Newsletter for Friday December 9, 2016

Winter Market hours 3:30 - 6:30
Be aware that vendors are not permitted to sell items to customers until the start of the market at 3:30.  Thank your for your cooperation with this.

Please note the following remaining dates of the 2016-2017 Winter Market:

December Dec. 9 and Dec. 16
January 6, and January 20
February 3 and February 17
March 3 and March 17
April 7 and April 21


Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market is held inside year-round for your shopping comfort at Cheviot United Methodist Church 3820 Westwood Northern Blvd. 45211.  The market is held in the church's Narthex, which is just inside the main entrance of the church.  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.  




THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHT
Beautiful and Practical: Gift Baskets From Green GRRRL Wisdom
If you are looking for a gift that pleases both the eye and the practical side of the
receiver, Green GRRRL Wisdom, aka Karen Blocher, will certainly have just what you want.  Karen has filled beautiful baskets with a variety of her products.  If you wish to purchase a custom designed basket simply email Karen at karen.l.blocher@gmail.com  Below are further details from Karen.


I will be bringing an assortment ranging in price from $15, $20 and $25. Some will be bath items, some will be more tea oriented, some will be soaps/etc. If anybody wants to special order a custom gift basket, they should contact me with their ideas of items, theme, and/or dollar amount, and I will connect with them about specifics to help come up with their perfect gift. 

You might also want to add a locally grown Lovely Loofah sponge to your gift basket  -  or simply purchase some for yourself.  More 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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SPECIAL GUEST VENDOR
One of our favorite customers, Susan VonderHaar, will be with us during December as
the makings of a loofah sponge
 a Special Guest Vendor.  Susan is a volunteer extraordinaire and now you can take advantage of her hard work while also supporting one of our local schools.  See below for all the details from Susan.

Lovely Loofah. Special holiday gift item will be on sale during December (while supplies last) from the Dater Montessori Nature Center gardens. The student garden grew loofah which are among the cucumber family and grow on a vine. The fibrous internal matter of the (marrowlike) fruit is dried to a course cylinder to be used as a bath or kitchen sponge. Sizes may vary, 5-6" for $3.00. Proceeds to benefit Nature and Gardening education programming at Dater Montessori School (2840 Boudinot Ave.) Pack of loofah seeds included with every sale. Thank you for your support.



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PLENTIFUL PRODUCE CONTINUES

Be assured that we will have plentiful produce for many weeks to come, likely throughout most of the winter.  Linda of Honey Tree Acres will be at market with a plethora of produce.  Also, I will continue to sell produce grown locally by the farmers at Our Harvest Cooperative.  And remember, all produce sold at our market is grown using no synthetic chemicals.

While some people shy away from going to farmers' markets when the weather turns cool because they think there will be little produce there, there is no need for you to do so.  In fact, we are running over full with fresh veggies.  Actually, fall is a great time to Eat Well while eating locally.  We have had, and expect to continue to have, over two dozen different types of vegetables each week.  And they are so fresh and nutritious, simply bursting with flavor.  Do your health a favor and continue to shop LEWFM throughout the winter months; you won't be disappointed, I'm sure.

In addition to the fresh produce, we will have a well rounded selection of other food items, along with teas, tinctures, soaps, and many other items.  As you shop our Collaborative Specialty Market you will see that our lineup of products make it well worth your while to frequent LEWFM each market day.      


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BEEF AND PORK
The first Friday of each month, Mike & Deb of Abundant Green Pastures Ranch, who supply us with their 100% grass fed beef from their Red Devon heritage breed cattle, will be selling Mahlon's pastured pork.  This collaborative arrangement between Mike and Mahlon will be more efficient for Mahlon who, being Amish, necessitated hiring a driver to bring him to market.  This arrangement will be a win-win for all.  If you are on the market's pre-order list you will receive further info from Abundant Green Pastures Ranch about the pork.  If you are not on the pre-order list and would like to be, please see further details below.

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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 no longer has to happen?  At LEWFM you can pre-order your items and pick them up any time during regular market hours.  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 emails 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.  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


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