Market News - September 28, 2010
From the Market Manager
In the recipe for applesauce cake from two weeks ago, I left out the amount of sugar needed—one cup. Sorry. If you missed the recipe go online and get the September 14th newsletter, it’s in there correctly.Congratulations to Sweet Pea Cheese for winning a silver medal at the Big E for their flavored soft spread cheese. And to Smith’s Country Cheese for winning a gold medal for their smoked gouda cheese which Hickory Dell Farm brings to our market.
Our market will end on November 16th, 3 weeks later than in previous years.
October Bing Events
Friday, October 1st at 8PM (doors open at 7:30) Too Human will play standards and bluesy, jazzy originals. A donation of $5 is requested. An additional musical event will take place on Friday, October 8th at 8PM. The group Rising Tide will present their special blend of American popular and folk songs. There will be a $10 donation at the door. Then, on October 15th, also at 8PM a Cabaret Night Fundraiser “You go to my Head” featuring Hillarie O’Toole and Matt Meers accompanied by Larry Picard on piano, and Carl Montefusco on drums. Appetizers and desserts will be served. Cost for this evening is $25 available at Flowers, Flowers on White St., or at the door. As if this weren’t enough, youth from the Bing’s summer program will present a horrific spectacle! Enter if you dare from 7-10 on Fridays and Saturdays and 6:30-8:30 on Sundays on October 22, 23, 24, 29th & 30th. A $5 donation per person is the cost for this.The Bing has been a labor of love for many people especially Brian Hale, owner with his wife Deanna Crislip of Design Workshop. Show your appreciation and go to something. There are some art exhibits there also.
Farmers’ Profits
I subscribe to the Farmers’ Market Coalition listserve. As you might imagine, many issues concerning markets are discussed. The most recent issue stems from a Wall Street Journal story which said that farmers earn up to 90% profit at farmers’ markets. While it is true that farmers do earn more at markets than if they were to sell wholesale, by no means is it 90%. Someone did an analysis and said that if a farmer were to sell a head of lettuce that sells for $2 to a grocery store they would receive 34 cents for it whereas if they sell the same lettuce at a farmers’ market they receive the full $2. But, is that $2 all profit? Of course not. We must all remember that if the cost of gasoline goes up, the cost of petroleum
products go up for farmers also. They run tractors, heat greenhouses, buy fertilizer, and even purchase plastic bags for this and that.
When anyone complains about prices at our market, I always tell them that they are confusing price and value. Don’t forget the intrinsic value that we all receive by having open space remain open due to farming. No-one benefits from having everything paved over.
Gifts
Do you like to give gifts to someone who needs nothing? How about a jar of honey, a bar of soap, and a container of maple syrup or an Appalachian Natural product? Everybody eats. Or a gift certificate to Blue Moon Coffee? There are lots of choices at our market.Community Music School
Many of you know about the marvelous Community Music School on State Street in Springfield. The newest thing that they have is the Robyn Newhouse Hall in what used to be the lobby of their 1935 art deco former bank building.CMS had a lovely concert this past Sunday and will be having concerts on Sunday afternoons at 2PM throughout the year in
their new hall. There is lots of parking nearby.
- October 24th—Handel-Halvorsen, Debussy, Martinu and more
- November 21st—Back Bay Guitar Trio
- March 20th—Clarinet and Strings Trio
Identity Theft
- Do not give out financial information unless you know the person or organization.
- Report lost or stolen checks immediately
- Notify your banker of suspicious phone inquiries
- Closely guard your ATM pin # and receipts
- Shred any financial solicitations and bank statements before disposing of them.
- Put outgoing mail into a secure, official postal box.
- If regular bills fail to reach you, call the company to find out why.
- If your bills include questionable items, don’t ignore them instead investigate immediately to head off any possible fraud.
- Periodically contact the major credit reporting companies. You can get a copy of your credit report from each of the 3 reporting bureaus once a year at no charge.
- To obtain a free report contact annualcreditreport.com and go from there. You can get it online and print it out yourself.
