HOT TAMALES!!

As if you needed any more great reasons to come to market, three new producer-vendors will be joining the already stellar market line-up this week.

Starting tomorrow, Dec. 6th, Koy - lovingly known as "the tamale guy" - will have hot (and frozen 4 packs of Harvest Lodge Catering's specialty tamales ready for your in-market indulging pleasure. Don't miss out!

Also new this week, Brandon Hamilton of Feel Good Foods will be bringing Indiana grown and milled whole wheat flour to market for your home baking needs. Other Feel Good Foods products include homemade salad dressings, healthy snack bars, and roasted chickpeas.

Rounding out the trifecta of new producers, Endangered Species Chocolate joins the market tomorrow with their locally produced line of decadent and socially responsible chocolate bars.

Of course all your other favorite growers and producers will be there, with a full house of 26 vendors this week. Don't be left out in the cold this week! Come inside the warm and inviting Indianapolis Winter Farmers Market. It will remind you of all there is to love about winter in Indiana!

Been looking for a little more light in your life? The King Park neighborhood has just the thing for you - giant whimsical luminaries! The Light the Way luminaries created by artists and individuals around the city as part of Tom Turlemke’s Great Ideas Project will be available for sale this Saturday from 9:00 to 12:00 in the central wing of the Indy Winter Farmers Market building. Each luminary is $25 and you will receive an individual light strand and light bulb with your purchase. All profits will be reinvested in additional public art in the King Park neighborhood! We can accept cash or check for your purchase.

See you in the morning!

Taking Inspiration from Alice Waters

Tonight I had the pleasure of hearing Alice Waters speak at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the exciting experience of participating in the Planet Indy networking event following the talk. The Indy Winter Farmers Market (IWFM) was one of 25 information tables related to food education, local food advocacy and sustainable living. I met some wonderful people who were new to me and the market, and saw many folks familiar to IWFM - both our grower/producer vendors and patrons. Alice Waters talk was inspiring as always, and standing in a room full of hundreds of people sharing a passionate belief in our local food culture and economy was hugely encouraging and inspiring. Other participants included Slow Food Indy, our own Seldom Seen Farm, Traders Point Creamery, other local producers, the Indy Food Coop, elementary schools, chefs in training, Indy Living Green Magazine, Green Piece & Endangered Species Chocolate (coming to market for the first time this week), the recycling coalition, the Hoosier Environmental Council, and many more. Many thanks to the IMA and Planet Indy for putting on this important event.

I wanted to share a few notes that I scribbled down while Alice was speaking. If you don't know anything about Alice Waters or the work she does look her up and be inspired.

• She spoke of living in France during her junior year abroad, where she made friends with French people, for whom "everyday was puncuated by food related decisions" - in a positive way. People built the day around getting to the right shops for fresh, local food items, and meeting friends for long, relaxed, truly social meals, and making meals at home. I wish that for every one.
• She noted that food which you can eat directly (as in from the garden or the tree) puts you "in harmony with the natural world." I believe this to be true, and again wish it for everyone.
• On the other hand, food that has been mass produced and shipped from far away truly engenders a sense of alienation, often suffered with no awareness of this relationship.
• As a yoga teacher myself, I could feel what she was saying when she expressed the pleasure of watching patrons in her restaurant, Chez Panisse, transform from stressed out diners to happy eaters. I believe I have experienced myself and witnessed in others something similar in folks at farmers markets. Just the closeness to real food and the people who grow it can be for some of us very soothing.
• Alice Waters has taken up the charge to "bring values of good food" to society, largely through advocating a national commitment to an edible education. She has successfully established a working model for edible schoolyards, and believes this is possible not only of the Berkley, CA school system, but for every school in the nation. Not only do school lunches then become an interactive growing and learning experience, but making food bridges students (and indeed all of us) to exploring cultures different from our own, local & international history, biodiversity, even biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics can all be easily and interestingly taught in relation to real life examples in growing, producing, preparing and eating food.
  
• She quoted a bummersticker that reads, "If I am what I eat, then I'm fast, cheap and easy." Sure, it is cleaver and makes us laugh, but she asked, do we want to raise children who are "fast, cheap and easy?" Is that what we want for ourselves, our friends, our families, our nation?
• She encouraged us that the goal is not just to build gardens for show, but to integrate our relationship to food into the educational system, and in doing so, to revive, strengthen, and grow our local economies. Hundreds of small family farms are lost every year, (while 17,000 new mass, industrially produced products hit grocery stores YEARLY). We can SAVE farms that are growing real, sustainable, natural, directly edible foods - good & clean by Slow Food standards, by paying fair prices to bring their products into our homes, schools, restaurants, museums, work places, churches, grocery stores! and everywhere else we eat.
• In closing she unapologetically avowed that "What we are feeding our children is immoral." Of course I know that if you are reading this and coming to the market, this probably does not apply to you. However, she is asking us to take responsibility not only for our 'own,' but for actively working to bring (and be) the change we want to see. It should not only be a handful of children who get to enjoy the pleasures of good food now, and good health as a result, but all children, all people.

So, while we have worked hard to bring growers and producers with food that is "Good, Clean & Fair," to the Indy Winter Farmers Market, I know our work is not done.

• It is our goal to make accessible to you - the consumer - growers and producers who set the standard for "good, clean & fair" in our area.
  
• It is our goal to encourage vendors who do not meet this standard to make the necessary changes so that they too can participate.
  
• It is our goal to provide a our growers and producers with patrons who understand the difference, and are willing to pay fairly to support them.
  
• It is our goal to support growers, producers, patrons, and ourselves in standing firm, not compromising to foods that do not meet the standard or promise of sustainable change for our future.
  
• It is our goal that this food and this future will be accessible to all people, not just a select few.

Holiday Gift Ideas from the Winter Market

On this day after Thanksgiving, we continue to give thanks for the bounty of harvest available from our local growers, and from my own garden. In our home, it was with much gratitude to our local growers and our own garden that we shared the harvest meal with 16 family members and friends. The meal included a marvelous turkey from Schacht Farm, and an array of decadent dishes made with: potatoes, onions, garlic, and eggs from Brown Family Farm; carrots and leeks from Balanced Harvest Farm; beets from Seldon Seen Farm; milk from the Apple Family Farm; apples and cider from Wild's Apple Farm; red and green tomatoes, herbs, radishes, & chard from our own garden; and various other goods from local producers.

Please feel free to share your Thanksgiving stories and recipes involving local products. December is sure to involve more gatherings and meals with friends and family, so let's share favorite recipes highlighting goods available at the Indianapolis Winter Farmers Market.

Additionally, I am grateful this year for all of you who have come to support this market and make it a success. It is so exciting to witness the growing enthusiasm and demand for locally produced food and goods for daily living.

This holiday season, we invite you to share the gifts of our local producers with your family and friends. Some of our producer vendors have put together their own holiday gift baskets, and you can create your own from the variety of soaps, honey, and shelf-stable goods available at market. The more adventurous will create gift boxes of frozen goods as well. Or, gift a friend with a delicious meal at your place or theirs made from your market favorites.

Back and New this Week:

Alan's Catered Events - check out the variety of mouth watering delights

Capriole Goat Cheese - We know there were many disappointed folk last week when Capriole was away. Not to worry, they are back this week to surpass your goat cheese desires.

New Last Week and returning:

Hubbard & Cravens Coffee - hot coffee and hot coco available by the cup, in addition to their selection of locally roasted coffees

Peace Leaf Teas - this week with hot tea available by the cup

Pooh's Hunny - Ken's honey was such a hit last week, buy it fast or you might miss out!

Out this week but returning next week:

Englewood Collective - Their fantastic selection of books on topics of gardening, food, environmental stewardship and sustainability will be back on Dec. 6th for your holiday shopping pleasure.

Nicole-Taylor's Fresh Pasta - A huge hit in their first week, not to be missed on Dec. 6th!

Remember you can get cups of hot tea, coffee, or hot chocolate at market, so leave your Starbucks for another time.

Bring your visiting guests and enjoy a little time at the market this Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.!

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Also, please remember we will be collecting food items weekly for donation to a local food pantry or soup kitchen. You can bring canned goods (of a quality you would feed your own family) or buy items at market to donate. Look for the orange half barrel by the Market Information Table at the front door.

We want to encourage you to bring your own shopping bags that can be re-used. If you have extra shopping bags around - cloth, paper, or plastic - please bring them for the "Leave One, Take One" bin. If you forget your shopping bag one week, you can take one from the bin yourself. Re-using shopping bags, especially cloth, is one more easy way to practice responsible environmental stewardship. Plastic bags are a petroleum dependent product. The proliferation of plastic bags around the world has had a hugely damaging environmental impact. Many countries, and even some states in the US are moving toward banning their distribution in grocery stores. In Indianapolis, Marsh supermarkets will now give you 5 cents back if you bring your own grocery bag! We can't give you money back, but we'll give you a friendly smile and warm kudos for doing your part. 

Thanks! We look forward to seeing you Saturday!

Thanks for a Great Opening Week! Next... Thanksgiving!

To use my favorite Norwegian phrase, "Tusen Takk" (a thousand thank yous) to all who came out in the cold wet weather for our opening week. You certainly made it a grand opening! It was so exciting to see the growers and producers fill into the space in the morning, and then the entire room fill with enthusiastic market patrons from open to close. We hope to see you back every week supporting our fantastic and dedicated group of growers and producers. To view photos taken by a friend of the market, go here.

Enjoying Thanksgiving a little closer to home (even if you're traveling a little further afield). Don't miss your last opportunity before Thanksgiving to pick up all the delicious foods & locally made goods you need and desire to ensure this Thanksgiving is one to remember as you share this time of giving thanks for the harvest with friends and family.

Looking for some new recipes to spice up your Thanksgiving meal? Here are a couple of recipes that will offer a new twist to the traditional meal, as well as highlight local goods available at market this week!

• Two-Stage Roasted Turkey with Honey-Pepper Rub - hopefully you pre-ordered your Schacht Farm turkey this spring, and you bought all the herbs you need last week from Hobbit Gardens. Stock up on garlic, onions, remaining fresh peppers, and hopefully honey available this week.
• Smokey Chipotle-Mushroom Gravy - forget the dried mushrooms from the recipe. You can get them fresh and delicious from Homestead Growers this week.
• Winter Squash Lasagna with Sage, Hickory Nuts and Kale - This one is great as a vegetarian item on the table. We suggest replacing walnuts in the recipe with hickory nuts from the Burton's, and try a mix of the kale varieties available this week. You will also find lasagna noodles at market, and of course cheese to vary the recipe slightly.
• Cilantro-Poblano Cream Sauce - look for leeks, chiles or other peppers, & cilantro from the vegetable growers at market.
• Silky Mushroom Pate - buy it ready made from Country Mouse, City Mouse, or brave your own attempt with ingredients from the market.
• Here is a recipe for Brussels Sprouts that will have you back after Thanksgiving to make it again! Try out hickory nuts in place of walnuts in this one as well.
• Here are two more great ways to use Kale in your Thanksgiving meal.

Send us your favorite Thanksgiving recipes highlighting locally available ingredients, and we'll make them available this week on the blog. Or, send us photos of your Thanksgiving meal to show off how you used your market goods! Email Laura@indywinterfarmersmarket.org.

We have a few new arrivals this week, so be sure to check them out:

Cafe Iris - soups and salad dressings

Hubbard & Craven Coffee Co. - Enjoy a cup o' joe while you shop, and take home beans for your Thanksgiving gathering.

Tracey Clean - all natural, non-toxic household cleaners. There is no better way to prepare your home for your Thanksgiving guests, or to repair after. :) 

Nicole-Taylor's Fresh Pasta - featuring several varieties of handmade pastas

Peace Leaf Teas - featuring holiday tea blends

Out this week, but returning soon:

Capriole - the goat cheese folks. Our stuffed chard rolls sure won't be the same, but we look forward to having them back next week.

Hobbit Gardens - Constance will return to help season and soothe our lives with her wonderful array of herbal products the week after Thanksgiving. 

Thanks again for helping to make the Indy Winter Farmers Market, not just a place to buy local food, but a means to build and enjoy our local food community!

Shopping Tips for Opening Week

A few opening week tips for all who have expressed so much excitement about the opportunity to patron the new Indianapolis Winter Farmers Market.

• Not sure where you are going? Here's a map for 2442 N. Central Ave.
  
• Parking: You CAN park on both sides of Central Ave. There is a parking lot for the building, but those spaces will likely fill up fast. Volunteer will be around and can help point you in the direction of parking spaces is necessary.
  
• Yes the market will be inside. Because of this, and because we have so many wonderful growers, producers and patrons mingling perhaps rather cozily in the market space, we kindly recommend leaving friends of the canine variety at home. Thank you!
• A food bank collection bin will be placed near the front door each week of the market. Non-perishable food items will be contributed to Indianapolis' Gleaners food bank. Please consider bringing organic canned goods, or better yet buy an extra non-perishable at market to donate. Everyone deserves good food, especially food grown locally.
  
• Shopping bags: We strongly encourage that you bring your own, reusable bags to cut down on plastic and paper waste from shopping bags. We will have a "Leave One, Take One" extra shopping bag bin at market each week. If you forget or don't have a shopping bag, instead of collecting plastic bags as you shop, "Take One" from the bin when you arrive. If you have an overly large cloth or plastic shopping bag collection already, "Leave One" to contribute to the cause.
  
• Volunteer to help with the market: Do you love the farmers market so much that you simply can't imagine Saturday without it? Perhaps you'd like to volunteer to help our growers and producers set up for market on Saturday mornings, or to help direct fellow marketers to shopping, or to help answer general questions. If so, email Laura Henderson at tyandleah@gmail.com. Thanks!
• Other ideas or suggestions? Email Laura Henderson at Laura@indywinterfarmersmarket.org.
  

We look forward to seeing you Saturday, rain, snow or shine!

Indianapolis Winter Farmers Market Welcomes a Wonderful Array of Growers & Producers

With less than a week until opening day, the Indianapolis Winter Farmers Market is ready to welcome a wide array of some of Indiana's best growers and producers. The following growers & producers will be attending the market, offering products such as those listed:

Alan's Catered Events - homemade canned goods and breads (www.alancaters.com)

Apple Family Farm - beef, lamb, & veal (www.applefamilyfarm.com)

Balanced Harvest Farm - late season vegetables (www.balancedharvest.com)

Brown Family Farm - beef, pork, lam & eggs (www.brownfamilyfarm.com)

Burton's Maplewood Farm - maple syrup, fruit butters & preserves, persimmon pulp and products (www.burtonsmaplewoodfarm.com)

Capriole Goat Cheese - fresh, ripened & farmstead goat cheeses (www.capriolegoatcheese.com)

Country Mouse, City Mouse - compound butters, salad dressings, spreads, chutneys, dips, & condiments (www.countrymousecitymouseindy.com)

Daina's Petite Pies - frozen savory & dessert individual serving pies (dainaspetitepies.com)

Englewood Church - book co-op, apple butter, apple sauce, beeswax lip balm & hand cream

Field's Farm - late season vegetables & holiday wreathes

Flower Child Aromatherapy - natural, non-toxic soaps & body care products 

Hobbit Gardens - fresh cut & dried herbs, window box herb plants, wreathes, herbal products - salves, creams, oils, vinegars, teas, tinctures & more (www.hobbitgardens.hendrickscountyconnection.com)

Homestead Growers/Local Folks Foods - mushrooms, mushroom patties, jams, salsa, pasta sauce (www.homestead-growers.com and www.localfolksfoods.com)

Hubbard & Cravens Coffee Co. - (www.hubbardandcravens.com)

Murphy Farm - eggs

New Day Meadery - mead wine (www.newdaymeadery.com)

Pooh's Hunny - raw, unfiltered honey & beeswax soaps

Rene's Bakery - breads & baked goods (www.renesbakery.com)

Seldom Seen Farm - late season, winter & green house vegetables (www.seldomseenfarm.com)

Schacht Fleece Farm - chicken, eggs, beef, lamb, yarn (www.schachtfleecefarm.com)

Sunset Acres - aged, raw cow cheeses, eggs, soaps

Tracey Clean - natural, non-toxic cleaning products (www.traceycleannaturalproducts.com)

Valentine Hill Farm - homemade breads & baked goods (www.valentinehillfarm.com)

Wild's Apple Farm - apples, cider 

With more growers and producers expressing interest, the list may still grow!