle salad
2.    Maha Raja: curried lentils and rice with yogurt and chutney
3.    Mac of the Valley: macaroni noodles with Mounatin View cheese and local green beans with ham.
Don’t worry, though.  A Bowl of Good will still be found at the market every Saturday selling their normal breads and salads!

Saturday’s festivities!

It was a great day at the market on Saturday, as we celebrated Farmers Market Week.  Here are a few pictures:

Musicians play beside the Turner Pavilion

Looking over the equipment for the cooking demonstrations, at listeners and the musicians

Of course, the market’s main attraction was still its fresh produce, delicious bread and baked goods, and local handcrafts. Here you can see shoppers filling the pavilion!

A view of the musicians playing away.

Would you be interested in an evening market?

We’ve heard feedback from customers that a farmers market on a weekday evening might be more convenient for some people.  What do you think?  Would you visit the Pavilion on a weekday evening to pick up your favorite Farmers Market goods?

If you are interested, here’s another poll — which of these two evenings would work better for you?

If you have additional suggestions or ideas, please comment below.  We appreciate your input!

Updates about Saturday’s celebration

Please note that the Recipe Contest (for tomatoes and squash) will NOT be held this weekend, but is being postponed. We have some updates about the other events as we celebrate Farmers Market Week this Saturday at the market:

* Special Activities for the Little Shoppers provided by the Harrisonburg Children’s Museum and Medieval Fantasies Company www.medievalfantasiesco.com
* Cooking Demonstrations will be given by Jay Vetter, JMU chef at 8 and 11 AM
* Live Music will be provided — join the jam at 10 am!

How hard is it to be a summer locavore?

You’re probably familiar with the locavore or 100-mile diet movement.  Either way, the goal is to consume only food from one’s own area, or to get as close as possible.  It is very difficult, in some places even impossible, to meet that goal completely.  But in the Shenandoah Valley, in the middle of the summer, it’s pretty easy to get really, really close.  Check out these ideas for all-local summer meals — all the ingredients are currently available at the Farmers Market, unless another source is noted:

Breakfast:
Granola, blackberries and moo-gurt (local yogurt product)
Scrambled eggs or omelet with green onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and cheddar-style cheese
Toast, butter and jam with fresh peaches (Some of our bakers even grind their own flour!)
Muffins, donuts, danishes, banana bread, or any other freshly-baked breakfast goods
Waffles at the Market!

Lunch:
Bratwurst on artisan bread
Chicken salad (substitute yogurt for mayonnaise)
Goat cheese and roasted vegetable panini (use a George Foreman, or similar grill, to press the panini)
Personal-size quiche, ready-made at the market
Salad with fresh bread and cheese
Hamburgers from local ground beef, on fresh bread, with homemade coleslaw

Dinner
Roasted chicken, warm chard salad and bread
Rabbit or goat meat with a side salad and sauteed vegetables
Ready-to-eat soup and garlic bread (artisan bread, butter and garlic)
Hummus, feta cheese, falafel and Kurdish bread with fresh greens
Ground beef tacos with cheese, green onions, lettuce and vegetables (tortillas are not available at the market, but several local specialty/ethnic markets have hand-made corn tortillas!)
Summer squash frittata with green bean salad

Dessert:
Pies, cookies, tarts… a whole array of baked good options!
Roasted peaches
Homemade peach or blackberry sorbet.  Local honey, available in many stores, can replace sugar in most recipes for an all-local delight!

Drinks:
Herbal tea
Coffee (The Grains of Sense coffee beans at the market aren’t grown locally, of course, but they are fair trade imported and roasted in Staunton, making them a more-local choice, at least!)
Fruit and yogurt smoothies
Local wine (not at the market, but there are lots of great options!)
Beer from Cally’s

While most people think it is really hard to eat locally, these days there is enough food at the market, as well as some area stores, for most people to make a pretty good shot at it.  You can support your local farmers, keep your money in the local economy, reduce your carbon footprint — and enjoy some great food while you’re at it!

August 2nd – 8th is Farmers Market Week.  Celebrate by challenging yourself and your family to eat as much local food as you can for the week, and see just how easy — and delicious! — it can be!  Get started by stocking your fridge and pantry at the market tomorrow — we’ll be open from 7 am to 1 pm, in the Turner Pavilion behind the municipal building!