issue 8 july 3,2014 - monticello · monticello farmer’s market newsletter volume ii, issue viii...

Volume II, Issue VIII Newsletter July 3, 2014

Market Watch Hello Farmers Market Shoppers!

Visit the market this week and get supplies to prepare for your holiday weekend! You won't find fireworks at the market but you'll find plenty of other goods that could light up your weekend! Our featured vendors this week are Nancy Swanson and Kristen Natysin. Nancy and Kristen are new to the market this season and they create very unique craft items such as hair bows, lanyards, key chains, headbands and so much more! I'm sure they will have

some red, white & blue this week too! Note: Remember to pick up your punch card. After 10 visits, you will earn a Market tote bag! Also remember to bring non-perishable food items to put in the Food Bank wagon at the Information booth. Follow us on FaceBook and check out the photos from the Farmers Market.

Featured Vendor July 3, 2014 Mothers Hands Crafts is the featured vendor. Look for the Featured

Vendor sign, which will point to their booth.

Upcoming Events

Be sure to visit Farmer’s Market on the following dates:

Today Have Safe, Happy Fourth of July

July 10 Seldom Herd Band

July 17 Master Gardeners and CentrCare Health

Monticello Farmer’s Market Newsletter Volume II, Issue VIII July 3, 2014

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Market Watch

So what’s happening with the bale gardening? The plants look really healthy, but there is not much else to report this week. Still getting new tomatoes, so that’s a great signe.

One good thing—NO WEEDS! Except, at the base of the bales, but those are really easy to pull out. I am happy about that, and I like the height of the plants—there won’t be any fruit on the ground. A few interesting mushrooms pop up now and then—not about to find out if they are edible!!!

We have had a lot of rain, and the plants do take a lot of water. But perhaps the tomatoes will be the juiciest I have ever grown! The marigolds are still sort of sitting in the bales, so I have to think of something different to do for them. Stay tuned next week!

Good to Know: Straw Bale Gardening

Photo by Lynda Shindley

8 Quick Ideas for Farmers Market Products 1. Roast vegetables, including cherry or grape tomatoes, and mix with unique shaped pasta. Toss with a pesto made

from fresh basil. 2. Buy herbs and make herb butter. Top grilled meats with a pat of herb butter and let the flavors melt! Or use the herb

butter on oven roasted chicken and vegetables. Keep herbs in a bowl by your stove to have handy any time. 3. Use honey, maple syrup, fresh strawberries, or herbs to make your own, copycat, cream cheese schmear for bagels or

hearty breads. 4. Walk through the market, then create meals and buy everything you need from the various vendors. See how many

meals you can create instead of going to the grocery store. (Meats, vegetables, herbs, seasonal local fruits, eggs, condiments, sauces, breads, and sweet baked goods—many, many staples are at the market!).

5. Buy gifts at the market. Crafts are available and more unique than mass produced items; don’t forget luxurious skin care products.

6. Know someone who needs a “care basket?” Pick up great canned products and give to a new mother or shut-in senior. Or pair unique jams with fresh breads for a breakfast basket.

7. For tasty snap peas, put in a steamer basket, brush with butter and steam until crisp-tender. Sprinkle with chopped fresh chives, dill, or thyme. Or top with that herb butter you made!

8. Toss fresh, crisp vegetables (zucchini, broccoli, kale) into a salad to add to your daily vegetable intake. Better yet, make an omelet.


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Strawberry Balsamic Basil Preserves Adapted from Minnesota’s Bounty by Beth Dooley

Makes 5 – 6 half-pints

Ingredients

2 lbs. small strawberries (if large, you will need to cut them in smaller pieces, but the idea of preserves is to have bits of whole fruit) 5 cups sugar 5 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil Directions Prepare 6 half-pint jars for canning. This includes making sure jars are clean, and putting in a container of hot water to heat the jars so when you fill them, they are hot. Put the lids in a pan of water and heat to boiling. Have a large canner ready as well.

Measure the sugar and put in a large bowl to have ready.

Make sure strawberries are very clean. Remove the stem and hull. Leave small berries whole, and put them in a large, deep pot. Over medium heat, allow the berries to cook until they start to release some of their juices. Slowly add the sugar, mix thoroughly, and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to low, and allow the mixture to bubble constantly 40 – 45 minutes. To test for the right consistency, place a small spoonful of preserves on a small plate; put the plate in the freezer for one minute, and if the test sample is thick and holds it’s shape (does not run), then the preserves are ready to put in jars and process. Otherwise, cook a few more minutes and test again.

Fill the hot jars, leave ½ inch headspace. Clean the rims of the jars with a clean cloth before placing the lids and bands on the jars. Put the jars in the canner and make sure water level is one inch over the top of the jars. Bring canning water to a boil and set the timer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave jars in the canner another 5 mins. Remove jars and let cool 12 hours before labeling and storing.

This Week’s Recipes

I was fortunate enough to get some great strawberries last week. And with the great weather, there is still plenty of time to buy some before the season is finished. Who doesn’t love strawberries for July 4th? Shortcake, pie, dipped in chocolate—and jam! The preserves recipe is a bit unusual, but delicious! There was a dab leftover from my batch, and I spread a cracker with cream cheese and a nice spoonful of preserves. Ahh, I can see this at Christmas gatherings!! Also, what is a Fourth of July picnic without finger foods? Make Zucchini Boats stuffed with veggies and topped with a light dressing. ~Enjoy!

Zucchini Boats ( a d a p t e d f r o m E a t i n g W e l l M a g a z i n e ) Ingredients 2 medium 2-inch-wide zucchini 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar 1 tablespoon minced shallot ¼ cup diced peppers (pick your color) 1 cup quartered grape tomatoes 1/2 cup diced mozzarella cheese, preferably fresh (or buy the pearl-size mozzarella cheese and save time) 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (roll up the leaves an slice with a sharp knife to make ribbons of basil) 1. Trim both ends off zucchini; cut in half lengthwise. Cut a thin slice off the backs so each half sits flat. Scoop out the pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch thick shell. Finely chop the pulp; set aside.

2. Place the zucchini halves in a microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and microwave on High until tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. (Alternatively, steam in a steamer basket over 1 inch of boiling water in a large skillet or pot.)

3. Whisk oil, vinegar, shallot and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add tomatoes, peppers, cheese, basil and the reserved zucchini pulp; toss to combine. Divide the filling among the scooped out zucchini. Note: Though we missed it, there is a Zucchini Festival held every year in Florida. They even have a Zuke King and Queen! Check it out for fun. Who knew???


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Vendors participating in this week's market include: Hunz Farmz - Ivy Lane Garden Shop - Beck's Elk River Greenhouse & Vegetable Farm - Diamond City Bread - JT's Sweet BBQ Sauce - Schyma's Pickles & Preserves - Brown Dog Honey -Modern Roots -Hasty Woods Tree Farm - Back 2 Health Chiropractic - Mister Dister BBQ Sauce - Sonnenburg Sonnenboxes -Lacey J Ranch The Monticello Farmers' Market accepts EBT, Credit and Debit Cards. Just stop by the information booth to swipe your card and get your tokens. When using EBT at the farmers market you can match tokens with up to $5 worth of Market Bucks each day! With tokens and Market Bucks, you can buy SNAP-eligible foods from market vendors and save unused tokens for future visits to the market.

What will you buy at the Market?

Market Events

by Lynda Shindley

Featured Vendor Craftor Kristen Natysin, Nancy Swanson, and Natalie

Swanson, owners of Mother’s Hands Welcome Mothers Hands to the Monticello Farmers Market. Kristen, Nancy, and Natalie first showcased their crafts during the Craft Fair at the Market in 2013, and they have not stopped since then. Kristen and Nancy share in friendship and love for creating crafts and art. They have always made gifts to give away, so they decided it would be a good idea to sell their useful creations at the Farmers Markets. and we decided to try selling our creations. Nancy says, “We are enjoying selling at the market and we are glad we are doing it. My daughter Natalie Swanson has also joined in in making items also.”

Natalie does the duct tape crafts, and enjoys trying new crafts with duct tape. Kristen is very creative. She does decorative hangers for scarves or tank tops, canvas paintings, scarf pins, sewn coil pots, crocheted dish cloths, wine cork key chains, hair accessories and bright colored lanyards. Nancy makes the kitchen dish scrubbies, corn bags for hot or cold compress, an assortment of headbands, hair clips, key chains, baby hats and baby headbands and embellished socks. Nancy says they all like trying new things to make, and they are committed to quality. Nancy added, “We would not sell anything we would not use ourselves.”

Be sure to stop by their booth and check out the display of crafts and chat with these very friendly ladies.

Some products you will find at the market this week include: Strawberries -Zucchini -Asparagus -Spinach -Baby Greens -Rhubarb -Radishes -Sorel -Green Onions -Basil -Herb Plants -Vegetable Plants -Bedding Plants -Perennials -Trees -Shrubs -Artisan Breads -Pastries -Croissants -Pies -Bread -Buns -Finnish Pulla -Baked Goods including Lemon Bars, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars, Shortbread with Raspberry Glaze and Strawberry Muffins -Pretzels -Honey -BBQ sauce (6 varieties!) -Chicken -Beef -Duck -Non-GMO Eggs -Jams -Jellies -Pickles -Asparagus Pickles -Salsas -Mustards -Canned Goods Galore! -Kombucha -Kefir -Chaga -Handmade Soaps & Body Care Products -Wood Swings -Mason Jar Caddys -Hand Sewn Aprons -Children's Hair Bows -Headbands -Unique Key Chains & Lanyards -More Hand Crafted Items -FREE Chair Massages -and More!


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Farmer’s Market Vendor List

Vendors Ivy Lane Garden Shop (plants, baked goods, jams, crafts)

Rita McCooley

Schyma’s Pickles & Preserves (cucumber pickles, carrot pickles, fruit preserves)

Chris Schyma

Beck’s Elk River Greenhouse & Vegetable Farm (plants, fresh vegetables) Barb Beck

Diamond City Bread (artisan breads, cinnamon rolls, scones) Garrett Jordahl

Greenbush Farms (produce and canned goods) Chuck Long

Back 2 Health Chiropractic & Massage

Gardners Garden (Canned goods, produse, and soft pretzels) Jeff Gardner

Sonnenberg/Sonnenboxes (hand-crafted wood items) Katie Philipsek

Hasty Woods Tree Farm (landscaping plants) Grant Everson

Grandma’s Garden (plants, herbs, vegetables, baked good) Tamara Hanson

JT’s Sweet BBQ Sauce (3 kinds of BBQ sauce) Jeremy Teicher

Nancy Swanson & Kristen Natysin (hand-crafted Items)

Hunz Farmz (eggs, chicken, beef, pork) Dan Hunz

Homemade Bakery (breads, Pulla loaf, caramel rolls, cinnamon rolls, hot dog and hamburger buns)

Brenda Kumpula

Lacy J Ranch (produce) Jim Lacy

Barthel’s River Road Gold (maple syrup) Heidi Barthel

Modern Roots (natural skin/hair care, kombucha, kefir, Chaga, eggs) Meg DiMercurio

Mark Christiansen (BBQ sauce)

Brown-Dog Honey (honey and honey products) John Swanson

The Farmers Market is held every Thursday from 3:30 PM to 7 PM. We

are located in the Monticello Library parking lot.

Who to Contact

Sara Cahill Farmers Market Coordinator [email protected] Stephanie Ellingson Farmers Market Manager [email protected] Lynda Shindley Newsletter Editor [email protected]


How many times have you read a recipe for fresh vegetables, but you had not idea how much to purchase? For instance, fresh broccoli salad calls for ½ pound of broccoli, but you have no idea how that converts to a measurable amount. If you have a kitchen scale, it’s no problem! If you do not have a scale, you have to guess. The following handy guide will help you determine how much to purchase for cooking fresh vegetables.

Asparagus 1 pound = 3 cups chopped

Beans (string) 1 pound = 4 cups chopped

Beets 1 pound (5 medium) = 2–1/2 cups chopped

Broccoli 1/2 pound = 6 cups chopped

Cabbage 1 pound = 4–1/2 cups shredded

Carrots 1 pound = 3–1/2 cups sliced or grated

Celery 1 pound = 4 cups chopped

Cucumbers 1 pound (2 medium) = 4 cups sliced

Eggplant 1 pound = 4 cups chopped (6 cups raw, cubed = 3 cups cooked)

Garlic 1 clove = 1 teaspoon chopped

Leeks 1 pound = 4 cups chopped (2 cups cooked)

Mushrooms 1 pound = 5 to 6 cups sliced = 2 cups cooked

Onions 1 pound = 4 cups sliced = 2 cups cooked

Parsnips 1 pound unpeeled = 1-1/2 cups cooked and pureed

Peas 1 pound whole = 1 to 1-1/2 cups shelled

Potatoes 1 pound (3 medium) sliced = 2 cups mashed

Pumpkin 1 pound = 4 cups chopped = 2 cups cooked and drained

Spinach 1 pound = 3/4 to 1 cup cooked

Squash (summer) 1 pound = 4 cups grated = 2 cups salted and drained

Squash (winter) 2 pounds = 2-1/2 cups cooked and pureed

Sweet potatoes 1 pound = 4 cups grated = 1 cup cooked and pureed

Swiss chard 1 pound = 5 to 6 cups packed leaves = 1 to 1-1/2 cups cooked

Tomatoes 1 pound (3 or 4 medium) = 1-1/2 cups seeded pulp

Turnips 1 pound = 4 cups chopped = 2 cups cooked and mashed

Source: http://www.almanac.com/content/measuring-vegetables-recipes

issue 8 july 3,2014 - monticello · monticello farmer’s market newsletter volume ii, issue viii...

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