Vendors Meeting

The Clay Center Farmers Market is going to have an end of season meeting on Tuesday, December 1 at 7:00 pm, at the Clay County Extension office.

We will be discussing the following:
• problems and praises for the last year’s market
• current rules
• marketing and advertising ideas for the next year’s market
• discussion about a Wednesday market
• set dates for the 2010 market
• any other issues that are brought up.

Please bring any ideas on how to grow our market in 2010. If you know of any person who is interested in becoming a vendor, please inform them of the meeting.


Sincerely,

Jay Sleichter
Clay Center Farmers Market President

Weekly Update for August 22: Let the Tailgating Begin!

School has started, the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler ... you know what that means? It's FOOTBALL SEASON! It's also tailgating season! Whether you're headed to the K-State Fan Appreciate Day tomorrow, or anxiously awaiting the start to high school football, it's a great time to stock up for your tailgating menu. Come visit our Clay Center Farmers Market to get great tasting watermelon, buffalo burgers, and all the veggies you need to dress up your favorite tailgating foods.

What else might you find at the Farmers Market this week? Watermelon, Cantaloupe,Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Red, All Blue, and Yukon Gold Potatoes, Onions, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Beets, Peppers, Eggs, Breads, Zucchini, Acorn and Spaghetti Squash, Jams and Jellies, Buffalo Meat, Dried Flowers, Flavored Vinegars, and much, much more!

Bring a friend, and we'll see you there!

Weekly Update for August 15: Start the School Year Right

Ready or not, here it comes! School starts next week for USD 379 Clay County and most surrounding districts. With the start of school comes the big question: what's for snack?! The Farmers Market provides lots of options for healthy, delicious after school snacks. Why not serve up a colorful bowl of watermelon and cantaloupe? Or a plate of zucchini bread? One of our household's favorites is a plate of sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, cheese, and ritz crackers with ranch dressing. It's easy, and our girls love them.

What might you find at the Farmers Market this week? Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Red, All Blue, and Yukon Gold Potatoes, Onions, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Beets, Cabbage, Peppers, Eggs, Breads, Zucchini, Squash, Jams and Jellies, Buffalo Meat, Dried Flowers, Flavored Vinegars, and much, much more!

The Sleichter booth will be absent from the market this week, but with so many great vendors, you probably won't even miss us! :) So, head down to the market this Saturday, and bring a friend!

Weekly Update for August 8: National Farmers Market Week

It's official. August 2-8 is National Farmers Market Week, and August is Kansas Farmers Market month. As one blogger said, "In Kansas, we've believe our farmers and markets are so sensational we need an entire month to celebrate."

In honor of the Farmers Market week, we want to sincerely thank the Clay Center community. It has been a great year for the market -- and we're not even to the half-way point yet. It's inspiring and rejuvenating to see the number of vendors and visitors to our farmers market grow each week. All the time, work, and investment in the gardens are worth it, when we see people enjoying themselves Saturday morning at the Courthouse square. The Clay Center Farmers Market has become more than just a means to sell produce and products; it's also an experience that we look forward to each and every week.

The weather has been kind to us lately, and the selection at this week's Clay Center Farmers Market will be plentiful. We expect to have Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Red, All Blue, and Yukon Gold Potatoes, Onions, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Beets, Cabbage, Peppers, Eggs, Breads, Zucchini, Squash & Spaghetti Squash, Jams and Jellies, Buffalo Meat, Dried Flowers, Flavored Vinegars, Smoked Brisket, and much, much more!

We hope to see you there. Bring a friend with you!

Weekly Update for July 24: Free Grilled Samples, Downtown Location

Bring your appetite to this week's market. The Master Gardeners will be grilling up some tasty buffalo meat and assorted vegetables. If you haven't yet tasted buffalo, it will be worth your time to come downtown and see what you've been missing. And yes, we will be downtown again this weekend, even though it is fair week.

As an added bonus, our wonderful Master Gardeners also just finished production on a great recipe book. Now, you can not only get the ingredients to make delicious meals, but you can also find out how to make them.

What else you may find at the Farmers Market this week: Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Red, All Blue, and Yukon Gold Potatoes, Onions, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Beets, Cabbage, Peppers, Eggs, Breads, Zucchini, Squash, Jams and Jellies, Buffalo Meat, Dried Flowers, Flavored Vinegars, Smoked Brisket, and much, much more!

We hope to see you there. Bring a friend with you!

Weekly Update for July 24: Free Grilled Samples, Downtown Location

Bring your appetite to this week's market. The Master Gardeners will be grilling up some tasty buffalo meat and assorted vegetables. If you haven't yet tasted buffalo, it will be worth your time to come downtown and see what you've been missing. And yes, we will be downtown again this weekend, even though it is fair week.

As an added bonus, our wonderful Master Gardeners also just finished production on a great recipe book. Now, you can not only get the ingredients to make delicious meals, but you can also find out how to make them.

What else you may find at the Farmers Market this week: Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Red, All Blue, and Yukon Gold Potatoes, Onions, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Beets, Cabbage, Peppers, Eggs, Breads, Zucchini, Squash, Jams and Jellies, Buffalo Meat, Dried Flowers, Flavored Vinegars, Smoked Brisket, and much, much more!

We hope to see you there. Bring a friend with you!

Weekly Update for July 18: Sidewalk Sales, Squash and Stuff!

This Saturday, a trip to downtown Clay Center is even more enticing. Not only can you pick up the fresh, home-grown produce and meats and homemade products you've come to expect at the Farmers Market, plus swing through Tasty Pastry for your morning coffee and roll, but you also can enjoy the sidewalk sales. Most of the downtown businesses have some great deals right now, on all sorts of items. Whether you're picking up ingredients for a delicious supper, the tools to grow your own, or the utensils to cook it in, downtown Clay Center is the place to be this Saturday morning.

What you may find at the Farmers Market this week: Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Red, All Blue, and Yukon Gold Potatoes, Onions, Cucumbers, Beets, Cabbage, Peppers, Eggs, Breads, Zucchini, Squash, Jams and Jellies, Buffalo Meat, Dried Flowers, Flavored Vinegars, Smoked Brisket, and much, much more!

We hope to see you there. Bring a friend with you!

Weekly Update for July 11th, Tomatoes are coming! Tomatoes are Coming!

It was great last week to see so many new vendors at the Clay Center Farmers Market. More vendors mean more great products and produce to chose from. At our local market, you may find tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, peppers, green beans, yellow beans, buffalo meat, baked goods (that bread looked delicious last week!), zucchini and assorted squash, cucumbers, potatoes (red, white, and blue), onions, beets, okra, seasoned vinegars, jams, jellies, eggs, and much more! We might even have some sweet corn available this week.

This heat, while annoying to most, means our tomatoes are red and ripe for the picking. So if you’re craving a BLT, or maybe just some sweet cherry tomatoes, don’t miss Saturday’s market.

Don’t forget to bring the kids. The Master Gardeners have great activities for them, too. So, make it a family affair this Saturday and come down to the westside of the Courthouse square.

July 4th Farmers Market and Patriotic Potato Salad

I hope everyone starts off the Fourth of July with a trip down to the Farmers Market. We will have the following, Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Red, White and Blue Potatoes, Cucumbers, Onions, Beets, Yellow, Light Green and Dark Green Zucchini, Round Zucchini, Crookneck Squash, Pattypan Squash, Papaya and Lemon Squash, Buffalo Meat, Eggs, Peppers, Fruit and Pepper Jams and Jellies, Breads and other baked goods and MUCH, MUCH more!

We hope to see you there!


Patriotic Potato Salad
Serves 4-6
Print recipe only here.

2 pounds total of russet, purple, and red-skinned potatoes
2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar**
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons each fresh basil and parsley, thinly sliced
6-7 cranks of freshly ground black pepper
a generous sprinkling of salt, to taste

Scrub the potatoes well, rinse thoroughly, and pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Add to a medium size pan of water (with a couple of splashes of white vinegar, if desired). Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until potatoes are tender yet still firm to the touch, about 8-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, water, herbs, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and set aside.

Drain potatoes, and place in a large bowl. Add diced celery, and pour vinaigrette over the potatoes. Gently stir to avoid breaking the potatoes. Serve at room temperature or chilled. (Potato salad tastes better after it sits at least a few hours.)


Pictures and Recipes from: http://foodblogga.blogspot.com

Farmers Market weekly update for June 27

Things are really heating up outside and also at the Farmers Market. We will start seeing the first tomatoes at the market this week. Did you know that tomato pigments, lycopene and carotene, are not produced above 85 degrees. Tomatoes will ripen, they will just not be as red. They will be more pink. When it is super hot outside, pick them when they are about half red and allow them to ripen to a full red inside. They will look and taste wonderful.

What you may find at the Farmers Market this week. Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Red, All Blue, and Yukon Gold Potatoes, Onions, Cucumbers, Peas, Beets, Cabbage, Peppers Eggs, Breads, Zucchini, Squash, Jams and Jellies, Buffalo Meat, Cherries, and much, much more!

We hope to see you there. Bring a friend with you! Next week we will have tomatoes for all those July 4th cookouts!

Father's Day Weekend Farmers Market Update for June 20th

I hope everyone has found a place to cool off with the added heat this week. The Farmers Market is starting to really take off. We are seeing more and more produce coming each Saturday. Bring Dad down to the market and pick up some vegetables to put on the grill.

What you can expect to see this week. Green Peppers, Peas, Snow Peas, Yukon Gold and Red Potatoes, Green Onions, Beets, Radishes, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, Tomatoes (limited number), Jams and Jellies, Buffalo Meat, Breads and much more.


Thanks and have a great weekend!

Summer Squash Recipes and Ideas

Every year I hear the following comment, "What do you do with Zucchini or Summer Squash?" There are lots of different things you can do with summer squash. One of the quickest and easiest ways is to use the grill. Here is what you do.

Turn on your gas grill, charcoal will work too but the cooking times may differ. Wash and cut up your favorite kind of squash. I like to cut it into 1/4 inch slices. Any size will work, just try to keep them all about the same size. Take a large piece of foil and place your squash on the foil. Add 3-4 pats of butter or margaine. Add any spices you like, I prefer salt and pepper. Next add 1/4-1/2 cup of water. It differs on the amount of squash you use. Finally fold up the foil and seal it into a packet. Place the packet on the grill for 10-15 minutes. Take off grill, watch out for the steam, and enjoy.

Another way is Zucchini Lasagna.

Zucchini Lasagna
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 5 medium zucchini, (about 1 1/2 pounds) sliced lengthwise, 1/4-inch thick Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream*
1 cup grated mozzarella **
1 cup grated fontina
1/4 cup grated Romano
1 cup plain dried bread crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with extra-virgin olive oil. Arrange zucchini slices on the bottom of the dish and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Evenly pour 1/3 cup of the heavy cream and sprinkle with 1/3 of a cup of mozzarella, 1/3 cup fontina and 2 tablespoons of the Romano. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the bread crumbs. Repeat layers, ending with the bread crumbs. Cut the 4 tablespoons of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and sprinkle over the top of the dish. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place the baking dish on top and bake for 40 minutes until bubbling and the top is golden brown.

*I substituted half and half and it turned out fine.
**I used a bag of the "mixed shredded Italian cheeses" instead.

Have fun with your Squash!

Local Harvest Calendar

This morning I spoke at the Chamber Coffee. I was asked about when we could expect certain crops. This is a very good question. Since we are a producer only market, we are only able to sell what we can produce in this area. For example, if it is May you aren't going to be seeing melons and sweet corn at the market. However, asparagus, radishes, lettuce, broccoli, onions, and spinach is available. Check out this publication from K-State Research and Extension it will give you a better idea of when your favorite crop maybe ready. Remember, this is just a good guess. The weather has a lot to do with when different crops are ready. For the best answer, ask one of the vendors.

Six weeks along and were still going strong!

It is hard for me to believe that the Clay Center Farmers Market has been going for six weeks. We are starting to see more and more produce. If we could only get the sun to come out and shine, we would be doing much better!

What we can expect to see this week at the market: Baby Beets, Peas, Radishes, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Onions, Potatoes, Green Peppers, Zucchini, and Jams and Jellies.

If you can't make it tell a friend, if you can make it bring a friend. We hope to see you on Saturday morning between 8-11.

Week Five and the Gardens are Alive!

With the recent rains in the area many producers are spending more time weeding and harvesting than watering. What you can expect to see at the market this week, potatoes, onions, radishes, broccoli, lettuce, squash, squash blossoms, eggs, jams and jellies, and rhubarb. We may see the following snow peas and strawberries. I was in Concordia last night and one of the vendors had lots of fresh strawberries. She has more but wasn't sure if she had the time to pick them and come down on Saturday. She was going to call me if she was going to make it. I hope she does.

If you haven't yet been the Farmers' Market, check out what you're missing:


Hope to see you on Saturday. Spread the word about our market and watch it grow! THANKS!

Grilling your Vegetables

One of the easiest ways to prepare vegetables during the summer is on the grill. At our house new potatoes or squash are always a hit in a foil packet. They are very simple to prepare and there is very little clean up. Here is how we make them.

Cut up your potatoes or squash in even sized pieces. I prefer a quarter inch or less slices of squash or potatoes. Place them on a piece of foil. Season to your liking, we add salt and pepper. Put in 2 tbsp of stick butter or margarine. Fold up foil into a packet. Add enough water to cover the bottom of your packet, probably less than a 1/4 of a cup and close it up. Put on the grill for 10-15 minutes. Open up and check the tenderness of the vegetables, be careful of the steam. Enjoy!

Week four and we still have MORE!

Week Four and we still have more!

It is hard to believe, but the market has been open for four weeks now. It looks like we will have great weather again this week. I hope everyone can make it out to see what we have to offer on Saturday from 8-11. With the warmer weather comes more produce. It will only be a matter of time before we have homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, melons, potatoes, squash and many more choices.

For the meanwhile, try something new. Ever try a squash blossom? Let me tell you, YUMMY!

Items we will have available, lettuce, spinach, radishes, broccoli, Zucchini, Hanging Tomato Baskets, Green onions, Rhubarb, Flowers, Jams and Jellies, Squash Blossoms, New Potatoes, and much more.

Hope to see you all on Saturday!

Squash Blossoms

In a recent episode of Iron Chef America on the Food Network, they had Battle Zucchini. It was neat to see all the uses for Squash. One of the things I though was really interesting was the Squash Blossoms. They were stuffed and fried. Since I have squash I thought we could give them a try.

WOW, they were really good. It was a little strange when we prepared them, but we were fighting over the last one. Even our young kids liked them. The recipe we used is below. We used an premade bagged batter instead of making it from scratch. It is your choice.

Enjoy!

Squash Blossoms

Ingredients

• 1 tb Olive oil
• 2 tb Small-diced red pepper
• 2 tb Small-diced zucchini
• 2 tb Small-diced red shiitake
• 2 tb Small-diced onions
• 1/2 c Ricotta cheese
• 1/4 c Grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Egg; beaten
• Salt; to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper;
• 8 Squash blossoms
• Oil; for deep frying

=== TEMPURA BATTER ===

• 1 lb Flour -; (3 cups)
• 1/2 lb Cornstarch -; (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 tb Baking powder
• 1 tb Baking soda
• 1 ts Salt
• 2 Eggs; beaten
• 1 c Ice cubes
• 1 1/2 c Club soda; or less
• 1/4 c Flour; for dredging

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan, add the diced vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. In a bowl, combine the vegetables, cheeses and egg. Adjust the seasonings. Set aside. Carefully clean the squash blossoms free of dirt and split the squash end in half lengthwise (not cutting it free from the blossom) to open it up for better cooking. Open the blossom end and divide the filling among the blossoms, closing the end back up after it has been stuffed. Prepare the coulis and tempura batter.

Tempura Batter: Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. With a whisk, work in the eggs, ice cubes and 1 cup of the club soda until you reach a thick, bubbly, pancake batter-like consistency. Heat the oil for deep frying. Carefully dredge the stuffed blossoms in 1/4 cup flour, shaking off the excess. Dip them individually into the batter, and into the fryer. Turn them gently as they fry. Fry until golden and hot in the middle, about 5 minutes. This recipe yields 2 entree portions or 4 appetizer portions.

Recipe Source: ESSENCE OF EMERIL with Emeril Lagasse From the TV FOOD NETWORK - (Show # EE-2175 broadcast 05-19-1997) Downloaded from their Web-Site - http://www.foodtv.com Formatted for MasterCook by Joe Comiskey, aka MR MAD - jpmd44a@prodigy.com ~or- MAD-SQUAD@prodigy.net 06-05-1997 Recipe by: Emeril Lagasse Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

Copied From: http://www.bigoven.com/126101-Stuffed-Squash-Blossoms-recipe.html

Thanks for a great first week, What is up for next week?

I would like to say thank you to all the people who came down to support the Clay Center Farmers Market last Saturday. We had a great turn out of people. Our vendor numbers weren't as high as I had hoped, but this spring has been a difficult one.

We will be back on Saturday this week. We will have fresh produce, jams and jellies, tomato plants, flowers, crafts and much more expected. As I get a better handle on who will be coming each week, I plan on updating this blog to let you know what we are expecting to have each week.

Hope to see you Saturday, before or after, Big Truck Day at Lincoln School.

Farmers Market Starts on Saturday!

If you have seen the bright green posters around town and came to this website, WELCOME! We are happy that you came to check us out. Tell us where you saw our poster.

It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day for our first Farmers Market. I hope you are excited about local food as we are about growing it.

Help us make this year successful. If you don't see an item that you would like, ask a vendor if they are growing it or will they grow it. If you are a hobby gardener, please come and check out the plants that people will have for sale.

Hope to see you on Saturday!

ONE WEEK AWAY!!!

The official opening of the Clay Center Farmers Market is on May9th from 8-11 on the WestSide of the Courthouse. We have moved up the start date to include all those cooler season crops. It has been a very difficult spring for gardening. I know we will have some vendors with plants, hanging baskets, jams, jellies, craft items and probably a limited amount of produce. We are a "producer"only market this year. We hope that we can supply you with the best locally grown produce available. Tell everyone you meet about the market.

Eat Local!

Why eat locally grown foods?

Buying direct from local farmers supports the local economy.
When you buy direct from local farmers, your dollars stay within your community, and strengthen the local economy. More than 90¢ of every dollar you spend goes to the farmer, thus preserving farming as a livelihood and farmland.1

This is important because as mergers in the food industry have increased, the portion of your food dollar paid to farmers has decreased. Vegetable farmers earn only 21¢ of your dollar; the other 79¢ goes to pay for marketing, distribution, and other costs.2

How can we eat local? You don't have to take drastic measures to eat local. Start off small. Here are 10 ways you can start.

How to Eat Locally

8 Ways to Eat Locally

1 Shop weekly at your local farmers market or farm stand
2 Buy from local grocers committed to stocking local food
3 Support restaurants and food vendors that buy locally produced food
4 Preserve food from the season — freeze, can, dry — to eat later in the year
5 Throw a "Locally-Grown Party" and serve all local food
6 Grow your own food in your yard or community garden plot
7 Visit local farmers and "u-picks"
8 Ask your grocer or favorite restaurant what local foods they carry

Sources:
1 Like CSAs, farmers' markets provide farmers with close to 100% of the food dollar (minus a fee or small percentage paid to the market for maintenance) and a direct connection between farmer and consumer." In the words of the peach grower and writer David Mas Masumoto, farmers' markets are 'one of the saviors of the family farm. All those barriers created by the conventional marketing system are torn down. The consumer sees it isn't just a commodity — it's a peach, or a carrot, or a cabbage.'
Spector, Rebecca. “Fully Integrating Food Systems: Regaining Connections between Farmers and Consumers" Edited by Kimbrell, Andrew. (2002) Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture. Foundation for Deep Ecology. P. 353
2 In 1967, fruit farmers earned 31% of retail expenditures. In 1997, they earned only 18%. The fall for fresh vegetables is from 32% to 21%. These changes are accounted for by the increasing share of food expenditures spent on processing, marketing, and corporate profits, and most importantly by the concentration of power in food retailing which enables corporate buyers to drive down farm prices. [Elitzak 1997]
Starr, Amory; Card, Adrian; Benepe, Carolyn; Auld, Garry; Lamm, Dennis; Smith, Ken; Wilken, Karen. Barriers and Opportunities to Local Agricultural Purchasing by Restaurants and Institutional Food Buyers. Colorado State University, Department of Sociology. April, 2002. www.eatlocal.net

Getting Ready for the 2009 Season

Spring is almost here! There maybe snow on the ground and a strong north breeze, but plans are being made and seeds being started for another great year at the Clay Center Farmers Market. If you have never come to the market, make it a priority this year. There are many advantages to buying locally grown food. Some of these include, taste, flavor, freshness, variety and grown by the person who sold it to you.

Our market starts on June 20th, 8-11 am on the Westside of the Courthouse Square.

Tell a friend about the farmers market and we hope to see you on Saturday Mornings!