Market News - July 22, 2008
The following letter was sent to me by one of our market customers. After she sent me the letter, she told me what the scenario was that precipitated it-- impatience in the parking lot while someone was trying to either leave or get into a space. I know that it is sometimes frustrating having to wait for a space (that is the downside of our success), but the wait is usually not that long. We are going to free up some spaces by having the vendors who bring more than one vehicle to the market park them on the street beyond the parking lot, or on the other side of the church. If you can come to the market a little later than 12:30, that might help also.
There is a driveway behind the church where you can ultimately exit onto Sumner Avenue. The light only faces Oakland St., and Sumner Ave., but you can tell when the traffic has stopped. Make sure that ALL OF THE TRAFFIC HAS STOPPED ON SUMNER AVE. AS THAT IS A STAGGERED LIGHT. You can easily turn left and not have to wait for someone to let you into traffic if you exit that way.
Here’s the letter:
Dear Friends,
For 11 years, the Forest Park Farmers’ Market has sprouted new friendships and nurtured community, lifted our spirits and put us in touch with new and beautiful things, places and people from Springfield and around the region.
At the same time, because this busy market meets in improvised space and sells some things that are highly perishable, we sometimes get so caught up in getting out of the heat, getting in or out of a parking spot, getting home before our meat thaws or our milk gets warm that we forget about being nice to our neighbors.
So this letter is a gentle reminder to slow down just a little bit and try to find and engage your sense of humor, your patience and your sense of proportion when things at the market don’t quite go your way. That befuddled older person maneuvering a huge old sedan into a parking spot could be one of your parents. That hesitant first time market visitor stopping in that awkward place may once have been you. Think about it.
----A Fellow Customer
Corn!
As I’ve said before, I never eat corn on the cob unless it’s native and then I eat it almost every day. So, by the time the end of the season rolls around, I’m satiated until the next summer. Sometimes supper is corn on the cob and sliced native tomatoes. Simple and delicious. If you are only making a couple of ears of corn at a time, use your microwave. Leave it in the husk and put the timer on for 7 minutes. You will have to leave it for a few minutes after it’s done cooking, as it is HOT. The husk comes off very easily.
If you have leftover corn, scrape it off the cob and pan fry it with butter or olive oil until it’s got some brown on it. Salt and pepper and you’re good to go. Make some fresh corn chowder; there is a difference, it’s sweeter when you use fresh corn. You can put the cobs in the liquid which will make the soup even sweeter. If you are scraping a lot of corn off the cobs to use in a recipe, don’t throw the cobs out right away. Cover them with water and cook them for about 10 minutes. Let them cool in the water and save the water for a vegetable soup. You can even freeze it for later use.If you run out of corn before the next week’s market, either come to the Jewish Community Center’s farmers’ market on Friday mornings from 8-12, or go to Meadowbrook Farm on Rte. 83 in East Longmeadow and buy their corn.
Speaking of Meadowbrook, I was going by there the other day and noticed that a lot of their summer squash plants were dying. I’d never seen that before. I asked at the farm what had happened and was told that it was a disease that occurs when there is standing water. The land didn’t drain quickly enough after some of the rain we’ve had, and the disease took hold. They do a lot of wholesale, and they aren’t going to have enough to do that with the first crop.This is River Walk Week in Springfield
A grassroots effort, River Walk Week will showcase the 3.7-mile Springfield section of the Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway. Between Monday, July 21 and Friday, July 25 volunteer guides, some on foot and others on bikes, will escort groups along parts of the trail beginning at the Court Square fountain at 11:15am, 12:15pm and 1:15pm. Itineraries are designed to be completed in under an hour. Weekend walks on Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27 will begin at Riverfront Park at the foot of State Street at 10:30am and 1:00pm, and may take somewhat longer, depending on the preference of participants.If you're the independent type, you can always go out on the trail on your own. And if you're looking for a longer trip, you can ride on the West Columbus Avenue sidewalk, across the Buxton Bridge and down onto River Road in Agawam and, within a very short distance, pick up the 1.7-mile Agawam leg of the Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway.
So come out for a River Walk Week tour week by yourself, with a friend or with the whole family. It's convenient, it's beautiful, it's safe, and it's open dawn to dusk. And afterwards you can stop for a treat or a meal at one of the restaurants on West Columbus Ave. Pick up a copy of the Bikeway brochure produced pro bono by Health New England at the market table.Recipes, etc.
The green crate at the market table always has recipes in it so check it out each week. Also, check out the variety of brochures, etc. that are always on the table. Everything is free.Please consider contributing to the market. About half of our funding comes from sources other than the vendors. (I sound like NPR.)
