Miss You Much

Remember - while we're done for the season, the Urbana Business Association's Holiday Market is just getting started. The two markets share lots of vendors, including fresh produce growers. We heard Jeff Meyer of Meyer Produce tell someone he'll have Brussels sprouts for the duration of the Holiday Market - best get over there. YUM.

In other news:

The strategic plan for the Market was passed by City Council on November 7. Look for more information about what this means for the Market and its future. You can get a pretty solid idea by checking out the plan, which is available here as a PDF. Here's the mission statement for the Market that was approved as part of the plan:

Urbana's farmers market is a vibrant market that connects the community with local food growers and producers, strenghtens our local food economy, provides access to local artisans, and serves as a community gathering place.

We're now on Google Plus, if you're so inclined to follow us there.

The Market starts 172 days from today. Trust that the planning has already started.

Final Weekend

More information about the Urbana  Business Association's Holiday Market at Lincoln Square, which starts 11/12 at 8 AM and runs through 12/17 at 1 PM, is available here. You can follow them on Facebook, too!

For those of you who are all about the outdoor farmers market experience in Urbana... it's coming to an end for the season after this Saturday's market. The weather forecast for this bittersweet day is auspicious - a chilly start in the 30s, but sunny and into the high 50s by the time we end the season at noon - and there will be food. Lots of food.

Not pictured: Some of the best carrots we've ever seen at the Market, huge piles of broccoli and cauliflower, some hanging-on-for-dear-life heirloom tomatoes, tons (literally?) of squash, and more. We would be remiss if we didn't mention how gorgeous the greens are right now, too. They're amazing!


While we won't have as many artisans at the Market as in weekends past, several of them are still out at the Market this weekend, hoping to help you get a head start on your holiday shopping. 


Speaking of potential gifts, this weekend will also be a great opportunity to pick up a Market T-shirt or shopping bag. The T-shirts are available in a variety of adult and kid sizes and are $10 ($8 for kids). The bags are roomy, sturdy, and made from recycled cotton - $15! Both items are great gifts. The staff at the City tent at the NW entrance to the Market will be happy to sell you either one (both?) of these.


Community groups, CraveTruck and Candide Roasteries will be in Row 4, ready to provide info, engagement, waffles, and strong coffee. 


Thank you so, so much for your patronage at the Market this season. Staff, vendors, community organizations, and musicians appreciate your support of their food, their work, and of the local economy. We're already looking forward to next season - we hope to have a new strategic plan in place and will be working hard to bring an even better Market to the community in 2012. Also, we'll be updating this blog periodically during the off-season with Market-related news and other items of potential interest to readers - please don't remove us from your feed readers or bookmarks! And remember - we invite feedback in comments, or you can always drop us a line via email.


In the meantime - swing by and say farewell to us. It'll be worth your time. The Market is smaller in size, but not in spirit on its last day.