We are now on our Summer Market schedule: Fridays 3:00 - 7:00 P.M.
Eating Well, Year-round
Because I want to Eat Well year-round, this time of year finds me "putting food by." Over the past few weeks I have begun to put food up for the winter months. While some folks like to can, my personal preference is freezing. I also do some fermenting of foods, which I learned about from reading Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. Some people think getting their food from the grocery store is more convenient. Personally, I can't see the logic in that. I see grocery store shopping as more of a hassle than simply going to my pantry where my food supply is waiting for me.
Although putting food up for the winter involves an upfront outlay of resources - time and money - the payoff in the end is significant. Purchasing produce at our market and then preserving it for future use assures me that I will have the highest quality food available throughout the winter. Because all produce at our market is grown using no synthetic chemicals and contains no GMOs, there is no need for me to worry about reading labels or wonder what is in the food.
If you would like to try your hand at putting up some food for the winter, following is a good recipe with which to start because it's both simple to make and easy to obtain the ingredients, currently at market in abundance. The recipe came to me from Rhashell Romans of Romans Family Farm (a former vendor at our market). I was not a fan of salsa until the first time I tried Rhashell's recipe. Now it's a yearly ritual to pull out her recipe, gather up the ingredients and make what has become one of my favorite foods. I use the salsa on scrambled eggs, on meatloaf, and in many other dishes. As you'll see, the recipe makes quite a lot of salsa. If you want to start small, simply reduce the amounts.
10 cups chopped tomatoes
5 cups chopped peppers (sweet bell)
1 cup chopped hot peppers (You may increase or decrease the amount of hot peppers to suit your taste, but use care when handling hot peppers because they can burn your skin. Wearing gloves is advised as needed.)
5 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 heads garlic, peeled, separated into cloves, and minced fine
3 tablespoon cilantro (optional)
3 teaspoon sea salt
Place all ingredients in a large stock pot, stir to combine, bring to a boil and simmer 10 - 15 minutes.
After allowing the salsa to cool completely I stir it well then I carefully pour about 1 1/2 to 2 cups into a quart plastic zip bag, then zip it shut while flattening it, doing this carefully so as to not let any of the salsa escape. I place the bags on a cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen. Using this method of flattening the bags allows for easier storage. Remember to label the bags before filling. I find that it's very helpful to keep good records of what I put in the freezer and labeling each package helps. I then add the item to my master list to refer to throughout the winter. If you have questions or want to discuss putting food by, feel free to email me by simply replying to this newsletter, or talk with me at market.
Because I want to Eat Well year-round, this time of year finds me "putting food by." Over the past few weeks I have begun to put food up for the winter months. While some folks like to can, my personal preference is freezing. I also do some fermenting of foods, which I learned about from reading Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. Some people think getting their food from the grocery store is more convenient. Personally, I can't see the logic in that. I see grocery store shopping as more of a hassle than simply going to my pantry where my food supply is waiting for me.
Although putting food up for the winter involves an upfront outlay of resources - time and money - the payoff in the end is significant. Purchasing produce at our market and then preserving it for future use assures me that I will have the highest quality food available throughout the winter. Because all produce at our market is grown using no synthetic chemicals and contains no GMOs, there is no need for me to worry about reading labels or wonder what is in the food.
If you would like to try your hand at putting up some food for the winter, following is a good recipe with which to start because it's both simple to make and easy to obtain the ingredients, currently at market in abundance. The recipe came to me from Rhashell Romans of Romans Family Farm (a former vendor at our market). I was not a fan of salsa until the first time I tried Rhashell's recipe. Now it's a yearly ritual to pull out her recipe, gather up the ingredients and make what has become one of my favorite foods. I use the salsa on scrambled eggs, on meatloaf, and in many other dishes. As you'll see, the recipe makes quite a lot of salsa. If you want to start small, simply reduce the amounts.
10 cups chopped tomatoes
5 cups chopped peppers (sweet bell)
1 cup chopped hot peppers (You may increase or decrease the amount of hot peppers to suit your taste, but use care when handling hot peppers because they can burn your skin. Wearing gloves is advised as needed.)
5 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 heads garlic, peeled, separated into cloves, and minced fine
3 tablespoon cilantro (optional)
3 teaspoon sea salt
Place all ingredients in a large stock pot, stir to combine, bring to a boil and simmer 10 - 15 minutes.
After allowing the salsa to cool completely I stir it well then I carefully pour about 1 1/2 to 2 cups into a quart plastic zip bag, then zip it shut while flattening it, doing this carefully so as to not let any of the salsa escape. I place the bags on a cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen. Using this method of flattening the bags allows for easier storage. Remember to label the bags before filling. I find that it's very helpful to keep good records of what I put in the freezer and labeling each package helps. I then add the item to my master list to refer to throughout the winter. If you have questions or want to discuss putting food by, feel free to email me by simply replying to this newsletter, or talk with me at market.
AND THE WINNER IS.....
The winner of last week's free market bag is Alicia B. We will be giving away a free market bag every week through the middle of October. If you are not familiar with how the pre-order/free market bag promo works, see further details in the Previously Announced section.
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Some of you are long-time readers of the newsletter; others are new to the market and are reading the newsletter for the first time. This section is included each week to bring your attention to important happenings around the market and around town.
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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:
Newsletter compiled by Mary A. Hutten, Market Manager
The winner of last week's free market bag is Alicia B. We will be giving away a free market bag every week through the middle of October. If you are not familiar with how the pre-order/free market bag promo works, see further details in the Previously Announced section.
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Some of you are long-time readers of the newsletter; others are new to the market and are reading the newsletter for the first time. This section is included each week to bring your attention to important happenings 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, 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!
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 |
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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
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Please share this newsletter with friends and family to help spread the word about LEWFM!
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:
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. 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.
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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
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