Little Somethings
Tart Cherries from Green's Pleasant Springs Orchard
Little Somethings
Adjusting to life amidst these COVID days has taken a toll on all of us in one form or the other. From missing our families and friends to missing our favorite summer activities, we've had to give up much at the moment. In the absence of what's missing, it's the small acts of kindness, caring and creativity that have been pulling us through. It's neighbors running errands for those who can't get out of the house. It's the people who find ways to make fun summer activities for kids that are still safe. It's the care package sent to the friend you won't see until this is all over. We see it at the market, as the extra loaf of Stella's Bakery artisan bread is grabbed for a neighbor, alongside some fresh oyster mushrooms from the Fungi Farmers.
Whether you'd like to recognize someone whose generosity has touched you or you're looking to send your love off via care package, the market is a great place to find those little somethings. Who wouldn't love to receive a small bottle of Open Kettle Farms maple syrup or a jar of hickory nuts from Bonde Bee? For that person always working too hard to stop and refuel, grab them one of the new Outcrops fruit and nut bars from Driftless Chocolates. Some of us are missing the friends and family we share our farmers' market shopping with. Send them some love with jams and salsas from Flyte Family Farms which capture the great fresh flavors of the season for those who can't make it out in person.
As ever, sometimes we want to give the greatest recognition to those heroes at home, be it with a bouquet for a spouse who's done so much or a honey stick for the little one helping extra this week. We'll keep our heads up in these not so easy times of ours. Tough as things are, our hearts are lifted by the many acts of kindness and caring we're seeing in our neighborhoods. At market we see that care on every masked face and we want to thank you all for following our safety guidelines (listed below) and keeping the market a safe place to shop! See you at market! Ben Zimmerman Market Manager P.S. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates on the market as the season kicks off!
Double Dollars are Back!
The Double Dollars program has returned, starting Saturday, July 4th. FoodShare shoppers can get up to $25 matched each market. Swing by the Information Tent with your FoodShare card and our market staff can assist you. This season the Double Dollars are in the form of green plastic tokens. If you still have a few white paper Double Dollars, you can still spend those with our vendors. For the 2020 season, the Double Dollars program is hoping to run through August, depending on funding. After the Double Dollars program ends, the market will still accept FoodShare Dollars.
Master Gardeners Helpline
We wanted to pass along a great resource from our friends the Master Gardeners. While they can't come out to table at the market this season, UW Dane County Extension is maintaining its Horticulture Helpline with Master Gardener volunteers daily 5 days a week, 9am-12 noon. You can reach them by answering machine (608-224-3721) or by emailing your questions and your photographs to horticulture@countyofdane.com.
Shopping Safely This Season
Before you make your first trip to market, we'd like you to know what will be different for this season and we ask for your help in keeping things safe. We have an adjusted layout for this season, with single sided vendor aisles spread out with a gap between each vendor. Much like the grocery store, we're asking that foot traffic move in one direction through each market aisle, indicated by our yellow sandwich board signs. We ask you to please follow these directions and be patient as we all adapt to this different flow. As you shop the stalls, please mind the six foot spacing lines in front of vendors' tents. Give each other space to shop and don't crowd into vendor booths. While reusable shopping totes are not banned, if you're using your own bags, please do not ask vendors to pack them for you. Planning your market trip may be the easiest way to get what you need, while keeping the market safe. Many of our vendors will be offering pre-orders that you may place during the week for a quick pick up at their stall on Saturday morning. Below we'll detail what options for pre-order are available this weekend and we'll update that weekly as more vendors add that option. For what you can't pre-order, consider making a shopping list by vendor before you get to the market. Having a plan of action will speed things up and help you get what you need as quickly as possible. We know that these methods won't work for everyone, but those of you who can adapt will be helping everyone with your efficiency. We're also asking everyone to send just one person per household to the market, which will aid us in lowering the crowd count each week. You can also help out by altering your shopping time, consider coming early in the morning (we open at 7am) or later (open until 12:30pm) to lower the crowd pressure during the peak hours. These little adjustments can really help make things operate smoothly and ensure we don't become too crowded. We encourage you all to wear a mask too. Even a bandana is better than nothing and can help lower the risk of transmission. Wash your hands before you come to market, wash them when you get home and with our four handwashing stations set up around the market, you can wash them while you visit too.
Vendor Updates & Pre-Order Options
Our amazing vendors are providing options for your shopping these season. Find all the latest pre-order options and weekly market offering here. Check back each week for notices about pre-ordering, vendor absences and other special vendor notices. Blue Moon Community Farm's preorder program for seedlings has wrapped up for the season, however the remaining selection of their organic vegetable and herb seedlings will be available at their market stand. Chris & Lori's Bakehouse is offering the following for this weekend: * Flower and Cow Cutout Cookies * Chocolate Chip Sconuts * Coconut Dark Chocolate Scones * White Chocolate Raspberry Scones * Vanilla Almond Scones * Cinnamon Oat Scones * Blueberry Scones * Cranberry Oat Scones * Whole Grain Dark Chocolate Chunk Scones * Whole Grain Blueberry Oat Scones * Whole Grain Cranberry Orange Scones * GF Vegan Mocha Scones * GF Vegan Raspberry Scones
All scones are $18/ Half Doz one flavor Or $30/ Doz one flavor
Email your order at CLBakehouse@gmail.com Orders due by noon on Thursday. Don's Produce will be offering bundles of their Arena grown, pesticide free, heirloom cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. They'll also be offering 5lb bags of their sweet potatoes. Door County Fruit Markets will not be joining the market for the 2020 season, but you can find their fresh Door County fruit at the Willy Street Co-op Grocery Stores. Dreamfarm is offering pre-orders for market pick-up by calling (608) 767-3442 or emailing diana@dreamfarm.biz Driftless Chocolates is offering pre-orders for market pick-up on their website. Flyte Family Farm is offering pre-orders by calling (715) 228-2304 Fungi Farmers (formerly know as Herb n Oyster) are offering pre-orders through their website. Highland Spring Farm is offering pre-orders for market pick-up on their website. Honey Bee Bakery will be offering pre-orders for market pick-up on their website. JenEhr Family Farm will be offering a great array of their farm fresh organic products, from fresh broccoli, salads greens and head lettuce to great pasture raised chicken for the grill. Madison Sourdough will be offering pre-orders this weekend. Get your order in by Wednesday evening on their website. McCluskey Brothers Shillelagh Glen Farms is offering pre-ordering on their website. Natalie's Garden & Greenhouse will be offering a weekly veggie box, available at the market, off the farm or for delivery. Each $25 box is packed with their great fresh produce. This weeks selection includes: Sweet Corn, Golden Zucchini, Zucchini, Tomatillos, Sun Gold Tomatoes, Rainbow Chard, Curly Kale, Red Summer Crisp Lettuce, and Sweet Candy Onions! Check out their website for more information and to place your order. Open Kettle Farms is offering pre-orders of their maple syrup. Contact them on their Facebook page to order. ParKelm Farm is offering pre-orders for market pick-up on their website.
Ten Eyck Orchard will be absent from the market this Saturday, July 25th. Underground Meats will be absent from the market this Saturday, July 25th.
Tasty Chocolate Chip Sconuts from Chris & Lori's Bakehouse
Connect with our Vendors!
This list of alternative means to get our vendors' products will grow as new offerings roll in. Please check back regularly and feel free to email Market Manager Ben if you're looking to connect with any vendor not listed. Vendor Purchasing Alternatives (PDF
