- Worthington Farmers Market
New Market Location! Get to Know Okra. Celebrate Jewish New Year with Honey. Wear Masks Properly.
WFM Has a New Home!
Starting this weekend, September 19, the Worthington Farmers Market will operate in a new location: 200 W. Old Wilson Bridge Road (behind Kroger/Shops at Worthington mall, in the Worthington Industries offices parking lot.
The address may be different -- and parking much improved! -- but everything else will be familiar: market hours, layout, vendors, single-point entry/exit, one-way traffic. Revisit our Covid-19 safety protocols and view maps of the new location on the Worthington Farmers Market website.
Queue up this video to see all the "smiling eyes" excited to welcome you to our new home!
https://www.facebook.com/worthingtonfarmersmarket/videos/341289983987327
New Market Layout & Parking Maps
Just 4 Days Left to VOTE for Your Favorite Farmers Market!
Contest ends September 20! Cast your ballot for the Worthington Farmers Market here: https://markets.farmland.org/market/worthington-farmers-market/
Veggie Spy
Okra Says: Please Do Try Me, I'm Not So Slimy!
Okra, which is technically a fruit, is a flowering plant with green pods that are edible. The pods are usually a few inches long, ribbed, and tapered at one end. Okra gets a bad rap because, depending on how it is prepared, it may become slimy. Some people love that texture, but others grimace and decide okra is not for them. Okra pods have a clear liquid called mucilage, and yes, it's slimy. When okra is heated up, the mucilage becomes thicker, which makes okra a great thickener for stews and gumbo. Cooking okra quickly with high heat, such as deep frying or grilling, will produce a wonderful okra flavor and feel without sliminess. Okra is actually easy to cook, has a mild flavor a bit like eggplant, and a silky texture.
Okra is believed to have originated in Ethiopia and has been consumed in Africa for thousands of years. It was brought to North America by slaves in the 1660's. The term "okra" comes from the West African Bantu word "nkruma". Okra is now a staple of Southern cooking with gumbo being one of the most popular ways to serve it. It is also popular in parts of Africa, India, the Caribbean, and South America. Okra is an excellent source of vitamins C and K. Okra is loaded with antioxidants, including polyphenol, which is important for brain and heart health. There is also some evidence that okra reduces cholesterol. So put away your fear of slime and get okra at Anderson Orchards and 9N Farm! Anderson Orchards also has pickled okra.
The Versatile Vegan is impressed with okra's versatility. Indian-style Baked Popcorn Okra is a great snack in this yummy recipe: https://www.veganricha.com/wprm_print/26522 . Okra, tomatoes, and bacon is a classic Southern dish. Even without bacon, there's tons of flavor in this quick and easy vegan version: https://healthiersteps.com/recipe/vegan-stewed-okras-and-tomatoes/. Finally, go full southern-fried comfort food with Vegan Fried Okra:
https://www.cilantroandcitronella.com/vegan-fried-okra/
Our Food Stories Food is central to our lives and we all have all have stories that connect food to family histories, religious traditions, and cultural events. On September 18, Jews around the world will be celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It is a time for celebration and reflection. As with many holidays, there are foods traditionally associated with this celebration. The most popular food custom for Rosh Hashanah is dipping apples in honey to symbolize our hope for a sweet new year. This is a great time for apples at the Market with Gillogly Orchard having many varieties. And you can get wonderful local honey from Sara Bee and Honeyrun Farm.
Another traditional Jewish New Year food, especially for Jews with an Eastern European background, is honey cake. The Versatile Vegan loves honey cake and found a vegan version since honey is not technically vegan. The vegan version suggests substituting agave or maple syrup (get some at Pleiades!), but feel free to be a traditionalist and use honey.
https://theveganatlas.com/vegan-honey-cake-for-rosh-hashanah/ The Jewish calendar turns to year 5781 on Sept. 18. A happy and sweet new year to all!
Fresh Picks This Week: Apples (Cortland, Gold Supreme, Gala, McIntosh, Mollies Delicious), Arugula, Baby Italian dandelions, Beets, Broccolini, Cabbage, Carrots (baby white, orange), Celery, Collards, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Garlic, Garlic Scapes, Green beans (also yellow, purple, haricot verts, Roma), Ground cherries, Herbs (basil, chives, cilantro, dill, lemon balm mint, oregano, papalo, parsley, rosemary, tarragon), Kale (dino lacinato, Siberian), Kohlrabi, Komatsuna, Leeks, Lettuce (baby, heirloom, bibb, romaine, blends, & others), Melons, Microgreens & shoots, Okra!, Onions (candy, white, mini-purple, sweet), Peaches, Peppers! (bell, jalapeno, Aji Rico, Anaheim, banana, cherry bomb, habanero, serrano), Potatoes, Purslane!, Radishes (French breakfast), Scallions, Shallots, Shiitake Mushrooms, Squash (multiple varieties), Sweet Corn, Swiss Chard, Spinach (baby), Tomatillos, Tomatoes (heirloom, cherry), Zucchini *** Note quantities are limited ***
Pic of the Week
There have been SO many fantastic photos snapped and shared of the Market this season, we wanted to share them with all of you!
This week's taste-tempting photo was submitted by Sara at @fullcirclesource on Instagram.
"I love the market for many reasons. One of them being that I can feed my family the freshest local produce while also directly supporting our local farmers. I love that you can ask direct questions to the farmers/purveyors. I’ve been a WFM customer for over 23 years and I enjoy the relationships you build going week after week.
The salsa ingredients are from Tilley Farmstead. They have great salsa bowls for $5. You get garlic, onions, tomatillos and jalapeños. I also got a pint of cherry tomatoes to add. You could also use diced large tomatoes. Wash, chop and roast all the ingredients for around 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool and then toss in blender. Add the juice of one lime and pulse blender till it’s the consistency that you like. I made mine a bit chunky. Add salt to taste. Optional add some chopped cilantro."
Would you like your photo featured here? Snap a photo at the Worthington Farmers Market, share it on Facebook or Instagram and tag the Worthington Farmers Market so that we see your photo. Pic of the Week will be selected at random.
Vendor Updates
Yes! The Blueberry Patch will be at the September 19 Market this weekend with pails of frozen blueberries AND their famous blueberry donuts!
For your convenience, Saum Farm (pumpkins!) and Countryside Greenhouse (mums!) are coordinating pick-up of these large/heavy items. Make your purchase (exchange cell phone numbers), continue shopping, then notify them when you are ready to leave to arrange for cart delivery to your car. (Note: only available for large pumpkin and mum purchases!)
Save the Dates!
Preparing to Keep Bees
Thursday, Septemer 24, 2020
6:30 – 8 PM
https://www.facebook.com/events/329990058247081/
The Virtual Stretch
September 26 - October 2, 2020
https://thevirtualstretch.com/?fbclid=IwAR0p96sFAB2NjMkgrrFgJtO161qZRzzu_V93wzCqob79sknXslrLX9H6yps
Mask Up - The Right Way!
Lost & Found
Missing something? An OSU umbrella, a pair of glasses, a bracelet AND one crocodile left after while at the Worthington Farmers Market. These are a just a few of the treasures left behind over the last few weeks -- we picked up even more this week!
If one of these items belongs to you, please visit us at the Market Information booth to claim.
The Worthington Partnership is pleased to announce that COhatch is furthering its investment in the Worthington community. Together the organizations will continue to drive initiatives to bring positive attention to the historic district, and support professional development and educational seminars for local merchants and business owners. The Partnership also will support soon-to-be-announced COhatch community events geared toward improving the lives of local residents.
COhatch will provide funding, hosting venues and people resources to help design and plan future programs for the community in collaboration with the Old Worthington Partnership. You will also see the COhatch airstream trailer, a multi-purpose office on wheels named "Mobi" at various events.
Thanks to COhatch for bringing energy and resources to Old Worthington! We are thrilled to work even more closely together to enhance the Old Worthington experience.
For more information, or questions related to any of our services, please contact us via email at worthingtonfarmersmarket@gmail.com.
The Worthington Farmers Market is an event of The Worthington Partnership.