News From SKY Farmers Market

If you missed our Heritage Day activities last week, don't worry about it. We all did because of the rain, so we're doing it again this Saturday. Take a look at the list below to see when the different demonstrations are scheduled, and stop by to see some of our members sharing their hand-crafting skills.

O'Daniels Farm will be back at the market this Saturday after taking last weekend off for a wedding in the family, and they're bringing their first big flush of fall greens, including kale, collards, swiss chard, turnip greens, and a variety of oriental greens.

Fall is in the air. You can expect to see a good selection of pumpkins at the market beginning this week and colorful mums and asters for fall planting along with winter squash and fresh greens.

Join us this Saturday for great local, seasonal food and stay to enjoy our celebration of practical skills with your family, friends, and neighbors.

See you there!

Heritage Day at the SKY Farmers Market
This Saturday September 15th

Due to last Saturday's weather, Heritage Day at the SKY Farmers Market was postponed until this weekend. Nobody wanted to miss this special event where SKY Market members take the opportunity to share some of their hand-crafting skills with our local community.

SKY Market members will give live demonstrations of a variety of practical and traditional crafts and skills, including pottery, basket-making, spinning wool, making natural dyes, polymer clay jewelry, and milling corn.

We'll also be giving away our free SKY Market t-shirts for kids.

This will be a great opportunity for families to learn about our rural heritage, for farmers to share some of their practical skills, and for everyone to enjoy a fun-filled morning at the SKY Farmers Market.

We hope to see you there.

Demonstrations:

8:00 Basket weaving with George Shipley

8:30 Preparing and spinning natural fibers with Alison Wiediger

9:00 Creating polymer clay jewelry with Amy Nemon

9:30 Spinning wool with Alison Wiediger

10:00 Creating pottery on a wheel with Laura Bain-Selbo

10:30 Creating pottery by hand-building with Kellie Diamond

11:00 Dyeing fibers with natural plant dyes with Alison Wiediger

All Morning: Old time milling of corn with Matt Baker

Member Profile: iwould Custom Built Furniture

A warm welcome goes out to iwould Custom Built Furniture from Auburn, KY. They're one of the newest members of the SKY Farmers Market family, having braved the most miserable, rainy day of the season on their first day at the market.

To look at Ivan Overholt's elegantly rustic pieces, you would never guess that he just started making furniture this summer. His beautiful tables, cabinets and desks are made from solid pine and Ivan also incorporates recycled windows and doors in his simple, timeless designs.

Having worked in construction all his life, Ivan's affinity for working with wood really shines through in the casually classic style of his furniture. He's been having a lot of fun this summer with his new-found craft and it shows!

Ivan and his family have been encouraged by the warmth and support of the SKY Farmers Market customers. Be sure to stop by to see his work and say hi this Saturday when you come to the market.

You can also visit them online at www.iwouldfurniture.com or email them at iwould@mail.com.

Freezing Fresh Produce

Even though you're beginning to get excited about eating more squash and sweet potatoes and collard greens, there's still time to think about putting up fresh summer vegetables for the winter.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to preserve fresh produce is to freeze it. Freezing preserves much of the flavor, texture, and nutrients of fresh produce, and frozen food is simple to use in many different dishes. And of course, when you freeze your own fresh, locally grown vegetables from your garden or from local farms, you get a standard of quality that can't be matched. Still, frozen food is not the same as fresh. Most frozen fruits and vegetables will be better if you add them into mixed dishes like soups, stews, sauces, and fry-ups rather than trying to eat them plain just by themselves.

Even at temperatures below freezing, bacteria and natural enzymes in the produce will slowly deteriorate the quality of frozen vegetables in storage. So most vegetables need to be blanched before freezing. A quick, light cooking stabilizes the food for long-term storage. Trim and cut your produce before freezing so that it will be ready to use.

Easy Freezing

Some produce doesn't require blanching, making it very easy to freeze. Just cut it into the size pieces you want, put it into freezer bags or containers, and put it in the freezer.

Produce that can be frozen without blanching includes:

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
•  
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• and most fruits and berries
•  
• Basil
• Parsley
• Oregano
• and other leafy herbs

Blanching

For vegetables that need to be blanched before freezing, the main thing is to blanch them for the appropriate amount of time for each type of vegetable. Blanch produce by boiling or steaming, then quickly cool the vegetables with cold running water to stop the cooking process and to pre-cool them.

Place them into freezer bags or containers, then pop them in the freezer. Spread your bags out if you're freezing a lot at a time, otherwise the bags in the middle can take days to freeze, and may begin to spoil first.

Blanching times for some of the best frozen vegetables:

Greens like spinach and kale can be frozen, but they're available fresh throughout the winter. Roots like potatoes, carrots, and turnips, as well as pumpkins and squash and cabbage can also be frozen, but a good locavore will learn to properly store them and use them fresh from storage. Apples and pears are also better out of storage than frozen.

Freezing is one of the best ways to preserve the harvest of summer vegetables for the winter. So clear out some room in the freezer, get some freezer bags, and start stocking up!

Tips From Our Kitchen

For winter pesto, freeze chopped basil mixed with olive oil. Don't overfill the bag. Flatten it out to about 1/4" thick. That way it's easy to break off as big a piece as you need. Thaw the basil and add fresh garlic, nuts, and cheese to make pesto.

Mince fresh hot peppers very fine. Freeze in a thin layer so you can break off just the amount of heat you need for chili, tacos, or anything you're making. Or freeze them whole. They're super easy to cut when they're frozen.

Frozen fruit and berries are great for making home-made ice cream. They can also be mixed with yogurt for fruit smoothies or thawed and added to pancake batter. Seasonal summer fruits and berries can be enjoyed year round when you have a good supply in the freezer.

Tim Brelig and Kellie Diamond of Falling Springs Flower Farm edit the SKY Farmers Market Newsletter. You'll find them at the market every Saturday.