Ushering in October - Week 23

Fall's HERE. I see the leaves changing and feel the nip in the air as I ride my bike in inky, chilly darkness to my office on Saturdays and am like, but wait - wasn't it just 92 degrees and life was all nectarines and berries and the first few tomatoes of the season? Weren't we just in the middle of the Sprouts calendar? Didn't we just get our very first batch of new Market shirts and bags? Wasn't I just thinking to myself, "I wish Fall would hurry up and get here"?

We may be wrapping up summer, but we are in no way wrapping up Markets. We have six remaining, including this Saturday's, and there's certainly plenty of in-season food around. When
you're at the Market this weekend, make sure you check out the apple selection; have a close look at all the squash coming in - perfect for soup or baking on one of these cool nights; spinach is back and perfect for salads or sauteeing; tomatoes are still as bountiful as they were weeks ago and work nicely with the fall season foods; the broccoli looks sublime. There's food in all five rows of the Market this weekend, including Tiny Greens and Heavenly Delight's cupcakes in Row 5, Prairie Fruits Farm, O'Rourke Family Gardens (check out their sweet potatoes!), and Mileur Orchard in Row 4; Claybank Farms and the Muffin Man in Row 3; Fryer Tuck, Triple S Farms, Pekara, Omega Farm, Upper Crust, and the Moores' inimitable gourd/squash selection in the row along Illinois Street; and all the produce vendors you've come to know and love in Rows 1 & 2.

This is also the time of year when we have much to offer in the way of handmade art and crafts available at the Market. Just this week we'll have woodwork, cards, bath and bodycare, jewelry, carved gourds, glass items, leatherwork, and textiles represented at the Market. It's definitely not too early to get a jump on things for the holidays, either.

At some point, though, Urbana's Market at the Square has to hang it up for the 2010 season. That final day will be Saturday, November 6. However, fret not! The Urbana Business Association's Holiday Market gets underway inside Lincoln Square Village starting Saturday, November 13, and runs through Saturday, December 18. While these markets are operated by different entities, we do share many vendors - many of the folks you see at Market at the Square will be at the Holiday Market, along with some new faces. Add it to your schedule - it's a great way to keep supporting your local farmers and to get some holiday shopping done as winter approaches.

This week: It's the Urbana Free Library's last weekend out at the Market this season. Stop by, say hello, sign up for a library card, get your favorite child read to, pick up a helium balloon... they're usually on-site by 8:30 or so, and stay until 11 AM.

Also - Urbana Fire Rescue is having their yearly Fire Prevention Week Parade and Truck Muster - the parade starts at 9 AM on Philo Road and ends up on Illinois Street, right by the Market. Traffic will be two-way on two lanes instead of four, and all parking will be accessible. See some trucks! They'll be there until 11 AM.

It's going to be a gorgeous fall day, Market lovers - bring a friend and pay us a visit!

Market - Week 22

Great Market last weekend - well over 100 kids had a great time at Sprouts at the Market, the weather was fine, the food was out in force, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood, including this gal, who got a carrot "beanie", courtesy of the Family Resiliency Center, for completing the Sprouts activity.

As always, though, the produce stole the show.

I think we can expect a repeat this weekend, at least of the weather and the food being amazing. While we won't have Sprouts, we'll have a Bike Rodeo for kids and Art at the Market for patrons of all ages, and the U of I Physics Department will be in the Community Groups row to talk science with everybody (I plan to ask about wormholes).

I talked a little bit about what's in season this morning on WCIA's Morning show - check it out.

It's dark - DARK! - when I get to work now (I arrive at my office by 5 AM, for those who're wondering). The Harvest Moon was last night. This weekend marks the first Market of Autumn 2010. Things are changing...

... but you still - still! - might be able to nab some peaches this Saturday, if you come early.

How Can It Be?

Just sitting here wondering where the season went. After this weekend's Market, we've got seven of 'em left for the 2010 season. Seven! While it's been hot, it's been a glorious season, I think, and I'm rooting for temperate weather all the way through November 6, which is our last day. Who's with me?

One thing frequent Market-goers will notice is an uptick in fall displays this week - last week I saw more winter squash, more "Indian" corn, more apples, a huge abundance of peppers, fall potatoes, eucalyptus taking the place of tuberose, etc. Sigh. While there's still summer food, it's being eclipsed by fall food. The apples are particularly interesting to me - I think it might be time for an apple galette one of these cooler nights. Again - who's with me, here? It's my favorite way to eat apples, I think.

This weekend, we'll have our next-to-last Sprouts at the Market event - we partnered with the Family Resiliency Center - they're big on healthy mealtimes for families - for this one, so it should be even better than it usually is! We'll offer in-season produce tasting for the kids, nutrition information for kids & caregivers, access to farmers, and some giveaways while supplies last. Bring your favorite Sprout to the Market this weekend and see if you can get them to "eat a rainbow" - that's the theme for this weekend's event. As always, thanks to Jen Hewitt and her Army of Studying Dietitians for their hard work and support of this event, and to FRC for the major assist. I hope you'll see more of the FRC with Sprouts in the future. Also, chambanamoms.com will be putting in their monthly appearance - make sure you visit their booth, which will be just west of the City tent at the NW entrance to the Market.

Market Menu for those so inclined... otherwise, I'll see you Saturday!

Market #20

I can see the end of the season from here. Ten Markets ago, it was late June, and eight weeks from now, we'll be having our last hurrah (November 6, for those not in the know). Doesn't seem possible, does it?

But the apples are here in force, so that means fall is on the horizon.

Don't count summer out, though - tomatoes and peppers and summer squash are still in control; there's been sweet corn and there will be more sweet corn; stone fruit is still findable if you know where to look; the pavement at the Market will still heat up when the sun comes out.

This week: Eat Here will be in the house - stop by the EH tent (right next to the City tent) to check out farmer photos, get some information about Eating Here wherever you are, pick up some credit/debit/LINK tokens to spend in the Market, and - extra bonus! - pick up a FREE Eat Here t-shirt or tote bag, while supplies last. Let's keep supporting the local food scene! You can follow along with Eat Here on Facebook.

Next week: Sprouts at the Market! Bring your kids to "eat a rainbow" with the U of I's Family Resiliency Center! More details in our next blog entry, but this one should be a great one...

Labor Day Weekend at the Market

Yes, we're open for biz this weekend, featuring our regular hours (7 AM-noon, if you're new) and most of the usual suspects. Good thing, too, because the weather this Saturday will be phenomenal. I guess it's fitting, somehow, to have our first real hint of fall on Labor Day weekend, the Unofficial Last Day of Summer.

I can tell we're sliding toward the Equinox when this is what things look like at 6:20 in the morning.

Last weekend was great, everyone. Thanks for coming out and visiting:

This weekend, besides terrific weather and the return of some folks who have been missed (Veggie Trails, Fryer Tuck, and Danville Gardens come immediately to mind), we have the Urbana Free Library in residence, right next to the City tent. I'm sure they'll be bringing their swag and some books and will be signing folks up for library cards and filling balloons with helium for the kids, as they always do the first market of each month. Their staff is terrific and it's an AWESOME library. Stop by and say hello.

Speaking of saying hello, we've noticed a few people "coming out" on Facebook and admitting they've never attended the Market. PLEASE stop by the City tent and say hello if you decide to venture to the Market for the first time - we'd love to meet you! Also, if you're a Market regular with friends and/or family visiting for the holiday weekend, the Market is a terrific place to bring them if you're looking for a way to shop for your holiday provisions and show them a good time at the same time. Again, we love to meet people new to the Market - we're right by the northwest entrance.

Speaking of the City tent, a lot happens there. It's the Market staff's base of operations for the day's events; it's where the City of Urbana promotes the Market and other City events and initiatives; it's where you should come if you're lost (or where you should check if you've lost someone); it's where we sell our Market t-shirts and tote bags; and it's also where you can come and buy credit/debit/LINK tokens using credit/debit and LINK cards. Cash and checks are still accepted by all vendors, of course - this is just another way to pay for your purchases that's accepted by all vendors. Questions? just ask - we're happy to explain how it all works.

See you Saturday!

Corn Party

We moved to Urbana just after my son turned 4. "Urbana Sweet Corn Festival" was too long for him to say successfully, so he called it "the Corn Party" instead. And lo - the name has stuck.

It's not just the Festival - though we certainly hope to see you there, enjoying the sweetcorn, taking in the festivities, and staying for Soul Asylum, who hit the main stage around 9 PM - the concept of "corn party" is about this time of the growing season. It's definitely a corn party.

I mean, look at these people! These patrons are extremely focused on corn! This is how you know it's peak season, the apex of the Market year, the part of the season all of us really wait for, much as we love strawberries and asparagus, the apples and the squash. It's really the tomatoes, the peaches, and the corn - Market royalty.

Dig in. Enjoy. Preserve, if you can. Though it's been hot this summer, and fall will be welcome on so many levels, you're going to miss this stuff when it's gone. 10 Markets remain after this weekend.

Speaking of, the Market is full, full, full. Arts and crafts will be incredible - it seems everyone's coming out with their best woodwork, their most gorgeous painted silk, their most excellent repurposed fiber items, their prettiest quilts, their best handmade jewelry, their finest soaps and bodycare items, the best photos of the bunch, etc. While we will be missing Veggie Trails and Fryer Tuck this weekend (both should be back September 4), there are plenty of baked goods to keep your energy up while you shop all five rows of the Market. If you don't see it, ASK US! We're at the City tent, at the northwest corner of the Market.

Special event: Art at the Market is on deck this weekend, with local artist Justine Bursoni leading a natural paints/painting workshop. All paints are tinted using fruits and vegetables. The workshop is open to patrons of all ages and is completely free. Thanks to Urbana's Public Arts Program for putting this, and all AatM workshops, together.

Here's this week's Market Menu:

See you out there!

This Week's Market - CORNY!

Last week's Market ended up being so amazingly busy (thank you, thank you, thank you!) that I didnthave much of a chance to take photos.

[OK, I didn't have any chance - I took no photos. The one above? We'll call it August MATS stock.]

I did, however, notice the light hitting the melons just so, and the way the tomatoes looked like piles of jewels on their tables, and how the eggplant (so many different kinds of eggplant!) glistened, purple/black or white or lavender, and the peaches and nectaries, so orangey-red and begging to be cobblered... I noticed all of that, but didn't capture it. You'll have to come out this weekend and see all of it for yourself.

There's a lot going on this weekend at the Market. The U of I folks are back - welcome, students, faculty, and staff! I know it might be hard to roll outta bed on Saturday mornings, but the Market is one of the best places to be on the weekend. Peoplewatching and fresh-baked goods aside, it's a great place to pick up some of your fresh fruit and vegetable needs for the week - and they're all grown here in Illinois. I think you'll find we have some of the finest food grown anywhere. Time to stock yr fridges!

Other stuff to check out:

- This weekend's special event is Sprouts at the Market, where kids ages 3-8 (younger kids are welcome to participate, though the activities are not geared toward super-young children) learn about farms and food and nutrition. The theme for August is corn - we grow a lot of it here, the Urbana Sweetcorn Festival is coming up next weekend, and it's in just about everything. Kids will have the chance to taste corn in several of its many forms, learn about what makes corn so good to eat, inspect corn plants from tassel to root, and have the chance to ask participating corn growers any questions they may have about, well, corn.

The event, which is from 9-11, is free and open to all kids and their caregivers. Registration is at the City tent, located at the NW entrance to the Market site, or you can register at any of the satellite tables within the Market. Everyone visiting all the stations will receive a Certificate of Participation, which is good for 15% any purchase at Art Mart Toys through the end of the day.

- Additionally, we're hosting a Bloodmobile from Community Blood Services of Illinois out at the Market - if you're interested in participating in this blood drive, the Bloodmobile will be on walnut Street (the blocked-off area of just west of the Market) from 7:30 until noon.

- As if that weren't enough, several animal rescue groups will be out at the Market this weekend in our Community Group Row, raising awareness about their activities. Everything from greyhounds to birds will be represented - check them out!

- Last (but certainly not least), I expect Urbana's Fire Rescue to be out with one of their trucks, asking patrons to help "fill the boot" for MDA. They'll be in the Walnut Street area as well.

Here's a Market Menu for you - check out the Market merch, which is also for sale at Common Ground Food Co-op:

See you out there!