Kids Cook at Market, June 27, 2009

Stir up some fun at the Main Street Farmers’ Market in our Kids Cook at Market Event!

Juniors chefs, ages seven to fifteen, explore the market.  The kids take a market shopping trip to learn about the importance of eating fresh foods, opportunities to chat with area farmers, then back to Texas AgriLIfe Extension booth to create a delicious recipe, Fruit Parfait.

Johanna Hicks from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service will be leading the class.

Kids Cook at Market will be held
June 27th, 2009 at 9 a.m.
Cost: $2.00 per child

Parents must pre-register by calling the Texas AgriLife Extension office at 903-885-3443, talk to Barbara or Johanna.
Deadline to register, Friday, June 26th.
Space is limited so register EARLY.

REGISTRATION
Enrollment is limited.  Payment must be made before the event begins at 9 a.m. on June 27, 2009.

DRESS CODE
Junior chefs should be dressed with safety and comfort in mind.  Please wear shirts with fitted sleeves and remove any jewelry.  Long hair should be pulled back.

Please arrive 15 minutes before the event begins to complete the process.

Vendors Attending Market Saturday June 06, 2009

Enjoy a relaxing stroll down Main Street, take home fresh cut flowers, grass-fed meats, farm fresh produce and eggs, smokin’ grilled ribs, incredible fresh baked bread and desserts…  Come savor the flavors of Main Street Farmers’ Market.

Bar V Brand – rib eyes, sirloin, club steak, ground beef, pork sausage and will be cooking sausage in the morning and hamburgers for lunch

CiboVino Restaurant – fresh baked foccacia, ciabatto, and refreshments

Deanna Boggs – Market baskets, gourds, packaged nuts, fruits, trial mix and pecan pies

Dipsy Dames of Texas Fame – specialty dips, pepper jelly, pickles, jalapenos, raspberry lemonade, peach lemonade, cornbread mixes, cheese-ball mixes, and fresh eggs from Riley Springs that will stand up & smile at you in the morning.

Fernando Rodriquez – tropical fruits and vegetables

J.R. Fisher – goats milk lotions, fresh eggs, squash

Love At First Slice, Robert Armor – Specializes in beef brisket sold by the pound, cold smoked cheeses (habenero, pepper jack, colby, Swiss & sharp cheddar) smoked with Cherry wood

Papa Dan’s Beef Jerky – Fresh made Beef Jerky from a 150-year old recipe.

Patsy Yates – fruits and vegetables

Roy Olayo – Homemade tamales, onions, plants

Rusty’s Grass Finished Foods – Beef, Herbal Sorbet desserts

Seven Seas Coffee Roasting Company - fresh roasted whole bean coffee, brewed coffee, refreshing smoothies, espresso base drinks

Sloans Creek Farm – Texas Grass-fed beef, lamb, goat, pasture pork, wild-caught salmon

Sulphur Springs Floral Etc. – Fresh cut flowers

The Dessert Lady – Cookies, breads, Cinnamon Rolls, Cakes, Pies and more

Three Oaks Farm -bedding plants, tropical plants, hanging baskets, trees and shrubs

Webb’s Farm Fresh Produce delivers cabbage*, collard greens*, Noonday onions*, onions*, Kentucky Wonders green beans, peaches, potatoes, tomatoes (red & green), cucumbers, purple onions*, white onions, cantaloupes, strawberries, squash and more to market. Marlon Webb will also have peaches from Pittsburgh!

*Locally Grown Produce

Savor the Flavors of Texas Peach and Jalapeno Salsa

Jill McKeever of SimpleDailyRecipes.com will be at the Savor the Flavors Recipe Station, Saturday, June 6, 2009.

With East Texas’ Peach season growing bigger and sweeter, it helps to have a variety of recipes on hand.  Have you ever tasted peaches and jalapenos together?  It may sound a little strange, but rest assured, they make a scrumptious couple.

This weekend, Jill’s making Texas Peach & Jalapeno Salsa.   It’s very hard to stop eating once you get started.  The soft sweet mix of peaches and tomatoes together with the cilantro and green heat of fresh jalapeños dripping with garlicky lime juice and sitting on the salty crunch of the tortilla chip…

You gotta stop by the Savor the Flavors Recipe Station this Saturday and taste it for yourself.

Here’s the Texas Peach & Jalapeno Salsa recipe for those who just can’t wait to try it.

Interview with JC’s Cookies and More

The Main Street Farmers’ Market is blessed to have so many talented and hardworking merchants.  And with the all the shoppers keeping everyone busy, its not always possible to get to know all the merchants in one visit.  Jill McKeever caught a moment between shoppers to talk to Lisa of JC’s Cookies and More to find out more about her delicious baked goods.

INTERVIEW

Lisa: My name is Lisa and this is JC’s Cookies and More, the business is named after my dad.   We make fresh cookies.  Everything’s homemade from scratch.  I’ve been baking for as long as I can remember.  I’ve only been operating JC’s Cookies and More for about a year now.

Jill: What all do you bake?

Lisa: We have four different kinds of cookies. We bake three different kinds of brownies; cheesecake brownie, peanut butter brownie and Almond Joy brownie.  We bake homemade banana breads, banana carrot, banana strawberry, some lemon breads.  And last but not least, we make homemade, from scratch, dog cookies and treats.

Everything is baked just before we come out. It’s all homemade like I said, from scratch. We have a lot of different samples for people to try when they come out.

Jill: What’s your best seller?

Lisa: Our best seller is the chocolate chip cookie. However, once people get a taste of the oatmeal raisin with cranberry, they come back every week just to buy the oatmeal raisin with cranberry.

Of course our dog cookies, too. Our peanut butter and cheese dog cookies are REALLY popular.

Jill: Awesome. Oh your website? Is there a way for us to buy online?

Lisa: Yes there is, you can go to www.jcscookies.com and you can buy everything that we have at the Main Street Farmers’ Market online. We’re here every Saturday at the Main Street Farmers’ Market except for Canton weekend. We’re at Canton.

Jill: When is Canton weekend?

Lisa: First Monday of every month.   We’re out at first Monday’s. Otherwise we’re out here, so you can get the same thing every week or you can order online and we’ll deliver it out here at the Main Street Farmers’ Market.

We, also, make gift baskets for the cookies.  When you come here and try our samples, talk to us.  You can get a postcard that offers free shipping. You can order online and we will ship cookie baskets or brownie baskets for FREE for the FIRST ORDER.

During the holidays, we sell a harvest bread basket that comes with loaf of pumpkin bread, and a loaf of cranberry bread.

Jill: Thank you, Lisa.  I appreciate you taking the time to talk with us.  You’re a talented baker.  I see a wave of shoppers have come to load up on the cookies.  I’ll let you get back to work.  Have fun!

Lisa: Thank you, Jill.

Texas AgriLIFE Extension

Johanna Hicks represents the Texas AgriLife Extension.

The mission of AgriLife Extension is a seemingly simple one: improving the lives of people, businesses, and communities across Texas and beyond through high-quality, relevant education. Carrying out this mission, however, is a massive undertaking.  One that requires the commitment of each and every one of the agency’s 1,900 employees. Through the programs these employees provide, Texans are better prepared to:

• eat well, stay healthy, manage money, and raise their children to be successful adults.
• efficiently help themselves through preventing problems and using tools for economic stability and security.
• improve stewardship of the environment and of the state’s natural resources.

Today’s AgriLife Extension is known for its leadership, dedication, expertise, responsiveness, and trustworthiness. Texans turn to AgriLife Extension for solutions, and its agents and specialists respond not only with answers, but with a significant return on investment to boost the Texas economy

RAIN or SHINE, Farmers’ Market Fans KEEP SHOPPING!

It feels as if every Saturday since the Main Street Farmers’ Market has been open, there’s always the threat of rain.  But it hasn’t stopped the die-hard food lovers from mixin’ it up with the merchants downtown.

You know who you are and we love seeing your faces week after week.

Yesterday for example, the weather started out beautifully!  Dry, sunny and cool, perfect for a day out at market. The merchants started setting up at 7 a.m. and by 7:30 a.m.  shoppers were carrying away bags loaded with goodies. Our block party for food lovers was off to a great start.  The morning ROCKED!  By nine o’clock, Main Street was FULL of food lovers.  The aromas of Roasted Zucchini Quesadillas, grilled burgers and fresh roasted coffee danced with the jazz music over everyone’s head.  Merchants couldn’t blow open their plastic bags fast enough as shopper after shopper indulged themselves on healthy foods and sweet treats.

Then somewhere around noon, the sprinkling of raindrops turned to a downpour in a matter of minutes.  Squeals of laughter echoed through the street as merchants scrabbled to protect their goods, and shoppers ran for the nearest canopy for shelter.

Here’s a free tip for the downtown shop owners, have a canopy installed on your store just for those moments when shoppers need shelter.  Observe the next two photos.  This farmers’ market family had no intention of leaving over a little rain; they were waiting it out.  Then, they noticed the store behind them was open.

Shoppers will be shoppers when you give them an open store. $ca- ching$

Rain is always a blessed event.  At the Main Street Farmers’ Market, it’s a time to huddle a little closer under a canopy and make new friends, shoppers get to know the merchants better, merchants learn what the shoppers are looking for, and we all get to share some laughs with old friends.  But you know, Main Street Farmers’ Market is MORE than a spot for commerce, it’s a growing vibrant community.  An event for whole families to experience together week after week.  It’s the place where children explore new foods and parents have a relaxing stroll while they shop.  Where newly weds and empty nesters plan romantic dinners for two and friends sit on the benches to break bread together.  It’s a safe and fun place to hang for HOURS. *sigh*

RAIN OR SHINE, we can count on the Main Street Farmers’ Market to be open for business and community every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. until October 17, 2009.

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