(We love Cheryl Pedemonti's image of Four Fields Farm's autumn display!)
Coventry Regional
Farmers' Market
“Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who
would have it otherwise would have
high tide always and a full moon every night”
Hal Borland
One more golden market day awaits...
This year, we came home once again to the Hale Farm where sheep were shorn, ponies pulled children in fetching carts and farmers overwhelmed us with the bounty of the harvest. We sampled jewel-toned local wines, sumptuous cheeses and spirited homebrew, roasted corn and savored the offerings of the chefs of the Toyota Farm-to-Table Tour. We learned about identifying mushrooms, growing garlic, storing squash, and making herbal butter. New vendors brought us pizzas from a wood-fired oven, luscious chocolate truffles, toasted granola, and vegetables grown organically in the city. To other vendors, we offer our goodbyes tomorrow: Snootyfood who is closing up shop and Dick Staples who is retiring from farming. Orson Welles once said, "If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” With the promise of one more sunny Sunday, our summer season draws to a close.
Well... how did we do?
The Coventry Regional Farmers' Market is run with energy, creativity, and passion by an all-volunteer committee who want nothing less than to make our market the best in the region. To stay green and growing...and we need your help! Please click HERE to complete a short survey to share your feedback. Your thoughts about our market will help us tremendously. Don't miss the chance to tell us what you think... your suggestions will help us to make our 2010 season better yet!
For a big finish: it's our GREAT PUMPKIN FESTIVAL...
Before we call it a day... let's have one more terrific market festival, shall we? Got kids? You can't miss this day! We'll open with the music of Bruce John, who may or may not don the stegosaurus costume for which he is famed!
We love kids in costumes ...those who come in costume on Sunday are invited to join our Costume Parade at 11:15. Don't forget to bring goodie bags to use in collecting treats at the market's trick-or-treating time at the end of the parade!
At 11:30, kids can join in an autumnal take on a springtime tradition... we'll have our first Gourd Hunt!
From 12:30-1:30 the Lutz Children's Museum will join us with a presentation that includes several different animals.
1:30- 2:00 Judy Stoughton from the Mansfield Public Library will present a seasonal storytelling session.
While supplies last, kids can select a free Sugar Pumpkin to decorate and take home. There will be face painting offered all day, and animals to visit in the Holy Grove.
Cooler weather leads to healthy appetites, too ...we'll be whipping up cinnamon apple sauce, sampling Holmberg Orchard cider, and demonstrating the preparation of apple dumplings.
You'll find us on the grounds of the beautiful Nathan Hale Homestead located in Coventry at 2299 South Street! (Need directions?)
Brought to you by the good folks at Dime Bank...
Our Great Pumpkin Festival is sponsored by Dime Bank of Norwich. The Dime is a community-oriented financial institution; they donated more than one million dollars in 2008 to support non-profits and community organizations like our farmers' market. The Dime is a mutual bank... it has no real owners. It is governed by a Board of corporators and directors very similar to that of a hospital or library. Founded 140 years ago, this steady, well-diversified bank has served people, businesses, non-profits, government and the community through two world wars and the Great Depression. The Dime does not issue stock, therefore it cannot be bought or sold, no matter how large or successful the bank becomes. We thank the Dime for their generosity and interest in supporting the locally-grown food movement!
To celebrate The Dime... kids can shop for a DIME...
As a fun nod to our sponsor, kids can shop our market with piggy-bank change! Look for these specials for kids... all costing just a dime, while supplies last!
At Hurricane Farm, kids can pick out ten sunflower seeds out of a giant dried sunflower for a DIME. They can choose shell and eat or save and plant next year.
La Petit France Bakery offers kids a brownie bite for a DIME
Kids can buy the key ingredient for a fresh salsa for a DIME with a Four Fields Farm hot pepper.
At Windham Gardens, kids can get a mini pumpkin for a DIME
Sleepy Moon is trimming hotel-sized bars of handmade soap for a DIME
Delamatta's offers Amish Friendship Bread in a Dime Bank mug for a DIME
From Purple Meadow Weaver , kids can select a small toy for a DIME
Nate's Naturals will have kid's granola-pops for a DIME
Howard Valley Fudge offers kids fudge topping for a DIME
Beauty That Moves is sewing an assortment of fabric bookmarks, for kids, only a DIME
Morning Glory Homemade's is baking mini hermit cookies just a DIME for kids!
Stocking up for winter...
In our great-grandparent's day almost every non-city dweller grew their own vegetables and had a root cellar in which to store them. No root cellar at your place? Every house has spots suitable for winter storage of vegetables that prefer moderate temperatures. To us, no kitchen would seem properly habitable if it didn’t have a long braid of garlic hanging on the wall not too far from the stove. Onions and winter squash also store well at room temperature. With proper storage beets can last up to four months, and pumpkins and squash up to five months. Longest lasting in storage are carrots and potatoes which can hold for up to six months, and onions up to seven months!
Refrigerator storage...
Refrigerators offer a consistent temperature around 40 degrees, perfect for storing carrots, celeriac, beets, apples, pears, kale, bok choi, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnip, and rutabaga. Never wash a vegetable that you re preparing for storage. Washing shortens storage life, sometimes by months. When storing in a plastic bag in the refrigerator make sure that you remove as much air from the bag as possible before storing
An attic space...
An unheated entrance, attic space or unheated spare room generally hovers around 40 degrees to 50 degrees during the cold months. That's an excellent temperature for storing butternut squash, delicata squash, onions, and garlic. In fact, butternut squash has the longest storage life of any squash. It will sometimes last the whole winter if the storage location is cold and dry enough and garlic will often store for the entire winter. Larger bulbs don't last as long as smaller bulbs so use the large bulbs first.
And your cellar too...
A cool damp corner of your cellar generally runs between 33 degrees and 50 degrees... just right for storing potatoes. Potatoes sprout when exposed to light, so the dark environ of the cellar is excellent for long-term storage. Potatoes will usually store 2-3 months. Potatoes specifically noted as a storage variety will often do better. If possible store on flat trays. The benefit is the avoidance of the "bad apple" syndrome, and one can inspect all the potatoes as you use them up permitting you to take ones that are beginning to sprout. A soft potato usually means that it is rotten, but cut it up to make sure.
Order a leg of lamb from Regina Malsbury...
Herb and Garlic Roasted Lamb
1 leg of lamb, about 5 pounds
juice of 1 lemon
Several
cloves of garlic, cut in several slivers
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tb. chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Rinse lamb with cold water; pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towels. With a small knife, make several tiny slits evenly over the lamb roast and insert slivers of the garlic. Rub lamb with lemon juice, then combine the minced garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Rub the garlic-herb mixture over the lamb. Place leg, fat side up, on rack in roasting pan. Insert thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, not touching fat or bone. Roast in a preheated 325° oven for about 25 to 30 minutes per pound, or until meat thermometer registers 145°. Serves 4 to 6.
What else will I find at the market on Sunday?
At the Hale, hear about the Homestead Ghosts-Unexplained Occurrences at the Homestead...from 1-2 in the homestead kitchen
Get your FLU SHOT from one of the doctors at Bolton Family Medicine.
Regina Malsbury offers Friends yarn and rovings at 10% off. She is taking the last of the freezer lamb orders and has lamb cut, frozen and ready to be picked up. It is packaged in mostly 2 person size packages with an assortment of ground, kabobs, chops and small leg roasts.
Hurricane Farm will bring lots of winter squash to stock up on for the winter. If you are a Friend of the market you get 30% off these sweet squashes! They will also have some fresh heritage pork chops, loin roasts, sweet and hot Italian sausage, lastly ribs. Have you ordered your turkey yet? This will be the last week to order your free ranged, vegetarian fed, all natural Thanksgiving turkey. A $25 deposit is required.
Sleepy Moon holds their annual Christmas preview in Sunday. Look for holiday soaps including Sleigh Ride, Solstice, Balsam & Citrus, and Mulled Cider, and her delightful Yuletide Soap Samplers... clever little frosted bags of sample-sized soaps tied with organza ribbon and topped with a wooden snowflake. If you have one of the new Winter Market Friends pins, you'll get 20% off all holiday soaps!
Windham Gardens is picking the last of the peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant. They will have pumpkins, winter squash, broccoli and cabbage, and for Friends, tomatoes are only $1.50 a pound!
Four Fields Farms will be bringing some old favorites: turnips, leeks, head lettuce, big sunflower seed heads, hakurei salad turnips, as well as our hot and sweet peppers. New this week will be first cut of baby red russian kale, a tender and sweet green that can be tossed into salads raw or cooked lightly. It's delicious! Did you know that hardy greens like kale get sweeter as it gets colder? The frosts have helped to make these greens extra tasty.
Kelly Radding of Tucker Woods Farm in Columbia joins us with her gorgeous yarns and roving and her friendly goats, too!
Skyspyders Pottery will be giving Friends participants a free luminary as a thanks for their support of our market this year. Summer
Friends will enjoy 10% off their total purchase, Winter Market Friends will get the wearer 10% off their total purchase... and those with BOTH pins get 20% off!
Wave Hill offers Friends $1 off 2 loaves of any type of bread ...stock up and freeze a loaf to hold you over until the winter market begins! Wave Hill's rustic croutons are great on all types of soups: lentil, pea, tomato, onion, squash....
Rich Valley Farm will be offering their annual "grab bag" for Friends of the Market. Friends can take their pick of an array of good stuff! Rich Valley Farm will be hosting an OPEN HOUSE on the following Sundays from 11 - 3 pm: November 29, December 6, and December 13. Check their website for open house details.
Nate's Naturals will be selling Nate's Haunted Happy Jack at the Coventry Market, their pumpkintastic granola with a trick-or-treat goodie inside. Friends of the Market enjoy a 50c discount on any 12 oz bag of granola.
Morning Glory is bringing seasonal and perennial favorites to the market this week, including pumpkin maple whoopie pies, pumpkin muffins and loaf cakes, cranberry harvest bread, and Cape Cod cookies with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Friends are invited to stop by for a hermit cookie.
Lizzie at Taking Care of Tummies is planning a "toast" to Friends with "spiked" apple cider! She's making
Harvest Stew, pulled pork, spicy hummus wraps, and her famous pesto chicken salad.
New this week, Beauty That Moves has a fresh stack of zipper pouches waiting for you! There are many styles to choose from, some vintage fabric and some new from Heather's favorite current-day designers. This week Friends of the Market can pick up a fourth zipper pouch for free when they purchase three of any style. These make wonderful holiday gifts or stocking stuffers!
Purple Meadow Weaver will have a large basket of bags and scarves at 10% off for Friends, plus new bags in fall colors.
Kiefer's is making pumpkin pie spiced corn and hot cocoa!
La Petit France offers 10% off for Friends!
Delamatta's are baking pumpkin pie and struessel pumpkin pie, making hot pepper relish, whole-berry cranberry sauce, jellied cranberry sauce and cran-apple jam. They'll be harvesting boiling onions, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, and bringing eggs. Friends get a free bag of onions with purchase!
Howard Valley Fudge will have Pumpkin Fudge and, for Friends, is offering a buy one, get one free of the 1/4 pound size (limit one).
Windham Hospital will visit to distribute their brand-new Physicians & Services Directory, offered with a large re-usable tote bag--all free, of course, and free blood pressure screening.
Plus guests galore: Leslie Maltby of Coffee Break Designs, Ruth Sangree of Chiveflower Jewelry, Lee Lee Bags, Boxed Goodes, Peter Piecyk Birch Hill Farm, Healthy Cleaning Solutions, Candles by Laura, Capa di Roma, and Kitty Angels.
WinterFresh Market FRIEND pins...
For only $15, you can enjoy Friends benefits and support our newest venture... our WinterFresh Market! Stop by to see Nick at the Market Master's tent to learn more or register and receive your pin!
Will we see you at the WinterFresh Market?
You asked for it... a farmers' market encore bringing you the best of fresh, local foods all winter long! Beginning November 22 and running EVERY Sunday from 11-2, indoors at Coventry High School, the dream becomes reality! Our focus will be locally-grown and produced foods, and you'll have ready access to 30+ vendors offering seafood, hothouse tomatoes, lettuce, and cukes, winter veggies, fresh milk, yogurt, granola, grass-fed beef, free-range eggs, rustic breads, farmstead cheeses, salsa, pesto, fruit pies, dressings and marinades, chocolate fudge, honey, maple syrup, and more! Plus steaming bowls of hot soup and flatbread pizza to go! Mark your calendars, November 22 kicks it all off with our annual Harvest Market!
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Join us this Sunday
11am - 2pm
at the Nathan Hale Homestead, 2299 South Street
click HERE for directions
See you at the Market!
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