It’s Labor Day weekend at Market at the Square, also known as the beginning of the Home Stretch. Yep, the end of the season is now just barely visible from here — November 7 sounds like it’s a long time from now, but when you consider how quickly the last 19 weeks have gone by, well…
Market Watch’s theme this week is Feasting Local. This weekend officially closes out the summer season, and we Americans typically eat like pigs to commemorate. Just about everyone, it seems, has a cookout or other food-related event to give, attend (or both), and just about everything one could need for one’s event is available at the Market. Grillables like Italian sausage and ground meat and skewerable vegetables? Check. Buns and bread? Check. Sweet corn? Check. Tomatoes, peppers, and onions for salsa? Check. Potatoes, eggs, and scallions (or whatever) for potato salad? Check. Fruit for crumble or pie? Check. Pie if you don’t want to make dessert? Check. See?
What’s so awesome about all of this is that Feasting Local keeps dollars in our community — the farmers/producers are paid directly and you get the freshest, best-tasting produce available anywhere. Everyone wins! What could be finer?
This Week’s Food: You can expect plenty of sweet corn, peaches & nectarines, some plums, early apples, several types of pears, cucumbers, beets, zucchini and summer squash, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, basil and other herbs, kale, arugula, leeks, shallots, garlic, potatoes, melons, cabbage, lettuces, peppers (hot and sweet), heirloom tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, maybe a few blackberries, and much more. Don’t forget the wide selection of baked goods and prepared foods, plus meat, cheese, eggs, and honey. FEAST LOCAL!
The Market also has a very special guest this week: Terra Brockman, founder of The Land Connection and a terrific writer, has a new book out in a couple weeks. It’s called The Seasons on Henry’s Farm and is a wonderful work about 52 weeks on her brother’s (that’d be Henry) farm right here in Central Illinois. Terra will be signing copies of this gorgeous book and communing with Market patrons this weekend from 9–11 a.m.; look for her just north of Blue Moon’s booth in Row One (at the northwest end of the Market). Call Lisa for more information at 217–384–2319 or email ljbralts@city.urbana.il.us.