Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: July 25th Market Report


Fresh sweet corn from Doran's Family Farm.


Shopping at the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.


Redskin potatoes and garlic from Flying J Farm.


We have Ohio peaches from Branstool Orchards and Malabar Peach and Apple.



Tomatoes from Bird's Haven Farms.


Okra from Bird's Haven Farms.


Squash and Eggplant from Bridgman Farm.


A market favorite - Sunshine flat Bread from Sugar B Bakery.


Come join us at N. State and E. Home on Market Wednesday!

It's a typical Central Ohio summer afternoon (a tad warm, a little breeze, a touch of humidity) and it's a great day for some farm fresh shopping for your summer table.

We will not see Sue's Kitchen today - look for Sue and her delicious pies and baked goods next week.

We have summer fruit, rich in flavor and ripened in the Ohio sun - Z Blueberry will be at market today along with Branstool Orchards and Malabar Peach and Apple Orchard and we should see cantaloupe this week as well!

Looking for your own farm fresh experience? Many of our produce vendors have seasonal U-Pick on the farm, just ask.

Produce abounds with sweet corn, squash, tomatoes, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes and more. Visit Bird's Haven Farms, Northridge Organic Farm, Flying J Farm, Bridgman Farm, and Doran's Family Farm.

Market Wednesday opens at 3 p.m. and there are no early sales. There can be lines for peaches and produce in the first hour of the market - the lines move fast, but we just wanted you to know.

We have awesome artisan food vendors - Chuck Evans' Montezuma Brand (salsas, tortilla chips, hot sauces, rubs, marinades and sauces), Sweet Thing Gourmet (jams, biscotti), Honey Health Farms (raw honey), Dana Lee's (sweet and savory baked goods), and Sugar B Bakery (loaf breads, flat breads, and cookies), Blue Jacket Dairy (cheese), Ohio Farm Direct (grass-fed cow organic milk products including cheese and drinkable yogurt, along with summer sausage, beef sticks, trail bologna), Pleiades Maple Products (Ohio maple syryp, maple-based sauces and toppings and confections, maple-coated puffed spelt).

Flying J Farm features grass-fed beef and Fox Hollow Farm sells beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and fresh eggs.

Market dairy and eggs are sold refrigerated and meats are frozen, so pack a cold pack or cooler for safe transport home.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market resident cooking instructor Cindy Ramsey will be sharing cooking tips, serving suggestions, and Market-fare recipes. In today's spotlight - zucchini cake. Visit Cindy's blog for recipes and ideas. If you have a cooking or food question or see something at the market that looks great but you aren't sure what to do with it - just ask Cindy.

The best of my education has come from the public library... my tuition fee is a bus fare and once in a while, five cents a day for an overdue book. You don't need to know very much to start with, if you know the way to the public library. ~Lesley Conger

Today, you just need to stop by the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market to visit Westerville Public Library - today's special guest.

Stop by Church of the Messiah's Front Porch on the patio at 74 N. State - have a free cup of cold lemonade or ice water.

See you at the market!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: July 18th Market Report


Taters! Flying J Farm.



Shopping at Bird's Haven Farms.


Cherry tomatoes from Bird's Haven Farms.


Shopping on Market Wednesday.


Summer squash at Bird Haven's Farms.


Market favorite Spinach Loaf from Sugar B Baker.

It's going to be hot today, no way around it.  So, even if you can only stay long enough to pick up your Market Wednesday favorites and then dash back to the cool of the A/C, we understand.

We've got fresh-picked sweet corn, peaches, tomatoes, and summer squash.  Each week we are seeing more produce at market - last week was the first week for sweet corn and tomatillos.

Sue's Kitchen will be at market today with Peach pie, Lodi apple pie, Chocolate Zucchini Bread, and a selection of awesome home-baked cookies.

We will not see Pleiades Maple, Mockingbird Meadows, Dana Lee's, and Z Blueberry today.

Stop by to visit Tara Trigg from Westerville Electric Division.

Market Wesdnesday greatly appreciates the support we get from Tatjana and Jason Brown of Meza at 48 N. State. Stop by Meza for the Market Wednesday Sangria Tasting (and recipe) and if you ever have wine pairing questions, stop in and ask Tatjan or Jason for suggestions!

See you at the market!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Sweet Corn!


Sweet Corn is here. 

Doran's Family Farm brought the first truckload of Licking County sweet corn to Market Wednesday on July 11th.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Market Fare Serving Suggestions


Looking for some new ideas for your summer meals? Market Wednesday resident cooking instructor, Cindy Ramsey of Chez Cindy, has some market fare serving suggestions.

Visit Cindy's blog, Cooking with Chez Cindy for her July 11th recipes for Cucumber Relish and Orzo Salad with Cucumber and Feta.

For squash ideas, visit Cooking with Chez Cindy for her June 27th recipes for Sauteed Squash with Feta & Basil and Baked Pasta with Summer Squash & Tomatoes.

While you're visiting the blog - check out that awesome peach pie recipe!

Cindy's next appearance at the market is July 25th.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: July 11th Market Report


Meg and Ally from Fox Hollow Farm.


Peaches! Branstool Orchards is out this week. 
Malabar Peach and Apple Orchard starts this week!


Sweet Thing Gourmet.


Delicious Tortilla Chips from Montezuma Brand.


She calls it a "steak dinner in a loaf of bread!" Angela Bowman's delicious bread selection includes market favorite Spinach Loaf.


New from Pleiades Maple Products Maple-Pecan Bars.


Tomatoes from Bird's Haven Farms.


Green beans from Flying J Farm.


Raw honey from Honey Health Farms.


Garlic from Bird's Haven Farms.


Turnovers from Dana Lee's.

It's a beautiful (typical) summer's day in Uptown Westerville and a great day to come to the market.

We will not see Sue's Kitchen, Bridgman Farm, Z Blueberry, and Branstool Orchards this week.

We welcome Malabar Peach and Apple Orchard this week!  Mike will be bringing fresh-picked peaches and a limited quantity of black raspberries. Take in that aroma and bite into that juicy peach and you'll taste the Ohio rains, breezes, and warm sunshine!


"That looks great, but what do I do with it?" Stop by to see resident cooking instructor Cindy Ramsey at today's market. 

Cindy will be making a simple, delicious recipe filled with fresh market ingredients today.  So, stop by to see what's cookin'. 

Last time Cindy was here, she impressed with Sauteed Squash with Feta and Basil - a simple skillet dish.  To check out the recipe, click here.

Visit Cindy's blog, cookingwithchezcindy.com for recipes and ideas and celebration of good food.

Reminder to take a few steps south of the market to 48 N. State to check out this week's market fruit sangria recipe and tasting at Meza.  Need pairing ideas? Just ask Meza's Tatjana Brown.

Have a great week. (Reminder: the Westerville Chamber of Commerce Music and Arts Festival is this weekend (July 14th and 15th) at Heritage Park @ Cleveland and W. Main.)

See you at the market!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Peaches!


Branstool Orchards is bringing fresh peaches to market on July 4th.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Tomatoes!


Bird's Haven Farms is bringing lots of tomatoes to market on July 4th.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Market Wednesday Magnetic Force!


As you can see, Chuck Evans of Montezuma Brand can barely contain his excitement over his brand new Market Wednesday magnet!

Be the envy of friends and family. Stop by the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market on July 4th from 9 to noon and get a free Market Wednesday magnet! Handy for holding onto the grocery list and a great reminder to pick up a little farm fresh!

See you at the market!



Of course, free magnets available while supplies last.

Uptown Westerville Farmers Market: July 4th Market Report



Sue's Kitchen


Shopping at the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.


Chuck Evans' Montezuma Brand Salsas


Tomatoes at Bird's Haven Farms
(they're early because they're greenhouse-started).


Peaches from Branstool Orchards


Ohio maple syrup from Pleiades Maple Products


Summer squash from Bird's Haven Farms


Shopping at Honey Health Farms


Shopping at Fox Hollow Farm


Shopping at Montezuma Brand and Sweet Thing Gourmet

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. ~Erma Bombeck

Yes, we'll say it one more time - we have special hours for this week's market only, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the same place N. State and E. Home in Uptown Westerville.

So far, weather forecasts for Fourth of July, call for a beautiful summer's morning in Central Ohio.  Sunny, with some humidity, temperatures in the low to mid-80s, a light breeze, and occasional cloud cover. There is a 24% chance of precipitation between 11 a.m. and noon. We call it a perfect day for al fresco shopping.


So far, we know we will not see Blue Jacket Dairy, Northridge Organic Farm, Mockingbird Meadows, and Doran's Family Farm. 

We will see Ohio Farm Direct, Montezuma Brand, and Sweet Thing Gourmet.
We heard from Branstool Orchards yesterday and they will be bringing peaches to market. We can't wait!

Bird's Haven Farms is coming to market with fresh produce including lots of tomatoes!

Sue's Kitchen will have Red Raspberry and Blueberry Crumb Bars, Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins, Snickerdoodles, and Chocolate Chip Cookies.  (Sue took pre-orders only for 4th of July pies.)

Z Blueberry plans to come to market, but a lot depends on what they will have available.

As of this moment, we expect to see Fox Hollow Farm, Flying J Farm, Bird's Haven Farms, Bridgman Farm, Sue's Kitchen, Montezuma Brand, Pleiades Maple Products, Sweet Thing Gourmet, Sugar B Bakery, Branstool Orchards, Honey Health Farms, Ohio Farm Direct, and Dana Lee's at the July 4th market.


In the aftermath of recent storms and with the heat, the roster is subject to change, please check back regularly, as we update this blog post.  You can also Like us on Facebook (click here) and follow us on Twitter (click here).  We will be tweeting live from the market to let our followers know what we have.

The Westerville Police Division will be closing State Street between Huber Village/Heatherdown and County Line Rd. East from 12:30 p.m.. to 4:30 p.m. on July 4th. Since the market is open from 9 a.m to noon, your travel to the market should not be affected. Alternate route through Westerville: Huber Village (east) to S. Spring (north) to County Line Rd. East.

There is a 5k walk/run that begins at Alum Creek Park north at 8 a.m., so you may see participants as you travel through town in the morning.

Please respect any no parking signs and orange cones.

Parking is available in lots and on-street throughout Uptown Westerville.  There are parking lots to the east and south of the market lot along E. Home Street.

Be aware, please, that parade-watchers stake their space and put out chairs along State St. in Uptown Westerville beginning very early in the day.

If you are uptown for the parade and plan to stop by the market, keep in mind that meats are sold frozen, eggs and any dairy are refrigerated, and produce does best when it stays cool.


The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market and WARM (Westerville Area Resource Ministry) team up for the WARM Fresh Green Program.  You can help WARM help those in need on July 4th by bringing non-perishable food items to the parade to add to the WARM shopping carts traveling along the parade route.  For more information, click here to visit WARM online.

We look forward to seeing our regular patrons and hopefully some new visitors home for the holiday! No pressure, ever, to buy - come by for the experience (you may run into someone you know!)  As you gather with friends and family at your holiday feed on Wednesday, we hope you'll be able to say, "Thanks, I bought it at the farmers' market!" 

Have a safe, super July 4th holiday. Enjoy! Happy Birthday, America!



Thanks to quotegarden.com. Regular market hours, Wednesdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. resume next week (July 11th) through October 31st.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Gratitude and Community


Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. ~William James

Our hearts go out to everyone touched by the recent storms, including the storm that hit Westerville on Friday. Our thanks go to friends, family, neighbors, perfect strangers, and the folks with the City of Westerville, especially the Electric Division, for their efforts, both grand and simple, to aid those in need. Much, much, much appreciated.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: July 4th Special Hours


Happy Birthday, America!


From the vendors and management team at the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market...

Have a safe, happy Independence Day!



Regular market hours Wednesdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
through October 31st resume on July 11th (next Wednesday).