Another Quick One, Sheesh

Very busy week for Urbana's Market at the Square once again (I think they're all going to be this way), so brevity is in order.

How about we start with Market Menu? OK.

Oh! And the City of Urbana has a new website, which means the Market does, too. Much more content will be added as time allows. Please add it to your bookmarks!

As for the Market: plenty of fresh produce this week - asparagus is about done (I know, already???), but the strawberry thing is MEGA this season. If you're wondering what the heck to do with all the strawberries you just bought, Mark Bittman of the NYT has a few ideas. There'll also be plenty of green things - salad fixings, green onions, fresh cut herbs (including cilantro, parsley, and other culinary herbs), kohlrabi, kales, chards, etc. Look for some greenhouse produce, too - cucumbers, zucchini, and hydroponic tomatoes will all be available at the Market this weekend. Basically, there's a lot that could figure into your holiday weekend eating, if you count all the farm-raised meats for the grill, the baked goods, etc. YUM!

Mustn't forget to mention that this weekend, which is looking sold out to vendors as of this writing, will also showcase the handmade work of many artisans, including Jerry Rhoads Woodturning, Cousins Dog Biscuit Company, Manrique Photography, Juniper Moon, South Prairie Street Farm, and many others. Look for updated links in the sidebar coming soon.

Finally - the first Art at the Square event of the season is happening this Saturday at the Market. Look for the Urbana Public Arts Program's tent adjacent to the City tent - this year's theme is "Art & the Environment", and Saturday's project will be a collaborative collage, creating a prairie landscape and wildlife scene using materials such as crepe paper, oil pastels, watercolor, and other media. The workshop is continuous from 8 AM - noon, and is free and open to the public.

See you there - and thanks for your continued support of your local farmers markets. Supporting the local producers strengthens our local food system, which is becoming more and more crucial of a component to future sustainability in communities. THANK YOU.