|
| Medford Farmers Market |
September 25, 2012 |
|
In honor of national Honey Month we wanted to remind you of the importance of bees, a sacred animal that many people do not think about too often. They are an important part of the ecosystem and do so much more than make honey! Bees pollinate the food we eat and “…according to the USDA, these under-appreciated workers pollinate 80% of our flowering crops which constitute 1/3 of everything we eat. Losing them could affect not only dietary staples such as apples, broccoli, strawberries, nuts, asparagus, blueberries and  cucumbers, but may threaten our beef and dairy industries if alfalfa is not available for feed.”* In recent years commercial honeybee hives have suffered from colony collapse disorder, where bees simply disappear due to a number of factors including pesticide exposure and pathogenic mites. If you would like to learn more about this, we encourage you to watch the movie Vanishing of the Bees. In the meantime, support local and organic farms that maximize environmentally friendly farming! Massachusetts farmers are leaders in the use of environmentally sound growing practices, encompassing a patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, streams and ponds that provide essential habitat for wildlife.
As always, thanks for your continued support. See you at the Market!
Fruitfully yours,
The Board of Directors of the Medford Farmers Market
|
Let Us Entertain You This week’s entertainment and events
This week, we have Music and Storytelling by Miranda Aisling @ 3-5PM. Miranda uses storytelling to help children connect art to their daily lives through activities like dance, collage, and cooking. She taught a course at Spring Step this summer. You can read more about Miranda on her blog.
If you’d like to sing, dance, lead an activity, or otherwise capture the spotlight at our market, send us an email.
|
|
Community Table This week’s community table
 This year, the Market is sponsoring a free table for various community organizations each week at the market. This week we will have CACHE. CACHE is a coalition working to foster a vibrant arts and culture scene in the community and a creative economy in Medford. Their mission is to build bridges and connect people to arts and culture. They are comprised of a group of members with diverse backgrounds. Serving as a unified voice and advocate, CACHE promotes awareness and participation and investment in arts and cultural activities throughout the city.
We also have Green Medford. Green Medford seeks to educate the Medford  community to understand our environmental impact, and to empower members of our community to make more sustainable energy choices related to homes and businesses, transportation, and food.
And Next Step Living is a  residential energy efficiency company, providing home energy diagnostics and improvements to the greater New England area. They are a socially-conscious, environmentally focused, results-driven organization dedicated to helping our customers lower their energy bills, increase the comfort of their homes, and reduce their carbon footprint.
|
| Notes from the Market Manager A weekly rundown of your farmers market
This week, we have 12 vendors joining us at the market. The produce is still abundant at the market and there are delicious meats, grains, breads, butters, cookies and many other treats to put together a wonderful market dinner!
And we also have Bon Me the food truck back this week. Stop by the truck for some “bold, fresh, and fun Vietnamese Cuisine!”
We have our annual Apple Fest coming up in 2 weeks on 10/11. We will have activities lined up and also an apple bake off. Stop by the manager’s tent for more information and to enter the apple bake off!
See you on Thursday!
|
|
|
|
|
Recipe of the week:
BAKED APPLES
- 4 large baking apples (Golden Delicious, or Jonagold)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup currants or chopped raisins
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup water
1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash apples. Remove cores to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples. Use a spoon to dig out the seeds. Make the holes about 3/4-inch to an inch wide.
2 In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup, cinnamon, currants/raisins, and pecans. Place apples in a 8-inch-by-8-inch square baking pan. Stuff each apple with this mixture. Top with a dot of butter (1/4 of the Tbps).
3 Add water to the baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until tender, but not mushy. Remove from the oven and baste the apples several times with the pan juices.
|
|
|
|
|
