Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Independence Day Weekend in Westerville

Best Independence Day Weekend Wishes from the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market!

Celebrating Independence Day is a full day in Westerville with events, block parties, and cookouts with friends and family.  We truly appreciate the efforts of the Rotary Club of Westerville and all its sponsors. This year, Westerville is celebrating the holiday on Saturday, July 3rd.

Here is Westerville's Independence Day Schedule:

Congratulations and thanks to Hanby Magnet School 4th Grader, Mitchell Whittaker for naming this year's parade theme: Freedom - the Best Gift of All.

The day starts with the 5k Rotary Walk/Run at Alum Creek Park, North. You can pre-register or register on-site from 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m., the walk/run starts at 8 a.m. and there are on-site activities for kids that start at 9:15. What a great way to start the weekend! There is an admission fee ($30; proceeds to the Rotary Club of Westerville) - for details check the website.

The Rotary Independence Day Parade starts at 1 p.m. at Heatherdown and S. State and moves North to St. Paul. We highly recommend watching the parade in Uptown Westerville!

Westerville Symphony is performing at the Sports Complex (County Line and Cleveland) at 9 p.m.

Finally, Fireworks!! 10 p.m. from Alum Creek Park, South off Schrock Rd.

Have a safe, happy holiday weekend.  Happy Birthday, America!!!

Photos: Sue's Kitchen celebrates the holiday at the 2009 Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: June 30th Market Report


What a beautiful day for a shopping trip to the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.

Home-grown. Home-made. All Ohio. We encourage you to keep UWFM in mind as you make out your Independence Day Weekend shopping list.

This week we welcome Chuck Evans and his Montezuma Brand salsas, chips, and sauces and Branstool Orchard will be bring the season's first peaches to the market.

Sue Renner of Sue's Kitchen is going all star spangled and red, white, and blue today with cherry, apple, and blueberry pies among other confections!

Last year, a freeze wiped out almost all of the Ohio peaches, so we are really looking forward to good Ohio peaches!

We will not see Bridgman Farm this week -- Best Happy Birthday Wishes, Mary!!

Today, the market has guests, kids from LEGACY (Leaders Engaging Globally as Community Youth). These kids are working on a community garden and learning about gardens, agriculture, and from seed in soil to plate, where our food comes from.  Welcome.

We encourage you to Shop Uptown Westerville and stop by Meza, 48 N. State. Tatjana and Jason feature a Market Wednesday $1 wine tasting and Tatjana is happy to offer suggestions for food and wine pairings to complement your market purchases.

See you at the market!

Photo: Snap peas from Doran's Family Farm.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: A Season Premiere - Montezuma Salsas

Welcome Chuck Evans and Montezuma Brand Salsas and Chips.

Perfect for cookouts -- Montezuma Brand's selection includes salsas, chips, pepper sauces, marinades, BBQ sauces, tortilla chips, and meat spice rubs.

Chuck has been making salsa since 1986 and knows his hot sauce!!  Stop by and welcome Chuck to the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.

Photo: Courtesy of Chuck Evans' Montezuma Brand.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Week 8 Photo Tour


The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market Week 8 Photo Tour is now online.

Click here to take the tour on flickr.

Photo: Fresh beets from Bird's Haven Farms.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: June 23rd Market Report


The revised weather report for June 23rd calls for a chance of rain and a very warm (low 90's), partly cloudy afternoon in Uptown Westerville.

Dress in your summery cool and visit the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at N. State and E. Home Streets.

With each passing week and these warm, humid temperatures, the produce colors are deeper, the variety wider, and the tastes richer.  Stop by the market for summer squash, kohlrabi, cucumbers, broccoli, radishes, strawberries, onions, and more.

We will not see Bridgman Farm, Landrum Cottage, Luna Burger, and Pleiades Maple at this week's market.  Sweet cherries are done, so Branstool Orchards and Malabar Peach Orchard will be back with peaches in a few weeks.

Take a break while you're at the market and stop at The Front Porch.  Hosted by Church of the Messiah, The Front Porch is a place to sit for a bit in the shade, enjoy a cool beverage (free water or lemonade), and visit. 

Uptown on Market Wednesday?  Shop Uptown Westerville. 

There is plenty of Uptown Westerville casual comfort to wet your whistle or cool off on a hot summer afternoon -- stop by Dairy Queen (84 N. State), Graeter's (1 N. State), Serendipity (33 E. College), Java Central (20 S. State), Blue Turtle Tea & Spice Co. (2 S. State), Old Bag of Nails Pub (24 N. State), Pizza Primo (10 E. Main), Jimmy V's (including patio dining by the fountain at 1 S. State), Thai Grille (15 E. College), Pasquale's Pizza and Pasta House (14 N. State), or Heavenly Cup (25 N. State).

Just a few steps south of the market, Meza, 48 N. State, features a Market Wednesday $1 wine tasting and a wide selection of foods and wines to pair with your market purchases. Stop by.

Artisan foods. Fresh proteins. Flowers. Organic. Conventional.

Home-grown. Home-made. All Ohio.

See you at the market!


Pictured: Shopping at the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.  Hanging out at The Front Porch.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Week 7 Photo Tour


The Week 7 Market Photo Tour is now on flickr!

Click here to take the tour.


Pictured: Honey Health Farms raw honey selection.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Week 6 Photo Tour


Week 6 already!  The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market June 9th Photo Tour is now on flickr.

Click here to take the tour!

Uptown Westerville Farmers Market: Serving Suggestions

Emeril Legasse has a new book out full of recipes and serving suggestions for your market purchases and garden harvest: Farm to Fork - Cooking Local. Cooking Fresh.


Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: June 16th Market Report



It's a beautiful Market Wednesday in Uptown Westerville and a great day to visit the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.

This week, we will not see Mary Bridgman of Bridgman Farm.  Mary has tomato plants to get into the ground on the farm. 

Branstool Orchard will be back this week with their fresh-picked sweet cherries. What a great inaugural week last week - they sold out! 

Bird's Haven Farms will feature a selection of broccoli, eggplant, okra, summer squash, cucumbers, tomato plants, hanging baskets & herbs.

Arjay Gourmet, along with Rohini's delicious chutneys and garam masala, will feature Rohinin's fresh-baked mini Fresh Mango Cupcakes, Indian crackers, cardamom cookies, and almond macaroons. Rohini's lemon thyme bars are quite yummy, by the way.

Like Blue Jacket Dairy (pictured above), most of our market vendors feature tasting samples -- tasting is quite a yummy way to tour the market and get to know the vendors.  Stop by Blue Jacket Dairy to taste their Gretna Grillin' cheese -- tastes like a grilled cheese sandwich without the bread and great for 'kebobs on the grill!  We have to warn you up front, you taste... you'll buy!

By the way, for those of you who stop Uptown and are looking for an ATM machine, Emerald Bank, 17 N. State has an ATM behind the building (walk up W. Main) at the drive-thru and Union Savings is located at 44 S. State next to Hanby School.

Each week, we encourage you to make an afternoon of it and Shop Uptown WestervilleMeza, 48 N. State, features a Market Wednesday $1 wine tasting and owners Tatjana and Jason Brown feature a selection of Made-in-Ohio pantry fare to perfectly accompany your market choices.

Enjoy the afternoon and we'll see you at the market!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: June 9th Market Report


The air is crisp, clean, and cool and the skies are clearing, so it's a great day to visit the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market!

Season Premieres: Arjay Gourmet - Rohini will be here with her delicious chutneys and baked goods and Branstool Orchard will start the marke season featuring fresh-picked sweet cherries.

We will not see Plieades Maple Products and Bridgman Farm at this week's market.

Meza, 48 N. State, just steps south of the market features Market Wednesday $1 wine tastings.  Ask Tatjana Brown for serving suggestions for today's market fare!

See you at the market!

Pictured: Fresh-baked pie from Sue's Kitchen.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Welcome Branstool Orchard


The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market welcomes new vendor, Branstool Orchards

Marshall Branstool is bringing fresh-picked sweet cherries to this week's market.

Branstool Orchards will also be bringing peaches and apples to the market this season.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Week 5 Photo Tour


The Week 5 Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market Photo Tour is now on flickr.

Click here and take the tour!

Photo: Honey bears from Honey Health Farms at the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Arjay Gourmet's First 2010 Appearance


Rohini Mulchandani of Arjay Gourmet will be making her first appearance of the 2010 Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market season this Wednesday, June 9th.

Rohini's delicious chutneys and baked goods are a market favorite.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Strawberry Pie Recipe


That's right, these are the first strawberries of the season from Doran's Family Farm.

Michelle Doran of Doran's Family Farm's Eisenhower Strawberry Pie

6 cups strawberries, (washed w/stems removed)
1/2 cup sugar
6 teaspoons arrowroot (or 3 tablespoons corn starch)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pre-baked pie shell

Take 3 cups of the strawberries and mash them up. (I use a potato masher). Put them in a pot to boil.

Add sugar and arrowroot (or corn starch) to mixture when they start to boil.

Stir constantly until the mixture clears. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Allow to cool and this is the glaze.

When cool, put in remaining 3 cups of berries and put in already cooked pie shell. Refrigerate and enjoy.

Serving Suggestion: Put whipped cream on top and some whole strawberries just before serving.

Pictured: Strawberries from Doran's Family Farm at the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Restaurant Widow's Market Guide


Restaurant Widow features a really nice guide to local farmers' markets including a nice nod to the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.

Click here to read more.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Become a Northridge Organic Facebook Fan


Northridge Organic Farm is now on facebook!

Become a fan!

Meet Mike and Laura Laughlin and find out what life is like on an organic farm.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: You Don't Have To Be a Grown-Up to Care and Take Action



Many a long-time Westerville resident has attended the "Old Vine Street School" at N. Vine and E. Home, and now Emerson is a Magnet School that focuses on world cultures.  The past 3 weeks The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market has hosted students from Emerson Magnet School as they sold specially labeled bottled water to support the PUR Children's Safe Drinking Water Project.

Emerson Students in Mrs. Taylor's class decorated special labels for water bottles, created visuals and special facts about the need for clean water for kids throughout the world, and gave a presentation to their market guests.

Proceeds from the Emerson effort will purchase PUR packets and the contents of these packets can take ordinary contaminated water and turn it into safe drinking water.  One PUR water packet cleans 10 litres of water (2.5 gallons).

With the PUR safe drinking water packet added to dirty water, after 5 minutes of stirring, and a 20 minute wait, bacterial contaminants are eliminated and any sediment in the water settles to the bottom of the container.  Pour the water into another container covered with a filter and you have clean, safe drinking water.

Mrs. Taylor shares,

Emerson World Cultures and Languages Magnet School is educating the public about our "Children's Safe Drinking Water" project. We are collecting donations to provide PUR packets from Proctor & Gamble to countries that lack safe drinking water. One dollar provides clean water for one child for 50 days. For a contribution, market patrons received a bottle of water as a thank you gift.

PUR packets are distributed through global relief organizations.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: June 2nd Market Report


That's right, the first broccoli of the season from Bridgman Farm.

And, with that we say, Welcome June!

The Week 4 Market Photo Tour is now up on flickr.  Stop by and enjoy!

The humid conditions and showers are really creating some amazing growth, so look for the first of market favorites and summer standards like broccoli, radishes, and lettuces.

Rumor has it we will see Church of the Messiah's Front Porch this afternoon!  The Front Porch is a welcome part of the market - a little shade, a cool drink, a place to take a load off for a bit!  Much thanks, to Lindsay Smith for all his efforts.

Looking at Accuweather thunderstorms set to move in around 7ish, but this afternoon will be humid, sunny, and in the 80s.

Home-grown. Home-made. All Ohio.

Market Wednesdays are from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the corner of N. State and E. Home through October.

We encourage you, while you're at the market, to Shop Uptown Westerville.

Meza, 48 N. State, always features Market Wednesday $1 wine tastings and features fine wines and gourmet pantry favorites, including lots of Ohio made foods.  Stop in to visit Tatjana Brown today!

See you at the market!

Pictured: Farm fresh broccoli from Bridgman Farm.