Newsletter for Friday September 26, 2014

Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market is now on its Summer/Autumn schedule, which means market is held every Friday from 3:00 until 7:00 P.M. at the market's year-round location at Cheviot United Methodist Church 3820 Westwood Northern Blvd.  45211.  No matter what the weather, you can shop in comfort because the market is now located inside.  The indoor location is usually right inside the front entrance of the church, but this could vary depending on other activities taking place at the church.  Follow the happy voices and you'll find us.

Linda of Honey Tree Acres Farm and Gardens


THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHT
Transitioning Summer to Autumn
While the calendar says it's Autumn, the market still shows some signs of Summer, mostly in the form of tomatoes, along with another crop of green beans starting this week.  If you haven't quite gotten your fill of locally grown tomatoes and beens, you still have time to scoop them up.  Planning ahead and canning or putting some in the freezer for this winter would be a great idea, too.

As you can see in the picture above, Autumn is also prevalent.  Beautiful gourds, along with yummy winter squash are in plentiful supply.  To add to the beauty are Linda's spectacular sunflowers, cockscomb, gorgeous cut flowers, and potted mums in a variety of colors.  At market last week, Linda also gave us the good news that pumpkins will soon be arriving.  They also plan to bring cornstalks to add to your Autumn decorations.  Cool weather crops of red and green cabbage and lettuce are also now available. Yes, you can still Eat Well from the farmers' market. 
 

RECENTLY ADDED
We are excited to announce that Zosia Bread Company has added a new bread to their
Kale Pesto Bread
lineup of great breads, made locally by Andi Cossman.  You can now enjoy the yumminess of Andi the Baker's Kale Pesto bread.  We sampled the bread last week and we can assure you it is super tasty.  Andi also shared the hint that it's even more yummy when served warm with pizza sauce.  Doesn't that make your mouth water just reading about it.


You are invited to stop by the bread booth this week where we will be offering samples of the Kale Pesto bread, along with Zozia Bread Company's other fine breads: Rosemary Sweet potato, Multiseed crispbread, and Gluten Free crispbread.  All Zosia breads are pre-order only, so after sampling you can order the items for pickup the following Friday.  Dipping the Zosia breads and the Sixteen Bricks breads in Mt. Kofinas quality olive oil, all available at the market, also adds to the yumminess. 
 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Whom do you trust to provide what you eat?  Would you feel safer eating what you purchase at the grocery store, items grown and processed by sources and methods unknown to you?  Or would you feel safer purchasing food at the farmers' market directly from the producers whom you can question regarding their growing practices?


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.

10-Day Local Food Challenge
After over half century of obtaining our food primarily from grocery stores and fast food places, with little thought to the quality of the food, many more people are waking up to wondering what is really in their food.  Hardly a day goes by without yet another news story that gives us cause to pause and be concerned about the food we are consuming.  While the news can be a bit disconcerting, the good news is that more people are becoming aware that what we've thought of as food is often "food like substances," a favorite phrase from Michale Pollan.  

Becoming more aware and waking up to what is really in our food is resulting in more people showing up at farmers' markets, looking for healthy food.  We see this trend spreading from coast to coast, resulting in books, blogs, and documentaries about food and how it is grown/raised, along with how the growing methods are affecting people and the environment in which we live.  A brief documentary, Relational Eating by Vicki Robin, tells of her experience following a 10-mile diet for a month. 

Admitting that a 10-mile diet is extreme and something that most people could not and would not want to try, she has now modified this "experiment" to a 10-Day/100-Mile diet.  Words from her website gives additional insight as to how this can be do-able for each of us: :
Local used to be the way everyone ate. Could it be again? Let’s run the 10-Day Local Food Challenge and see. How local can we go? For how long? The challenge isn’t just “can you do it?” It’s “can we do it? Can we all bring our eating closer to home? And if not, why not?
The experiment is simple: For 10 days or more eat food grown within 100 miles or less of your home. Give yourself 10 or fewer exotics, foods from afar (like coffee or oil) to make it do-able.
 
If you are interested in participating in the 10-Day/100 Mile Diet, or simply want to follow the stories of those who will be participating, you may find more information here.

If you would like more information about how to eat local right here in your own neighborhood, you are invited to attend The Whys & Hows of Eating Local: A Series That Takes the Mystery Out of Eating Local, which will be held at the same location as our farmers' market.  See below for further details.    

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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, as each session is stand alone.


When: Tuesdays July 29, August 26, September 30, October 28   

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

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



Click image to enlarge
*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.  


**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

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NEW AT THIS SUMMER'S MARKET 

PRE-ORDER AND SAVE $$$

Would you like to save $$$ on your food purchases while not compromising on quality?  We thought your answer would be yes, so we devised a way for you to accomplish this.  During the summer market season, a number of our vendors will be participating in Pre-order and Save $$$.  Following are examples of the promotions that two vendors will be offering:  Angelia’s Homemade Pies (& more) will be offering a 10% discount on all pre-ordered baked goods.  Learning to Live Sustainably (L2LS):  After customers have pre-ordered a total of 12 loaves of bread they will receive their 13th loaf free.

As if Saving $$$ isn't enough, Pre-ordering has additional bonuses for both customers and vendors.  When you pre-order your items you are ensured that your favorite foods will not be sold out before you arrive at market.  Additionally, pre-ordering cuts down on waste of perishable foods.  When you let your favorite vendors know in advance what items you want to purchase, the vendors can then produce/harvest the quantities needed to supply their customers.  Furthermore, our already-overly-busy vendors can use their time to make what their customers most want.  Stop by your favorite vendors' booths to inquire about how to Pre-order and Save $$$.  

As more vendors become involved in the Pre-order and Save $$$ promos we will highlight them in future newsletters. You can also see up-to-the-minute news on the market's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lewfm.org 

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For a full listing of our vendors, their products, and services including:
  • Kids & Krafts (available starting at about 4:15), where the kids can have loads of fun so you can leisurely shop the market
  • Many food and non-food items
  • and a list of vendors who accept credit cards
Check out our Vendors.

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Produce Perks
For those who noticed the new logo at the bottom of the newsletter recently and wondered what it means, here is the good news about a new program that began this summer.  Produce Perks is an incentive program that is meant to encourage and help those who receive EBT (formerly known as food stamps) purchase more produce.  Produce Perks is a dollar for dollar match (up to $10), with the matching dollars used on produce.  The Produce Perks website offers the following additional information:
“Produce Perks” is an initiative modeled after a similar program in Cuyahoga County.  It is administered by OSU Extension, Hamilton County as a partnership of OSU Extension, Hamilton County; the City of Cincinnati Health Department; and the City of Cincinnati Creating Healthy Communities initiative.  Focus is on access and affordability of healthy fruits and vegetables for under-served consumers. 
Produce Perks are incentive tokens given to customers at participating farmers’ markets who use an Ohio Direction Card (“electronic benefits transfer” or EBT card) to purchase food.  A customer wishing to use their food assistance benefits can swipe their card at one central terminal, located at participating market’s information booths, and ask to withdraw a desired amount. The market provides tokens for the transaction and additional Produce Perks that can be spent on fruits and vegetables.  As the name suggests, Produce Perks are only good for purchasing fruits and vegetables.  All other tokens purchased with the Ohio Direction Card are good to use on eligible items at the market.           
Please help us spread the word about this very worthwhile program.  One way to help get the word out is to stop by the market management booth to pick up brochures to share with those you know who receive EBT benefits.  You could also leave brochures at your church, doctor or dentist's office, or any locations that would permit you to do so. 

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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 7:30pm on Fridays, or during the week for more behind the scenes activities, check out the link below to contact us!  Our greatest need is help with set up from 1:30 until 3:00 and take down from 7:00 until 7:30.

VENDORSWe currently have openings for a meat vendor, produce vendors, and vendors offering value added items.  If you are interested or know someone who might be, you may email us through the link below. 

Vendors/Volunteers Click Here!

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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!

      


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