Hot & Cold(s)
Fresh slicing tomatoes from Black Earth Valley
Hot & Cold(s)
Boy were we thankful for the extra sweatshirts stored in market vehicles last Saturday morning as we got a taste of the fall to come with temps in high 40's when we opened.
Just a few days later and summer is back in charge, for now at least.
The cooler temps didn't slow us down as shoppers eagerly grabbed up the last blueberries of the season and said goodbye for the year to Flyte Family Farms. We're so grateful to have them as a market staple year after year, and while will miss them this fall we encourage anyone up for a visit to the Coloma area to check out their on-farm fall offerings, like a giant corn maze, wagon rides and much more.
There's plenty of fun to be had this coming fall, but something we don't look forward to are the influx of colds brought home as the little ones return to school and come home with more than just homework. Give yourself a boost with some fire cider and elderberry syrup from Urban Gourmet (pictured).
A good homemade soup never hurts when cold season starts, something warming with an extra kick of heat and flavor. Grab some hot peppers from Savory Accents (pictured) and fresh lemongrass from Ka Vang Thao (pictured) to build a tasty broth to add your favorite vegetables, noodles and protein like chicken or tofu. Warming you from the inside out, homemade soup is a medicine of its own category.
Forget the colds, cause there are plenty of welcomed surprises in September like beautiful Celiosa/ Cock's Comb flowers from Lor Farm (pictured), fresh grapes from Sugar River Vineyard and more fresh greens from Shoua Lee Vang, making their return as the days cool.
The lasting warm days mean we'll still be enjoying juicy ripe tomatoes, sweet pungent melons and lots of sweet corn for weeks to come. These days won't last forever but for now we'll take every sunny market morning we can get and hold off on the long underwear as long as possible.
See you at market!
Ben Zimmerman
Market Manager
For the safety of our shoppers, we ask you to please walk your bikes through the market.
As a reminder to everyone, dogs are prohibited within the market area, though we welcome service animals at all times.
WCM Tote Bags for Sale
New Westside Community Market tote bags are now for sale!
Offered in a natural-tone canvas, these spacious bags feature our market bunny logo designed by Snaggle Tooth Arts of Madison and will be available, while supplies last at the Info Tent for $15 each, cash, check or Venmo (including tap-to-pay cards).
Vendor & Weekly Market Notices
Flyte Family Farms, Live Jewelry Farm & Door County Fruit Market have finished vending for the 2024 season. They all wish to thank their customers and look forward to returning next season.
Daily Vendors - Saturday, September 14th:
Garden Gate Flowers
Hope & Hill Flower Co.
Pecatonica Valley Farm
Steppin' Out Foods
Sugar River Vineyard
Madison Sourdough will be absent from the market on Saturday, September 21st for Willy Street Fair. The will return the following week.
Food Scrap Collection at the Market!
Beginning July 20th, Sustain Dane is expanding its free Food Scraps Drop-Off program to the Westside Community Market. According to the Wisconsin DNR, our landfills consist of 14.5% food that would be traditionally edible, and 6% “food scraps” (like peels). Take action and bring your food scraps to Sustain
Dane’s Westside Market booth on Saturdays from July 20th to November 2nd*, from 7:00 AM to 12:30 PM.
They can accept the following materials:
Raw Fruits
Raw Vegetables
Coffee Grounds
Loose Tea
Plain Pasta/Rice
Eggshells
Gourds
They cannot accept the following:
Meat
Dairy
Cooked Foods
Bread
Produce Stickers & Twist Ties
“Compostable” Bags
“Compostable” Utensils (Forks, Plates, Cups, etc.)
Paper Products
To date, this free public program has composted over 36,000 pounds. Compost buckets will be available at the first market to use for the remainder of the program.
Missed a market day? Bring your scraps to one of their other locations at the South Madison or Eastside Markets on Tuesdays.
All collected scraps are taken to Neighborhood Food Solutions (NFS) Farm which supports formerly incarcerated individuals in urban agriculture and teens in entrepreneurial and agricultural training. NFS
provides farming opportunities for community members who may not normally have access and resources to learn about and participate in farming. With this partnership, food scraps collected at the farmers markets will help to rebuild and create healthy soil at the farm to continue growing produce.
This program is in partnership with the City of Madison and Neighborhood Food Solutions. Learn more about the program here.
*The extension of the Westside Community Market food scraps recycling site is part of a youth led Sustain Dane initiative through the Youth Climate Action Fund focusing on youth engagement in food composting.”
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