Saturday Market Newsletter May 18, 2024

Are you making your list and checking it twice for the Saturday Market? Farm vendors will still have strawberries, the crown jewel of early market displays. Our market is indeed a family affair, and we hope that you will bring friends and family and join us every Saturday from 8-noon through October.  Become part of our Saturday Market community and "Make us your downtown destination for fresh, local, and wonderful."

We have two new vendors for this week, Chubbee Creations (handmade bags & totes) and Precious Metals (copper water fountains, bird baths, and more). The Taylor Family will be our musical background for Saturday's market. Visit the Parkinson's Support Group tent at spot #28 on the market map. With 64 different vendors, you can find fresh strawberries, fresh mushrooms, bakery goods, bagels, locally raised meats, metal art, ceramics, jams, honey, flowers, and handmade cedar furniture.  We have all things good to eat, and all our artisan products are handmade. Join us on the square. We will be open rain or shine. 

Belle Fleur Farm will have another beautiful spread of produce this week, including the first trickle of beets, plenty of lettuce mix, lovely head lettuce, endive, escarole, kale, arugula, microgreens, fresh dill, mint, cilantro, salad turnips, radishes and much more! And speaking of radishes, did you know that they are not only delicious, but also full of vitamins and minerals? Radishes are high in calcium, vitamin C, niacin, thiamine, vitamin B6, folate, potassium, iron, and manganese!

They also contain a ton of antioxidants which fight free-radicals in our bodies, and they can lower our risk of heart disease and diabetes, manage blood sugar levels, and even reduce our risk of cancer. All of this is according to WebMD! It is the leaves in particular which contain the antioxidants that fight cancer, and we get a lot of questions on how to eat them. There are a ton of options, but our favorite preparation is probably just chopping them thin and adding them to soups, stir fries, braises, etc. You could even shred the softer leaves into a salad! With the prickly daikon leaves, we definitely recommend cooking. You can also dry these leaves and grind them into a zingy seasoning powder! I feel like they'd also make a lovely pesto, but I need to do some experimenting--let me know if you try this out. Regardless, it's a wonderful idea to toss some refreshing radish slices on top of your salad, in your sandwich, or even poach the whole or sliced roots until tender before seasoning with some salt and butter. I am going to stop here as I am making myself hungry.

In addition to the produce offerings at our table, we'll also have some lovely citrus paste, including my new favorite: meyer lemon and aji limo pepper! This is made with the same local, chemical free lemons you know and love in our original fermented lemon paste, with the added punch of flavor that is the aji limo. This reasonably spicy, bright yellow chili just might be my favorite due to its intoxicatingly fruity smell and taste. These two flavors together on veggies, mushrooms, chicken, or fish...WHEW! If you enjoy a little heat, you really don't want to miss it.

We'll have foraged black walnut elixir for your weekend old fashioned, handmade bitters for your sodas and cocktails, and a new treat: meyer lemons candied in their own syrup! This bright, sweet, and sour concoction is made in the style of the Korean condiment cheong. Traditionally, it's made with yuzu and is diluted into hot water to make a soothing and delicious tea. We can say it is also crazy good in soda or on top of some goat cheese and toast like a lemon preserve. It would knock your socks off paired with a little vanilla cake or some such treat... but I digress. This is a limited item and will be sold first come first served.--Kelsey

Stop by and talk food with Kelsey at Vendor Spot # 55/56. Learn more about Belle Fleur Farm.

Now that the market is underway, we will be highlighting some of our market vendors each week until we have featured all of them. The fun of shopping (and browsing) at a Farmer's Market is getting to talk to the growers, makers, and bakers. Take time to meet our market vendors and discover their products. Follow them on social media for more information. This week, meet (L-R) Scent of the Sun (handmade soaps), Silver Satyr Designs (magical & practical wood and acrylic laser engravings), Classy Cactus (succulents & more-ask about the Cactus Bar), 416 Clay Studio (handmade earrings, bookmarks & more) on Facebook, Green Garden Soap & Bath Creations (soaps, bath bombs, lotions & more) on Facebook, and CannaPham Farm (natural wellness products). You can find all of our vendors on the weekly market map.