Fresh Sheet: July 17th Market

This week sees us partnering with a fantastic organization: momstown. A unique blend of early education programming and mama support, delivered both online and in-person locally in Edmonton & Sherwood Park and St. Albert, momstown offers an online calendar chock-full of momstown exclusive events, a 24-hour interactive message board (perfect for those sleepless nights), and member privileges and discounts. momstown chapters exist across Canada and its national website includes lots of arts & crafts ideas, minds product reviews, great contests, family-friendly meals, and the personal moments that connect us all. Be sure to ask about their memberships or go to their website for more information: http://edmonton.momstown.ca

We have offered kids' crafts for a few weeks running at our SWEFM Info tent at the market and they have been a seriously big hit with the under 12 crowd. Momstown has now stepped up and offered to take this over, hosting a series of farming-themed crafts at the market each week. This week, children can make apple print paintings to take home from their trip to the market. As always, these crafts are free for all children to enjoy.

Last week you probably noticed all the lively furniture on site. Breezesta has partnered with the Southwest Edmonton Farmers' Market to act as a living showroom for their unique outdoor furniture. They will be back once again! The tables, chairs and rockers that you see all over the market come in a wide colour selection and a terrific array of sizes and are incredibly durable. Grab dinner at a food truck and have a seat... and browse a brochure (they are laid out on their tables if you are interested in them for your own porch, deck or patio).

We've done it! We've really tried to develop our social media presence this year, trying to reach out to and connect with our market community in more ways and our following has grown! We reached 1000 facebook likes this week!

Come help us celebrate! Meet us at the information tent, and say "I liked SWEFM on FACEBOOK" and we'll give you a free SWEFM market bag (while supplies last).

This week we have a number of artisan vendors at the market, making this week an artistic showcase! Be sure to build in time to browse their stalls and experience the creativity that they have to offer. Be inspired by:

• Jewels By Amy
• Orange Avocado Jewellery
• Three Muffin Top Charms
• Capiluv Creations
• Rock Me Baby Cocoons
• Farmstead Bath & Body

Go to our website section on artisan & craft vendors (this is a hyperlink) if you would like a sneak peak at what they bring to the market. Purchases at these vendors would give you great housewarming gifts, baby shower gifts and birthday presents.

We have a new vendor coming to market this week: Sara's Korean Food. Korean food is full of wonderfully fresh flavours. And Hejong makes very authentic Korean food for your meals-to-go. At her stall, you will be able to purchase green onion cakes, kimchi, spring rolls and bulgogi to take with you for your meals at home.

Rock Me Baby Cocoons will be here with their stylish swaddling cocoons that are perfect for newborn babes up to about 4 months of age. Rock Me Baby Cocoon designs slings that keep baby swaddled, snuggled and ever so cozy! Each has its own unique colour and pattern, and as a result, is a creative, and often humorous, work of art. Rock Me Baby Cocoons keep your little one looking cute as a bug, berry, or animal ... all while keeping your baby safe and snug. You can turn your baby into a bee, an owl, a bunny... or even a cupcake, a football or a peanut!

Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a little longer for those Saskatoon berries and delicious saskatoon berry pies from Peter's Lakeview Farm as they have seen too much water to be able to harvest their delicious fruits. Stay tuned as they will hopefully be here next week!

Lastly, it is with mixed feelings that we say goodbye to Evangelina of El Mercado. We will miss her tremendously, but are very pleased that her local foods success story has made it into the big leagues. She and her authentic Mexican tortillas will no longer be available at our market as they have been picked up by Save On Foods. We wish her good luck and great success with her venture!

Fresh vegetables & fruits in season, and available now at this week's market:

The fruit trucks are bringing a wealth of beautiful fruit in from BC. This week expect to see:

• Peaches!!!
• Blueberries
• Apricots
• Blackberries 
• Cherries (dark cherries & yellow Rainers)
• Raspberries
• Apples (think galas & macs & other delicious BC apples)
• Pears (green & red)
• Dehydrated apples, sparkling cider, 100% pure apple juice and a few other goodies
• Strawberries (not a sure thing... the season is winding down for strawberries)

As for veggies... they are now officially pouring in from the fields! Expect to see:

• Pickling cucumbers!!! from the field & long stalks & flowers of dill ready for canning
• Peas
• Kohlrabi
• Fennel
• Heirloom tomatoes... they're starting to come in from the field!
• Swiss chard (it comes in three colours: rhubarb red, peppermint stick pink and golden yellow)
• Spinach, Romaine, Leaf Lettuce, Kale, Scapes (garlic tops) and more greens
• Fresh baby carrots
• Fresh, baby potatoes... don't forget to pick up fresh dill to go with them.
• Fresh red, purple and golden beets
• Fresh green/spring onions
• Green & purple cabbages
• Over-wintered potatoes (purple, pink, & white fleshed varieties)
• Over-wintered squashes
• Long green hothouse beans
• Hothouse cucumbers (long English and mini varieties that are perfect for packing in lunches)
• Field-grown rhubarb (not a sure thing)
• Field-grown spinach (not a sure thing)
• Fresh cut basil & chives & dill & other herbs
• Fresh herb plants (thyme, basil, oregano, parsley, mint, sage, rosemary, dill, sorrel)
• Hothouse & field grown lettuces (green leaf lettuce and butter lettuce),
• Hothouse tomatoes (large, small & on the vine red, the wonderfully flavourful & meaty green & red striped mini zebras) 
• Hothouse peppers (small & large orange bell, yellow, red, green, & red & green spicy chiles)

PLUS…

•  A variety of artisan breads, cinnamon buns, cinnamon breads, sweet loaves, gluten-free loaves & baking, cupcakes, homemade cookies, other finger-licking good baked treats
• Fresh & frozen meats (beef, bison, pork, chicken, fish) 
• Farm-fresh eggs
• Jarred pickles
• Dehydrated garlic powder
• Fresh raw honey & bee pollen (Want to know more about bee pollen? Click here.)
• Specialty gelatos (great in this blistering summer heat!)
• Greek dips (humus, tzatziki, spicy feta & red pepper) and specialty Greek food items
• Korean Foods (green onion cakes, kimchi, bulgogi as ready to go meals )
• Indian Foods (naan & butter chicken as ready to go meals, Samosas, Indian cookies & salty snacks)
• Thai Foods (frozen & ready for your weekday meals)
• Ready-made meals and spice mixes and other items perfect for the BBQ season
• Smoked meats (sausages, pepperonis, sandwich meats, jerkies)
• Jams & jellies & condiments to compliment everything from your toast through to your meats and fish
• Sweet treats like fudge, mini cupcakes, snow cones & soft ice-cream to eat on the spot
• Gourmet marshmallows
• Kettle corn

What else???

• Lots of Jewellery this week (necklaces, earrings, bracelets... as always, Jewels By Amy is here & we'll also have Orange Avocado, Capiluv Creations & Three Muffin Tops Charms) 
• Specialty soap (Farmstead Soap is back)
• Great seating, picnic tables, patio & deck furniture from BREEZESTA Patio Chairs
• Rock Me Baby Cocoons to keep your newborn stylishly swaddled

Barring high winds and wild weather, the inflatable slide will be on site along with the face painter and balloon creator. momstown will be there offering apple print painting crafts for the kids to enjoy, free of charge. Of course, Pretzel the balloon man, Dolphin Lady the face painter and Austin the guitar player will all be back. And failing that, there are plenty of curbs and rocks to balance on along the avenue of trees that goes down the centre of our market!

Come on up to the market for dinner. The food trucks will be on site, and you can grab a spot of shade under a tree (and perhaps even a spot at one of the highly coveted picnic tables, if you're lucky!) and then devour a scrumptious dinner. Choose from :

• Sailin' On (vegan), 
• Bully (gourmet comfort food) 
• Yellow Bird (Japanese fusion) 
• Fat Franks (gourmet hotdogs, sausages & smokies)
• Butcher's Bus (sausage on a bun, pierogies & soft ice cream cones)
• Pink Kernel (snow cones, mini donuts, popped carnival corn, cotton candy)

Visit our website at http://www.swefm.ca
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Contributed by Sheri Hendsbee