Newsletter for Friday June 12, 2015

Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market is held each Friday year-round at Cheviot United Methodist Church 3820 Westwood Northern Blvd. 45211.  The market is usually held in the church's Werner Lounge.  Follow the sign that says OFFICES and we will be right inside that entrance.  Please note that this location could vary depending on other activities taking place at the church.  Follow the happy voices and you'll find us.  

We are now on our Summer Market schedule:  Fridays 3:00 - 7:00 P.M.

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHT

The Market Resource Table

Click image to enlarge

Have you wanted to compost but don't know how to start?  Pick up a free copy of A Simple Guide to Composting.  Would you like to know when your favorite produce items are in season?  Pick up a free copy of the CORV local food guide.  How about information on outdoor activities in the area?  Grab a copy of Outdoor Guide to the Tri-State.  All of these are free for the taking from the Market Resource Table, which is located just inside the market entrance.  

Click image to enlarge

You are invited to peruse the Market Resource Table each week; the selections vary from week to week and include literature on many topics of interest.  You will find current and past issues of Edible Ohio Valley and Natural Awakenings.  You will also see a Recommended Read of the Week.  This week I am featuring Mark Bittman's book, Leafy Greens, a very timely selection given the abundance of greens we've been seeing at market each week.  Leafy Greens offers not only recipes but also includes valuable information about a multitude of various types of greens.  Although the weekly Recommended Read books are not free for you to take, most often they will be available at the public library.
 

NOTICES 

• Please be aware that on Friday, June 19 market will be held outside on the front lawn of the church.  This one week change in location is due to the entire church building being used for Vacation Bible School.

AND THE WINNER IS.......

Gabe (from Honey Tree Acres) with Peg, the lucky winner (right)

In last week's newsletter I introduced our newest Pre-order Promo.  Each time you place and pick up your pre-order your name is included in our free market bag drawing.  We drew our first winner at the end of market last Friday and as luck would have it the winner just happened to still be at market.  No, the winner need not be present to win.  Peg, a long time weekly customer, was the first of 20 lucky winners.  Yes, we will be giving away a free market bag each week for 20 weeks.  You could be the next lucky winner.  To learn how, see articles in Previously Announced section below. 

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED

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, this section is included each week so new folks can see what's happening around the market and around town. 

New Pre-order Promo: Win a Free Market Bag
Beginning June 5th we will be giving away a free market bag to a lucky winner.  Actually, there will be 20 lucky winners because we will be giving away a market bag each week for 20 weeks.  To be eligible to win a free market bag, you simply need to place a pre-order with any vendor.  Each time you pick up your pre-order your name will be entered into the drawing to win a free market bag. To learn more about pre-ordering, see the article Pre-ordering Pays Off (below).

The free market bag give away is made possible by the generous gift of  
Erin McDermott, one of the market's volunteers.

Erin, busy sewing market bags

Erin, a volunteer from Bridgetown, began spending time at the market to meet some nearby neighbors. She loves to help make sure things run smoothly and offer her friendly smile as a market greeter. Erin is a talented seamstress and recently decided to sew a few market bags to give away at the market.  She wants to thank the West-siders she sees at Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market for shopping local, and for taking part in an important community endeavor. Be sure to introduce yourself next time you see Erin at the market! 

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Pre-ordering Pays Off
Have you ever arrived at market to purchase your favorite item/s from your favorite vendor/s only to be disappointed because the vendor/s sold out of the item/s?  Did you know that that no longer has to happen?  At LEWFM you can pre-order your items and pick them up any time during market hours of 3:00 - 7:00 P.M.  Pre-ordering not only pays off for you, it also helps the vendors know how much to prepare/harvest, which greatly reduces waste.  Pre-ordering is a real win-win for all, and it only takes a few minutes of your time to plan ahead and place your order.  Given the importance of Eating Well, getting into the habit of placing your pre-orders each week will likely become a high priority on your weekly To Do List. 

There are two easy ways you can place your pre-orders, in person at market or via email.  Here's how the email ordering works:  Email me at LEWFMLOCAL@GMAIL.COM and ask to be added to the vendor email pre-order list.  Each week you will receive an email from the vendors detailing the items they have available for you to order that week.  Reply to their email, letting them know the items you wish to order, then come to market on Friday to pick up your items. 

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For a full listing of our vendors, their products, and services including:

• Kids & Krafts, 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 logo at the bottom of the newsletter recently and wondered what it means, here is the good news about a new program.  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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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!

Newsletter compiled by Mary A. Hutten, Market Manager