March 11, 2011
Durham Farmers' Market Newsletter
Good, Local Food
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Winter Hours: 10am-Noon

Spring/Summer Market Hours of 8am-Noon Start on April 2nd!

Wednesdays: Closed for the Season

In This Issue
Meadow Lane Farm
Little Tree Farm
Bluebird Meadows
Fickle Creek Farm
Terra Clotha
Dolly Mama Chocolates
Bonlee Grown Farm
Harlands Creek Farm
Four Leaf Farm
Hurtgen Meadows Farm
Sunset Ridge Buffalo
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eggThis week, I've had eggs on my mind...

Last Saturday, as I was walking around Market, I was excited to see lots of cartons of fresh eggs stacked around the Market.  In the spring time, as the temperatures warm and the days get longer, chickens start to lay more eggs.  Also, in the spring, young hens start laying eggs for the first time.  As they begin to lay eggs, egg sizes are inconsistent.  Some of the eggs that they lay are very tiny and others can be pretty big.  The eggs in the picture above came from Meadow Lane Farm.  According to Martha Mobley, all of the eggs came from a flock that has just begun to lay.  The big egg on the left was nearly double the size of the rest of the eggs in the dozen (and it had a double yolk!).

Then, on Monday, I had lunch with a friend and she made a lovely salad that she topped with a poached egg.  The eggs came from the chickens that run around her back yard.  The yolk was orange, thick, beautiful and delicious. 

Later in the week, the new issue of Organic Gardening Magazine came in the mail.  The issue had a large feature on eggs, including recipes, stories and information on the health benefits of eggs.  Here is a link to an article from Organic Gardening Magazine website called The Good Egg

So, this week, in celebration of spring, greens and the abundance of eggs at the Market, the recipe of the week is:

Spring Salad topped with a Poached Egg

For the salad:
a mix of baby lettuce, arugula and pea shoots
plain chevre, crumbled

For the dressing:
1 part olive oil
1 part balsamic vinegar

Mix together salad greens and chevre.  Coat with dressing and top with a poached egg.

For the poached egg (recipe from Organic Gardening Magazine)
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
Pinch of sea salt
1 or 2 eggs per person

1. Fill a large skillet with water about 2 inches deep and bring to a boil.  Add the vinegar and salt and reduce the heat to a simer.  The vinegar helps the whites set quickly.

2. Add the eggs one at a time and poach for 2-3 minutes, until the whiltes set and a thin, translucetn film forms over the yplks.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the cooking bath and drain.

And here is a video that will answer all of you egg poaching questions... How to Poach an Egg Video

 

See you at the Market!
Erin Kauffman
Market Manager
Fresh this Week....

Fruit: Greenhouse Grown Strawberries (come early!)

Vegetables:  Arugula, Bok Choy,  Beets, Braising Greens, Broccoli,  Carrots, Collards, Green Onions, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Lettuce, Radishes, Parsley, Pea Shoots, Salad Mix,  Shiitake Mushrooms, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes,  Greenhouse Tomatoes,  Turnips - white and purple,  Turnip Greens, Winter Squash (Acorn, Butternut)
Flowers: Anemones, Ranunculus, Tulips
Meats: Beef, Bison, Chicken, Goat/Chevon, Lamb, Pork
And: Raw Honey, Chicken Eggs, Flour, Yellow & White Cornmeal, Grits, Pecans, Wines, Fresh and Aged Goats and Cows Milk Cheeses, Baked Goods, Beer, Wine, Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Preserves, Handmade Chocolates, Wool, Holiday Greenery
Crafts: Handmade Clothes & Jewelery, Baskets, Pottery, Photographs, Soaps and much more...

Produce availability depends on weather conditions
Upcoming Events

   

Music at the Market Saturday March 12th, 10am

Plume Giant, a college retro folk trio with a guitar, violin, viola, and three voices.  And one of the members grew up in Durham and spent a lot of time at the Market! They will be playing in the Market lawn starting around 10am.  

www.plumegiant.com 

 

Durham HomeFries Cookin' Team Signup

Going on Now!  

The Durham HomeFries Cookin' Team will start its second year this April.  The HomeFries are a group of kids, ages 9-13, who are interested in good food, cooking and hanging out!  Each month, on the third Saturday of the month a local chef leads the class.  The kids will learn how to shop for fresh, local food, meet local farmers, learn how to follow a recipe and how to make exciting, good food.  The classes are free and held on the central market lawn. The schedule will be posted in the next couple of weeks.  For more information about the HomeFries, visit their blog:

durhamhomefries.blogspot.com 

If you know a kid who is interested in participating, please email

info@durhamfarmersmarket.com  or talk to the person at the info table during Market!

 

Chef in the Market - Amy Tornquist, Watts Grocery

Saturday, April 2nd, 10am  

Amy, the chef and owner of Watts Grocery and Sage & Swift Catering company, will be joining us on April 2nd to celebrate the return to summer hours!

www.wattsgrocery.com  

 

Piedmont Farm Tour - April 16 & 17, from 1-5pm  

The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association annual Piedmont Farm Tour is approaching.  The Piedmont Farm Tour is a great way see your food growing and talk to your farmers in their natural habitat (their farms!).  40 excellent farms will be showcased on the farm tour and many of the farms that sell at the Durham Farmers' Market are on the tour!  There are 6 new farms that are being added this year.  One of them is Ever Laughter Farm in Hillsborough.  Farmers Will and Sam started selling their produce and pork at the Wednesday Market last year!  For more information about the tour, visit:

www.CarolinaFarmStewards.org  

The NC 10% Campaign

   

The 10% Campaign is a project of the Center For Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS).  The campaign encourages you to spend 10 percent of your existing food dollars to support North Carolina food producers, businesses and communities. Why 10%?  In North Carolina, we spend 35 billion dollars on food every year.  If we spend 10% of our food dollars on local product, we can infuse over 3.5 billion dollars into the local economy.  As avid supporters of the Durham Farmers' Market, you already know the many advantages to shopping locally.  So, why join the campaign?  It will re-affirm your commitment to shopping locally and it sends a strong message to policy makers about the importance of local foods!  For more information visit: www.nc10percent.com  

Meadow Lane Farm

PORK.. pasture-raised on our farm... pork chops, country extra sage sausage in bulk & links, roasts, ribs, ground pork, shanks, bacon, and much more..

 

BEEF.. roasts, sausages (chirzo & zesty italian), shanks, sirloin and sirloin tip steaks, tongue, calves liver, short ribs, loin ribs and more..

 

Thank you for your continued support of our family farm!

 

Steve & Martha Mobley

www.MeadowLaneBeef.com
(919) 496-4852
meadowlanefarm1@netzero.net
Little Tree Farm
blue

Even if it's noon.....  

please come by our booth for your Little Tree Farm eggs on Saturday as we haven't sold out for the past few weeks....

AND...

our pullets haven't even started laying yet!  They're close.  The feathers on their hips are spreading out like a tutu as their pelvis opens to accommodate the eggs that they will lay.  The other noticeable change as they mature is that their combs and wattles, which have been small and pale pink up to now, are enlarging and turning bright red.  Within the next 2-3 weeks we should start having pullets eggs.  

 
We will also have whole Young Broiler CHICKENS with free recipes; fresh, free-range EGGS from our happy hens;  Whole Grain MUSTARD;  STEWING HENS with free recipes;  2011 LITTLE TREE FARM CALENDARS (50% off sale);  and PEPPERS POTTERY.   
  

Introducing a new product that I am making (with a lot of help from the bees, of course)...creamed honey. 

Creamed honey is creamy, smooth and spreadable.  It is nothing more then pure honey which has been very finely crystallized (velvety on the tongue).  Stored in the refrigerator it is solid and spreads like butter.  Allow it to warm at room temperature to soften.  This week we start with the original, pure honey.  Next week we will add other flavors, such as, chocolate and cinnamon.   

 

 

Please join us to see photos and videos of our poultry and hear true stories about their life on our farm.  Sign up now by clicking here - Farm Report   Opting in/out is easy and fast.  We do hope you will join us.  Thanks! 

 

Sincerely, Dale and John Fluke, Little Tree Farm, 919 693-9354 dale@littletreefarm.com
Bluebird Meadows
blue
Exciting news!  We'll have some produce on Saturday!  Beautiful radishes and arugula can be found at our booth.  For all you fellow flower lovers we have lots of colorful options.  We'll have fragrant hyacinth, a few bunches of icelandic poppies, anemones, and an incredibly robust pink tulip.  The jury is still out as to whether the ranunculus will start this week or next.  Bring some locally grown color home with you this Saturday

 

Alice and Stuart, Bluebird Meadows
Fickle Creek Farm
fcfBEEF - pasture-raised and grass-finished:  ground beef, stew beef, steaks (fillet mignon, NY strip, ribeye, sirloin strip, flank, skirt, hanger, flat iron), roasts (eye of round, London broil, brisket, sirloin tip, chuck, shank), short ribs, liver, soup bones, marrow bones.

PORK - pasture-raised:  smoked sliced bacon, loin chops, smoked boneless loin chops, ground pork, smoked hocks

, roasts (Boston butt, shoulder picnic), bulk sausage (chorizo, country, hot extra sage), link sausage (bratwurst, hot Italian, mild Italian, sweet Italian, maple fingerlinks, smoked Polish, smoked bell pepper & onion), fatback (plain and corned), rendered lard, feet, tongue, organ meats (liver, kidney, heart). 

PRODUCE - no pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers:  arugula, kale, purple mustard greens, spinach 

EGGS - from hens ranging freely on pasture:  mixed size and jumbo.


http://home.mebtel.net/~ficklecreek/
http://www.facebook.com/FickleCreekFarm
Terra Clotha
Spring is coming!  While we still have a complete line of warm and colorful long-sleeved T-shirts, dresses, hoodies, and onesies, we also have hand-dyed short-sleeved T-shirts, as well as skirts and dresses in anticipation of the warmer weather. And we've got wacky hand-dyed men's boxer shorts, great messenger bags, and toys. Outfit your infant or toddler in one of our hand-dyed onesies or rompers. And check our bargain box for extra-special values.   mkonvicka@aol.com    www.terraclotha.etsy.com   
Dolly Mama Chocolates
dm

We're off to Caribbean Costa Rica to see Theobroma cacao in its natural habitat. We won't be at market until late March or early April.  Happy Spring, everyone!

Hasta Luego,

Dolly & John

www.dollymamachocolate.com

Bonlee Grown Farm
Looks like a great weekend so come on out on Saturday from 10-12 noon !!!  FREE RANGE BROWN EGGS,  MOSES IN THE CRADLE ,  JADE , ALOE, OR DOUBLE BLOOM IMPATIENS PLANTS!!!!  Sample our BANANA BUTTER JAM AND PEPPER JELLY!!! BLACKBERRY, BLUEBERRY AND STRAWBERRY JAM!!!   See ya Sat.     Amy Sugg 
Harland Creek Farm
dm

Organic greens return to market.  We will have baby salad mix and baby arugula from our new high tunnel.  Also, we will have chard, kale, and a gourmet braising mix.  New are eggs from pasture raised chicken. 


http://www.harlands-creek-farm.com

 

Four Leaf Farm
Four Leaf Farm is bringing chard, kale, Arugula, dwarf poc choi, Pea shoots and a few dozen eggs this Saturday as well as lettuce plants ,  several different perennial herbs and  house plants. Come say hello.
Helga
Hurtgen Meadows Farm
hmf

Produce: We will have arugula, baby turnip greens, cilantro, kale, spinach, and radishes.

   

Crafts: Beautiful handcrafted, artistic and unique maple/cherry cutting boards, eco-friendly sandwich wraps, snack bags, chapstick/USB stick keychain holders, and microwave fabric baked potato bags.

 

All of Hurtgen Meadows' produce, plants, and flowers are naturally grown -- no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers.  We'll see you at market!

 

You can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@HurtgenMeadows)

 

Tom, Hurtgen Meadows, hurtgenmeadows@gmail.com

www.hurtgenmeadows.com

Sunset Ridge Buffalo Farm
Sunset Ridge Buffalo Farm will be at market Saturday with a great selection of bison steaks, roasts, sausages, and ground bison.  Get ready to fire up the grill enjoy your favorite bison cut.  Thanks for your continued support.

 

Jack & Sandy Pleasant
Parking & Street Information
The Market is located at 501 Foster Street in and around the Pavilion at Durham Central Park. 

Parking can be found in the Measurement Inc lot, 423 Morris Street (one block west of the Market).  There is a path at the bottom of that parking lot that leads you to the Market.  There are also public parking lots along Foster Street and on Morgan Street near the Carolina Theatre.  There is some street parking available along Foster and Hunt Street.  

Handicap parking is available on Foster Street, right next to the south entrance of the pavilion.
Durham Farmers' Market Animal Policy
Please note that the Durham Farmers' Market does not allow dogs or other pets in the Market area during Market hours.
Service animals are exempt from this rule.
Leashed pets are welcome elsewhere throughout Durham Central Park. 

 
See you at the Market!
 

Erin Kauffman
Market Manager
Durham Farmers' Market