Newsletter for Friday March 28, 2014

THIS WEEK'S MARKET

This week is Regular Market Day, with a full lineup of vendors.  For further details about this week's market, please see the Reminders section below.

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHT
We are excited to introduce to you our newest vendor, FOX RUN PRODUCE &  LEARNING CENTER. Ame Vanorio will be at market beginning this week talking with customers about their CSA.  If you're not quite ready to commit to a season-long CSA, not to worry, because Fox Run will have a plethora of produce, along with some meats and some eggs, that you may purchase as they become available.  Ame will let you know from week to week when produce and meat/egg items will be available. 

If you want to know why we are so excited about welcoming Fox Run to LEWFM simply read the following from their website:

At Fox Run Produce and Education Center we strive to maintain harmony with our environment in all things we do. We use sustainable organic farming methods, treating our land like a living organism.We do not use petroleum products or man-made chemicals on our plants; instead believing that by properly nurishing the land the plants will be healthy and strong.  By using farm produced compost, leaf and bark mulch we maintain optimum plant nutrition which means more nutritious food for ourselves, our animals and you our customer. We raise heirloom vegetable varieties that are well adapted to our area and known for their flavor. Several of our products are on the Ark of Taste with Slow Food.

Now that is the way to produce the high quality food we make available to our customers at LEWFM.  To offer even more evidence about the right way and the wrong way of food production, we offer some pictures to help you in deciding where you want your food to come from.  

Fox Run pastured chickens

Factory farm chickens

        

                

Factory farm pigs

Fox Run pigs

                                 

Industrial farming

The produce in the picture to the left is being sprayed with synthetic chemicals (aka poison).

Because the weather is still too cool to have abundant produce growing in their fields in this locale, Fox Run does not yet have pictures of the produce they will be providing for you.  However, you can rest assured their produce, like all the produce sold at LEWFM, will have no synthetic chemicals used on them at any time.



In addition to Fox Run, remember three other new vendors joined LEWFM this month to provide you with exceptional food and non food items.  For more information about these new vendors please see the Reminders section below.

For a full listing of all our vendors and their products, check out our Vendors.   

NOTICE

• Jo the Jam Lady will not be at market this Friday.  She plans to return on April 11.

IMPORTANT LOCAL HAPPENING

THE WHYS & HOWS OF EATING LOCAL

A Series That Takes the Mystery Out of Eating Local

Although this series has already begun, it's not too late to attend the remaining sessions.  Also, note that the series will repeat; therefore, you can pick up any session when they are offered the next time.

When: Tuesdays March 25, April 29, May 27, June 24 *

Time:    7:00-9:00 P.M.                                                                  

Click image to enlarge

Where: Cheviot United Methodist Church

3820 Westwood Northern Blvd. 45211

Cost: $10 (free) per session**, $30 (free) for series**

Student rate; $5 (free) per session**, $15 (free) for series**

Presented by Learning to Live Sustainably,

with support from Lettuce Eat Well Farmers’ Market

*We encourage participants to attend all four sessions; nevertheless, each session is stand alone and participants may pick and choose which sessions they wish to attend.  Sessions 1 & 2 cover the Whys.  Sessions 3 & 4 cover the Hows.  Series is scheduled to be repeated the last Tuesdays of July through October.

**The sessions are essentially free because each participant will receive 10, 30, 5, or 15 free Market Bucks, redeemable at any vendor booth at Lettuce Eat Well Farmers’ Market.

Thanks to the folks at Cheviot UMC for allowing the program to be held at their church.

To RSVP or for further information, call (513) 481-1914 or email   mary.learningtolivesustainably@gmail.com

REMINDERS
While some of you are long-time readers of the newsletter, people who are new to the market are reading the newsletter for the first time; therefore, the Reminders section is included each week so new folks can see what's happening around the market and around town.

At the beginning of the winter market we made some changes in the way we are holding market.  This Friday March 28 (3:00 - 6:00) will be what we are calling a Regular Market Day, while the following Friday April 4 (4:00 - 6:00) will be what we are calling Pre-order Pick Up Day.  To help everyone easily adjust to the changes, we offer the following check list of what to do at market this week:

1. Purchase all your food and non food items as you regularly do from the full line up of vendors who will be present this Friday.

1. Place your pre-orders with the two vendors who will be participating in the Pre-order Market Days.  Please note that you will be required to pay for your items at time of ordering, at which time you will receive a receipt for your pre-order.  We even made it easy to locate these vendors by placing them side by side at the beginning of the market space.

That's it.  That's all you need to do in order to get into the swing of things in our brand new, improved way of holding market.  

Please note the new time of the Regular Winter Market Days is 3:00 until 6:00 P.M. 

For complete Dates & Details about the entire 2013-2014 Winter Market click here.

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NEW VENDORS THIS MONTH

Village Green will be bringing a splash of color with their blooming pansies.  They will also have bare root thornless blackberry shrubs, and something we've never had at our market: oyster mushroom (the shrooms might take another couple weeks but they will be worth the wait).  Yummy!  They will also be bringing their Community Seed Library, offering free seeds.  Look for many other items from them as the weather continues to warm.  Plentiful produce, plants, and a few surprises will likely pop up at their booth.  You can learn more about this vital non profit organization by visiting their website  http://northsidevillagegreen.org/

Green Grrrl Wisdom is a tea-lover's delight, with many herbal teas to please.  Her lineup also includes herbal liquids and an array of body care products.  She's also planning to add soaps and massage oils in the near future.  For a full update about this new vendor, check out her Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/greengrrrlwisdom

Parkland Homestead has a small flock of laying hens who work diligently to provide eggs.  Parkland Homestead will also have produce as the weather warms, including some items we have never had at our market.  Lots of great foodie surprises are on the way in the coming weeks.  If you want to get really excited about some of the surprises coming our way check out their website and look at their "winter garden."   http://www.parklandhomestead.com/


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SPECIAL VOLUNTEER REQUEST:  If you have experience in developing software programs and/or web based online ordering systems we would love to hear from you ASAP.  To learn more, please email us Here.

WANTED:  VOLUNTEERS.  We're always looking for volunteers!  If you're available to lend a hand at the Market any time between 1:30pm and 6:30pm on Fridays, or during the week for more behind the scenes activities, check out the link below to contact us!

VENDORS:  We currently have openings for produce vendors.  If you are interested or know someone who might be, you may email us through the link below. 

Vendors/Volunteers Click Here!


Please share this newsletter with friends and family to help spread the word about LEWFM!

We hope to see you real soon at Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market!