A little holiday in life

I realized last Saturday that spending the morning at the Indy Winter Market make every Saturday feel like a holiday. That is not to say that organizing a farmers market is not a lot of work, should you be considering it. It is. But the pleasure of spending Saturday morning in a room filled with loving grown and produced food, and people who are passionate about growing and producing it bringing their passion to people who are immensely excited and grateful to be taking that food home to share with their families and friends is nearly indescribable. Watching friends - be they 4 or 40 or 80 years old - meet and chat and share life while buying good food nourishes my soul in a way I could not have imagined. 

A friend of mine put it well I thought, when she told me that going to the market was like walking into summer. Yes, it has been a summer-like treat to buy produce from Seldom Seen Farms, but she meant something more. To her, the gathering of friends felt like summertime when everyone is outside and about more, and you just run into friends in your neighborhood. In the winter we all tend, quite naturally, toward hibernation - staying in more and consequently missing those unplanned moments with friends. At the market, she feels she gets some of those summer-like moments in the midst of winter. 

Another friend was telling me that her two boys (aged around 4 & 6 years) REQUEST to go to the market now. Just like my friend who enjoys the summer-like feel of the market, these boys know they will get to see friends, and enjoy special treats. Much to my surprise, the desired treats are not cookies or chocolate, but rather APPLES & CIDER! My friend said before they even got in the door, one of the boys was begging for apples, which he wanted to select and eat one immediately, and cider for later. That gives me hope for a future with lower rates of childhood diabetes and obesity, and a future that believes in, buys and otherwise supports sustainable local food production.

With 4 more months ahead of us, I am looking forward to my Saturday morning holidays with you. Please continue to share your stories, as this is about so much more than a farmers market. It's about community and the future we hope to create.

New this week:

Heartland Family Farm - sweet potatoes, multiple potato varieties, multiple winter squash varieties

Also returning in their second week are:

Alan's Catered Events - canned fruits & vegetables, preserves, sweet treats, salsas, chutneys & more

BlackBird Pies - specialty dessert pies

Stout's Melody Acres - onions, mustard greens, winter squash

Ragamuffin Diapers - great holiday gifts for parents looking for ways to reduce, reuse and recycle with and for their children

Returning this week after a week away:

Capriole Goat Cheese - fresh, ripened and aged goat cheeses

This is the week to make all of your pre-holiday purchases - last minute gifts, items for holiday meals. The market WILL BE OPEN DEC. 27 & JAN. 3, but buy those critical items this week, and then enjoy no-stress post holiday marketing with visiting family next week.

See you tomorrow!