Moving back to Fridays and back OUTDOORS! Market Update for 5/20

The season for all things outdoors has arrived and we will be celebrating with our first outdoor market tomorrow, FRIDAY May 20th, 3:00pm to 7:00pm, in the parking lot of the Amenia Town Hall.  We've added some new vendors for the outdoor market including Farm Country Soup (many varieties of delicious and inventive soups - Tomato Stilton is a personal favorite - as well as tarts, quiches, frittatas, scones, hummus, onion jam), Sol Flower Farm (GORGEOUS vegetables and flowers grown using organic and biodynamic practices), Glenn Golovin of Pampered Cow Cheeses (a wonderful range of cheeses - including Amenia's own Four Brothers' Feta & Chevre - from the Hudson Valley and Adirondack regions), Berkshire Mountain Bakery (INCREDIBLE breads - recently voted one of the 10 best bread bakeries in the US by Bon Appetit magazine) and Cream Hill Veal (raising veal humanely and sustainably on pasture in Cornwall, CT).  If I may say so myself, I think we've assembled a truly world-class group of vendors!

You will also see some new products being offered by returning vendors.  Clear Water Aqua Farm will have FISH ready this season - possibly as early as tomorrow's market.  Clear Water is growing fish and vegetables in a greenhouse in Wassaic using a fascinating system called aquaponics.  Be sure to ask Kate all about it!  Moonbeam Farm spent their February and March boiling down gallon after gallon of sap to make delicious maple syrup.  Be sure to also try their "made-to-order" maple soda (similar to cream soda, but more complex and not at all cloyingly sweet).  Also be sure to ask the Moonbeam Farmers (Duke and Pam) about the WIKIUP.  You'll just have to ask.  Perry Hill Farm has added many new soaps to the product lineup since last year, and will also be selling beautiful vegetable starts, including tomatoes grown from Hudson Valley Seed Library seeds.  Dashing Star Farm is debuting a 3 ply worsted wool yarn in natural white and will have goose eggs for sale!  This is just a tiny sampling of all the wonderful things you will find at the Amenia Farmers' Market this summer...  

This week's vendors:

- Amazing Real Live Food Co., Pine Plains, NY (probiotic cheeses)
- Berkshire Mountain Bakery, Housatonic, MA (breads, croissants, rolls, baguettes, loaves)
- Best Creations Bakery, Millbrook, NY (cookies, small cakes, hand pies, tarts)

- Cascade Mountain Winery, Amenia, NY (wines, mustard)
- Cedar Hill Farm, Amenia, NY (beef, pork, vegetables, Rudy's famous sweet corn later in the summer)
- Clear Water Aqua Farm, Wassaic, NY (aquaponic FISH!, salad greens and herbs, assorted veggies - organic methods)
- Cream Hill Veal, Cornwall, CT (pastured veal)
- Dashing Star Farm, Millerton, NY (lamb, eggs, baked goods, wool, roving, sheepskins)

- Farm Country Soup, Southfield, MA (soups, baked goods including quiche & frittatas, tarts and cakes, scones, etc)
- Glenn Golovin, Amenia, NY (a wide array of cheeses from the local area - goat-, sheep- and cow-milk varieties represented)
- Meili Farm, Amenia, NY (grass-fed beef, pastured whey-fed pork, eggs from pastured hens)
- Moonbeam Farm, Wingdale, NY (greens, jams, chutneys, baked goods, sauces, maple syrup)
- Perry Hill Farm, Amenia, NY (handmade herbal-based soaps, creams, tinctures, lotions, also farm photo cards, GREENS!!  HERBS!!  PLANTS!!)

- Ronnybrook Farm, Ancramdale, NY (milk, yogurt, butter)

- Sol Flower Farm, Ancramdale, NY (vegetables and flowers grown using organic and biodynamic methods, CSA program)

- Wassaic Community Farm (greens, vegetables, herbs, teas, CSA program)

- WholeyOats Granola, Wingdale, NY (formerly Berkshire Mountain Foods, handmade granolas by the bag and bar)

Please help us to spread the word about the Amenia Farmers' Market by forwarding this email to anyone and everyone you think might be interested in buying some really good food AND supporting local farms and businesses.  And, best of all, come on down to the market!  We'll look forward to seeing you there - Fridays, 3:00 to 7:00, May 20th through October 28th, in the parking lot of the Amenia Town Hall.

Market Update - April 9th

Lambs that learn to walk in snow
When their bleating clouds the air

Meet a vast unwelcome, know

Nothing but a sunless glare.

Newly stumbling to and fro

All they find, outside the fold,

Is a wretched width of cold.

As they wait beside the ewe,

Her fleeces wetly caked, there lies

Hidden round them, waiting too,

Earth's immeasureable surprise.

They could not grasp it if they knew,

What so soon will wake and grow

Utterly unlike the snow.

Philip Larkin - First Sight

Above I have copied my all-time favorite poem.  I know many of you are very busy and don't have time to read the mini-novels I send before each market, but I hope at least a few of you will take a moment to read First Sight.  After the winter we've just endured, I think it is particularly relevant.

I received an email today from Lynn of Dashing Star Farm asking if she can please park right next to the back door to the gym tomorrow as she has 19 more ewes ready to have their lambs any minute now, and she will very likely need to make a quick get-away tomorrow.  If there ever was a sure sign of spring, lambing time is it!  So although we may yet have some cold weather telling us it isn't so, Spring has finally arrived!  The year's first lambs are already bucking and jumping in the farmyard at Dashing Star Farm.  The hay we bring to the cows by the wagon-load here at Meili Farm is lasting a few days longer, and our pigs are lounging their days away in the sun.  Honeybees are in a frenzy carrying pollen back to the hive for the Spring's first brood.  And farmers everywhere are sowing seeds and watching for themselves the incredible yearly unfolding of Earth's Immeasurable Surprise.

Celebrate Spring with delicious food!  Come to the Amenia Winter-into-Spring Market tomorrow, Saturday, from 10:00 to 2:00.

At tomorrow's market, you will find the following Food & Farm vendors:

- Berkshire Mountain Bakery, Housatonic, MA (breads, croissants, rolls, baguettes, loaves)
- Berkshire Orchids, Lakeville, CT (locally grown orchids)
- Best Creations Bakery, Millbrook, NY (cookies, small cakes, hand pies, tarts)
- Cedar Hill Farm, Amenia, NY (beef, pork)
- Clear Water Aqua Farm, Wassaic, NY (aquaponic salad greens and herbs, assorted veggies)
- Cream Hill Veal, Cornwall, CT (pastured veal)
- Dashing Star Farm, Millerton, NY (lamb, eggs, baked goods, wool, roving, sheepskins)
- EB's Golden Harvest (honey, herbal tinctures, candles, various honey & beeswax products)
- Glenn Golovin, Amenia, NY (a wide array of cheeses from the local area - goat-, sheep- and cow-milk varieties represented)
- Krazy for Kazu's, Falls Village, CT (Japanese marinades, dressings & sauces, also prepared Japanese foods)
- Marilyn's Food Co., Pine Plains, NY (pickles - many varieties, sauces, marinara sauce, jams, compotes, relish)
- Meili Farm, Amenia, NY (beef, pork, eggs - CHORIZO IS BACK IN STOCK!)
- Moonbeam Farm, Wingdale, NY (jams, chutneys, baked goods, sauces, handpainted woodenware)
- Perry Hill Farm, Amenia, NY (handmade herbal-based soaps, creams, tinctures, lotions, also farm photo cards - NEW PRODUCTS: Easter egg soaps and household cleaners!!)
- WholeyOats Granola, Amenia, NY (formerly Berkshire Mountain Foods, handmade granolas by the bag and bar)

And the following Local Artisans:

- Baskets at Home, Millbrook, NY (Shaker-style baskets, felted bowls and garlands)
- CrippenWorks, Millerton, NY (hand-sewn knitting needle & crochet cases, notions bags, totes, diaper cases
- David Kaufmann, Millbrook, NY (handmade pottery)
- Donna Durbridge, Amenia, NY (hand-sewn pillows and handbags made with exquisite fabrics and leathers)


We look forward to seeing you tomorrow from 10:00 to 2:00 in the gymnasium of the Amenia Town Hall (former Amenia Elementary School) on Route 22.  Be sure to pass this email along to a friend - we all thank you for your help in spreading the word!  And if it is lamb you're after (or wool, or pillows) and you miss Lynn at the market, please contact her directly at 518-789-4576 or dashingstarfarm@gmail.com.  

Market Update for March 12th

Hello everyone!

If April showers bring May flowers, what do March showers bring?  Well, if you live on a dirt road or happen to be a farmer, they bring MUD, but they also take away SNOW!  So the grass was indeed hiding under there this whole time!  When did we last see the ground?  It's been a while, to put it mildly.  And it looks like the rains might hold off for the weekend to give us what feels like a very rare gift - dare I say it? - a warm weekend with some sun, to boot.  (Yes, I'm now knocking on wood.) 

Just to top off this early Spring weekend, we have another Amenia Winter Market to look forward to!  Tomorrow, Saturday, 10:00 to 2:00, at the Amenia Town Hall.  To this market, March showers actually are bringing flowers - the long-awaited ORCHIDS will finally be brightening the gymnasium.  What a welcome sight they will be...  We are also thrilled to welcome Rouben Madikians of the Amenia Yoga Studio.  Rouben will be offering CHAIR MASSAGES and will be selling his handmade soy candles.  Moonbeam Farm will be selling a fresh batch of 2011 MAPLE SYRUP (8 oz and 12 oz bottles), as well as maple cupcakes and maple-walnut sauce.  Dashing Star Farm now has three types of LAMB SAUSAGE (merquez, garlic-rosemary and feta-sundried tomato).  Vicki at Perry Hill Farm has been busy making shamrock shaped soaps scented with peppermint, comfrey, lavender and parsley, and new rosemary and peppermint oil body/shampoo bars.  Farm Country Soup will have the usual soups, quiche and frittatas as well as a meatloaf made with Meili Farm ground beef, garlic mashed potatoes and a gorgonzola white lasagna with butternut squash and swiss chard.  Delicious!

At tomorrow's market, you will find the following Food & Farm vendors:

- Berkshire Mountain Bakery, Housatonic, MA (breads, croissants, rolls, baguettes, loaves)

- Best Creations Bakery, Millbrook, NY (cookies, small cakes, hand pies, tarts)

- Cedar Hill Farm, Amenia, NY (beef, pork)

- Clear Water Aqua Farm, Wassaic, NY (aquaponic salad greens and herbs, assorted veggies)

- Cream Hill Veal, Cornwall, CT (pastured veal)

- Dashing Star Farm, Millerton, NY (lamb, eggs, baked goods, wool, roving, sheepskins)

- EB's Golden Harvest (honey, herbal tinctures, candles, various honey & beeswax products)

- Farm Country Soup, Southfield, MA (soups, quiche & frittata, pies, tarts, scones, muffins, meatloaf, pasta dishes)

- Glen Golovin, Amenia, NY (a wide array of cheeses from the local area - goat-, sheep- and cow-milk varieties represented)

- Krazy for Kazu's, Falls Village, CT (Japanese marinades, dressings & sauces, also prepared Japanese foods)

- Marilyn's Food Co., Pine Plains, NY (pickles - many varieties, sauces, marinara sauce, jams, compotes, relish)

- Meili Farm, Amenia, NY (beef, pork, eggs)

- Moonbeam Farm, Wingdale, NY (jams, chutneys, baked goods, sauces, handpainted woodenware)

- Perry Hill Farm, Amenia, NY (handmade herbal-based soaps, creams, tinctures, lotions, also farm photo cards)

- WholeyOats Granola, Amenia, NY (formerly Berkshire Mountain Foods, handmade granolas by the bag and bar)

And the following Local Artisans:

- Baskets at Home, Millbrook, NY (Shaker-style baskets, felted bowls and garlands)

- CrippenWorks, Millerton, NY (hand-sewn knitting needle & crochet cases, notions bags, totes, diaper cases

- Donna Durbridge, Amenia, NY (hand-sewn pillows and handbags made with exquisite fabrics and leathers)

- Randi Foreman, Millbrook, NY (upcycled cashmere bunnies and other lovable friends, totes, napkins)

- Tim Liefer, Rhinebeck, NY (classic to whimsical birdhouses of all shapes and sizes)

Introducing this week:

- Rouben Madikians, Amenia Yoga Studio, Amenia, NY (chair massages, handmade soy candles)

- Berkshire Orchids, Lakeville, CT (in the grower's own words, HUGE GORGEOUS CYMBIDIUM ORCHIDS, DENDROBIUM ORCHIDS, PHALAENOPSIS AND ZYGOPETALUM ORCHIDS..DENDROBIUM NOBILE..VANDAS)

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow from 10:00 to 2:00 in the gymnasium of the Amenia Town Hall (former Amenia Elementary School) on Route 22.  Be sure to pass this email along -  telling a friend how much you enjoy the Amenia Winter Market is the best compliment of all! 

Market Update for February 12th

Hello again dear friends of the Amenia Winter Market!  

Although I won't say that Spring is in the air (to the groundhog I say, "I'll believe it when I see it!") I will say that LOVE is in the air!  What perfect timing for   tomorrow's Amenia Winter Market!  We will be packed to the brim with delicious treats, as well as beautiful handcrafted gifts.  Just a tiny sampling of gift ideas:  heart-shaped organic soap; chocolate croissants, granola and yogurt for a romantic breakfast feast; pastured pork sausage and handmade marinara sauce for a quick but delicious dinner (don't forget a loaf of fresh crusty bread!); farm-fresh eggs for baking a magical souffle; cookies and cakes for all tastes and desires; a handmade ceramic teapot for sharing tea in bed on Valentine's morning; felted cashmere bunnies for the littlest loved ones in your family; soup bones by the pound for Fido...  Nobody needs to be left out when it comes to spreading the warmth of LOVE!!  This winter has been cold enough!  Bundle up, head out the door, and come to the Amenia Winter Market to spoil yourself your Valentine rotten!

At tomorrow's market, you will find the following Food & Farm vendors:

- Berkshire Mountain Bakery, Housatonic, MA (breads, croissants, rolls, baguettes, loaves)

- Best Creations Bakery, Millbrook, NY (cookies, small cakes, hand pies, tarts)

- Cedar Hill Farm, Amenia, NY (beef, pork)

- Clear Water Aqua Farm, Wassaic, NY (aquaponic salad greens and herbs, assorted veggies)

- Cream Hill Veal, Cornwall, CT (pastured veal)

- Dashing Star Farm, Millerton, NY (lamb, eggs, baked goods, wool, roving, sheepskins)

- EB's Golden Harvest (honey, herbal tinctures, candles, various honey & beeswax products)

- Krazy for Kazu's, Falls Village, CT (Japanese marinades, dressings & sauces, also prepared Japanese foods)

- Marilyn's Food Co., Pine Plains, NY (pickles - many varieties, sauces, marinara sauce, jams, compotes, relish)

- Meili Farm, Amenia, NY (beef, pork, eggs, local maple syrup)

- Moonbeam Farm, Wingdale, NY (jams, chutneys, baked goods, sauces, handpainted woodenware)

- Pampered Cow Cheeses, Amenia, NY (a wide array of cheeses from the local area - goat-, sheep- and cow-milk varieties represented)

- Perry Hill Farm, Amenia, NY (handmade herbal-based soaps, creams, tinctures, lotions, also farm photo cards)

- Ronnybrook Farm Dairy, Ancramdale, NY (milk, cream, butter, yogurt, yogurt drinks, chocolate milk)

- WholeyOats Granola, Amenia, NY (formerly Berkshire Mountain Foods, handmade granolas by the bag and bar)

And the following Local Artisans:

- Baskets at Home, Millbrook, NY (Shaker-style baskets, felted bowls and garlands)

- CrippenWorks, Millerton, NY (hand-sewn knitting needle & crochet cases, notions bags, totes, diaper cases

- David Kaufmann, Millbrook, NY (ceramics - David teaches ceramics & arts at the Millbrook School)

- Donna Durbridge, Amenia, NY (hand-sewn pillows and handbags made with exquisite fabrics and leathers)

- Randi Foreman, Millbrook, NY (upcycled cashmere bunnies and other lovable friends, totes, napkins)

- Tim Liefer, Rhinebeck, NY (classic to whimsical birdhouse of all shapes and sizes)

We are also pleased to introduce:

- locally baked and handmade CHOCOLATES!!!  Just in time for Valentine's Day!

- Hammond Farm yogurts - farmstead yogurts produced in Amenia

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow from 10:00 to 2:00 in the gymnasium of the Amenia Town Hall (former Amenia Elementary School) on Route 22.  Be sure to pass this email along, especially to someone who just might need to buy YOU a goodie for Valentine's Day!  Hey, there's nothing wrong with pointing people in the right direction!!  

Lots of love to everyone!  

Market Update for January 15th

I do apologize for the postponement of last Saturday's market due to Friday's snowstorm.  How were we to know the Really Big One would arrive mid-week?  We had at least two feet at our farm in Amenia.  What a beautiful Winter Wonderland these storms have left in their wake...  Anyhow, the flurries predicted for tomorrow won't keep us from running the market, so we hope to see everyone at the Amenia Town Hall tomorrow - Saturday - from 10:00 to 2:00. 

The big excitement for tomorrow will be a cooking demonstration by Kazuhiro Hadaka, the chef behind the line of Krazy for Kazu's sauces.  Kazuhiro was for many years a chef at The Woodland in Lakeville, where he was able to create and serve several Japanese-inspired dishes, and where he first got people hooked on his delicious sauces, dressings and marinades.  Tomorrow he will show us how to create delicious meals using his line of sauces.  

Also, we have two new vendors: Berkshire Orchids will be selling assorted in-bloom locally-grown orchids, and Tim Liefer will be selling his handmade birdhouses.  Both orchids and birdhouses are such lovely reminders that Spring-time will indeed follow this snow-filled Winter. 

At tomorrow's market, you will find the following Food & Farm vendors:

- The Amazing Real Live Food Co., Pine Plains, NY (probiotic cheeses, including a truly delicious camembert)

- Berkshire Mountain Bakery, Housatonic, MA (breads, croissants, rolls, baguettes, loaves)

- Berkshire Mountain Granola, Amenia, NY (handmade granolas by the bag and bar)

- Best Creations Bakery, Millbrook, NY (cookies, small cakes, hand pies, tarts)

- Cascade Mountain Winery, Amenia, NY (wines, mustard, olive oil)

- Cedar Hill Farm, Amenia, NY (beef, pork)

- Clear Water Aqua Farm, Wassaic, NY (aquaponic salad greens and herbs, assorted veggies)

- Dashing Star Farm, Millerton, NY (lamb, eggs, baked goods, wool, roving, sheepskins)

- EB's Golden Harvest (honey, herbal tinctures, candles, various honey & beeswax products)

- Farm Country Soup, Southfield, MA (soups, quiches, frittatas, pies, tarts, onion jam, scones & muffins)

- Marilyn's Food Co., Pine Plains, NY (pickles - many varieties, sauces, marinara sauce, jams, compotes, relish)

- Meili Farm, Amenia, NY (beef, pork, eggs, local maple syrup)

- Moonbeam Farm, Wingdale, NY (jams, chutneys, baked goods, sauces, handpainted woodenware)

- Pampered Cow Cheeses, Amenia, NY (a wide array of cheeses from the local area - goat-, sheep- and cow-milk varieties represented)

- Perry Hill Farm, Amenia, NY (handmade herbal-based soaps, creams, tinctures, lotions, also farm photo cards)

- Ronnybrook Farm Dairy, Ancramdale, NY (milk, cream, butter, yogurt, yogurt drinks, chocolate milk)

This week, we welcome back two of our local artisans from December:

- Baskets at Home, Millbrook, NY (Shaker-style baskets, felted bowls and garlands)

- CrippenWorks, Millerton, NY (hand-sewn knitting needle & crochet cases, notions bags, totes, diaper cases)

And we will introduce two new vendors:

- Berkshire Orchids, Lakeville, CT (assorted in-bloom locally-grown orchids)

- Tim Liefer of Custom Wood Works (handmade birdhouses)

Here's to a wonderful MLK Weekend, and we're all looking forward to seeing you at the Amenia Winter Market tomorrow!  As always, if you have friends who might be interested in locally-grown and -produced foods and FLOWERS and gifts, please be sure to pass this email along.  Thank you!