News

In addition to Blueberries of Daviess County and their popular pre-orders for fresh blueberries and homemade desserts made with their blueberries, several other farms and vendors will join us.

Barr Farms returns to the market this week as the fruits of the season now abound. Adam Barr and Rae Stroebel grow over 40 different varieties of certified organic vegetables, including many heirloom varieties and offer sorghum.  They also raise chickens, beef, and pork. Learn more about them, their farm, and staff at their website. They will be in space 28 this week while Elmwood Stock Farm is away.

Pavel’s Garden, a Partner Grower of founding St. Matthews Market farm, Foxhollow Farm, will be joining the market family. Since 2007, Pavel has operated a vegetable CSA and market garden at Foxhollow. Pavel grows delicious vegetables using organic and biodynamic gardening methods. Subscribers to the CSA enjoy a full box of freshly picked vegetables each week. They will be in space 33 this week while Stone Burr Farm is away.

The mission of the partner growers program is to provide the opportunity for farmers, gardeners, and artisans to grow biodynamic and organic food in a supportive community. Foxhollow is committed to creating partnerships with farming entrepreneurs. They believe in the importance of sharing their farmland with the next generation of individuals dedicated to growing food that is nourishing and delicious. The exchange of information, resources, and support are a few of the benefits of gathering a group of individual growers on one piece of farmland. Learn more about partner growers at Foxhollow from their website.

Magnolia Woodwork and Walnut Grove Style makes their return with hand-turned and finished wood items, bow ties, and jewelry. Ryan inherited his passion for woodworking from his Grandfather.  In fact, some of Ryan’s earliest memories are sitting with him to watch the New Yankee Workshop and the smell of his humble, yet efficient workshop.  After spending over ten years learning the craft, Magnolia Woodwork was created to share his passion with clients who appreciate custom made, high quality wood furniture and accessories. Recently, Ryan has joined forces with longtime friend, Terrianne Tremayne, to create Walnut Grove Style – a brand dedicated to hand-crafted wood jewelry, fashion, and home decor. They will be in space 00 at the front of the market.

Maya Collection is a Louisville non-profit offering handmade artisan goods from recent immigrants to America. Maya means love in the Nepali language. Through the business the women have an opportunity to become financially independent and share their love of creating beautiful, wearable art.  Come see them at the market on June 27. They will be in space 23.

by Art Lander Jr. of Holy Branch Farm

When you visit the St. Matthews Farmers Market you take part in what humans have been doing for thousands of years around the world — gathering at a pre-determined place, on a pre-determined day and time, to buy and sell the provisions of daily life.

Open-air, public markets have existed for as long as humans have engaged in trade.        

Through history open-air markets have typically been held in a city’s market district, green space in the city’s center, church yard or open field at the edge of town.

Farmers from the surrounding countryside would bring their goods to town to sell on a daily or weekly basis, during festivals or other special holiday events. Artisans, living and working near market sites, produced metal and leather goods, jewelry, clothing and woodenware for both necessity and luxury.

Even in ancient times, vendors paid a fee to sell on market days.

Today, consumers looking for high-quality, locally-produced fruits and vegetables, beef, lamb, pork, breads, cheese, prepared foods, wine, craft beer, cut flowers and one-of-a-kind arts and crafts are drawn to the modern version of the age-old open-air market — the farmers market. Customers have the convenience of finding just what they want in one place.

When you buy local there’s a person-to-person connection and a sense of community. You can put a face on your food, and can ask questions about how it was grown or raised. Talk with the artisan and get details of how that one-of-a-kind item was made so when you give it as a holiday, birthday, or wedding gift, there’s a story that goes along with the future heirloom.

According to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA), there are 160 farmers markets across the Commonwealth, in 112 counties, with about 2,700 vendors.

“We estimate $13 million annually in sales at Kentucky’s farmers markets,” said Sharon Spencer, of KDA’s Office of Direct Farm Marketing. “We’ve had farmers markets in Kentucky for at least 30 years. Demand is continuing to grow for local food and farm-based products.”

In many countries shopping at a local open-air market is a standard feature of daily life. Here’s some background on the history of open-air markets and market houses from around the world:

Open-air markets were known to have existed in the Middle East almost 2,000 years before the birth of Christ, in ancient Babylonia, Assyria, and Egypt.

In ancient Rome, markets were held on or near the Forum, an open space in the city’s center.

Pompeii, a Roman city of 12,000, near modern-day Naples, Italy, devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, had multiple markets.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the markets encircled the Forum, but the livestock market was situated on the city’s perimeter. Historians believe there was a produce market, cereal market, and meat and fish market. A calendar of market days, written on the side of a building is clear evidence of the market’s importance to community life and trade.
                *
In Medieval Europe, markets developed close to monasteries, castles or royal residences.

Aristocratic households created considerable demand for goods and services, and attracting sellers stimulated the growth of towns.

In England alone, it’s believed that some 2,000 markets were established between 1200 and 1349. Beginning in the 12th century informal markets gave way to a system of formal, chartered markets where the regulation of market place practices gave consumers confidence in the quality of market goods and the fairness of prices.

Monarchs awarded a charter to local Lords to create markets and fairs for a town or village.The charter protected the town’s trading privileges in return for an annual fee. Once a chartered market was granted for specific market days, a nearby rival market could not open on the same days.

The Grand Bazaar, in Istanbul, Turkey, is often cited as the world’s oldest continuously-operating, market building. Its construction began in 1455, and today it houses about 3,600 retail shops.
                *
In China there have been street and wet markets for centuries. A wet market refers to a place where fruit, vegetables, fish, seafood and meat products are sold.

In modern times, many open-air markets in China are wholesale and retail, serving as both as a distribution center and retail shopping venue. To assist in the distribution of food, more than 9,000 wholesale produce markets operate in China.

One of the largest retail markets in China is the Beijing Zoo Market, a collection of 12 different markets, comprising some 20,000 tenant stall-holders, 30,000 employees and more than 100,000 customers daily.

In many large cities in China, fresh produce markets are gradually moving to online sales with door-to-door deliveries.

Throughout Asia there are night markets, floating markets and large indoor/outdoor markets.

Bangkok, Thailand boasts the world’s largest weekend market in Chatuchak. It is also famous for its floating market in the Taling Chan District, where vendors not only sell fresh produce from barges, but will also cook meals and snacks on board their vessels.

In India there are wholesale, retail and so-called terminal markets, each with specific sellers, buyers and products.

Terminal markets sell directly to the end-user, whether it be the consumer, food processor or shipping agent for export of agricultural products to foreign countries, with an example being the Bombay Terminal Market.

At fairs held on religious days, vendors deal in livestock and agricultural produce. A Landa bazaar is a market with low prices for only secondhand, mostly imported, general goods.

In Australia, there are several historic outdoor and indoor markets, and many farmers markets.

The Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne’s central market, opened in 1878, but markets had been opening on the site before that.

In Sydney, the Rocks Market, focuses on crafts, jewelry and leather goods and operates at weekends. The Haymarket is one of the main produce markets and fresh-caught seafood is sold several days a week at the Sydney Fish Market.

Since the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service began tracking farmers markets in 1994, the number of markets in the United States has grown from 1,755 to 8,268 in 2014.

In 2013, the states with the most farmers markets included: California (759), New York (637), Illinois (336), Michigan (331) and Ohio (300). Total annual sales at U.S. farmers’ markets are estimated to exceed $1 billion. Perhaps the most well-known farmers market in the U.S. is New York City’s Union Square Greenmarket, which began with just a few farmers in 1976.

Today, in peak season, there are 140 regional producers selling at the Greenmarket, everything from just-picked fresh fruits and vegetables, heritage meats and award-winning farmstead cheeses, artisan breads, jams, pickles, to a profusion of cut flowers and plants, wine, ciders, and maple syrup. An estimated 60,000 persons shop there each market day.  In non-COVID-19 times, visitors can watch and taste cooking demonstrations by some of New York’s best chefs that prepare local foods.

The open-air market has a past that dates back to the earliest civilizations. Today, our modern version of this market has a promising future. Consumers want local food raised by sustainable agricultural methods and handmade, one-of-a-kind arts and crafts made by artisans in their community.     

Hambley Farms Heirloom tomatoes are back, specialty small tomatoes in pints. sweet candy onions (red and white), zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, sweet cabbage, burpless french cucumbers, american cucumbers, oriental eggplant, kale, green bell peppers, yellow sweet gypsy peppers, jalapeno, poblano, and sweet Italian fryer peppers are also in production.  Everything you need to make ratatouille or cucumber salad is coming in to full season.  Full, slicer, red tomatoes will be in by next week.

Ratatouille is a vegetable stew that originates in France. It includes many of the favorite summer vegetables that are quickly appearing at the market. Summer squash, eggplant, sweet onions, green peppers, red peppers and tomatoes are the key ingredients. Although red peppers and eggplant are not yet ready, ratatouille can be made with missing ingredients with little effect on the outcome. The Hambley’s recipe is simple and unique.

Start with a little olive oil in a skillet at medium heat. Throw in a sweet onion, garlic and peppers, sauté until onions are clear and peppers are soft. Add eggplant (optional), summer squash (we use yellow crookneck, as it has more flavor than yellow straight- neck) and cook ten or fifteen minutes. Don’t forget salt, pepper, basil and other herbs you like in a vegetable dish. Add peeled tomatoes (Charles and Elaine use a small can of diced Red Gold tomatoes for speed} and simmer for five to ten minutes.

Charles adds, “Since I am carnivorous meat eater, my wife and I compromise and grate our favorite cheese over the mixture, turn off the heat and let it set with a lid on to melt the cheese. I eat it over toast and Elaine eats it straight up.” You can search the internet for a more professional and more complicated recipe, but you won’t find it any tastier than the Hambleys. Their preparation time is only thirty minutes. And Charles leaves us with this, “Some recipes say 45 minutes, but they must think you have to learn how to use a knife.”

Visit the Hambleys on Facebook. Once red slicers are in, they will arrange pre-orders for those who prefer them. Information on how to advance purchase is forthcoming. See you on Saturday!

One of our most anticipated days of the summer season is the return of Blueberries! Many farmers will offer the sweet, succulent crop as we get into high seasons.

Blueberries of Daviess County will be back this week, June 13. Pre-order for best selection. Be sure to list “St. Matthews Farmers Market” in the notes field as your pick-up location.

The Blueberries of Daviess County Farm is is located less than 5 miles from Owensboro at 1401 Hill Bridge Road in Utica, Kentucky. They also offer U-Pick if you are in the area.

The McCormick family began growing blueberries in 2001. As full-time farmers, their corn and soybean farm struggled to be profitable and with the loss of tobacco pounds they decided to try growing blueberries as an alternate crop. They selected 12 varieties which ripen early to late in the season. Each variety has a slight variation in flavor and size. Currently, they have three acres (approx. 2,500 plants) of blueberries.

When purchasing fresh blueberries, look for firm, plump, dry berries with smooth skins and a silvery sheen. Size doesn’t matter, but color does- reddish berries aren’t ripe, but can be used in cooking. Avoid soft or shriveled fruit, or any signs of mold. Containers with juice stains indicate that the fruit may be bruised.

Refrigerate fresh blueberries as soon as you get them home, in their original pack or in a covered bowl or storage container. Wash the berries just before use.

The secret to successful freezing is to use berries that are unwashed and completely dry. Discard berries that look bruised or shriveled. Place the berries in a resealable plastic bag. Or, transfer berries to freezer containers. The berries will freeze individually and you can remove just the portion you need. Remember to rinse them before using.

In addition to their sweet, delectable flavor and visual appeal, blueberries are jam-packed with good nutrition. Blueberries:

• Help guard against cancer
• Fight Infection
• Strengthen eyesight
• Promote urinary tract health
• Improve circulation
• Improve your mind, coordination and balance
• Reverse short-term memory loss
• Reverse the effects of aging
• Fight chronic and degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s

What does it mean to be a good farmers market citizen during COVID-19? Beyond donning a mask and social distancing, it’s critically important that you shop with your eyes, not your hands. Please allow your farmer to select your items for you. Point to what you want. Please do not handle the produce! Our hands carry germs which can be transmitted to produce. Thank you for being diligent about this!

Also, as you enter and exit the market, please follow posted signs and placards. Enter on one-side and exit on the other. Chalk on the ground at the rear entrance, and caution tape, divides the entrance and exit. We added this entrance for your convenience because it is near the car park. This week several guests came in through the out door and vice versa! As Governor Beshear says, “You can’t be doing that!” Traffic is one-way only at this entrance/exit.

Also, the entrance and exit near Shelbyville Road are in two separate locations. Please help us by using them correctly. Guidelines set by our governing body, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, stipulate that we limit attendance and keep accurate occupancy counts. Our volunteers are working hard to do this. When you come in through the out door, the side, and through the caution tape, we struggle to keep our number of shoppers within recommended guidelines and thus, struggle to keep each other safe.

We are so glad to have you at the market! Please follow the guidelines, signs, and placards which are established for your safety. As always, if you don’t want to walk, order in advance and use the Drive-Thru on Church Way off of Browns Lane. Thank you!