Featured Vendor: Honey Locust Farm Herb Patch

We are happy to introduce Karen Baker and her mother, who operate Honey Locust Farm Herb Patch. You can catch them every Saturday and Tuesday selling herb plants and old time flowers. When you buy a potted herb from Honey Locust, bring back your container and receive a discount on your next purchase! We love to see their recycling efforts! Honey Locust Herb Patch was generous enough to donate 2 gift baskets for our recent raffle. The winners will be announced this weekend! Currently available: chives, garlic chives, cilantro,dill, tarragon and parsley. Fresh mints for teas and dessert treats -- apple, chocolate, and spearmint. Other herbs will be available as we enter into Summer at the Market. We also have some unique flowers to include: black-eyed susan, coreopsis, lamb's ear, lavender, money plant, primrose, and yarrow. Special orders welcome. We look forward to seeing you at the Market !!

Beets

Beets are in season! The youngest, most tender beets can be found now at the Abingdon Farmers' Market. These delicious roots are crunchy when raw, and when cooked, they are sweet and buttery! The greens attached to the beet roots are delicious and can be prepared like spinach or Swiss chard. They are incredibly rich in nutrients, concentrated in vitamins and minerals as well as carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin. (Source) If you've never prepared a fresh beet, now's your chance. Here's a recipe to get you started:

Ingredients

• 1 bunch beets with
• greens
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Rinse greens, removing any large stems, and set aside. Place the beets in a small baking dish or roasting pan, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you wish to peel the beets, it is easier to do so once they have been roasted.
2. Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet.
3. When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the greens as is, and the roasted beets sliced with either red-wine vinegar, or butter and salt and pepper.

Get out of your vegetable rut and try something new!

Vendor Profile: Watson Greenhouse & Produce

Vendor Profile: Louis Watson of Watson Greenhouse & Produce

Louis Watson has been an Abingdon Farmers' Market vendor for over a decade, when it was just half a dozen vendors in a parking lot! And he continues to sell on Saturdays, and Tuesdays beginning in late June at the Market Pavilion. He offers various bedding plants and hanging baskets, as well as eggs, sausage, bacon, and vegetables of all kinds. He's happy to give you cooking or planting advice, and is always greeting his customers with a big 'ol grin. Come by and visit Louis at booth # 13.

How to Freeze Strawberries

Strawberry season is in full swing-but it won't be long until they're gone! One of the simplest ways to preserve strawberries is to freeze them. Here is what you will need:

Cookie Sheet
Wax Paper
Colander
Knife
Freezer Bags
Lots of juicy, local, in-season strawberries :)

Step-by-Step Directions:
Wash and Hull the strawberries, leaving them intact
Line a cookie sheet with wax paper
Lay strawberries top down, so they aren't touching on the cookie sheet
Place in the freezer until they are frozen
Remove from the freezer, put the frozen strawberries into plastic freezer bags
Date bags, and place them back into the freezer, for up to 3 months


Frozen strawberries are great for smoothies! No need for ice! Just pop in some frozen strawberries, juice, bananas, and yogurt into the blender for a classic smoothie that everyone's sure to love.

Vendor Profile: Storybook Farm

STORYBOOK FARM : The Cotrill Family
The Cotrill Family are residents of Abingdon, who have been vendors at the Farmers' Market for 3 seasons. They have fond memories of old-time bakeries in their home-state of Michigan, and have brought those same staples to the Abingdon Farmers' Market. You can find them every Saturday on the lawn with a variety of baked goods. And you won't be disappointed!! Their offerings include: baguettes (plain, roasted garlic, blue cheese & more), pita bread, tortillas, english muffins, shortbreads, cakes, spinach feta boule, sundried tomato basil & asiago boule, cheese danishes and more. In the colder months, you are in for a real treat: Hot, fresh donuts! Grace Cotrill also offers her handmade jewelry for sale.

Food Drive at the Market during June

During the month of June, the Abingdon Farmers' Market will be holding a food drive in support of Ecuminical Faith In Action (EFIA)'s Stone Soup Food Pantry, which serves close to 1,000 families who are our neighbors in Washington County. We are holding a raffle for gourmet Brunch on the Lawn, prepared by The House on Main Chef, Jassen Campbell. Raffle tickets can be purchased during market hours through June 12th, and Brunch will be served to 2 winners and their guests on June 19th at 11am. Proceeds will be used to purchase food from the market for EFIA. Cash donations can also be accepted, see the Market Manager.

Please either bring a donation, or buy extra while shopping at the farmers' market. There will be collection barrels at several points in the marketplace for canned goods, preserves, etc. We can also accept perishable donations in seperate containers. As members of the Farmers' Market work to provide sustainable crops and food items, please join us in sustaining this worthwhile cause to help feed a needy neighbor. Thank you for participating!

Abingdon Library Presents Storytime on the Lawn this Tuesday

Tomorrow join us for a real treat! The Abingdon Library will be set up with mobile checkout and library card signup from 3-5 pm at the Market Pavilion! And at 4pm, there will be a farm-themed storytime for kids of all ages! We hope to see you there!