August 18th Newsletter


  
Without further adieu, here is this week’s newsletter of events, goings-on and recipes!
Fruitfully yours, 
The Board of Directors of the Medford Farmers Market
  Susan Fairchild, President
  Michael Quinn, Treasurer
  Heather S. Hannon, Clerk
  Syrah McGivern
  Marc Gurton   

Let Us Entertain You This week’s entertainment and events

This week we’ve got a veritable way to get your hands dirty.  Tufts Nutrition student Laura Held will be leading a gardening demo in which she’ll be showing you how to grow your own food and giving away supplies to start planting some late season crops!  If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to grow-your-own, n

ow is your chance!  Laura will be at the market all day from 3 to 7.

For your musical enjoyment we’ve got Jesse Kurn of the Ice Cream Sandwich Bandplaying solo from 5 to 7.  For those of you that have stopped by in recent weeks, you may have heard his trio performing their all-ukelele covers of popular songs. The Ice Cream Sandwich Band are a lot of fun – we even saw a few of you singing along!

If you’d like to sing, dance, lead an activity, or otherwise capture the spotlight at our market, send us an email.

Your Medford Community Table
  

This week we will be joined by another two excellent organizations, Outdoor Explorations and English at Large.  Stop on by to check out what they are all about!
outdoor explorations
Outdoor Explorations provide people of all abilities with opportunities to participatein outdoor activities and adventure recreation. They offer programs for individuals, groups, and corporate clients. Participants discover the possibility of having the outdoors be a part of their lives, and often end up achieving significant personal growth and transforming their lives with healthy recreational options.  Maybe you’re interested in scheduling an exploration, or maybe you want to volunteer.  Stop by to find out more!
English at Large provides free English (ESOL/ESL) to adults throughout 20 Boston-area communities. Every year, our trained volunteers help hundreds of adults improve their English literacy and change their lives. Every day, those adults have more and more to say. English At Large learners live or work in Medford, come on over and find out how you can help!

Notes from the Market Manager A weekly rundown of your farmers market 


Jalapenos – great for salsas
and pickling, too!

This is the perfect week to bring your kids to the market.  In addition to our scheduled activities that provide a space to dance and dig in the dirt, we’ve also got a lovely Medford student leading an arts and crafts activity.  Stop by to chalk up the sidewalk or even draw a picture that you can take home.  
And then, of course, there are our lovely vendors!  Summer produce is still in full-swing, as is our selection of baked goods, honey, jams, and treats.  If you’re in the market for something shiny, we’ve got three different jewelers to select from this week.  For a complete list of all of this week’s vendors, check out our website.

News Bites
By Meghan Van Stry and Isabelle Thibault
Congratulations on being interested in the Medford Farmers’ Market and buying locally! Buying locally directly helps out your community! More money will be going to your community instead of big companies across the country or across the world. Buying local also helps the environment! For example, if you bought a tomato from a local vendor a few towns away instead of across the country, that tomato would have traveled a much smaller distance, which uses less energy and gives off less carbon. You will also get service that is more dependable, more personal and overall better! Buying locally will strengthen your community and enhance your lifestyle by support the economy and environment, so buy locally as often as you can! 

Roasted Kohlrabi 
What to do with that interesting alien-head vegetable

Kohlrabi is probably one of the strangest vegetables you can find at the market andcan be intimidating for those unfamiliar with it’s taste.  It is a relative of broccoli – think of it like a ballooned-out version of a broccoli stem.  It is softer, sweeter and less fibrous than a broccoli stem though.  It can be eaten raw in slices with a dash of salt for flavor. When that gets old, try this recipe adapted from A Veggie Venture!
Prep time: 10 minutes

Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 4 as an appetizer
1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic (garlic is optional, to my taste)
Salt
Vinegar
Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven and roast for 30 – 35 minutes, stirring every five minutes after about 20 minutes. Serve with a good vinegar sprinkled on top.