Hello Everyone,
Wow! The summer is flying by, and here we are approaching another Freshies Farmers' Market. We'll be on the front lawn of the Moretown School this Wednesday from 4:30pm-7:30pm. Don't be discouraged if we get our customary 4:15pm thunderstorm. The Freshies vendors will trickle in as the weather allows and stay late.
This week, Jenna will have flowers, lettuce, cilantro, Swiss chard, radishes, and maybe some carrots. Her gardens and greenhouses are starting to yield their summer abundance, and I hope you will be able to enjoy some of the fruits and veggies of her labor.
Last week, Karen was with us with her goodies-- Mountain Woman and Mountain Man bars, home produced maple syrup, eggs and herbs. We also had Kevin and Constancia from Lalu farm in Warren with their delicious goat cheese, honey and new Dulce de Leche. At home last night, we enjoyed their goat cheese on the quintessential summer salad: chopped green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, sliced garlic, fresh basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Yum! With the temperatures predicted for today and tomorrow, I think I'll be making more delicious cold food like that.
And, hooray! David and Wendy Tidhar from Peacock Pastures in Duxbury came for the first time last week, and I am in organically raised grass fed beef heaven! They also brought totally fresh, never frozen whole roasting chickens and may bring some cheeses from the von Trapp Farm too. They were taking orders for grass fed lamb, and I know they will have turkeys available in the fall. David said of all the livestock he raises, the turkeys are the most fun and interesting. Of course, a comment like that got me thinking... Mmmm, turkeys... How many could we really eat in a year?
For my part, the ferments have been selling out faster than I can grow or shred them. A bunch of different people have been coming up to me and talking about seeing Sandor Katz (the author of Wild Fermentation and the bulk of my inspiration) on TV, attending his class at Sterling College, going to his talk at the Barre Library or attending his workshop at Shelburne Farms. This enthusiasm and interest makes me so happy! I would be thrilled if more people began creating their own fermented foods in their own kitchens with their own signature traits. I encourage anyone who is beginning to ferment to come see me at the market and share your ideas and questions with me. I'm a nut about this process and love to talk to people about doing it.
So, for the market, I'll have kombucha by the glass, Saida's Kimchi and Curried Kraut for ferments. Chickens permitting, I'll bring some of our mostly organic eggs to sell, too. I'm hoping to pull together something with my black currants also, in addition to having the black currant syrup to add to kombucha. I haven't totally landed on my idea, but I'm thinking along the lines of something summery, cool, delicious and healthful....
We would still welcome additional vendors, especially folks or kids who wanted to make food that is ready to eat at the market. Come talk to Jenna about the logistics and facilities available for producing food if you are interested.
I hope your summer is unfolding well and that you have been enjoying the sunshine, the river and the love of people in your life. We look forward to seeing you at the market.
Be Well,
Beki Auclair
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