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Chef Randy from Destiny Catering this week!
Come on out to market where you not only have a unique shopping experience but get to learn something as well. This week, February 15th,around 10:30 -11am, Chef Randy from Destiny Catering will be holding a cooking demonstration. Not sure of the dish he plans to prepare, but I am sure it will be delicious and a welcome treat to all who attend! See you at The Old Winery Farmers Market, Saturday 10am to 2pm.
Vendors 1-18-14 at the Old Winery
Vendors 1/18/14
The weather’s cold but we’ll be warm and welcoming at the Old Winery Farmers Market this weekend. We have a full house of vendors and all their goodies – handmade soaps, delicious oils and spreads, pasta, produce, organic meats and lots more. We’ll even have a Master Gardener rep on hand to help you with your herbs and houseplant questions. We’re in Farmington at the junction of Grand River Avenue and Orchard Lake Roads. Here’s the line-up:
Fostoria Bread Factory
Belledines BBQ Sauce
Miller Pines & Savories – granolas, chips
Petey & Olivia’s Treats, pet treats
Greener Pastures, organic meats
Wild Tree Products – organic oils, spreads
Full Ark Tees, custom silk screened tees
Cookie Buddies
Aunt Beas Farm, fiber products & lamb meat
Krafty Rascals, dog clothes, products
Go Forever, health bars
English B1, honey products
Sage Advice Nursery, produce, teas, jams
Rose Best…
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10 Reasons to Buy Local Food
(adapted from ‘Growing For Market’ newsletter)
by Vern Grubinger, vegetable and berry specialist, University of Vermont Extension
Vermont has a wide variety of farms. While known for our dairy production, there also many farms that raise fruits and vegetables, flowers and herbs, and animal products of all kinds. Our farmers are dedicated to stewardship and committed to quality. And while they love what they do, they aren’t doing it for entertainment. They need to make a living. Consumers that value fresh food and a working landscape should support local farmers by buying their products. Here are ten reasons why.
1) Locally grown food tastes and looks better. The crops are picked at their peak, and farmstead products like cheeses and are hand-crafted for best flavor. Livestock products are processed in nearby facilities and typically the farmer has direct relationship with processors, oversijng quality – unlike animals processed in large industrial facilities.
2) Local food is better for you. The shorter the time between the farm and your table, the less likely it is that nutrients will be lost from fresh food. Food imported from far away is older and has traveled on trucks or planes, and sat in warehouses before it gets to you.
3) Local food preserves genetic diversity. In the modern agricultural system, plant varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen uniformly, withstand harvesting, survive packing and last a long time on the shelf, so there is limited genetic diversity in large-scale production. Smaller local farms, in contrast, often grow many different varieties of crops to provide a long harvest season, an array of colors, and the best flavors. Livestock diversity is also higher where there are many small farms rather than few large farms.
4) Local food is safe. There’s a unique kind of assurance that comes from looking a farmer in the eye at farmers’ market or driving by the fields where your food comes from. Local farmers aren’t anonymous and they take their responsibility to the consumer seriously.
5) Local food supports local families. The wholesale prices that farmers get for their products are low, often near the cost of production. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food – which helps farm families stay on the land.
6) Local food builds community. When you buy direct from a farmer, you’re engaging in a time-honored connection between eater and grower. Knowing farmers gives you insight into the seasons, the land, and your food. In many cases, it gives you access to a place where your children and grandchildren can go to learn about nature and agriculture.
7) Local food preserves open space. When farmers get paid more for their products by marketing locally, they’re less likely to sell farmland for development. When you buy locally grown food, you’re doing something proactive to preserve our working landscape. That landscape is an essential ingredient to other economic activity in the state, such as tourism and recreation.
8) Local food keeps taxes down. According to several studies by the American Farmland Trust, farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas most development contributes less in taxes than the cost of required services. Cows don’t go to school, tomatoes don’t dial 911.
9) Local food benefits the environment and wildlife. Well-managed farms provide ecosystem services: they conserve fertile soil, protect water sources, and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. The farm environment is a patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings that provide habitat for wildlife in our communities.
10) Local food is an investment in the future. By supporting local farmers today, you are helping to ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow. That is a matter of importance for food security, especially in light of an uncertain energy future and our current reliance on fossil fuels to produce, package, distribute and store food.
Roasted Butternut Squash Pie with Pineapple-Ginger Compote
Had several butternut squash on hand for the Thanksgiving holiday and since the last pumpkin I cut up and roasted was so fibrous and stringy, I decided to go with the sweet squash for pie this year. This pie baked up to a deep mahogany brown and was topped by the blond-colored gingered pineapple sauce plus a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. It got raves for flavor and texture all around!
Ingredients:
- 2 small to medium butternut squash
- Olive Oil to coat
- Sea Salt to flavor
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream ( can substitute half and half0
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ( I used the Vietnamese kind, much higher in oils)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- Pie crust of your own making or a ready-to-bake crust
Process the squash by cutting a thin slice off tops and bottoms. Use a sharp peeler to remove the skin. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds from the cavity. Cut into long strips then dice into 1″ pieces. Place on baking sheet and coat with olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. Roast in a 400F degree oven for about a half hour or until tender.
Place cooled squash in blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients for the puree. Process or blend until smooth. Pour into prepared crust and bake 30-40 minutes until set in middle and crust is lightly brown.
Pineapple -Ginger Compote
Ingredients
- One fresh, ripe pineapple
- one 1″ piece of fresh gingerroot
- 1/2 cup apple cider ( could use orange juice to thin as well)
Process pineapple by slicing off top and a thin slice on bottom. Using a large chef’s knife remove the rind all the way around. Slice pineapple in half lengthwise and half each half. Remove cores and dice remainder.Peel ginger and dice finely. Put both in your blender or food processor with the 1/2 cup juice. Process until smooth. The consistency will be like applesauce. Refrigerate.
Cut pie into 6 wedges, top with compote and a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. Enjoy!
Small Business Saturday and Kid’s Activities
Saturday November 30th is our Small Business Saturday specials
This is also our Children’s Activity Day… we’ll have a children’s accessory vendor, Face Painter, Farmington’s Heritage nature center as well as several other child friendly vendors at the market this weekend.
The Nature Center will be at the market from 10:30am to 12:30pm with hands on activities for all our ‘little’ market friends!
Here are the vendors for this weekend:
Earths Legacy- Greenery, wreaths and more
Willy Kadilly- handmade woolen children accessories, diaper covers,
Uncle Calvin”s Sweet Potato Pie
Wild Tree Products
Miller Savory & Pines- Granolas and more
Greener Pastures- ORGANIC meats
Jenn’s Gourmet Dressings
Full Ark Tees
Cousin Mary Jane- Hemp food products
Aunt Beas Farm – fiber, lamb meat products
English B1 – HONEY
Go Forever – nutrition bars
Sage Advice Nursery- PRODUCE, plants, jams, sprouting seeds
Tracina’s Gourmet specialties- Gnocci, lasagna, cannoli
Hickory Knoll Creamery LLC- Goat cheese products
R&D Beads – Jewelry
Kapnick’s Orchards- apples, pears, baked goods
Jenna Marie Gourmet Chocolates
Juanitta’s Salsa
Uncle Henry’s Gourmet Meat Sticks and more
Spinning Moon Fiber products – scarves, fiber
Cookie Cutter Tweets & Treat The Dog – pet treats
Kettle Corn of Michigan- many flavors
Verace Pasta’s
Aunt Edith’s Handmade Soaps and more
Denton Coffee Roasting Company – Cocoa too!
Shimmy Shack FOOD TRUCK outside
The Mean Weenie FOOD TRUCK outside
Pooky The Clown -Face Painter, entertainer
Farmington Nature Center from 10:30am to 12:30pm doing free activities with the children
Vendors for Saturday, November 23rd
Jenna Marie Gourmet Chocolates
Juanitta’s Salsa & Chips
Spinning Moon, fiber products
Cookie Cutter Tweets & Treat the Dog
Food Trucks
Shimmy Shack Food Truck
The Market is going to be on TV!
This coming Saturday, November 23rd, The Old Winery Farmers Market is going to be privileged to be on the weekend Fox Channel 2 show as a live shoot at the market. Spots will be airing from 7am until 9:45am. Come on out early to see the excitement or sit back on the couch with a cup of coffee and view the market if you haven’t already been to visit us. In order to accomodate all the hubub, the market will be opening early at 9am.
We also have a cooking class this Saturday. Jean Smith, will be demonstrating how to make a yummy Kale Pesto which can top meats, pasta or sandwiches. The class starts at 11 am and uns until 11:30 so you’ll still have lots of time to shop. The class is absolutely free.
As a bonus we have another food truck attending and serving us good eats. The Meenie Weenie will be offering it’s line of gourmet dogs and will join the Shimmy Shack which has a line of vegan specialties.
It promises to be another fun day at the Old Winery Farmers Market, come join us for a great experience!
The Old Winery Farmers Market 