06/17/2017
Bonnie's Message
Hello Friends of the June 17 Lexington Farmers Market
What a crazy growing season. If you have perennials, you’re in heaven. The spring rains turned them into giants. If you have trees, you’re seeing the stress effects of droughty summers past. They’re dropping seeds and throwing pollen to the winds as if they mean this year to be their last. And if you’re a farmer, you are looking at your photos of last year’s fields at this time in disbelief. Where’s the green stuff?
Come look on our tables and you’ll find it this Saturday. Newton Farm continues their early season entries of bunching onions, wild cress, pea shoots, spring garlic, lovage, salad greens and radishes. “We may have a big sign over our table,” says Lynn, “‘Radish World.’ We’ll demo an Asian and Radish salad and have pickled radish on the table.” Joining that will be smoked jalapeño hot sauce, mango jam, breakfast and savory granola, kimchi, kraut and lovage pesto.
If you missed buying a quart or two of Story Farms strawberries on the 3rd, we guarantee you a second chance. We’re doubling their numbers, so come, buy, freeze, bake, squander, take them for granted. They’ll be here despite your best efforts to ignore them. And if you tasted them at the Strawberry dinner thrown by the United Methodist Church in Lexington last week, you know they are worth a trip to the market.
We’ll have varieties of lettuce (Buttercrunch, Red Leaf and Tom Thumb) from Scribner Hollow Farm in Jewett, and bundles of kale from farmer Chris Craft whose on-farm stand will open on or near June 23. Look for postcards giving you information about his farm and products on our strawberry table. We’re happy to welcome a new farm into our midst.
We also guarantee eggs. Hen’s eggs. Duck eggs. Goose eggs. We’re working our way up to Ostrich eggs but we’ll be awhile. The hens, ducks and geese are reluctant to try.
From JJF Black Angus Cattle, we’ll have more patties, and 10% ground beef and our usual array of steaks. Pick up a JJF business card at their table. Big Bones for doggies or bone marrow soup are free in the grey cooler. Liver too, (not free but there).
West Kill Brewing’s “Earn Your Keep” earned its keep for this sampler. Crowlers will be poured and sealed for your take-home pleasure. The crowler is a 32 oz container of beer that keeps after opening for some days. Crowlers are $12.00. You can taste first to see what fine brew is being brewed in West Kill. Check out https://www.facebook.com/westkillbrewing/ for tasting times at the brewery. At www.westkillbrewing.com, you can read this and more: “On a dead end road in the heart of the Catskills, something is brewing.” Michael and Colleen have poured their hearts into West Kill. Return the favor and pour some brew for yourself. Salut!
Remember that you can pre-order Heather Ridge Farm products and have things brought to the market. Pre-order and pre-pay by Friday noon at http://www.heather-ridge-farm.com/lexington-farmers-market/ On the table on Saturday, Heather Ridge will feature French toast bread pudding, gluten free Brazilian cheese bread, Chili of the Oink n’ Moo variety, Lebanese lentil soup, Vietnamese cabbage and chicken salad, and gluten free Brownies.
North Settlement Natural will have rhubarb (to go with your strawberries), tarragon, lovage tarragon vinegar, mint, and small potted plants, and colorful recycled feedbag bag bags.
Maple Hill Farm’s maple products continue to expand with maple roasted nuts, cotton candy and maple fudge. (Completely insane. You have to taste it.) Watch this table. There is always something new being cooked up with maple syrup as a key ingredient. Plus all grades and sizes of bottles on the table, including small, inexpensive glass bottle samplers to help you choose the one for you. Great way to give a gift too.
Speaking of: It’s one thing to buy herbal soaps and sundries but to buy them as beautifully presented as they are by Elementals– Herbal Soaps & Sundries is special. Put a lip balm in every pocket. Try a little aromatherapy on the spot by finding your favorite scent.
Bulich Mushrooms and Harpersfield Cheese finish us up.
We welcome the Lexington Historical Society who will be serving up chicken noodle, lentil, and potato leek soup with homemade rolls by a Lexington bread maker whose bread making skills are famous even if she chooses not to be. Dessert also will be sold. If you aren’t a member, you can join at the market. Get on the mailing list. Find out about the collection and upcoming open houses and events.
Finally: a Broadband note. The MTC truck was up and down roads in the Round 2 coverage areas last week. They are doing make ready work, following fiber lines and GPSing poles. Round 3 opened on June 6 and closes on August 15, probably pushing an announcement into December at least. We’ll see a generator building erected soon at near the Lexington Post Office on the wastewater site. Be sure to wave when you see them. You can also run after the truck cheering if you’re so moved. I did. So did the dog but he runs after everything.
See you at the Market!!
