This week marks the last week of the market. It is a bittersweet ending to a lovely season. Please join us in celebration for a successful market year at this year’s Apple Fest and Bake-Off!
The Apple Fest is a family friendly event where you can learn about how apples grow and their local history, taste apple cider and different apple varieties, decorate mini pumpkins and take your Halloween costume for a practice spin. There are also around a dozen entrants into this year’s apple bake-off. Stick around to find out who wins!
If you’d still like to enter the Bake-Off, here are the details: Join your fellow neighbors for a friendly competition judged by Mayor McGlynn, Whole Foods, and market vendors. Bring your favorite and most prized home-baked apple dessert (pie, tart, muffins, crisp, you name it!) to the market for tasting by 5:30pm, as judging will begin at 6pm. The winner will receive a gift basket of goods from the market. To enter your dessert in the contest, email medfordfarmersmarket@gmail.com.
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 YouThis week’s entertainment and events
Apple Fest is going to be bushels of fun! From 3 to 7 you can enjoy free pumpkin painting for kids, apple & apple cider tasting, and learn about apple growing in Massachusetts. Don’t forget to come in time for the Bake-Off judging. We’ve got around a dozen contestants competing to be crowned this year’s Medford Farmers Market Apple Bake-Off champion and a slew of judges eager to taste the best that Medford has to offer. The judging begins at 6pm. Check out how much fun we had last year in the pictures from last year’s Fest on our slideshow.
From 4 to 5:30 we’ve got music from musician John Colvert. John has played allover the place and is the founder of New England Americana. Get a taste of his tunes on his website.
At 5:00, contributing to the Apple-goodness, we’re excited to announce a home canning workshop put on by Robin Cohen of Doves and Figs! Robin will be demonstrating how you can take advantage of the season’s bounty and continue to enjoy goods you’ve purchased from the market all season long! If you can’t make it to the demonstration, stop by her tent and purchase some of her preserves. She’d be happy to talk to you about the process!
From 5:30 to 7 you can enjoy the guitar and vocal stylings of Tim McGivern. Tim is a local Medford resident who can be frequently found at the Farmers Market. Come cheer him on, and listen to his music beforehand on his myspace page.
Thank you to all of our performers, educators, chefs, and innovators for a spectacular year of entertainment!
Notes from the Market Manager A weekly rundown of your farmers market
Its hard to believe that this is the last week of the market! Nevertheless, this market is shaping up to be another great one. We’ve got most of our regular vendors scheduled to attend this week, except Buttergirl and Enchanted Cottage. The farms are showing a lot of apples, fall greens and winter squash, root vegetables, and if we’re really lucky, tomatoes.
For a complete list of this week’s vendors, check out our website.
Your Community Table
This week we’ve got two community groups sharing our space. Come check them out!
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working together in 98countries and with partners and allies around the world to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. The Action Corps will be on-hand to talk about food justice issues in our community and beyond.
Medford Community Housing is a non-profit Community Development Corporation dedicated to the promotion of affordablehousing in Medford. Stop by to find out about ways that you can get involved, or find out about the state of affordable housing in the City of Medford.
Apple-filled Grilled Cheese Sandwich, in Three Ways
Continuing with our Apple Month theme, here is a tasty recipe for an apple-filled grilled cheese sandwich. This classic comfort food is the latest thing to go gourmet. You can now buy fancy cheese sandwiches at two different food trucks in Boston, and restaurants are featuring a feat of cheeses to please your palate. But why pay restaraunt prices for a dish you can easilly whip up at home?! There are just as many ways to make appley-grilled cheese sandwiches as there are apple varieties. Here are a couple of tips for making your own! Sweet-tart apples like McIntosh or Cortland seem to be the best varieties for these sandwiches, but of course, feel free to experiment! The Classic: On a multi-grain or rye bread melt a traditional sharp cheddar or jack. Add caramelized onions or bacon for an extra dash of flavor.
The Sweet-tooth: Layer gruyere, honey and a crisp green or yellow apple on sweet or white bread. Grill it or eat it cold as a quick snack!
The Artisan: On sourdough bread, layer goat cheese, apple and arugula and toast well. Sprouts and grilled mushrooms are also welcome additions to this spread.
