Coventry WinterFresh Farmers' Market More than 30 local farmers and specialty food producers, from 11-2 every Sunday, at Coventry High School, 78 Ripley Hill Rd. (Need directions?)
A Sweetheart of a Winter Market...
This week, we're wearing our hearts on our sleeves. Our all-volunteer market organizing committee is head-over-heels in love with this winter market and we're not alone! Market fan Laura Stone loves the feeling that by being a market shopper, she is helping to support the kind of community where she wants to live: one that values open space and working farms, and where you know the people who grow your food. Us too! Laura loves that, and Bear Pond's Spicy Thai Pesto, Millix Farm's pumpkin pie and Wayne's fresh mesclun mix in February. We all have our favorite stuff! Like market fan Kimberly Lewendon, we love the friends we've made at the market... including Bina, above, a service dog in training who visited last Sunday.
An insiders view~ What our vendors love and buy:
Linda of Purple Meadow Weavers loves Millix Family Farm’s petite pies.
Tricia of Millix Family Farm has an obsession with Sleepy Moon Soaps as you can tell by the mountain of bars that are tucked in a very large basket in her bathroom!
Winter of Sleepy Moon Soaps loves KDCrop’s big and beautiful free range eggs. Two, sunny side up, make a perfect breakfast!
Derrick of KDCrop loves the cookies from Morning Glory Homemade… he swears he hasn’t found a better cookie in all his forty four years!
The Morning Glory Homemade family loves the Cranbanero jelly from KD Crop Farm, either on Morning Glory's toasted English muffin bread for breakfast or a dollop on crackers with the spreadable cheese from the Ladies of Levita Road.
Kim from Ladies of Levita Road loves, in addition to Beltane's Rich and Helen's jokes, the wonderful greens and produce from Wayne's Organic Garden and Carol Monnerat’s Artisan Truffles. This week, Carol is offering her new hazelnut crunch truffle in a gold pyramid box tied with a red bow for $3.25.
Beth of Skyspyders Pottery loves Kiefer's Kettle Korn which she shares on Monday mornings at school. Jalepeno Korn seems to warm their hearts...
Each week, Jon Eddy of New Boston Beef looks forward to a loaf of bread from Wave Hill, seasoned soft cheeses from Ladies of Levita Road, and shrimp or scallops from Suzi’s Seafood.
Gary from Fabyan Sugar Shack makes a fantastic bread pudding using Wave Hill's bread, granulated maple sugar, and syrup.
Margaret of Wave Hill Bread loves our newsletters and the Cato Corner and Beltane cheeses.
Christopher from Swift Farm loves Bear Pond Farm’s artichoke pesto which tastes fantastic and makes an easy meal.
Lyn from Howard Valley Fudge loves Morning Glory’s fresh pizza rounds. She adds sauce, cheese, and veggies for a custom pizza - quick, easy and delicious!
MaryLynne of Bethany Homecrafts loves apples from 18th Century Purity Farm for pie and applesauce, PleasantValley cheese from Beaver Brook Farm and green leafies from Wayne’s Organic Garden.
Wayne and Marilyn from Wayne’s Organic Garden love Summer Hill’s soups!
And a little love from market fans:
Meg Keough loves discovering a new cheese, watching her daughter's never ending fascination with the felted birds, watching her husband's fascination with what baked good to get, finding hard neck garlic, and finishing the shopping with a stone oven baked flatbread.
Tracy Benemerito Stead loves the apples, butternut squash, acorn squash from 18th Century Purity Farms. Tracy notes that it's great to have such a knowledgeable and friendly farmer, Paul, to talk to and ask questions. She uses his produce to make homemade baby food for her son because she’s confident it's the best she can provide.
Christina Morra-Tiu loves Beltane Farm's awesome goat cheese and Summer Hill’s great, fresh, piping-hot soups!
Ronda Downes and Bryan Peretto love the cheese from Cato Corner Farm.
Dot Drobney loves Molasses Crinkles from Morning Glory Bakery and sunflower shoots from Two Guys from Woodbridge.
Rebecca Rivard-Darby loves the delicious cheese from Ladies of Levita Road, Molasses Crinkle cookies from Morning Glory, heirloom apples and potatoes from 18th Century Purity Farm, and onions and kohlrabi from Wayne's Organic Garden.
Cheryl Pedemonti also loves the cheeses from Cato Corner Farm and gluten free treats from Shayna B’s.
Rhonda Withington loves the Lemony Pesto from Bear Pond. With it she recreated a recipe, with a twist, for"Corsican Steak" grilled steak rare, topped with a generous portion of Pesto, and roasted peppers.
Chef Carrie Landry is totally digging all the pretty green stuff from Two Guys From Woodbridge! Carrie loves organizer and newsletter writer Winter and all the energy she pumps into the Market. (Thanks Carrie!)
Locally-grown: the hottest restaurant trend
More than 1,800 professional chefs recently ranked nearly 215 food and beverage items, preparation methods and culinary themes to reveal the hottest restaurant menu trends in 2010. The top 5 trends are locally grown produce; locally sourced meats and seafood; sustainability as a culinary theme; mini-desserts; and locally produced wine and beer. Sustainability, local sourcing and nutrition are the hottest culinary themes.
The Connecticut Farm to Chef Program serves as a matchmaker bringing chefs and farmers together. Carrie Landry, chef at Zest Restaurant in Tolland, frequently sources locally-grown ingredients at our market for her restaurant’s signature dishes. Check out Zest’s Valentine menu featuring Hurricane Farms Cuban roast pork; and mesclun greens with marinated cucumbers, roast marinated beets, grilled asparagus, Beltane Farm chevre and blood orange vinaigrette dressing.
A playful word from Wayne’s Organic Garden~ more intriguing than informative: What we do here at Wayne’s Organic Garden is brag about being Eastern CT’s first certified organic farm, certified since 1989. This has not proven to bring in any money, however, so we’ve had to actually work very hard at growing vegetables, many in constant succession, to have a good supply of fresh produce in season. As a customer once said, “I come to your stand first, you’ve got all the weird stuff." Weird Wayne agrees. Hence, we grow cipollini, bok choy, fava beans, and Ozette potatoes as well as the more commonly-known things. If it tastes really good, we try to have it. We’re looking forward to our first summer at Coventry, even though we are from far, far, far eastern Connecticut. In June, we will finally answer the most frequently asked question: “Where the heck is this Oneco anyway?”
A treat for your Valentine:
Morning Glory Homemade's sour cream pastry sticks, available this week in cherry, cinnamon, or chocolate. Made from scratch and hand-rolled into their distinctive spiral, they’re a decadent accompaniment to morning coffee or tea with your sweetheart.
Treat your Valentine to lunch at the market with a hot cup of Summer Hill’s soup: Carrot-Dill; Steak and Potato; or Mulligatawny to chase away the winter cold, or bring home a pot pie to enjoy together by the fireside with a glass of wine.
A loaf of bread from Wave Hill paired with cheese, jam, or Ariston oil and balsamic vinegar
A juicy steak or tender steak tips from New Boston Beef for a Valentine’s dinner.
As you show your Valentine to the dinner table, notice how her face warms in the light from Swift Farm’s beeswax taper candles.
Millix Family Farm’s truffle brownie bites …sweet treats in a small package!
A generous dollop of KD Crop Farm’s “Summer Breeze” on vanilla or rum raisin ice cream makes a perfect dessert.
Fabyan Sugar Shack’s Maple Sugar Candy is a sweet and local confection!
Vegan wheat-free, gluten-free Heart-Shaped Wendy’s, sold individually at Shayna B’s
A bar of sparkling, effervescent FrenchChampagne soap from Sleepy Moon.
Soft, thick, warm cashmere mittens… like a hug for the hands from Bethany Homecrafts.
There's nothing like Chocolate Fudge from Howard Valley to make the heart flutter! Friends can buy one and get one free
And what says Valentine's Day better than a red onion from Wayne’s Organic Garden? Of course, Wayne is the guy who confuses Valentine’s Day with Halloween.
New this week:
Summer Hill offers NEW vegetable pot pies chock full of potatoes, onions, fennel, asparagus, butternut squash, peas and carrots in a flavorful vegetarian sauce plus plenty of their famous chicken pot pies; and for dessert, delicious pies of apple, chocolate cream, pecan, key lime, lemon meringue.
Wayne’s Organic Garden will harvest Baby Bok Choi, Spinach, Chard, Kale, radishes, and collard greens.
Morning Glory continues its celebration of National Cherry Month with cherry sour cream pastry sticks. Scott will also be baking plenty of perennial favorites, including molasses crinkle cookies, butter rolls, maple corn muffins, and blueberry sour cream cakes. Friends of the Market are invited to stop by for a free sample-sized molasses crinkle cookie.
Fabyan Sugar Shack brings us a new batch of maple Brittle. Friends enjoy $1 off any purchase!
There will be chocolate for everyone at Shayna B's including their regular vegan, wheat-free, gluten-free yummies like Wendy Bites and decadent Ding Rings, PLUS a soy-free, naturally sweetened, chocolate cake… with samples will be available. Friends enjoy 10% off chocolate Ding Rings.
Purple Meadow Weaver has been weaving a new batch of beaded bags featuring prints with horses, bees, and roosters plus chenille scarves and readers wraps. Friends receive a 5% discount.
Millix Family Farm returns with petite pies, baby bundt cakes, and savory mini quiches. Friends can stop by for a free mini muffin.
Bethany Homecrafts has been crafting a new crop of felted bags. Friends can get a free cashmere heart!
Turtle Creek Farm brings us lamb sausage and offers lamb for delivery.
Signs of SPRING:
The crew from Fabyan Sugar Shack is still working in the woods getting their lines just right in order to have the proper sap flow and keep it from freezing. They made a little more syrup but still waiting for Mother Nature to deliver favorable temperatures. During sugaring season, Alica and Kevin man the table at our market. They are having fun meeting you all and come home with stories each week of how nice everyone is. Alicia may have even landed a teaching position by networking at the market!
It’s time for indoor projects at Ladies of Levita Road, they re-grouted the floor in the cheese room this week. Due to weather, it will not be dry in time for Kim to pasteurize. She warns us that she will have no milk this week and only a very limited supply of yogurt.
KDCrop is transplanting seedlings into plug trays already…little sprouts of broccoli, kohlrabi, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and starting seeds for early tomatoes, celery and eggplant to be put out under high tunnels.
Christopher at Swift Farm noticed the spring bulbs had already pushed up out of the ground. They will be fine under their new blanket for a few more weeks, but he noted they were nice to see.
And, an additional sign of spring, Don Henry will be on vacation this week, so we’ll all have to soldier on without our Highland Thistle Farm fix this week!
