Tremont Farmers’ Market

Ever had a really bad day? Of course you have, we all experience them once in a while. Well, one of the things I do when I’m having a hard time, is eat. My husband has learned not to keep potato chips and lots of chocolate in the house because of those moments. At least he hides them well. But lately, when I’ve had a bad day, I make a salad. Amazingly, instead of that queezy, yucky feeling I get after eating most of the bag of chips, I feel better after crunching down a crispy salad. Wholesome even. The other great part about it, my salad reminds me of who helped make it. Lettuce from Wonder City Farm, sprouts from Redozo Farm, raw milk cheddar cheese from Ohio Farm Direct. And that makes me feel really great. I know my food is superbly fresh, grown without pesticides, and I’m supporting my local producer and the local economy. Good for me, good for all of us. Join me in shopping for some healthy comfort food!

The Vendors: Beecology, Bluebarn Farm, Country Charm Flowers, Gerard Family Farm, Hickory Acres Meats, In the Raw Café, *Jo Jo’s Pastry Works, KC Coffee Co, Knoble Farms, Lake Erie Creamery, Mom’s Gourmet, Ms. Julie’s Kitchen, Ohio City Pasta, Ohio Farm Direct, Plant Kingdom Bakery, p’Zazz! Hot Sauces, Red Basket Farm, Redozo Farm, Rock Valley Run Farm, Rose Ridge Farm, Suzanniehandknits, etc., t. by Sarah, *Tremont Urban Food Systems (TUFS), Trish Supples, Ultimate Brownies, Wonder City Farm. (* = new this week)

Available at the market: fresh produce, honey, bread, vegan baked goods, eggs, crepes, cheese, grass-fed meats, salsas, coffee, tea, plants, brownies, pasta, jewelry, creative artwork, pies, good company, lots of yum and more.

Environmental Space: Morgan Taggart, of the OSU Extension-Master Gardeners, will be on hand to answer questions about plants, gardening/farming, and life in general.

Music: Ryann Guitar Anderson is no stranger to Tremont; a veteran of many local establishments, I am thrilled to finally hear him play!

Kids Corner: Camille George is dusting off her paintbrush, and ready to do some fun face painting!

Cooking Demo: Our very own vendor, Nicole Tuzzio of In the Raw Café, will show us some of her secrets!

Lawyer in a Box: Fatima AbuZahrieh will be at the market and offering legal advice for 25 cents; a lawyer stand inspired by Lucy of Peanuts!

WIC, SFMNC and EBT (Direction Card) accepted.

*As I went by a pitch-pine wood the
other day, I saw a few little ones
springing up in a pasture from seeds which
had been blown from the wood….
In a few years, if not disturbed, these
Seedlings will alter the face of Nature here.
—-from Faith in a Seed, by Henry D. Thoreau

Peace,
Jody Lathwell, market manager

Greetings market lovers! Last Tuesday was a lot of fun. Please come back for more excitement; our market is swelling with vendor participation and good energy, but also with extracurricular activities.

This year, we’re excited to introduce an Environmental Space (ES) where environmental experts will be available to discuss their areas of expertise and answer questions. We will also use the ES to host interactive workshops and activities to give market attendees practical ways to live a more environmentally rich life. Some upcoming visitors and activities include: Ohio City Bike Co-op (bike safety workshop);Ohio State Extension-Master Gardeners, a hands-on workshop on July 14 to create your own Rain Barrel (please inquire at the Community Tent about sign-up), a community clothing swap and so many more! Our first guest is David Wright of the Shaker Lakes Nature Center & Audubon Ohio, please visit the ES tent for a lively discussion with David.

Also new and starting this week is our Kid’s Corner. Camille George, a big kid herself (although rest assured, she is very responsible), will be located in the center of the market to conduct activities for the younger crowd so that parents can shop, still keep an eye on their kids, but know that they will be safe and entertained. We are also looking for folks to help out with this endeavor, so please let us know if you are interested!

Our vendors for this week: Beecology, Gerard Family Farm, In the Raw Café, Knoble Farms, Kyle Schenk, Lake Erie Creamery, Lise Anderson Jewelry, Ms. Julie’s Kitchen, Ohio City Pasta, Ohio Farm Direct, Plant Kingdom Bakery, p’Zazz! Hot Suaces, Rubs and More, Red Basket Farm, Redozo Farm, Rock Valley Run Farm, Rose Ridge Farm, Suzannie Handknits, t. by Sarah, Trish Supples, Ultimate Brownies and Wonder City Farm.

Shop for brownies made with organic eggs, and hormone-free butter; grass-fed organic beef, grass-fed organic cheese; grab an organic raw food snack, or a hemp-based vegan snack; make sure to talk with our artists, they all have wonderful stories and philosophies about their art; purchase bee shampoo and conditioner; buy some plants for your garden, both ornamental and veggies; get some tea, and try out the wonderful, fresh pasta, and hot sauces and salsas; try organic chevre (goat cheese) made right here in Cleveland; and of course, get the best in local veggies and fruits!

The market crooner this week: Becky Boyd. Feel her powerful voice fill up the park.

Cooking demonstration to be led by Karen Small of The Flying Fig; I have heard nothing but praise for her talents in the kitchen, and can’t wait to see what she comes up with!

As part of Love Your Farmers Market contest sponsored by Care2.com and LocalHarvest.org, we have a chance to win a $5,000 prize.
But we need your help to win. Please visit our contest page at http://www.care2.com/farmersmarket/16462
and vote for us – it’s free, it’s easy and every vote helps raise awareness of our farmers market and the need to support fresh, local food and small family farmers! The last day to vote is September 17, 2009.

Look for Sue Coy, and purchase a market bag. Proceeds go towards supporting recycling efforts in Tremont.

WIC, Senior’s Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupons and EBT accepted.

*Cheers to a bountiful harvest!
Jody Lathwell, market manager

Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 4:30-7:30 pm: Season’s Debut!

The moment has come! The Tremont Farmers Market will re-emerge in Lincoln Park and my, how we have grown! In one year, we have tripled, at least, our vendor participation. Standing in the area we’ve chosen to set up, I was looking around, trying to imagine 30 or so vendors. Our mini-village will be quite cozy!

Last night, while gorging on fresh strawberries from my garden, I fantasized about all the delicious food that will be at the market. Imagine being able to do almost all of your shopping in a beautiful park! Well, you could make that happen this summer in Tremont.

There will be greens, strawberries, fresh cut flowers, yellow squash, spinach, beets, sprouts, eggs, honey, honey-based products, maple syrup, grass-fed organic beef, grass-fed organic cheese, bread, brownies, vegan baked goods, coffee, salsas and sauces, rubs, artwork, jewelry, cut flowers, plants, raw food, knitted pieces, tea, homeopathic remedies. Are you dizzy, yet? Because I am! I run the risk of making these emails dangerously long, as the vendor list grows and their wares increase.

Now for the stars of the show, the vendors: Beecology, Country Charm Flowers, Gerard Family Farm, In the Raw Café, KC Coffee Co, Kyle Schenk, Lake Erie Creamery, Lise Anderson Jewelry, Mom’s Gourmet, Ms. Julie’s Kitchen, Ohio City Pasta, Ohio Farm Direct, Plant Kingdom Bakery, p’Zazz!, Red Basket Farm, Redozo Farm, Rock Valley Run Farm, Rose Ridge Farm, Supplements, Etc, Suzanniehandknits, t. by Sarah, Trish Supples, Ultimate Brownies, Wonder City Farm, and Will McCracken.

Highlights: Crepes and French fries cooked by Gerard Family Farm.
Grass-fed, organic vanilla ice cream will be served by Ohio Farm Direct; in addition to their wonderful cheese, they have whipped up ice cream, their own special chocolate sauce (all ingredients from their farm excepting the sugar and cocoa), and a few other delectable items. Sprouts from Redozo Farm, maple syrup from Red Basket Farm. Vegan baked goods from Planet Kingdom Bakery. The rest I will leave as a surprise!

For our Cooking Demonstration, Chef Ricardo Sandoval is back! Or still here; he’s been juggling dishes in Tremont for years now. I have become one of his biggest fans. Not only has he supported the market in many, many ways, he just always amazes me with his concoctions. (And, we are both Pisces!)

The Tremont Gardeners have graciously agreed to hold their Plant Swap this Tuesday. Bring a plant, you get to take one home. I myself am bringing a few Verbena bonariensis and Salvia sclarea. Intrigued? Get out and divide those perennials—it’s a little on the late side, but all you have to do is make sure they are well watered once planted!

Lisa and Heather Malyuk played for us last October, and they’re back as well! Their hammered dulcimer based music is about perfect for a market. They’re inspired, and so are we!
Neighborhood Family Practice will be on hand to provide nutritional information.

Many vendors accept WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Coupons, and we are getting set up to accept EBT.

*Remember to bring bags! Reuse is necessary for sustainability.*

Celebrate our community, celebrate good healthy food! Break bread with the best!
Jody Lathwell, market manager

Saving seed is so important, for our food production, for the diversity of plant species on which we are so dependent. I recently watched a short TED talk about the Millennium Seed Bank. I have to say I have mixed feelings about it all, or maybe dread. We’ve gotten to the point where we have to create a huge fort to protect plant genetics. I don’t know if I’m glad that the project is happening, or really freaked out that it’s happening.
Plant up your own properties and spaces. Dig up some of that lawn, plant a garden, a native plant garden. Plant trees. We cannot survive without lots of plants, and without lots of plant diversity.
Peace. Plant, plant, plant.

Less than a week until farmers and other food producers in Northeast Ohio will set up their tents once again in Tremont. There are so many reasons to buy local food! The Countryside Conservancy spells them out here: Why Go Local?

And we offer so much more. Repurposed art (art made from recycled materials), jewelry, cooking demonstrations, free and awesome music, and a chance to hang out in a beautiful park. For those with kids, there is a really fun playground. What could be better? Meet your neighbors and get to know other folks interested in eating healthfully.

Healthy food, healthy community.
Put June 16 on your calender!

Last night, the Cleveland Museum of Art showed a preview of the film Food Fight. The movie touches on the history of the industrial food revolution in a clear and humorous manner. Features Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, as well as many other foodies. Will Allen and Growing Power also featured; Erika Allen is an amazing spokesperson. Her message: good, fresh, healthy food is a right, not a privilege; and growing food in our cities is not only possible, they’re doing it. Good food for everyone!
Cheers!
Jody

The countdown is on! In a mere two weeks, vendors of all sorts will once again gather in Lincoln Park to display their wares of great, local food, local artwork, fantastic music and more. Put a post-it note on your brain: Tuesday, June 16 from 4:30-7:30 pm. New day and time, almost-new place, a great new season.

American Farmland Trust has created a bit of friendly competition between markets to increase awareness and interest in farmers’ markets. I was curious, so I signed up TFM, just to see what would happen. So, check it out, and decide for yourself! I believe voting starts on June 1, and the results will be tallied during Farmers’ Market Week Aug 2-8, 2009. www.farmland.org/vote
To read more about the contest: http://www.farmland.org/news/pressreleases/AmericasFavoriteFarmersMarket.asp

In addition, we’re working to update the market blogsite. Get up to date information and a preview of the season here!
I would love to add Tremont businesses to the site, just make me aware of them, and I’ll add a link.

I would also like to put in a plug for a new blogsite that endeavors to cover farming and food in our wonderful region. Bounty of the Western Reserve is published by Mary K. Holmes, local food advocate and Presidential Fellow at Case Western Reserve University where she teaches a SAGES seminar, “Food, Farming, and Economic Prosperity.”
www.bountyofthewesternreserve.com

That’s a lot of internet info to throw about, so let’s get grounded!
Dust off your sun hats and canvas bags. TFM is raring to go!

Peace,
Jody Lathwell, market manager

My mom, who lives in Toronto, told me of a great movie— and I value her opinions greatly.

Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action

I have not yet seen the movie myself, but have included it on this site because I’m sure it is worth seeing, and it is relevant to the local food movers and shakers here in the Cleveland area.

Liz Braun, of the Toronto Sun, wrote an article called “Spirituality, Action, meet with Gob smacking beauty”

In it, she writes:

Central to the story is a farm in the worst part of Los Angeles, a sudden oasis in the midst of urban blight, where locals work the land and talk about the magical place that keeps their kids off the streets. When the land is sold to a developer, and it looks as if the farm will be destroyed, people from all walks of life turn up to protest. The movie traces the connection between this land and peaceful protests all around the world, and checks in with a variety of experts willing to talk about “the possibility of illumination.” Like some kind of modern-day Diogenes — only with a camera instead of a lantern — Ripper goes to conflict zones, ceremonies and festivals to discover the growing need for peaceful and productive change.

I hope it comes to the States soon.

Peace.

Great article by Debbi Snook in the Plain Dealer: Cleveland-area farmers’ markets open up for business near you.
The online posting will be up for the season.

Muchas gracias, Debbi.

Not literally, but things are growing quickly. Alright, enough of the awful puns.

Tuesdays are going to be great fun this summer.

Looking for more information on food in the greater Cleveland area?

Check out this new blog The Bounty of the Western Reserve.