Newsletter for Friday October 3, 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.


THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHT
Angelia's Homemade Pies
When Jenny Kettering of Angela's Homemade Pies joined the market a number of years ago she quickly became known as Jenny the Pie Lady.  As Jenny added more items to her lineup we began to refer to her as Jenny the Pie & More Lady.  Now that apple season has arrived we will likely begin calling her Jenny the Apple Lady because she is putting apples in everything (well, almost everything).  Wanting to source as many ingredients from local farmers as possible, Jenny recently purchased lots (and lots) of apples from a local grower.



While you'll find apples in many of Jenny's offerings, including her apple pecan bread, apples are not the only Autumn season item to be found in Jenny's lineup of yummy treats.  How about chocolate pumpkin bread?  Now that sounds like a seriously delicious treat, for home, school lunches, or to take to a special gathering where good food is always welcome.  Not wanting to forget the family doggie, Jenny also sells her homemade doggie treats.   
And, if all this isn't enough, Jenny sells Kenny's Farmhouse Cheeses, made in Austin, Kentucky by Kenny Mattingly.  Now you can see why we call her Jenny the Pie & Lots More Lady.  Just a reminder that Jenny gives a 10% discount on baked goods that you have pre-ordered.  


RECENTLY ADDED ITEM
Karen Blocher, aka Green GRRRL Wisdom, Certified Herbalist, has a few paw paw trees for sale, which she started from seed.  Karen can give you complete details about best growing practices.  While at her booth you can, of course, avail yourself of her many other offerings, including soaps and other body care products, tonics, and a variety of teas.  Karen offers samples of her teas so you can try before you buy.



SEASONAL PRODUCE/ITEMS 
As we continue our transition from Summer to Autumn we continue to see some summer produce, mostly tomatoes and green beans, along with the cool weather produce of red cabbage, pumpkins, and winter squash.  Sometimes Mother Nature adds a few surprises on harvest days, so you're invited to stop by to see what other produce our farmers have gleaned from their fields.  In addition, our farmers are bringing corn stalks and a plethora of colored mums, along with beautiful cut flowers to add beauty to your fall decorations at home, office, or your child's classroom (after obtaining teacher permission).
 

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.


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

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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.

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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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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