In her poem, A New England Gardener Gets Personal, Maxine Kumin writes “Kale/curls. Laughs at cold rain./ Survives/leaf-snapping hail./Under snow, stays green./Comes crisp as a handclap/to the bowl,/then lies meekly down/with lettuces and cole.”
The spring greens are a delight. Planted early, the lettuce, kale, mustard and turnip greens, joined by the crisp radish and the bunching onion, bring the earliest color, flavor, variety, crunch and nutrition to the market and our tables. Ms. Kumin gardened in Maine, with its extraordinarily short growing season. Those crops that can survive the cold, overwinter and grow easily are treasured, kale not least among them. All the greens bring nutrients, but those in the brassica family, which includes kale and turnip, bring extra dollops. And there are so many ways to enjoy these greens. Salad of course (a mixture of fresh greens cut or torn), massaged kale (with olive oil, lemon, nuts and dried fruit), sauteed with onion/garlic, or added to bean soups (so Mediterranean!). And unlike the perennial asparagus and rhubarb, and the quick to bolt or turn bitter spinach and lettuce, kales make it through the summer and well into cold weather. An easy addition to any garden.
Thank you for a joyous first market day last Saturday! And there will be more joy to spread around as the Market’s Kids’ Craft returns this week with an Edible Bird Feeder make and take. Join Mrs. Debra at the Market Info Tent to make this fun bird feeder that your birds will love!
The Fayette County Farmers Market is open Saturday morning from 8:30 to noon and is located in the municipal parking lot on the corner of South Main and East East streets in Washington C.H. SNAP EBT food benefit cards and credit/debit cards are accepted. Those using the SNAP EBT card for food purchases receive matching dollar “Produce Perks” tokens ($1 for $1) good only for fruits, vegetables, and food producing plants. So,”buy one, get one” for up to $25 EVERY market day. Five-dollar coupons will be available again for FAYETTE COUNTY Farm Bureau members at each Saturday market; these can be spent at both the Wednesday and Saturday markets.
The following list contains the names and products of the vendors that expect to set up this Saturday. Other vendors may participate as well.
Cheryl’s Country Crafts (Cheryl Braun & David Stewart): Crafts and homemade soaps and wreaths.
Cozy Baby Blessings (Nancy Cutter): Cozy Baby Blessings: Baby Essentials including crochet blankets and hats, flannel receiving blankets and burb cloths. Also beaded pens, crochet dish cloths and pot scrubbers and wax melts (50+ scents).
DSC Produce Farm (Darren Cox): Salsas, dressings and new baby pickled beets and bacon salsa. Sampling new black bean and corn. $2.00 off coupons for use on DSC products all season.
Engeti (Alana Walters): Baked goods including bread, cinnamon rolls, rolls, cakes, pies, cookies.
Greens & Greenery (Katrina Bush): Native shrubs/trees: pagoda dogwood, elder, river birch. Perennial ornamental, flowering and herb plants including fern, astilbe, daisy, lemon balm, peppermint, sage, clary sage. Sourdough crackers. Seasonal produce.
Jim’s Premium Ground Beef (Jim Hobbs): Premium ground beef in assorted packages (patties, bulk tubes).
Julie G’s Cookies (Julie Greenslade): Sugar, chocolate chip, peanut butter, snickerdoodle, funfetti cookies, ginger, oatmeal raisin, chocolate peanut butter bars, lemon bars, salted caramel bars, oatmeal toffee bars and pineapple cookies.
Lorre Black Umbrellas, LLC (Lorre Black): Unique designer umbrellas.
Ohio Artisan Beef (W.J. & Lanita Fannin): individual cuts, ground beef & beef patty bundles, variety boxes & 1/4, 1/2 and whole beef reservations.
Persinger Produce and Cottage Foods, The Jam Man (David Persinger): Apple butter, JAMS: strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, rhubarb, pineapple, Brazilian pineapple, triple berry, peach, peach flamingo, blueberry, cherry, blackberry, seedless blackberry, red raspberry, red raspberry jalapeno, and pineapple habanero and JELLIES: grape, hot pepper jelly and NO ADDED SUGAR: peach, strawberry, and seedless blackberry. White Texas sheet cakes (almond extract).
PPCF & S. Plymouth Raw Honey) (Julie & Dennis Mosny): Local raw honey, assorted fruit pies, buns bars, oatmeal raisin cookies, cinni mini’s and cinnamon rolls.
Rural Beans Roastery LLC (Kameron Rinehart): Assorted freshly roasted coffee — beans and ground.
Sulphur Lick Treasures (Christina Skaggs): Custom tumblers made on the spot, hand made earrings, plant stakes, air plant holders, propagation stands, signs, and trinkets.
Wood Designs by DW (Debbie Welch): One of a handcrafted wood items— birdhouses, signs, tables, gnomes. Crocheted items including kitchen towels, pot scrubs, pot holders, baby booties, and afghans. Will take custom and special orders.
Your Other Mother’s Kitchen (Don & Sara Creamer): Breads, other baked good and crafts.
