See you in the parking lot!
The Veggie Gazette
News from the Emporia Farmers Market
May 26, 2016 -- Volume 10, Number 3 

  

We are loving the rain, but what a relief to finally have a lovely day in the parking lot last Saturday. I was beginning to think we might need to move back indoors with all the cold we were getting. It's hard to believe we have nearly completed a full month of summer markets. There is so much news to share! Grab a cup of coffee and take your time with this one. Many important dates and events upcoming. I'll try my best to hit the highlights in order.

Wednesday markets open at 5 o'clock on June 1, so now
we look forward to seeing you twice in the parking lot each week! 

Saturday, June 4, is going to be a very busy morning in Emporia and we invite you to come downtown and partake in all the fun. As a special welcome to all of our guests, the market will be open 1 hour early on DK Saturday, 7am - 10am.

Also on the agenda for June is the debut of the Surly Mermaid Food Truck, the DK Pre-Race Palooza Dinner (a fundraiser for EFM), Friendly Visitors at the market, more Cook-Off fun, and....  all the details can be found below. 

Keep reading! 

Tracy
Tracy Simmons,
Market Manager

What to Expect at Saturday's Market - May 28, open 8am till 10am
parking lot - 7th & Commercial

For a visual tour - click here for photos from last Saturday's market.

Broccoli - Chinese Cabbage - Salad Mix - Radishes - Asparagus
Spinach - Lettuce - Rhubarb - Green Onions - Cucumbers
Strawberries (still not many, but a few)
Cilantro - Mint - Other Fresh Herbs
Honey - Smoking Wood
Hen & Chicks - Aloe Plants - House Plants - Ornamentals
Bedding Plants: Tomatoes, Peppers, Sweet Potatoes
Kolaches - Muffins - Gingersnaps -Homemade Pies
Cut Flower Bouquets - K9 Kookies
Handmade Necklaces - Bracelets - Zipper Pulls
Farm Fresh Eggs
 
The Emporia Farmers Market welcomes The Surly Mermaid Food Truck

EFM Dates: June 1 & June 15


The Surly Mermaid's menu changes weekly, but will always be comforting, eclectic and fresh! Check out this week's menu on our website: www.surlyfoodtruck.com.

The Surly Mermaid is a converted 1956 Airstream trailer. Our chefs have been nationally recognized and strive to bring you inventive fare. We focus on using humanely sourced meats and seasonal produce. We use only biodegradable serviceware and feed our food scraps to our unruly herd of goats and pigs.
Pies Needed for the Palooza

Once each year, the Emporia Farmers Market gets to host riders of the Dirty Kanza at what is now called the DK Pre-Race Palooza Dinner. We serve locally sourced dishes and visit with some spectacularly athletic people who have come all the way to Emporia, Kansas, from all over the world to ride 200 miles on a bicycle through the Flint Hills. We are honored to be a part of this event in this small way, and we count on our friends and neighbors to make us a few pies that we can serve for dessert. 

We need a few fruit pie donations to serve at this event! 

Please contact Tracy at emporiaFM@gmail.com or call 620-343-6555 if you would like to contribute. We need pies delivered to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 828 Commercial, between noon and 2pm on Friday, June 3. 

Thank you!


On Wednesday, June 8, the market will be hosted by the Friendly Visitors Program. Find out what it takes to be a Friendly Visitor, or how the Friendly Visitor services might be of help to you or a loved one. The services provided by Friendly Visitor volunteers enable senior participants to continue living in their own homes when the need for assistance might be growing. Opportunities to volunteer can fit any schedule, ranging from a commitment of an hour or two per week to several hours a day.


Eligible Seniors May apply at the ECKAN table at the Emporia Farmers Market on Wednesday, June 8, starting at 5pm.

Senior Citizens Encouraged to Apply to Receive Checks to Buy Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs and Honey at Farmers Markets in Lyon County


Emporia, Kansas--Low-income Kansas seniors may be eligible for a program that provides checks to purchase an array of healthy foods at farmers markets throughout the state.

The Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (KSFMNP) is providing low-income seniors who meet age and income requirements with $30 in checks to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and honey from authorized farmers at local participating farmers markets June 1 through Nov. 1. Checks are available in $5 increments.
To be eligible to receive KSFMNP checks, the following criteria must be met:

1. Age: A senior must be 60 years old or older on the day the money is issued.

2. Income level: A senior's annual gross household income (before taxes are withheld) must be at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. For example, a household of one must have an annual gross income at or below $21,978 or a monthly gross income at or below $1,832.

Applications for the Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will be available starting on June 8th at 5:00 pm at the ECKAN table at the Emporia Farmers Market, in the parking lot at 7th and Merchant Street. Seniors may apply on-site Wednesdays thereafter at 5:00 pm at the ECKAN table at the Emporia Farmers Market until all of the checks are gone.

Funds are limited and benefits will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information about the Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, call Lyon County ECKAN at (620) 342-4607.

Eligible foods to purchase with the KSFMNP checks from authorized farmers at participating farmers markets are defined as "fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, locally produced honey and herbs for human consumption that are produced in Kansas under normal growing conditions."

The Senior Farmers' Market Program is a project of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). The program is coordinated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), which is collaborating with local partners to identify and distribute checks to eligible seniors.

The program is currently available in the following counties: Allen, Anderson, Atchison,
Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Clay, Cloud, Cowley, Cherokee, Crawford, Dickinson, Douglas, Finney, Franklin, Geary, Greenwood, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson,
Labette, Leavenworth, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery,
Neosho, Osage, Pottawatomie, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee,
Washington and Wyandotte.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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Coming to Emporia Farmers Market!

Cleve Cook Veggie Power Club
--Emporia Lyons Club--

The Veggie Power Club is a farmers market-based youth program that seeks to teach children about fruits and vegetables, local food systems and healthy  food preparation through fun activities. Participants engage in the full farmers market  experience, trying new foods, having conversations with farmers, and buying local produce. A  fun monthly activity ranging from cooking demonstrations to farmers market scavenger hunts  provide nutrition, food, agriculture, and exercise education. Veggie Power kids are encouraged to  try new foods and overcome picky eating to choose healthy food options. Club members are  rewarded for taking two bites of the featured fruit or vegetable, and receive Cleve Cook Bucks to  spend on the foods of their choice at the market.

Mark your Calendar: June 18
Kids Sign Up at the Market

Email emporiaFM@gmail.com if you would like to receive updates about this project!
Take a peek at what's growing!




Murphy's Menu Cook-Off

Wednesday, June 8 ~ Veggie Art

This time, instead of cooking, you will be creating a work of art using vegetables. Items can be cut or whole, raw or cooked, and two or three dimensions. Create a landscape, an object, or a self-portrait, even. See examples by searching for "vegetable art" on the internet.


Congratulations, Joseph Kern, winner of the Graduation Party Snack Cook-Off
Community Garden News

La Bonita Garden of Grace meets the first and third Thursday each month, April through September. The first Thursday of each month is "Dinning in the Garden." This is a pot-luck style picnic with the meat provided by La Bonita Garden. The third Thursday of each month is "Educational Classes and Garden Meeting." Each of these are open to the community at no charge. 

Learn more about the garden on their Facebook page.





Gardening is not just about growing a few tomatoes, it's about having a relationship with nature.
 
~Ben Stallings, EFM vendor, former board member, and Farmhand

Thank You Farmhands and Musicians

May Farmhands
Amy Becker, Janet Brassart, Ellen Hansen, Janice Jaggard, Marcia Lawrence, Melissa McLoughlin, Kaman Simmons, Rand Simmons

Market Musicians
Lee C. Muller and Matthew Hope