It's a great Market Wednesday in Uptown Westerville.

Today, is about Flower Power!  Besides our fabulous farm fresh selections and artisan foods, we have Flowers! 

Two Special Appearance flower vendors: Amherst Greenhouse and their market favorite potted mums and Farmhouse Herbs and Flowers with their beautiful cut flowers.  Jeff Guinn of Farmhouse grows some beautiful sunflowers!!

Each year, Adin and Mary Horst bring their beautiful hardy mums to market. Market Insider Tip: This week may be the only week we see Adin and Mary this season.  So, if you can make the market today, we encourage you to do so. Amherst Greenhouse mums are $5 per potted mum, large mum pots are $18 and large mum pots with fountain grass are $20.

Keep the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market in mind for your Buckeye kickoff and Labor Day weekend get togethers!

Mike Dippold of Malabar Peach and Apple will have Cortland and Gala apples along with the last of his Redstar peaches, right out of the orchard. Malabar Peach and Apple is a chemical free orchard, by the way.

Westerville Public Library will be visiting the market today!

We will not see Pleiades Maple (Eddie Lou Meimer is at the Morrow County Fair) and we will also not see Angela Bowman's Sugar B Baker.  Both vendors will return next week.

Rohini Mulchandani's delicious Chutney and Garam Masala.

 

Kyla Touris delicious small batch specialty jams.

 

Peaches from Branstool Orchards.

Salsa from Chuck Evans' Montezuma Brand (Chuck makes tortilla chips, too.)

Beautiful, sweet, full of flavor - Mary Bridgman of Bridgman Farm grows cherry tomatoes.

Sue Bakes Pies! Sue's Kitchen pies, cookies, and coffee breads - yum!

Organic potatoes from Flying J Farms.

Fresh from the farm Sweet Corn from Doran's Family Farm.

 

Shopping at Carousel Watergardens Farm. Mark and Cathy have fresh eggs!

We encourage you to Shop Uptown Westerville while you're here visiting the market today.  And, just steps south of the market, Meza, 48 N. State, Tatjana Brown has a Market Wednesday $2 Sangria tasting and will be happy to make pairing suggestions for your market selections.

See you at the market!

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: August 24th Market Report

Look for this to be a beautiful Market Wednesday in Uptown Westerville.  That early a.m. storm ushered in a partly cloudy day, with temps in the high 80s, low humidity, and a nice breeze.

Produce variety abounds right now from melons to peppers to tomatoes to sweet corn. Visit our produce vendors: Bird's Haven Farms, Bridgman Farm, Carousel Watergardens Farm, Doran's Family Farm, Flying J Farm, and Northridge Organic Farm.

Branstool Orchards (Utica) and Malabar Peach & Apple Orchard (Jeromesville) are selling some of the best peaches around.

Find proteins weekly at the market at Northridge Organic Farm (lamb), Flying J Farm (grass-fed beef), and Carousel Watergardens Farm (poultry and fresh eggs). (All meats are sold pre-packaged and frozen and eggs refrigerated, so pack a cooler or freezer bag.)

Our food artisans include:

Arjay Gourmet - featuring baked goods, garam masala, and tastfully hot and mild chutneys.

Batter and Bowl - baked goods and confections, including protein bars, mini pound cakes, no bakes, macaroons, and Sara's popular $1 cut-out cookie.

Pleiades Maple Products features Ohio maple syrup, maple-coated puffed spelt cereal, maple sugar suckers, maple sugar, and a variety of coated nuts, butters, and sauces.

Sue's Kitchen features delicious home-made pies, cookie stax, and a variety of coffee breads.

Dana Lee's features sweet and savory baked goods.

Cathy's Tasty Treats at Carousel Watergardens Farm features preserves, jams, raw honey, flavor mixes, and rubs.

Ohio Farm Direct features cheeses, drinkable yogurt, and milk from organic grass-fed cows.  Cheese selections include wheel-style cheeses like cheddar and colby, including flavored cheeses.

Blue Jacket Dairy features farmstead cheeses including the market favorite Gretna Grillin', cheddar curds, and goat cheese.

Honey Health Farms features raw honey, bee pollen and honey-based products.

Sweet Thing Gourmet features a selection of home-made jams and biscottis.

Chuck Evans' Montezuma Brand features delicious salsas, tortilla chips, hot sauces, and rubs.

Sugar B Bakery features delicious varities of loaf breads, flat bread, and scones.

Fresh bread from Sugar B Bakery.

Colorful organic peppers from Northridge Organic Farm.

Golden cherry tomatoes from Bridgman Farm.

Fresh hot and mild peppers from Carousel Watergardens Farm.

Summer sizzle! Hot sauce from Montezuma Brand.

Shopping on Market Wednesday.

Peaches from Malabar Peach & Apple Orchard.

Mini pound cakes from Batter and Bowl.

We will not see Eyestone Flower Farm this week.

While you're Uptown walk a few steps south of the market to 48 N. State to Meza - Tatjana is featuring a Sangria recipe tasting and will be happy to help you with wine pairing suggestions.

See you at the market!

Updates:

Pleiades Maple will not be at today's market. The combination of overnight rain and now drying warmth and sun has affected hay baling and it's got to be done this afternoon!

Sugar Inc. will not be at today's market.

Mike Dippold tells us that this will probably be his last week for peaches, but apples are on the way next week - Ginger Gold and Cortland. 

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: A Market Wednesday Recipe - Okra, East Indian Style

Okra - East Indian Style

3 T Oil

1 Medium Onion, peeled, cut in half lengthwise then sliced thin

1 t Salt

1 pound Whole Fresh Okra, wiped clean with a damp, not moist, cloth and sliced lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices

1 T Cumin Powder

1/4 t Black Pepper Powder

In a heavy 10-12 inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.

Add the onions and salt and cook for 7-8 minutes with frequent stirring until onions are golden brown. Watch carefully for any sign of burning and regulate heat accordingly.

Add the sliced okra, cumin and black pepper, stir well and continue to cook, uncovered, at medium to medium-low heat until cooked (okra should be tender, easily cut with a knife).

Serve warm with Indian bread (Naan).

Makes 4 servings.

Submitted by "The Chutney Lady"

Rohini Mulchandani

Arjay Gourmet Foods Ltd.

Not sure what to do with okra? Worried about it being slimy? Try this recipe - it's most excellent. Cutting the prepared okra into "pop in your mouth" bite size pieces are kid friendly and nice for hors d'oeuvers, too.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: August 17th Market Report

No doubt about it, people love Market Wednesday!  Especially Sugar B Bakery's Angela Bowman and Montezuma Brand's Chuck Evans (above).

Farmers' had lots of concerns this spring with record setting amounts of rainfall slowing planting (would they have anything to bring to market?) - and now market patrons can reap the benefits because the produce coming to market each week is plentiful, beautiful, and flavorful!

The weather forecast for Market Wednesday is just super and it's just a great day to be outdoors.

Westerville Mayor Kathy Cocuzzi shops for sunflowers at Eyestone Flower Farm.

Organic cherry tomatoes from Flying J Farm.

Signature jams from Kyla Touris at Sweet Thing Gourmet.

Peaches from Malabar Peach & Apple Orchard.

Sweet corn from Doran's Family Farm.

Heirloom tomatoes from Northridge Organic Farm.

Market Wednesday is a family-friendly enviroment and a great place to try new things - most of our artisan food vendors offer samples and kids are the bravest tasters of new flavors and foods! 

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market is a great place to create new traditions.

If you ever have questions or are looking for special orders, our vendors are so passionate about food, they make it and grow it for a living - they love to talk food, so just ask!

Artisan foods include cheeses, milk, drinkable yogurt, cookies & confections, protein bars, sweet & savory breads, salsas, tortilla chips, hot sauces, rubs, jams, preserves, fruit butters, flour, maple syrup, raw honey, chutneys, and garam masala.

Locally-raised meat and poultry seletions include grass-fed beef, lamb, poultry, and fresh eggs.

(All meat, poultry, eggs, and cheeses are sold refrigerated or frozen per state and federal regulations, so you might want to bring a frozen food bag or cooler for your purchases.)

The market is always brightened up by fresh cut flowers from Eyestone Flower Farm. Eyestone flowers are organic and beautiful.

Bird's Haven Farms has a rainbow of fresh-cut gladiolas.

We are happy to see Mary Bridgman of Bridgman Farm back at the market - last week was Mary's first week this season (spring rains in Fayette County slowed things down).  Try Bridgman Farm's rich with flavor golden cherry tomatoes.

We will not see Sue's Kitchen (no pie) and we just got word that Pleiades Maple Products (making hay on the farm) should make it to the market today. Sue will return next week with their market favorite artisan foods.

Today is the first day of school in Westerville, so we encourage you to be aware and be safe.

Stop by Meza, just steps south of the market at 48 N. State to try Tatjana Brown's $2 local fruit sangria tasting.  Tatjana offers great advice for wine pairings for your market fare, by the way.

For those of you looking for our resident chef, Chef John Skaggs - we will see two special appearances from Chef John one in September and one in October (dates TBA).  Chef John is temporarily on leave from the market as he creates a new restaurant!

Have a great day and... see you at the market.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: The Egg Quiz

Test Your Egg I.Q.

1. Without breaking it open, how can you tell if an egg is fresh?

a. Carefully feel the shell - if it has soft spots, the egg is rotten.

b. Hold the egg up to your ear and shake it.  if you hear the yolk sloshing around inside, the egg is still fresh.  A silent egg is a rotten egg.

c. Drop the egg in a glass of water.  If it sinks to the bottom and lays on its side, it's fresh.  If it sinks to the bottome and "stands" on one end, it's old, but probably still edible.  If it floats, it's rotten.

2. Which part of the egg is known as the "chalazae"?

a. The protective coating on the outside of the shell.

b. The membraine separating the yolk from the white.

c. The thin strands of egg white that connect the yolk to the shell.

3. What's the difference between Grade A and Grade AA eggs?

a. Grade AA ggs contain twice as much Vitamin A, because the hens get a diet of fortified chicken feed.

b. Grade AA eggs have plumper yolks and thicker whites.

c. Grade AA hens, also known as "yearlings" or "freshmen" hens, are younger a healthier than the hens that lay Grade A eggs.

4. What's the best way to store an egg in the refrigerator?

a. With the tapered end pointing up.

b. With the tapered end pointing down.

c. Neither - eggs keep best when they're lying on their side.

5. Without breaking it open, how can you tell if an egg is cooked?

a. Spin it on a flat surface - raw eggs wobble; cooked ones don't.

b. Hold it up to a bright light - eggshells that have been cooked for seven minutes or longer are slightly transparent.

c. Carefully examine the shell - it's physically impossible to boil an egg without cracking the shell in at least one place.

Answers below....

Fresh eggs at Market Wednesday! Stop by Carousel Watergardens Farm at the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.

Egg I.Q. Test Answers:

1. c.

Egg shells are porous - as a egg ages, moisture escapes and is replaced by outside air, causing it to become more buoyant over time.  Fresh eggs contain the least air and sit right at the bottom.  Rotten eggs contain so much air that they float right to the top.

2. c.

Also known as "chalazae cords," these strands connect the yolk to the ends of the eggshell; the resulting "tug-of-war" helps to reduce movement and keep the yolk centered inside the egg.

3. b.

Grade A and AA are the FDA's two highest egg classifications.  They have nothing to do with the size, freshness, or vitamin content of the egg - they indicate the quality of the egg white and yolk.  Grade AA eggs, slightly higher in quality, have the plumpest yolks and the thickest whites.

4. b.

There's a pocket of air in the larger end of the egg and it's the most likely source of contamination from foreign bacteria.  Storing the egg with the tapered end pointing down causes the yolk - which is more perishable than the white - to settle toward the tapered end, as far away from the air pocket as possible.  When the egg is stored with the tapered end up, the yolk can settle right on top of the pocket, potentially speeding the rate at which the egg will spoil.

5. a.

Raw eggs wobble because the white and yolk are still fluid and move around inside the egg when you spin it.  Cooked eggs are at least partially solidified and have a much smoother spin.

How did you do?  Eggsellent!! (Sorry, we couldn't resist.)


From: Uncle John's Supremely Satisfying Bathroom Reader, by the Bathroom Readers' Institute, Bathroom Readers' Press, Ashland, Oregon. Copyright 2001, page 61.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Traffic Update

All roads lead to Uptown Westerville... finally! 

The brand new W. Main St. bridge over Alum Creek will open to traffic officially on Friday, August 19th at 5 p.m!

On August 18th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., celebrate the brand new bridge and get a rare chance to hang out in the middle of W. Main St. at the City's Party on the Bridge.

This family-friendly event will feature music (including the Westerville Community band), games, activities, and food!

Weather forecast is excellent!

(Parking at the COTA lot/Senior Center, the sports complex and community center on Cleveland, and if you don't mind a stroll on a summer evening, in Uptown Westerville.)


Photo of W. Main St. bridge early 1900s courtesy of the Westerville Public Library local history online photograph archive.  Click for more.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: School!!!

School starts in Westerville on August 17th!

Let's be careful out there!! 

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: A Market Wednesday Recipe: Meza's Local Peach Prosecco Sangria

Tatjana Brown of Meza, 48 N. State, featured this fabulous summer sangria during the August 3rd Market Wednesday.

Stop by Meza for the Market Wednesay $1 wine tasting as a part of your trip to the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market.  Got wine questions? Ask Tatjana.

Local Peach Prosecco Sangria

2-3 Ripe Peaches - sliced
5 ounces peach brandy
1 bottle (750 mL) chilled Prosecco, (Italian sparkling wine)
1 cup peach nectar
Superfine sugar (optional)

In a pitcher, combine peach, nectarine, and apricots, all pitted and cut into wedges. Stir in peach brandy; let sit at least 1 hour. Stir in Prosecco and peach nectar. Add superfine sugar, if desired. Serve chilled.

Delicious!

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: August 10th Market Report

What a beautiful Market Wednesday in Uptown Westerville.

Fresh produce abounds after a tough, water-logged spring.  Bird's Haven Farms and Doran's Family Farm have plenty of sweet corn (picked in the wee hours this a.m.!) and Lee Bird tells us they have plenty of okra. 

Mary Bridgman of Bridgman Farm is joining us for the first time this season. Bridgman Farm's cherry tomato and heirloom tomatoes are a market favorite. 

Yes, there are peaches!

Our food artisans have been busy!  Delicious cheeses. Pies. Mexican Brownies. Sweet and savory breads. Salsa. Chips. Hot sauces. Chutneys. Confections. Cookies. Maple syrup. Barbecue sauce. Maple sugar. Puffed spelt cereal. Protein bars. Drinkable Yogurt. Milk. Jam. Biscotti.

Meat selections include lamb, grass-fed beef, poultry, and fresh eggs.

Carrie Ryan, Crime Prevention Specialist from Westerville Police Division will be at today's market.

Stop by Meza, 48 N. State, for their $1 wine tasting. Tatjana Brown will be happy to make wine pairing suggestions for your market selections and favorite meals.

We will not see Honey Health Farms, Sugar Inc., and Eyestone Flower Farm this week.

See you at the market!

Pictured: Organic potatoes from Flying J Farm.

Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: August 3rd Market Report

It's Market Wednesday in Uptown Westerville!  Well worth the wait - produce is making a big splash at the market - from heirloom tomatoes to sweet corn to peaches to eggplant.

Market food artisans create some amazing confections and flavors - Rohini's chutneys, Sweet Thing Gourmet jams (including Kyla's signature jams), Chuck Evans' Montezuma Brand hot sauces, salsas, and chips, Sugar B Bakery loaf breads, including challah, raw honey from Honey Health Farms, and delicious cheeses from Blue Jacket Dairy and Ohio Farm Direct (OFD also has drinkable yogurt).

Meat selections include Northridge Organic Farm (lamb), Flying J Farm (beef), and Carousel Watergarden Farm (poultry, fresh eggs).

Chris Schmipf of Eyestone Flower Farm features beautiful cut sunflowers and lilies!

We will not see Pleiades Maple and Sugar Inc. this week.

Meza at 48 N. State is featuring a peach sangria recipe with peaches from Branstool Orchards.  Stop by and visit Tatjana - Meza features a Market Wednesday $1 wine tasting and Tatjana is happy to make wine pairing suggestions to complement your market purchases!

Stop by to visit, browse, and shop.  Chances are good you'll not only pick up some great food, but you may see someone you know!

Today is a great day for outdoor shopping - so, we'll see you at the market!