Autumn Begins

Are you inspired by the changing of seasons?  The thought of sweetcorn, pumpkins, squash, apples, crunching of leaves and crisp, cool air all bring excitement to Urbana's Market at the Sqaure.  Although the start to fall means we're nearing the end of Market season, there is still plenty to take advantage of every Saturday, from 7 a.m.-noon through November 3rd.

 

Besides the amazingly fresh and local produce, art, crafts, baked goods, music and performance, there are some great *FREE* events coming up that should seriously be marked on your calendars:

• Art at the MarketSeptember 29, 2012: Design Eco-Friendly Cloth Napkins with Traci Pines, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PMMake the switch: Ditch your paper napkins for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Go green and cut down on household expenses by cutting your use of paper napkins. Use stamps, markers, and fabric paints to make your very own custom designed and eco-friendly cloth napkins to use at your next family meal and even in your school lunch!!
• Performance at the MarketSeptember 29, 2012: The Turinos, 9:30 AM – 11:30 AMSon and father duo Matt and Tom Turino have been performing old-time, Cajun, and country blues music as well as their original tunes and songs on fiddle, banjo, guitar, and button accordions throughout the Midwest and Upper South over the last ten years. Currently they also play with the Cornstalkers Cajun Band, the U-Four String Band; Matt performs with the Mean Lids; and Tom performs Andean Music with the Hathaways. They have been regulars at the Urbana Farmer's Market since Matt was ten. Listen to their music online on their Myspace.
• Sprouts at the MarketOctober 6, 2012: Dirt to Dessert...And Beyond! This event will feature guest educators from The Great Pumpkin Patch in Arthur - they'll come to Sprouts ready to teach kids about curcurbits: squashes, pumpkins, and gourds.  Learn the A-Z of Squash, fun ways to prepare squash at home, sample pumpkin cookies (actually made by pumpkins grown at the Patch), and so much more! 

We took a trip south to The Great Pumpkin Patch in Arthur, Illinois this week to plan the October Sprouts at the Market (see above for details).  This event is going to be jammed pack with awesome activities for kids, information for parents, and samples of some really scrumptious pumpkin cookies.  Take a look at the fall colors we spotted at their farm:

As always, we thank you for your continued support and look forward to seeing you this weekend at Urbana's Market at the Square.

Come See the Colors of the Market

The weather is changing and you can feel it as you go to bed and wake up.  There is a little bit of crispness in the air which brings excitement and anticipation of the approaching autumn season.  The Market is changing too, bringing fun, fall colors in the produce. 

Last weekend the Market brought beautiful weather and fairly steady crowds of devoted Market patrons.  If you weren't there, this is what you missed:

This weekend you'll find plenty of things to buy, colors to see, and food to take home and try.  Bring your little ones out this weekend to participate in Sprouts at the Market.  The Family Resiliency Center will be on-site helping out with this free, fun-filled event.  This weekend will focous on EAT YOUR COLORS!  Kiddos ages 3-8 will have the opportunity to sample a variety of produce in a myriad of colors.  Parents can learn more about healthy mealtime habits and ways they can help bring fresh, local produce to the dinner table.

Also at the Market this weekend: chamabanamoms!  Be sure to stop by their tent, which will be located near the City tent in the north-west corner of the Market.

It's going to be a great Market this weekend and we hope to see you there.  As always, thank you for your continued support of Urbana's Market at the Square.

 

Bring a jacket and head to the Market!

The weather this weekend looks amazing, with the start to the Market rather chilly (upper 40's to lower 50's) and a high for the day topping out around 69 degrees.  Forecasts are calling for mostly sunny skies and a 0% chance for rain.  This is a major improvement of last weekend's very wet weather on Market day.

It's going to be a bustling weekend with a full house of vendors, artisans, peformers, musicians, food trucks...the list goes on and on. 

There aren't any photos from the 9/1/12 Market as the weather was too wet to bring out the camera.  Beware: with the mild, sunny weather we're expecting for this weekend, the blog entry for next week will contain numerous colorful photos of the area's freshest produce.  It's going to be awesome.

We'd like to welcome Natalie Kenny-Marquez to the Market fold - she'll be handling the Market's on-site and internal administrative operations through the end of the season. Take a swing by the Market tent on 9/8 and tell her hello!

This week's programming: There's a Bike Rodeo in Lot 24 (that's just south of the Market site, along Illinois Street) - bring your youngster by to check out the activities! 9-11:30 AM.  Champaign-Urbana Pride Fest will kick-off around noon at Lincoln Square Mall, with activities taking place inside the Mall and outdoors in parking lot 10F.

Future programming: The next Sprouts event will be on September 15, and the final event of the season, with the Great Pumpkin Patch, will be on October 6. The next Art at the Market event will be September 29, and the final Arts event of the season will be on 10/13.

It's going to be a great weekend and we're looking forward to seeing you all there! As always, thank you for supporting Urbana's Market at the Square!

When It Rains...

The heat of the summer returned to us for a bit last week, just in time to herald the re-entry of the University Illinois students, faculty, and staff. It was a lovely day.

Things looked FANTASTIC. The crowd was great, Art at the Market was well-received, music was in the air, as were the scents of tuberose, essential oils, and kettle corn...

It looks like our unbelievable streak of sunny skies might be coming to an end this weekend, however. But don't let a little rain get you down! As we like to remind folks, produce doesn't mind getting wet, and your farmers will all be out there selling the freshest and finest in seasonal farm-raised, local produce. You know you need some tomatoes, some peppers, some basil, some cucumbers, some greens, some onions, some beans, etc, so keep an eye on the skies and don some galoshes and an unbrella if need be - we're out there rain or shine, every weekend.

NEWS:

We'd like to welcome Natalie Kenny-Marquez to the Market fold - she'll be handling the Market's on-site and internal administrative operations as of 9/4. Take a swing by the Market tent on 9/8 and tell her hello!

Next week's programming: There's a Bike Rodeo in Lot 24 (that's just south of the Market site, along Illinois Street) - bring your youngster by to check out the activities! 9-11:30 AM.

Future programming: The next Sprouts event will be on September 15, and the final event of the season, with the Great Pumpkin Patch, will be on October 6. The next Art at the Market event will be September 29, and the final Arts event of the season will be on 10/13.

Warm Welcome - Literally

We're expecting summer to rear its head again this weekend. More on that in a second - let's reminisce about how cool and sunny last weekend was.

OK, yes, we're expecting plenty of sun this weekend, and it'll be slightly warmer than it has been, but what better way to welcome new students - and their families - to the University of Illinois and Urbana than to take them to the Market, followed by a trip to the Urbana Sweetcorn Festival? The Festival starts Friday night and then is on again Saturday morning at 11 AM, while we get started at 7 AM Saturday and go until noon. Should be a busy day around downtown Urbana. The food will certainly be in generous supply! 

Seriously, though, the Market is all about continuing to create the U-C's local food culture, and our new residents can be a huge part of that. There's a story about the Market and its place in the local food scene here.

This week's programming: This week we're offering up the August installment of Art at the Market! The I.D.E.A. Store will be on hand to lead a continuous art workshop for patrons of all ages. The event is completely free and will be happening at the NW entrance to the Market at the City tent from 8-noon. Musical guests the Adura Trio will be playing from 9:30-11:30 in the same area. Free iced coffee, courtesy of Einstein's, will be located at the beverage tent just inside the Market's NW entrance.

Next week: The Urbana Free Library will be onsite, as will the Community Blood Services of Illinois' BloodMobile.

Hope to see friends - old and new! - at the Market this weekend!

Forecast: Perfect (Again)

A pretty serious thunderstorm is raging outside as this is being written (it's Thursday afternoon), but the weather will be straight-up awesome by the time Saturday morning rolls around, just like it was last weekend. Evidence:

It was just a great Market day - the finest this season so far. The produce was gorgeous, people lingered over food-truck breakfasts - there really isn't a better way to spend a Saturday morning, especially when the weather's good. 

Fortunately, we can expect more of the same this weekend. To welcome returning U of I students, faculty, and staff, there will be more gorgeous produce, more food truck breakfasts, beautiful arts & crafts, performers, community organizations, and Sprouts at the Market, which this weekend will focus on the mighty tomato. The event is continuous from 9-11 AM, and is geared toward kids ages 3-8. Art Mart Toys will honor all certificates of completion (every kid who visits all the Sprouts stations will receive one) for a 25% discount in the store on Saturday, too! It's win/win for the kids. For more info about Sprouts this weekend (and future weekends), click here.

It's just looking good, friends. Hope to see you out there this weekend!

Forecast: Perfect

Did you miss it? The weather last weekend was acting like it was early July all over again, but Market patrons came out in force anyway and partook in the following:

We also had a book signing with author Janine MacLachlan, who wrote about the Market in her book, Farmers Markets of the Heartland:

We're now past the halfway point of the Market season - hard to believe, isn't it? In some ways it feels like it should be later in the season (the heat has done a number on everyone, it seems), but in others it feels like we're just getting started with the food.

Speaking of food: 

1. Peach lovers need to know this: Saturday is the last day you'll see the folks from Eberlin's Orchard and Sager Farms (both are from way the heck down there in southern Illinois) and their peaches. The heat of the season got things started early, and that means they're ending a bit early, too. Other growers will continue to have peaches for a bit, but Sager Farm and the Eberlins are perennial Market favorites and have been for many years. We thought Market regulars might like to know.

2. Corn lovers need to know this: Kleiss Produce, Roth Countryside Produce, Schottman Sweet Corn, and possibly one or two other vendors will have sweet corn in varying amounts. Boil it, steam it, grill it, eat it raw - just get some. It's so good and we're lucky to have any at all because of the drought.

3. Tomato lovers need to know this: Heirloom tomatoes are coming on something fierce. Growers are carrying varieties in colors, shapes, and patterns we never thought possible. There's just nothing like a fresh heirloom tomato. Pick up a few different ones and have a taste test - the nuances are amazing!

4. Nothing says "summer is still in effect, dang it" like MELONS. Meyer Produce and Kleiss Produce both have a variety of melons, large & small - other growers might, too. 

5. Food trucks are in Row 5. This week we expect Fryer Tuck, Cracked, Burrito King, and the Moo Mobile. Community organizations are also in Row 5 - it's the new Market hangout!

Market programming in August:

- 8/11: The BloodMobile will be in the parking lot just west of the Market site from around 7:30-11:30

- 8/18: Sprouts at the Market is on the docket. This month's theme: The almighty tomato. Free, kids ages 3-8, 9-11 AM. Check in at the Sprouts tent near the NW entrance to the Market.

- 8/25: Art at the Market is happening! The I.D.E.A Store is in charge of the workshop, which is free and open to the public, from 8-noon. The Aduro Trio will provide music on Walnut Street from 9:30-11:30, and Einstein's Bagels will provide free iced coffee after 8 AM, while supplies last.

See you out there!