This Week at the Farmers' Markets

South Durham Farmers' Market

Happy Holidays - come on out to market to prepare for some warming, winter dishes, to live music and the company of local producers!

I was fortunate enough to see this amazing woman talk this week, at the NC Choices Carolina Meat Conference, check out what she has to say about animals, livestock management, and more.

Market Hours/Information
Winter hours:  Our hours are now 10AM-1PM (December-March)!

Market Swag
We have t-shirts, at last! Our t-shirts were made by TS Designs in Burlington, NC, and are made of organic cotton grown right here in NC, and sewn here as well. Keep your money in the local economy by buying a market shirt, and show off your favorite farmers' market, wherever you go in the world! All sizes S-XXL are available at market on Saturday for $20! We also have bumper magnets! Be one of the first two people to find me and tell me the last three mayors of Durham! Otherwise, they will be on sale for $3.

Volunteering & Spreading the Word
Farmer Foodshare is rolling! The Durham Crisis Response Center was incredibly thankful for your donations and support, cheers to a great community! We still need volunteers for our FF donation station to be sustainable, as well as general market volunteers! Love food? Love people? Perfect. By being a volunteer, you can get to know our farmers and vendors even better, and get to understand all the goings-on in food and agriculture in the area. We need help with event planning, the donation station, market breakdown, marketing, community engagement, or you could probably even pitch me a great idea for what you could do to help the market and community grow together.  You can email me at: manager@southdurhamfarmersmarket.org

Be sure to check out our seasonal recipe of the week at the bottom of the newsletter, and here on our Pinterest provided by our super, fantastic, equestrian, amazing community member, Rhiannon, as well as one of our new interns, Samantha! We will be adding more photos and seasonal inspiration to our Pinterest!

You are the community, and you know better than anyone else, where to find more people like YOU. Please consider posting this flyer in your work, favorite cafe, gathering space, or wave it in the streets, to spread the word about our market! Click here! (inverted the poster so there is not a ton of black ink!)

As a reminder, please bring a reusable bag if you can. Big thank you from vendors and the environment! Thank you for being a part of the market, and for letting us be a part of your community. Remember to spread the word, and tell your friends to buy local.

Sincerely,
Ben
Your Market Manager

Durham Farmers Market

As the Market Manager, one of the most frequently asked questions that I get is: "Are there any vegetables available at the Market during the winter?".
You probably know that the answer is an emphatic "Yes!".  If you look at the list below, you'll see that there is a wide variety of vegetables available.  In the past few years, a good number of our farmers have started to shift their focus to growing more vegetables during the winter, so now there is a good supply of vegetables during the colder months.  Some of the winter vegetables are easy to cook with and highly sought after like brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, and carrots.  There are others that are a bit less sought after, but just as delicious.  Turnips, for example, are the work horse of a winter farmers' market.

Turnips are very fast growing and cold hardy vegetables.  Farmers can grow and harvest them through the winter.  When the temperatures get very cold, all winter crops grow slowly.  Turnips, once established, will hold in the ground during the cold months. Farmers can harvest only what they need to harvest and then leave the rest in the ground until they need to harvest more. Turnips, unlike other crops, won't go bad when left in the ground during the winter months, they just sit their and wait in nature's refrigerator. More ephemeral crops, such as broccoli, need to be harvested as soon as they are ready, other wise the broccoli will start to flower and then deteriorate. Turnips are quite a hardy crop and if you try to eat locally grown food all year long, they are a definite winter vegetable staple.

It hasn't been until recently that I've learned how to cook turnips and really love them.  My favorite is roasting them with sweet potatoes.  Turnips and sweet potatoes, I've learned roast at the exact same rate! To roast them, I dice both the turnips and sweet potatoes into the same size, coat them with some olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add a sprig of rosemary or thyme.  Put them on a cookie sheet and roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until I can stick a fork in them).  Roasting turnips brings out their sweetness and subtle flavor.

A few weeks ago, at the Pre-Thanksgiving Market, Chef Katie Coleman came to the Market and did a cooking demonstration.  She made honey glazed carrots and turnips.  It's another great way to incorporate more turnips into your cooking repertoire!

See you at the Market!
Erin Kauffman
Market Manager

Fresh this Week....
VEGETABLES:  CRESS aka CREASY GREENS, Asian Greens, Arugula, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Collards, Daikon Radish, Escarole, Fennel, Fresh Herbs (Cilantro, Dill, Mint, Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme, Parsley), Ginger, Green Onions, Garlic, Gourds, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Napa Cabbage, Peppers - sweet and hot, Potatoes, Pea Shoots, Pumpkins, Rutabega, Radishes, Rapini, Salad Mix, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Turnip Greens, Turmeric Root, Greenhouse Tomatoes,  Winter Squash and more
MEATS AND EGGS: VEAL, Beef, Bison, Chicken, Duck, Goat/Chevon/Cabrito, Lamb, Pork, Turkey
Duck Eggs & Chicken Eggs
CHEESES: Fresh and aged cow and goats milk cheeses.
FLOWERS & PLANTS: Asian Lilies, Wreaths & Greenery, Landscaping Plants, House Plants
SPECIALTY ITEMS: PECANS, Raw Honey, Flour, Cornmeal, Grits, Baked Goods including Pies, Breads, Cookies & Pastries, Fermented Foods, Beer, Wine, Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Preserves, Wool
CRAFTS: Pottery, Jewelry, Handmade Baskets, Woodwork, Photographs, Hand-dyed Clothing and other items, Handmade Clothing, Soaps, Yarn, Roving, and much more...

Produce availability depends on weather conditions