Tuesday Market Throws a Strawberry Dessert Party

Hey Friends –

It's June, and the Tuesday Market Bakesale Committee is throwing a Strawberry Party this week. Come on over! We will supply paper plates, forks, napkins and whipped cream. You bring the pie, gallette, shortcake, strawberries dipped in chocolate, you name it... (please don't bring custards or cheesecakes for food safety reasons.) Drop your dessert off by 3:30 pm. If you don't have time to make something, just come eat strawberry dessert between 3-5 pm (or as long as the desserts last). Donations of $4 - $6 for each serving will go directly to our FoodStampsX2 Program, which I'll tell you more about below.

And for those of you just looking to buy strawberries to take home, the market will be loaded with the freshest, juciest, sweetest berries you can find anywhere! Here are a couple strawberry recipes. Last week, Ben was so busy selling strawberries he didn't take a single picture of the market, right up until the very end when the storm arrived, and who could resist taking a picture of that sky?

Check out this week's recipes – Herbed Sliders and A Simple Bok Choy Stir Fry. Make them both and have a delicious, nourishing dinner courtesy of your devoted farmers here at Tuesday Market.

Click here to see the list of all the vendors coming to market this week. Below are just a couple highlights.

Crimson and Clover Farm will make its first appearance of the season this week. I know many of you have helped to make the Northampton Community Farm (where Crimson and Clover is located) a reality through your time, money and enthusiasm. Maybe you're gardening over there now at FOG (Florence Organic Gardens), too. We're really excited to have Crimson & Clover at the market for the majority of the season this year, bringing their delicious vegetables and small fruits. This week they'll have strawberries and little gem lettuces (a sweet tasting small lettuce with a good crunch) along with many other goodies.

Woodstar Cafe will be back with their delicious baked goods and drinks, including the best array of gluten-free baked goods we've seen anywhere in the valley.

And Berkshore returns with fresh scallops & lobster. Like really fresh. Like in-the-ocean-that-morning fresh. Wes sold out quicker than you can say "lobster claw" last time he was at market. The best way to make sure he gets product to you is to call him or email him through his website and pre-order exactly what you want. (Here's what one enthusiastic customer wrote on facebook: The scallops and lobster were melt-in-your-mouth amazing! I meant to take photos, but once they were on the platters, basic gluttony over-rode any delays. Everyone oohed and aahed and savored every bite. What a great way to have a feast -- with a minimum of effort for the cook! Welcome to the Northampton Market!!!)

Peterman's Bowls and Boards returns to market this week, bringing his fine-crafted wooden bowls.

Peter Blanchette will be strumming his songs -- this is the last market that he'll be at for a while so come get your fill.

We are proud and excited to be continuing our FoodStampsX2 program for the 3rd year in a row. We keep doing it because of stories like this one that Mim heard last week. A mother came to the market tent wondering about whether she could use her WIC benefits at the market. Mim explained how that worked at the market and then asked her if she had SNAP benefits. The woman said yes. Mim described our doubling program to her, and the woman started crying. She immediately started to figure out in her mind how she could come every week, and what she would get at the market. and was so grateful for the additional $10 a week she would now be able to spend on food that she really wanted to eat. And we are so grateful to all of you for the support and donations which have contiued to make this program possible.

Our most recent collaboration is with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. James Barden will be at the market this week (and every first Tuesday of the month) helping people sign up for SNAP benefits. The Tuesday Market crew (Mim, Sabrina, and Oona) are also trained volunteers through the Food Bank to sign people up for SNAP, so – if you think you might qualify – talk to one of us, and we can go through the application process with you any Tuesday.

Finally, some of our vendors are now eligible to take the WIC CVV fruit and vegetable checks. If you have WIC benefits and have these checks to use, you can spend them at Crabapple and Town Farm through the end of October.

OK, if you've made it to the end of this email, you get a reward. Come to the Town Farm stand and Ben will hand you a big, plump, red, juicy strawberry to pop into your mouth.

See you at market!