Dear Farmers Market Newsletter Subscriber,

If you subscribed to our newsletter in past years, you may notice we are using a new e-mail subscription service called E-Subscribe. E-Subscribe replaces our previous Farmers Market e-mail subscription service. If you recently signed up for this newsletter via E-Subscribe, Welcome!

With E-Subscribe we will continue to provide you with interesting and informative updates about the Farmers Market. If you wish, the service will also allow you to sign up for updates to many other City of Bloomington topics that may interest you. Furthermore, with E-Subscribe you can password protect your subscriptions and preferences, change your e-mail address, etc. Of course, you can also remove yourself from this list at any time by accessing your Subscription Preferences page.

To add a password, add other subscriptions, or remove your e-mail address from E-Subscribe, visit our website at www.ci.bloomington.mn.us and click on the "E-Subscribe" link on the left side of the page. Log in using your e-mail address. We hope that you will find it useful to have the ability to customize your e-mails based upon your particular interests.

Market Opens in 10 Days

The market

Market season is nearly upon us and we are very excited about this year’s Market which will open at 8:00 A.M. on Saturday, June 13th. There will be a great variety of locally grown produce as well as honey, maple syrup, baked goods, cut flowers, dried fruit and nuts, coffee, kettle corn, smoothies, strawberries, unique art and live music! New this year will be farm fresh eggs, naturally grown chicken, beef and pork, gourmet pickles, strudels, and a variety of heirloom vegetables. Check out our Vendor List and Vendor Location Map to find your favorites!

This year there will be live music every week from 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M., be sure to look at the Music Calendar for a list of all the performers. We are also pleased to have Master Gardeners back again this year. They were thrilled to have so many good questions last year, so bring your branches, leaves and bugs and they will help solve your gardening mysteries! They will be joining us on select dates throughout the season beginning June 13th and 20th from 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. For a complete list of dates see the Master Gardener Calendar. The Master Gardeners will be found at the City’s information tent.

Please make a note of our new Market hours, 8:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.; now you can enjoy breakfast and lunch at the Market! The new hours will better serve both the community and the vendors, but remember for safety and fairness there is NO shopping before 8:00 A.M. Also, for environmental health reasons, pets are not allowed in the Market.

There is ample free parking in the West Lot of Civic Plaza and across the street at Public Works off of James Ave. The East Lot has Handicapped Parking only so please help us prevent congestion and promote pedestrian safety by parking in the designated areas. We do have a wagon for you to use if you need help getting all of your purchases back to your car! Stop by the city tent and we will be happy to help.

Help us spread the word about the Bloomington Farmers Market! If you have a place to hang a sign about the Farmers Market (church, workplace, coffee shop, etc.) we would love your help! You can either print the poster yourself or pick up a copy at the City’s information tent.

Great Reasons to Shop at the Farmers Market

Strawberries Taste real flavors: The fruits and vegetables you buy at the Market are at the freshest and tastiest available. Our Farmers Market produce is allowed to ripen in the field not in a truck that is transporting it thousands of miles.

Celebrate the season: The food you buy at the Farmers Market is seasonal. Everything is locally grown and it is exciting to see what each season produces. Reconnect with the cycles of nature; enjoy spring snap peas, summer sweet corn and crisp fall apples. Eat with the season and enjoy the variety!

Support Family Farmers: Family farmers are becoming increasingly rare. Large agribusiness farms and ranches are steadily taking over food production in the U.S. and small family farms have a hard time competing. Buying directly from farmers gives them a better return for their produce and gives them a fighting chance in today’s globalized economy.

Protect the environment: Food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,500 miles to get to your table. Shipping uses large amounts of natural resources, especially fossil fuels, contributes to pollution and creates excess waste due to extra packaging.

Variety: Find a bountiful assortment of vegetables you might not find at the grocery store. Keep your body healthy and eat vegetables from every color in the rainbow. It’s a great opportunity to try something new!

Know where your food comes from: Meeting and talking to farmers is a great opportunity to learn more about how food is grown, where it is grown, when it is grown and why. In each newsletter we spotlight a vendor, you will find the interviews in a book at the City Tent, stop by to learn more about the people who work so hard to bring you the most delicious and nutritious food around.

Learn cooking tips, recipes and meal ideas: Vendors at the Farmers Market are often passionate cooks with plenty of free advice about how to cook the foods they are selling. We also have some cookbooks at the City tent, recipes from other shoppers and recipes we include in the newsletter. If you have a recipe you would like to share be sure to stop by and let us know; we would love to share it with others!

Connect with your community: Isn’t it fun to run into friends and neighbors at the Market! Shopping at the Farmers Market makes shopping a pleasure rather than a chore. The Farmers Market is a community gathering place – a place to meet new friends, bring your children, or just get a taste of small-town life in the midst of our wonderful city.

We look forward to seeing you on June 13th at 8:00 A.M.!

Happy Spring,
Keri Lahl
Market Coordinator

“Reasons to Shop at a Farmers’ Market” was reprinted from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, San Francisco, CA.

In this issue

To learn more

Market Opens in 10 Days

Great Reasons to Shop at the Farmers Market


	*Issue #1 - June 3, 2009*
In this issue Market opens in 10 Days Great Reasons to Shop at the Farmers Market To learn more Archived Farmers Market newsletters E-Subscribe Vendor List Vendor Location Map Music Calendar Master Gardener Calendar Market Poster Parking Map	Dear Farmers Market Newsletter Subscriber, If you subscribed to our newsletter in past years, you may notice we are using a new e-mail subscription service called E-Subscribe. E-Subscribe replaces our previous Farmers Market e-mail subscription service. If you recently signed up for this newsletter via E-Subscribe, Welcome! With E-Subscribe we will continue to provide you with interesting and informative updates about the Farmers Market. If you wish, the service will also allow you to sign up for updates to many other City of Bloomington topics that may interest you. Furthermore, with E-Subscribe you can password protect your subscriptions and preferences, change your e-mail address, etc. Of course, you can also remove yourself from this list at any time by accessing your Subscription Preferences page. To add a password, add other subscriptions, or remove your e-mail address from E-Subscribe, visit our website at www.ci.bloomington.mn.us and click on the "E-Subscribe" link on the left side of the page. Log in using your e-mail address. We hope that you will find it useful to have the ability to customize your e-mails based upon your particular interests. Market Opens in 10 Days Market season is nearly upon us and we are very excited about this year’s Market which will open at 8:00 A.M. on Saturday, June 13th. There will be a great variety of locally grown produce as well as honey, maple syrup, baked goods, cut flowers, dried fruit and nuts, coffee, kettle corn, smoothies, strawberries, unique art and live music! New this year will be farm fresh eggs, naturally grown chicken, beef and pork, gourmet pickles, strudels, and a variety of heirloom vegetables. Check out our Vendor List and Vendor Location Map to find your favorites! This year there will be live music every week from 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M., be sure to look at the Music Calendar for a list of all the performers. We are also pleased to have Master Gardeners back again this year. They were thrilled to have so many good questions last year, so bring your branches, leaves and bugs and they will help solve your gardening mysteries! They will be joining us on select dates throughout the season beginning June 13th and 20th from 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. For a complete list of dates see the Master Gardener Calendar. The Master Gardeners will be found at the City’s information tent. Please make a note of our new Market hours, 8:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.; now you can enjoy breakfast and lunch at the Market! The new hours will better serve both the community and the vendors, but remember for safety and fairness there is NO shopping before 8:00 A.M. Also, for environmental health reasons, pets are not allowed in the Market. There is ample free parking in the West Lot of Civic Plaza and across the street at Public Works off of James Ave. The East Lot has Handicapped Parking only so please help us prevent congestion and promote pedestrian safety by parking in the designated areas. We do have a wagon for you to use if you need help getting all of your purchases back to your car! Stop by the city tent and we will be happy to help. Help us spread the word about the Bloomington Farmers Market! If you have a place to hang a sign about the Farmers Market (church, workplace, coffee shop, etc.) we would love your help! You can either print the poster yourself or pick up a copy at the City’s information tent. Great Reasons to Shop at the Farmers Market Taste real flavors: The fruits and vegetables you buy at the Market are at the freshest and tastiest available. Our Farmers Market produce is allowed to ripen in the field not in a truck that is transporting it thousands of miles. Celebrate the season: The food you buy at the Farmers Market is seasonal. Everything is locally grown and it is exciting to see what each season produces. Reconnect with the cycles of nature; enjoy spring snap peas, summer sweet corn and crisp fall apples. Eat with the season and enjoy the variety! Support Family Farmers: Family farmers are becoming increasingly rare. Large agribusiness farms and ranches are steadily taking over food production in the U.S. and small family farms have a hard time competing. Buying directly from farmers gives them a better return for their produce and gives them a fighting chance in today’s globalized economy. Protect the environment: Food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,500 miles to get to your table. Shipping uses large amounts of natural resources, especially fossil fuels, contributes to pollution and creates excess waste due to extra packaging. Variety: Find a bountiful assortment of vegetables you might not find at the grocery store. Keep your body healthy and eat vegetables from every color in the rainbow. It’s a great opportunity to try something new! Know where your food comes from: Meeting and talking to farmers is a great opportunity to learn more about how food is grown, where it is grown, when it is grown and why. In each newsletter we spotlight a vendor, you will find the interviews in a book at the City Tent, stop by to learn more about the people who work so hard to bring you the most delicious and nutritious food around. Learn cooking tips, recipes and meal ideas: Vendors at the Farmers Market are often passionate cooks with plenty of free advice about how to cook the foods they are selling. We also have some cookbooks at the City tent, recipes from other shoppers and recipes we include in the newsletter. If you have a recipe you would like to share be sure to stop by and let us know; we would love to share it with others! Connect with your community: Isn’t it fun to run into friends and neighbors at the Market! Shopping at the Farmers Market makes shopping a pleasure rather than a chore. The Farmers Market is a community gathering place – a place to meet new friends, bring your children, or just get a taste of small-town life in the midst of our wonderful city. We look forward to seeing you on June 13th at 8:00 A.M.! Happy Spring, Keri Lahl Market Coordinator “Reasons to Shop at a Farmers’ Market” was reprinted from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, San Francisco, CA.