As always, there were fun things to see and do at the Newburyport Farmer’s Market this past Sunday (8/30/09) and this week brought some exciting news for the Market – it has been chosen to be part of the Toyota Hybrid Farm to Table Tour! The press release I received from Toyota is included at the bottom of this post with details about the fun promised for all and give-aways. The big day will be Sunday, September 20, 2009 and a great time to visit the market for either the first time or for a repeat visit! Congratulations to Shari Wilkinson, the founding director of the Market, for an astounding first year.
One of the things that struck me at this week’s visit was the fresh fruit – Paula Red and Early Mac apples, as well as a variety of local peaches – sitting in fuzzy perfection in many of the booths. So tempting, as were the simply gorgeous fresh berries……..
……..but I was on a quest for fresh local corn. I found just what I wanted and made a great Corn and Bacon Chowder – using the corn cobs to make a stock that brought the chowder to corny perfection.
Aside from the wonderful local produce, some farms brought along livestock for a visit. My favorite was watching the little pug meet Miss Independance (who was born on the Fourth of July) and brought along by Artichoke Dairy from West Newbury. The little dog seemed to like the cow – but she seemed a bit more reluctant!
Also along for a day-trip were these guests courtesy of Arrowhead Farms. They had a big audience, including a Boxer dog that was looking on as wide-eyed and curious as the children were.
Not to be out-done by the food and animals, crafters were doing a brisk business and once again I was delighted to see works of art that I wouldn’t otherwise have found. For instance, I had never seen wheat weaving before – and these ornamental wonders from Roberta Horsman were fascinatingly beautiful!
I had to laugh at the fun project to celebrate your favorite pooch. How about a paw print?
It’s too bad I had to make such a quick visit this week – I think I’d like a little paw-print of my pup Finn, but that will have to wait for another time.
Perhaps the most thought provoking of all things I saw at the Market this week were the heirloom tomatoes for sale. Mine are just coming along, from seedlings I bought at the market, but I have been harvesting healthy tomatoes from thriving hybrid plants that I bought at the local seedling fair and a West Newbury farm for weeks now.
How fortunate that the one plant (Bonnie Brand, Big Boy) I bought from Lowe’s early in the season (which suffered from the late blight that has devastated tomato crops throughout the US) did not spread to my local plants. I destroyed it, counted my blessings, and rest assured I will not be buying my tomato seedlings anywhere other than at the Farmer’s Market and local farms next year!
Local farms keep a close eye on their product – something the mass-production farms cannot. Like the food we eat, locally produced plants are the best bet for knowing what you are getting as well as sustaining our local agriculture and economy. See you at the Newburyport Farmer’s Market Seeding fair next year!
TOYOTA HYBRID FARM TO TABLE TOUR
National Tour Arrives at The Newburyport Farmers Market on Sunday, September 20
Toyota is dedicated to using eco-friendly materials throughout the tour and will be purchasing carbon credits through TerraPass to offset the impact of the tour’s carbon footprint.
Timeless Gourmet
Beautiful website. Wish I had seen it last year!