Special Cooking Class Just for Kids and Barefoot Books this Week!

Holly Pierce of Sweet Thing Food will be under the “Big Tent” this week with a Cooking Demonstration designed just for kids! With years of experience presenting cooking classes to children, Holly will be sure to create an event as fun and delicious as it is educational.  I hear that she may even need a few assistants, so be sure to bring your aspiring chefs, as well as those picky eaters!  Holly will start around 10:00 a.m. and, as always, be using fresh veggies and fruits, as well as other products purchased at the market that morning.

With the weather looking good, I suspect that the mysterious Yarrow will appear with his balloons to twist!  No promises, though. You will have to stop by to see for yourself.

Our nonprofit guest this week is Donate Life Melrose, whose mission is to increase awareness and promote organ and tissue donation.  They will be providing information and answering questions on organ, eye, and tissue donations and address common misconceptions regarding being a donor. For example, did you know that anyone can be a potential donor, regardless of age, race, or medical history? Tote bags and other giveaways will be available, along with a lot of important information. Be sure to stop by their tent.

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The vendor roster for this week includes our six farmers, 10 food vendors, as well as Wicked Good Soap, Susie Kate’s Designs, and a visit from Barefoot Books, offering wonderful books for children, for a total of 19 vendors this week

Call me crazy (and some people do) but I did draw some attention last week by wandering around the market with a bouquet of squash blossoms… and eating them. Why? To get folks to try them!  I love squash blossoms. They are delightful raw and great in soups and salads. Plus, you can stuff them with goat cheese and fry them quickly for a really tasty treat.  Just be sure to remove the bitter-tasting stamen before eating! Try them and other Asian greens and produce from Flats Mentor Farms.

I’ve been enjoying the kohlrabi (among other things, of course!) from Farmer Dave. This odd-looking vegetable has a flavor reminiscent of broccoli and can be eaten raw or cooked. As usual, Kelly’s Farm will have their lovely, locally-grown cut flowers, and Charlton Orchards will have their growing assortment of apples and pears.

Be sure to see what John Crow Farm is offering, since it varies each week. And, if you want a really special turkey this Thanksgiving, put your order in now at www.johncrowfarm.com! Here is some cool news: West River Creamery will have Blue Cheese this week!  Don’t miss it

Have you tried a sandwich from Swiss Bakers, yet?  They do sell out early, so you will have to move fast to get one. They, along with Mamadou’s Bakery and Cannistraci Fine Foods will, as usual, be on hand with wonderful breads, pies, popovers and other goodies

Speaking of goodies, Goodies Homemade will also, as usual, have their cookies, spectacular enough to have been featured by Edible Boson at a Williams-Sonoma event last Sunday.  Cograts to them

While we are on sweets, you might want to try the maple cotton candy from Ben’s Sugar Shack, or, for a sweet but healthy drink for breakfast or a snack, Silky Smoothies will be back this week

If you have yet to try Middle Eastern Food, Samira’s Homemade always has samples to try. And, as always, get here early for your choice of super fresh seafood from Globe Fish! And, I again want to point out that Fior D’Italia now has frozen entrees along with their pasta and mozzarella cheese

Finally, In Good Taste (Pam’s Salsa) will be here this week.  Yum!

Coming Up: Rescheduled visit from musician Kirsten Manville TBA. Live music by Betty’s Bounce on 9/15. Drumlin Farms Audubon Ark visits on 9/22. The annual Plein Air Paint Out will take place on September 29 and more to come!

PARKING NOTE! Don’t forget!  Really! We can use the 1st thirty MBTA parking spaces along North Ave!  Note: there is a sidewalk against the fence going to crosswalks from these spaces, so you can get to and from the market safely!

And, thanks to a generous grant from Mass in Motion, our market is now able to process SNAP/EBT and credit/debit cards.  Customers purchase “Market Bucks” at the Market Manager tent and use it to pay the vendors, with the vendors getting reimbursed at the end of the day.

As always, a big thank you to Special Event Sponsor The Savings Bank!  Also, a big thank you to the Wakefield Cooperative Bank and the Wakefield UPS Store for being Friends of WFM!  Your support means we can make our market an even greater asset to our community.

The Wakefield Farmers Market runs RAIN OR SHINE (except in dangerous weather, e.g. lightening or hurricane conditions).  The market opens at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 1:00 p.m. every Saturday until October 20.  Please visit our website (www.wakefieldfarmersmarket.com) for a complete listing of vendors and upcoming events.  See you at the market!

Wendy Dennis
Market Manager