Strawberry Alarm Clock

OK, after last week's weather hijinks, it's looking like it'll be a fabulous weekend here in Urbana. Nothing finer than getting up and heading to the Market to get your fill of strawberries...

... like these from Cary's Garden of Eatin' in Urbana, IL. There'll be plenty of strawberries to go around, so dig out that heirloom strawberry preserves recipe and come on over! Don't have an heirloom strawberry preserves recipe? You can borrow mine, given to me by my fabulous mother-in-law:

1 cup sugar for...
... each pound of strawberries (1 pound = about 3 cups)

Hull the strawberries. In a bowl, layer the strawberries and sugar. Let stand for several hours in fridge to allow the berries to "juice up". Cook 4 cups of berries and juice at a time in a heavy, deep pan. Bring to a boil quickly and reduce heat to medium-high, cooking for 15 minutes. After cooking, place in glass jars or plastic containers, and refrigerate. You can freeze preserves that won't be eaten within a week. I'm a huge fan of freezer preserving - it's a great way to get some springtime when the season is long gone.

In other news:

- The new recycling bins will be in full effect this Saturday - there'll be one by the City tent and a couple others throughout the Market.
- Wondering where to park your bike at the Market? Click here for more information about biking in Urbana, and a map of the City's available bike parking.
- Curious about what's available at the Market this week? Hoping to get a site map of the Market? Looking for more information about U-Cycle, the City of Urbana State Tree Trail, the Public Art Program, and other City initiatives? Stop by the City's tent at the northwest entrance to the Market (the entrance closest to Lincoln Square Village) to pick up literature, ask questions, or just to say hello.

A final produce availability list and some news about June 14 Market vendors will be posted tomorrow - in the meantime, please take our very unscientific poll over there in the sidebar.

Thanks!

There's More Where That Came From

And I'm not talking about the rain... I hope.

The June 7 Market, while quite rainy and more than occasionally ominous-looking, still had its share of raindrop-dodgers (and not-dodgers) out on the prowl for fresh, local produce, like the above chard from Blue Moon Farm in Urbana.

It's also a bumper strawberry crop in Central Illinois this year. On Saturday I bought several pints to share with Market staff, but they were timid and only finished off a solitary pint. (Can you believe?) Maybe they don't like strawberries as much as I do. Regardless, the June 14 Market will be awash in strawberries, just ahead of the Urbana Park District's Strawberry Jam in Meadowbrook Park later that afternoon. You won't be able to resist - you can smell them as you walk the five rows.

A quick note to a caller who mentioned the upside-down orientation of our site map in their message - I know it's weird, but the reason it's laid out that way is because the City tent is at the North end of the Market, which is where people usually look at the map and where staff direct people looking for something/someone specific.

Which reminds me - more information about the City tent and what you can find there will feature in this week's Market preview entry, posted Thursday.

Recycling & Strawberries Come to the Market

Thanks to the fine folks at the City of Urbana's Public Works Department/U-Cycle, Market at the Square will have recycling bins for patron use at the Market this season. Look for them right next to the trash barrels.

As for tomorrow... theforecast is a little dicey. We know it'll be warm and breezy, but we're not so sure about the chance of rain. No matter - we're out there, rain or shine, every Saturday, and so are most of our vendors. BUT...

This Saturday several of our growers will have strawberries - lots and lots of strawberries. It's local strawberry season, which means things like shortcake and pink fingers and, for the ambitious, homemade ice cream. But it's not all strawberries, all the time - here's a list of some other fresh produce you might score tomorrow:

lettuces - spinach - radishes - turnips - green onions - asparagus - rhubarb - kohlrabi - kales - cabbage - sprouts - cilantro - sugar snap peas - swiss chard - hydroponic tomatoes - bok choy

As you can see, they're not kidding around with the produce this week, and it's looking like the other food producers will be there in force as well. I think it'll be the first week where a cook can make an entire "real" meal from food purchased at the Market. Give it a try!

More features, like links, will be added to the blog as time permits. Is there anything you'd like to see on the blog?

What a Fabulous Weekend!

Bikes at Market at the Square, Urbana, IL






Thanks to everyone who came out to the Market this past weekend. Estimated attendance was somewhere around 6000 people... many of them riding in on bikes. Here's a photo of the full bike racks near the Market around 10 AM during the May 31st Market - look just past the tree for more bikes! Actually, the photo doesn't really do justice to the wide variety of two-wheelers we spotted that day. We welcome bikes at the Market - just remember to hitch your ride to the bike racks provided around Lincoln Square before entering the Market.

Sometimes I feel like our oft-fickle Illinois weather is really smiling on us so far this season, and last week's Market was no exception - at 7:05 AM, just after open, the last of the mildly threatening-looking clouds burned off and were replaced by incredible sunshine and some longed-for warmth. Patrons bought all manner of seasonally available produce - and this year, things are moving slowly due to the cool, wet, and cloudy spring we had - and hung around to check out the art, crafts, baked goods, performers, and prepared foods that have helped make Market at the Square one of the best markets in Illinois. I'm always looking for ideas and feedback - please drop me a line if you're so inclined.

You can find more photos of Market at the Square at our Flickr page, and if you're on Facebook, you can follow the Market there, too.

I'll be updating later this week to give a preview of what you can expect to find at the June 7 Market... and maybe I'll hint at a few surprises, too.

I do have one word to leave you with, though:

Strawberries.