Comments from 2012 Season Shoppers

These cool October days are a good time to remember the summer season at Montevallo Farmers' Market.  Today an email from America Farmland Trust included a summary of the comments made by our shoppers when they voted for us as their favorite farmers' market.  Here's a sample of what was said:

• Summer Mondays are a highlight in our community.  Farmers' Market is set up and everyone comes out to celebrate the delicious goods.
• Great line up of vendors, a nice shady site, and the community spirit it fosters.
• Is is so nice to actually meet the people that grow your food.
• Small town folks sharing their bounty wit their neighbors!
• The market is conveniently located in the heart of town with plenty of great parking and nice shade trees.
• This market has great farmers with a wide variety ofhome grown vegetables and fruit.  Love the peaches and blueberries!
• Variety of home grown foods offered, pleasant atmosphere!  I can walk to the market from work.
• Prices are competitive.
• It's a place to buy great fresh produce from local farmers and to see your friends.

Mark your calendar for June 3, 2013 when the market will open again!  This will be our fourth year for the Market on Monday in Montevallo. 

Help Montevallo Farmers' Market Be America's Favorite!

It’s summertime and that means two things:  1) There are loads of delicious farm fresh produce available at Montevallo Farmers' Market every week; and 2) American Farmland Trust’s America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest has kicked into gear and we need your votes to win! 

The process is simple.  To vote for our market, all you have to do is:

1.)    Go to www.farmland.org/vote

2.)    Type in Montevallo Farmers' Market; and,

3.)    Click “Vote”

That’s it. That’s all it takes to bring Montevallo Farmers' Market one step closer to being America’s favorite farmers market!

 

According to American Farmland Trust (AFT), the purpose of this contest is to re-connect local consumers to local farms, with the ultimate goal of keeping our nation’s farm land productive and healthy!  Buying at the farmers market keeps money in our community and helps farms remain economically viable. By voting, you’re helping support farms and communities across the nation. As American Farmland Trust says, “No Farms No Food™!”

 

So don’t forget to vote for Montevallo Farmers' Market at www.farmland.org/vote and spread the word!  Last year Montevallo's market was #1 in our category in the state of Alabama and #8 in the US.  Let's put Montevallo on the map by voting this year.  Cast your vote today and tell your friends!

Let's Get Sharp on Monday, July 2!

It's easy to take kitchen knives for granted.  Grab one, slice the vegetables, add them to the skillet, and soon the dish is ready.  Preparing fresh vegetables means lots of peeling and slicing, so dull knives become an aggravation and a safety issue.  Because a dull knife requires more pressure to make the cut, it leads to slips and injuries.

Monday, July 2, Carey Baird is bringing his set up to sharpen your knives on site at the Montevallo Farmers' Market.  His trailer says "On Site Sharpening" and that tells the story!  He has a long history of sharpening tools and knives, but the on-the-road set up is more recent for him.  Bring your knives to market on Monday and meet Carey when you come to shop. 

Cost for getting your knives' blades in great condition will be $2-$6 each.

Reunion at the Montevallo Farmers' Market

Commitees for churches, schools, and clubs work hours to plan reunions every year.  Some of those events are attended by hundreds of alumni who get a book of photos of their classmates, have custom designed nametags, and take home vague memories of people they won't see again for another ten years, or more!

The real success of a reunion is spending time with the people who were important to you when you were an active member of the group.  The reunion can be small, but if your friends are present, it's a success. The men in the above photo had an informal reunion at the Montevallo Farmers' Market opening day.  Pictured are Jack Hughes, Mike Garrett, Wayne Don L. Horton, and Mike Pickett.  Jack, Mike, and Don L. were reliving their days at Montevallo High School and made a stop at the market to see Mike Pickett from Honey Hill Farm.  Mike joined their conversation and laughter while we waited for the market to open.

Thanks for coming by to get Honey Hill Farm honey and some Chilton County peaches for your tables.  You never know who might be shopping and talking at the market on Mondays!

Market opening day is Monday, June 4, and we will be celebrating our new logo.  John Nicholson is the artist and his design is already a hit!  The market is on the lot behind 1st Baptist Church at the corner of Middle and Main Streets.  Be there each week 3-6 pm for fesh locally grown produce, pasture fed beef, free-range chicken, organic produce and herbs, local honey, and fresh bread.  Thanks to the generous support of presenting sponsor Montevallo Drug, we're adding some new tents and will have logo posters and shirts.  It's going to be a yummy summer at the Montevallo Farmers' Market!

Two of our farmers are from Pea Ridge near Montevallo.  This church sign is in Pea Ridge just up the road from the Pickett's Honey Hill Farm.  The more you know farmers' market vendors and shoppers, the more you realize that they are originals! 

If you work heavy equipment all night so that you can farm daytime, you're an original.  If you're a college student and planted acres of okra and tomatoes to sell at the farmers' market, you are an original.  If you're farming land that's been in your family since the 1920's, you are an original.  If you are fully certified organic raising animals and growing a garden, you are an original.  Come to think of it, only an original would brave the weather, the econormy, and big time food producers to farm for selling at the local farmers' market.  Giving their customers the opportunity to buy fresh locally grown products is a commitment that matters to the growers at Montevallo's Monday Market!

Shoppers at the market want to know the people who grow their food.  They appreciate the farmer who will  cut and sample the canteloupe for a customer who wants to know that the melon is sweet.  Market customers take the time to check all the booths and then purchase from several in order to support more than just one vendor.  A walk down the aisle at the market usually means time to talk to friends and enjoy the music being played by local talent.  When a customer becomes accustomed to using fresh eggs, they want to be sure they get to the market soon after opening so that the eggs aren't sold out!  For Montevallo Monday Market customers, food shopping is an original experience every week!

Music at the Market!

When you think about your favorite shopping days at Montevallo Farmers' Market, there is probably a soundtrack that goes along with the first ripe tomatoes and the juiciest peaches you discovered!  Music makes our warm market afternoons even better.  Doug Morris and friends, Dallas Perry, Oliver Stansell's band, the Pea Ridge Senior Singers, and the Nursing Home Quartet were some favorites.  With the cover provided at Montevallo 1st Baptist and the easy availability of electricity, music groups can set up and entertain rain or shine.  If you know a band that might come out on a Monday afternoon, email montevallocc@bellsouth.net and provide the contact information.  Montevallo loves music!  Especially while they shop at Montevallo Farmers' Market.

FFA Farm Day Coming to Montevallo on Saturday, March 31!

Matt Barton, MHS agri-business teacher, on the right is pictured with two leaders of Montevallo High School's FFA chapter.  This group promotes agri-business with their annual Farm Day celebration.  The fun begins with a parade of tractors on Main St. at 9 a.m. and continues until 2 p.m. at the high school.  Farming, gardening, and animal care are just some of the areas featured in displays.  There's a petting zoo for children and fun for the whole family.  Put it on your calendar and plan to be there!

Potato Soup to keep you warm in January!

This recipe from the Lexington Farmers Market sounds like a January supper that you might want to try!

Roasted Garlic Potato Soup
 

• 6 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup whole milk
• salt to taste

  

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1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Place potatoes in a shallow roasting pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with pepper; stir to coat. Bake for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are browned. Reserve 1 cup of roasted potatoes.
3. In a 3 quart saucepan heat remaining oil; saute onions for 5 minutes. Add potatoes and garlic and stir in broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Spoon half of broth mixture into a blender; blend until nearly smooth. Repeat with remaining mixture; return all to pot. Stir in milk and season with salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with reserved roasted potatoes.