Sunday, April 12, 2009

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Welcome Nature's Honey

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market welcomes new vendor Nature's Honey to the 2009 market season.

Krista Wagner of Nature's Honey shares:

Nature's Honey Handmade Soaps will be joining the Uptown Westerville Farmers Market this year! I am very excited to be able to provide quality, handmade soaps to the people of Westerville and surrounding areas. Some of the soaps I will be offering include Lovely Lavender Shaving Soap, Coffee Clean Bar, and Lucky Dog Soap (for your pets!). I also offer a number of goat milk soaps, made with creamy Nubian goat milk.

Nature's Honey soaps are made using all-natural products. All of my soapmaking products come from Ohio-owned businesses and I use only essential oils and herbs in my soaps, never synthetic fragrance oils. I enjoy experimenting with my soaps and will have a changing selection throughout the season.

If you would like to see some of the soaps I will have available, please visit my
Artfire studio and Nature's Honey also has a blog.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Welcome Back Flying J Farms

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market welcomes Flying J Farms to the 2009 market season.

Flying J Farms features certified organic produce and grass-fed beef.

Organic grass-fed beef, sold in popular cuts for the grill and dinner table, contains much less of the bad cholesterol found in grain-fed meat and much more Omega-3, Beta Carotene, and CLA than grain fed beef.

Flying J also sells maple syrup and fresh-milled spelt and wheat flour.

Visit Dick Jensen and Flying J Farms on your weekly visits to the market.

Uptown Westerville Farmer's Market: Welcome Back Bird's Haven Farms

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market welcomes Bird's Haven Farms to the 2009 market season.

Look for the green and white awning at the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market and you'll find Bird's Haven Farms and meet three generations of the Bird Family.

Conventionally-grown produce that throughout the season includes green beans, tomatillos, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, eggplant, sweet corn, kohlrabi, lettuces, herbs, pumpkins, melons, garlic, onions, broccoli, cabbage, corn, peppers, and cucumbers.

Bird's Haven also features hanging baskets, herb pots, and cut flowers, including glads and sunflowers, as they come into season to brighten tables and decks throughout the summer.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Welcome Back Osage Lane Creamery

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market welcomes Osage Lane Creamery to the 2009 market.

Emma and Ted Stout raise goats and make delicious small-batch, artisan goat's milk feta cheese and cheese balls.


And, during the summer, Emma will be featuring goat's milk fudges.

The word 'feta' dates back to ancient times and in ancient Greek, 'feta' means 'slice' and in Latin it means, 'morsel.'

Crumbly, slightly salty feta cheese goes great in salads, with tomatoes, on pizza, sandwiches & relish plates, and with seafood, grilled vegetables, and pasta.

Stop by Osage Lane, meet Emma Stout and try a sample.



Sunday, April 5, 2009

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Cultivating Garden Heritage

Ahhh, there is nothing like an old-fashioned rich, flavorful tomato picked from the vine.

Both Bridgman Farm and Northridge Organic Farm feature heirloom tomatoes at the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.

Heirloom seeds are seeds that have been passed from generation to generation or cultivated by a group that has worked to preserve them. For example, Monticello, in Virginia, sells heirloom plants and seeds that originated back in Thomas Jefferson's day. And, Mike Laughlin at Northridge Organic Farms features a tomato that's great for sauces that has been passed down from its origins in Italy.

Heirloom seeds are from plants grown usually at least 50 years ago and are preserved at the end of each season. Some heirloom plants can be as old as 100 years -- an English tomato called "Moneymaker" is over 250 years old. Heirloom plants are never genetically-modified and cannot be cross-pollinated (only open-pollinated) or hybrids.

Whatever the science, heirloom tomatoes have a tremendously deep flavor, with colors that brighten any table at any occasion.

To read more about heirloom plants in Ohio click here.

Click here to learn more from the Seed Savers Exchange.

Sources:
diy Network: Gardening by the Yard

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Welcome Back Northridge Organic Farm

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market welcomes back Northridge Organic Farm to the 2009 market season!

Each week Mike Laughlin brings a beautiful variety of certified organic produce, including heirloom tomatoes to the market and vegetables perfect for grilling.


Northridge Organic's selection includes...

▪ Broccoli
▪ Cabbage
▪ Eggplant
▪ Lettuces
▪ Sweet & Hot Peppers
▪ Sweet & Irish Potatoes
▪ Onions
▪ Radishes
▪ Other Root Crops
▪ Summer & Winter Squash
▪ Heirloom and Standard Tomatoes


Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Welcome Back Malabar Acres

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market welcomes back Mike Dippold of Malabar Acres for the 2009 market season!

Now, since Mike sells peaches and apples, we won't see Mike at the market until probably mid-July, and we already are looking forward to Malabar Acres sweet, juicy peaches and varieties of crisp, sweet, delicious apples.

At Malabar Acres, you can buy a bushel of apples or just one and last year, Malabar Acres became a favorite weekly stop for kids to pick out their own apple. (Check out the market home page to see!)

Be sure to stop by and visit the always friendly, tremendously knowledgable Mike Dippold at this year's market!

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Welcome Back Landrum Cottage Design

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market welcomes back Dana Landrum of Landrum Cottage Designs to the 2009 market season. We only saw Dana a couple times last year and so this year we look forward to seeing Dana each week!

Dana's artisan breads are a delight:

Savory Breads and Crackers including...

▪ Artiboli
▪ Five Cheese & Five Tomato Focaccia Bread
▪ Olive Pesto Focaccia
▪ Designer Breads
▪ Everything Twists
▪ Fresh Basil Parmesan & Pinenut Twist

▪ Golden Elixer
▪ Ogre Biscuits
▪ Dragon Snaps
▪ Berry Sophisticated
▪ Assorted Dog Bones

Sweet Bread and Treats including...

▪ Cinnamon Walnut Praline Rolls
▪ Walnut Cinnamon Twists
▪ Fresh Orange Rhine & White Chocolate Twist
▪ Assorted Scones
▪ Pumpkin Banana Bread
▪ Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
▪ Carrot/Oatmeal Cookies
▪ Raspberry/Cream Cheese Tart
▪ Cheese Cake Chocolate Tart
▪ Seventh Heaven Chocolate Tart
▪ German Chocolate Tart
▪ Homemade Caramel Walnut Tart

Specialty Orders Welcome!

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Welcome Back Bildsten Landscape

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market welcomes Bildsten Landscape to the 2009 Market Season!

Start the market season with beatuiful rich colors that last through the summer.

The Bildsten family grows and sells stunning, colorful hanging baskets and free-standing pots, annuals, and herbs.

Think of the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market and Bildsten Landscape for your 2009 hanging baskets, bed plants, and herb gardens.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Welcome Back Pleiades Maple Products

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market welcomes Pleiades Maple Products to the 2009 market!

Based in Mt. Gilead, Pleiades Farm has been around since the 19th century, when Eddie Lou Meimer's grandfather named his new farm after the seven sisters constellation to honor his seven daughters.

Pleiades Maple Products features...

▪ Maple Syrup
▪ Maple Sugar
▪ Maple Sugar Candies
▪ Maple Suckers
▪ Maple-Coated Nuts
▪ Maple BBQ Vinaigrette
▪ Maple Cream and Jelly
▪ Maple Walnut & Maple Pecan Toppings

Kids love to stop by weekly and pick out a maple syrup lollipop!

To meet Eddie Lou Meimer, click here to check out this Our Ohio article.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: A Market Report from Carousel Watergardens

Mark and Cathy Krist of Carousel Watergardens Farm and Cathy's Tasty Treats are back for the 2009 market season:

Cathy shares:

Carousel Watergardens Farm is busier than “ants at a picnic” right now. It is the heart of our busy season. Our greenhouses are in full swing with our seedlings which we started in December and January and continue to plant every day through the end of April.

We are also busy with our Columbus Winter Farmers Market in Clintonville. See our web site at for dates and times. We have 3 more markets this spring before our spring/summer markets start the first week of May.


We still have some cabbage, onions, garlic and potatoes in cold storage that we are selling at our market. Also dried hot peppers are available too. We are growing spinach and spring salad mix to sell at our winter market and will still have it coming on when the Westerville Market starts in May. Our annuals and vegetable plants will be ready to sell for the first markets. We should also have some sugar snap peas ready.

Cathy’s Tasty Treats will have herb dips, rubs & seasonings, herb breads, jams & jellies, dry edible beans for soups and of course our gourmet dog & cat treats.

We are busy shifting up our seedlings into flats and pots in preparation for spring sales. Wish we had more sunshine it has been an extremely cloudy year so far, and hasn’t helped with the plants needs or mine for that matter. :)

We are looking forward to the spring/summer markets starting, and catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. It has been one long long winter and I am sure everyone is chomping at the bit the same as we.

Have a great day!

Cathy

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Bridgman Farms Sends a Market Report

Mary Bridgman of Bridgman Farm lets us know how things are going in Washington Court House. In 2009, Mary's beautiful and sweet heirloom tomatoes were like eating sweetened drops of sunlight -- gorgeous, deep colors brighten picnic tables and buffets... so, delicious to eat. Truly a market favorite.

Mary writes:

At Bridgman Farm, we're still recovering from Hurricane Ike, which took our greenhouse in September. We've been rebuilding it between Mother Nature's winter blasts. This week, we finally fired up the furnace and transferred 50 flats into the greenhouse that we had started in our kitchen. Little broccoli, onion, cabbage, chard, spinach and lettuce seedlings are popping up and renewing our hope for a great 2009. It will be our third year at the Westerville Farmers Market and 16th selling at central Ohio markets.

This year, we're adding sweet corn, cut flowers and free-range chickens, turkeys and pork. Along with the new, we'll continue to offer our longtime favorites, all grown using sustainable practices.

In May, we'll have gourmet lettuce mixes, snow and snap peas, root vegetables, greens and broccoli.

By mid July, we hope to be awash in corn, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, melons, squash and basil. Come September, we hope to see ornamental corn, pumpkins and other winter squash varieties growing alongside new crops of broccoli and lettuces.

Our signature heirloom and cherry tomatoes will continue into mid-October.

We're offering our pastured chickens and turkeys as a pre-paid package delivered to the Westerville Farmers Market on designated Wednesdays from June through November. Cost is $200 for 10 chickens and a turkey. For more information, contact mbridgman@sbcglobal.net.

This week, we hope to finish seeding our lettuces; next week we'll be starting tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. Won't be long now til we're back tilling the soil.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Welcome Back, Arjay Gourmet Foods

Rohini Mulchandani's chutneys are fabulous! And, kids love them!

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market is pleased to welcome back Arjay Gourmet Foods, featuring:

▪ Rohini's Chutneys
▪ Seasoning (Garam Masala)
▪ Baked Goods

Rohini's Chutneys - a variety of flavors and heat levels, chutney makes a delicious dip, spread (sandwiches, bagels, hot dogs and hamburgers), dipping sauce, topping or side with meats, and cooking, grilling, marinating sauce.


Rohini also features "Nutritionally enhanced, Indian or American-inspired" Baked Goods.

Stop by Arjay Gourmet Foods at the 2009 Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market!

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Honey Health Farms Market Report

Dale Benedict from Honey Health Farms checks in to share a little insight into bee keeping:

Bee keeping is a twelve month job even in winter and into spring.

To prepare the bee hives for winter we need to close down the entrance to the hive by inserting a specially designed wooden stick. This helps keep out varmints, the cold wind and drifting snow. Also before winter we drill a small hole in the hive box about eighteen inches high (So snow drifts won't close the exit). On warmer winter days the bees do go outside "to do their business." This keeps the hive boxes nice and clean on the inside.

You might also find it interesting as to how honeybee survive the freezing temperatures with their hive boxes setting out in all kinds of weather. They gather into a cluster and keep moving throughout the cluster. This constant movement and their metabolic temperature keeps the center of the cluster at 92 F degrees . The queen stays inside the cluster and thus is protected. She will start laying eggs to start building up the hive population in February.

With spring right around the corner we start the process of opening up the hives on warm days to inspect the status and health of the hive. If need be, we can feed the bees pollen containing patties which are placed upon the top bars of the hive. This helps them get off to fast start and ready to collect nectar and pollen from the first blooming flowers, trees and dandelions.

Have a honey healthy day!

Honey Health Farms
Photo courtesy of Linda Foor ©2008 Brickstreet Communications. All rights reserved.