Market Update - 12/11/10

I'm sure I don't need to remind anyone that there are only two weekends remaining before Christmas Day.  What I would like to remind everyone is of the importance of supporting small, local businesses this Holiday season.  Although the concept of Small Business Saturdays (such a lovely antidote to Big Box Black Friday) was first conceived of and marketed by a Very Large Company indeed, I'm happy to help spread the idea.  And I cannot think of a better place to spread the Small Business Cheer than the Amenia Winter Market!  This Saturday, the Amenia Town Hall gymnasium will be filled to the brim with 21 vendors - every single one a local and small business, and present at almost every table is the person (or people) behind the small business.  I think I speak not only for myself, but for every vendor, when I say that every market day provides a source for reaffirmation of all the reasons why I do what I do.  I love to tell people all about my farm, my animals, my practices.  Come and spend a few minutes speaking with farmers, bakers, potters, soup-makers, soap-makers, basket weavers, seamstresses, shepherds, painters, beekeepers...  This is such a wonderful way to both support and learn about the people working in and around our community.

This weekend, we welcome two new artisans - both will be familiar to regulars of the Millbrook Farmers Market.  Martha Belardo of Baskets at Home (Pine Plains, NY) will be selling her incredible hand-woven Shaker-style baskets, as well as Carolina snowflake ornaments and felted wool bowls, garlands, acorns and rings.  Randi Sue Foreman (Millbrook, NY) will be selling stuffed bunnies and Christmas trees made from repurposed cashmere sweaters.  Randi will also have an assortment of handcrafted ornaments, totes, cloth napkins and hand-knit flower necklaces.  Along with Martha and Randi, returning this week will be Dawn Casarra of Artful Treasures (Amenia, NY) with hand-painted floorcloths and placemats, as well as whimsical dragonfly pins and pinecone ornaments; CrippenWorks (Millerton, NY) with hand-sewn knitting needle cases, tote bags, diaper clutches and more; dbO Home (Sharon, CT) with handmade porcelain plates, bowls, soap dishes and vases; and Sunset Hill Farm (Millbrook, NY) with farmstead wool roving and yarn in a fabulous assortment of colors.

Our Farm & Food vendors will include The Amazing Real Live Food Co. (cheeses), Berkshire Mountain Foods (granolas), Best Creations Bakery (holiday cookies, cupcakes, cheese pastries), Cascade Mountain Winery (wines and olive oil), Cedar Hill Farm (pork and beef, pumpkins), Clear Water Aqua Farm (tender greens and herbs, veggies), Dashing Star Farm (lamb, eggs, wool/yarn, baked goods), EBs Golden Harvest (honey and honey products, beeswax candles, herbal tinctures), Farm Country Soup (quiches, soups, baked goods), Glenn Golovin of Pampered Cow (Harpersfield cheeses, triple cream cow, goat and sheep milk rounds, goat and sheep feta from Four Brothers Farm), Krazy for Kazu's (Japanese marinades & dressings), Meili Farm (pork, beef and eggs), Moonbeam Farm (chutneys, jams, flatbread crackers), Perry Hill Farm (soaps, tinctures, salves, trees, Holiday wreaths), Ronnybrook Farm Dairy (milk, yogurt, butter), and Wild Hive Bakery (breads, pastries, micro-milled flours and grains).

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow - we'll be in the gymnasium of the Amenia Town Hall (on Route 22) from 10:00 to 2:00.  Have a bowl of hot soup for lunch, sample a few cheeses, taste a local wine, and check gifts off your list one by one...