Community Farmers' Market of Owen County: A Dream Comes True

One of my favorite songs is "Happy Talk" from the musical South Pacific. I love the lyrics: "You've got to have a dream. If you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?"

As we all know, when a dream comes true, it's cause for celebration, congratulations, and gratitude. Emotions that Gwen Dieter, Market Master, and her Steering Committee members will certainly feel on Saturday, May 3 as they declare the Community Farmers' Market of Owen County open for its first day of business.

The market took nearly a year of planning and hard work by the community members whose vision was to "to provide local producers, and their neighbors a gathering place that fosters the connection between our food, our culture, our land and our environment". In June 2007, forty people attended the first organization meeting where they were asked to "share thoughts and ideas toward making the dream of a local farmers' market a reality for Owen County". The project was enthusiastically supported and spearheaded by the Owen County Soil & Water Conservation District.

In September, a Steering Committee was formed. The Steering Committee members included Rachel Beyer, Laurie-Ann Curry, Ron Dieter, Vickie Haskins, Denise Jenkins, Ed O'Brien, Patty Steward, Steve Worland, and Aaron Zeis. Resource advisors to the Committee included Mark Rogers (Owen County Community Foundation), Mark Evans (Purdue Cooperative Extension), Dave Haskins (Organic Farmer), Nancy Sparks (Farm Bureau Insurance), John Fuhs(Attorney), and Gwen Dieter (Owen County Soil and Water Conservation District). The Committee worked through the winter months to secure funding for the market and to develop the market's infrastructure and guidelines.

When the market opens this coming Saturday, it will feature locally produced foods and crafts all of which must be produced or grown within a 100 mile radius of Spencer, Indiana. Gwen is anticipating a great turn out. "The time is right for this," she recently told me. "We're so excited! Everyone has worked so hard to make this vision a reality for the community."

Congratulations and thank you to Gwen and everyone who put their time, energy, and hearts into establishing this new Indiana farmers' market. Here's to a great opening day and a long and successful future!

Farmers' Markets Opening Soon

Some of the Indiana Farmers' Markets are opening this weekend and many of them are scheduled to open within the next few weeks. So, be sure to check out the "Farmers Market Opening Days" section of this site for the opening date of your favorite market. If I don't have that market listed, email me and I'll get the opening date and post it.

Photo: Courtesy of the Broad Ripple Farmers' Market

Some Parts are Edible

When we were building our home several years ago, I wanted an herb garden just outside my kitchen's back door so I could dash out and grab a fresh herb just as I was preparing our meals.

During the course of researching that garden's design, I came across Rosaland Creasy's book "The Edible Flower Garden" and my thinking expanded considerably. Inspired by the book's gorgeous photos, simple instructions, and delicious recipes, I now have an organic edible flower and herb garden that surrounds our back patio. The tulips are just beginning to bloom and I love to eat their tasty petals! I use thinly sliced ribbons of tulip petals in salads, the whole petals as a base under tuna  or egg salad, and sometimes serve them with a dab of chive cream cheese on the base of the petal for a conversation starting appetizer.

Edible flowers can add elegance and fun to your meals. But caution should be exercised when growing and using them.

Most of us already know that not all flowers are edible. But it's also true that not all edible flowers are truly fit for human consumption. To be on the safe side, you should eat flowers only when you are absolutely positive that they are edible and choose only ones that are organically grown commercially or grown in your own garden without the use of pesticides and herbicides.

If you grow your own edible flowers, harvest them early in the morning when the water content is high, gently wash them in cool water, and place them on layers of damp paper towels in a covered plastic container in your refrigerator. Use them within 24 hours.

As pretty as they are, not all edible flowers taste very good and they should be used sparingly in your culinary creations. A mouth full of marigold petals can be a bitter experience. So, do your research and taste the petals before you use them in your recipes. Also, don't assume that because the fruit is edible, the flower will be. Flowers from tomato, eggplant, and pepper plants are poisonous. For a listing of "safe to eat" flowers, check out this site which notes flavor comparisons and suggested uses for those pretty petals.

One last note of caution, never give edible flowers to children, pregnant women, the elderly, or anyone who has asthma and/or hayfever, or whose immune system may be compromised.

Photos: Edible tulips and pansies from my garden

Indiana Lavender

Congratulations to Libbe and Kieran O'Connor from Willowfield Lavender Farm in Mooresville, Indiana. Their 28 acre farm is one of the midwest lavender farms featured in the May/June 2008 issue of Midwest Living magazine with a great write up and a full page of beautiful photos showcasing their stunning property.

Photo: Lavender in my herb garden

Asparagus, Mushroom, and Ham Frittata

How good does this frittata look? Filled with our own just harvested asparagus, my neighbor Jane's fresh eggs, chives from our herb garden, local cheese, and locally grown mushrooms it's just about as perfect as a spring meal can get. Quick, easy, and delicious. It's on the table in less than 15 minutes giving you plenty of time to enjoy being outside on these beautiful spring evenings.

I've been harvesting about 6-8 asparagus spears a day now and incorporating them into at least one of our meals. Tonight it's Risotto with Smoked Chicken and Asparagus. I only wish that I had some morels to add to it. That would take it over the top!

You'll find the frittata recipe in the Spring Recipes section of this site. Next week I'll have the risotto recipe for you.

Photo: Asparagus Frittata

Chive Talkin'

I love chives! Their unique scent and pungent flavor is welcome as my taste buds begin to crave spring time foods. I sprinkle them on egg dishes, rice, potatoes, and vegetables.

My chives are just beginning to flower and that means it's time to make chive flower butter. Check out the Spring Recipes section on this site for that easy recipe.

Photo: Chives in my herb and edible flower garden

While I Was Sleeping in Seattle

Last week I visited friends in Seattle. While we were experiencing record cold temperatures, snow and sleet, I heard the weather here was just beautiful. I arrived home on Monday afternoon to blossoming fruit trees in our orchard, 6 inch high garlic sprouts, the first asparagus pushing through the garden soil, and my lettuces in the cold frame waiting to be made into the first "real" salad of the season. My husband had been hard at work in the gardens while I was gone and planted all of the cool weather seeds and plants.

Yesterday as we walked through the orchards, I could hear the busy hum of the honeybees among the flowering trees. Tonight we'll have the first of the asparagus for supper-- What a beautiful time of year!

Photo: Our orchard in bloom 

Heirloom Plant Sale at Conner Prairie

A visit to the Conner Prairie Living History Museum in Fishers, Indiana lets you experience life in the 19th century American culture. It's a great place to wander about the expertly re-created villages and meet with the residents as they tell you about life before modern conveniences such as grocery stores, electric appliances, and e-mail! The gardens on the property are especially beautiful and filled with period plants.

If you want to grow a piece of Indiana history in your own garden, visit Conner Prairie on May 3-4 where you will be able to purchase heirloom plants including 18 varieties of tomatoes, herbs and perennials from their historic gardens. The Heirloom Plant Sale includes free demonstrations on making jams, preserves and marmalades, as well as instruction on how to grow a king mammoth pumpkin. You're encouraged to enter your jams, heirloom produce, and pumpkins in the Museum's Country Fair which is going to be held on September 20-21 this year.

The plant sale is held just outside of the Museum grounds and admission to that event is free. Admission to the Museum is $11.00 for Adults, $7.00 for Youth Ages 2-12, and $10.00 for Seniors Age 65+. Once inside the Museum grounds, you can visit the Gift Shop where you can purchase heirloom seeds including a variety of beans, flowers, and melons.

The sale will run from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on May 3 and 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on May 4.

Photo: Heirloom tomatoes in our 2007 gardens at Dirtpatch

 

Ertel Cellars Winery

Taking advantage of the beautiful warmer weather on a Sunday a few weekends ago, my husband and I dusted off our old red pick-up truck and headed to his farm in Batesville. Our mission: to find a large storm window to make a cold frame to start our lettuces and greens this spring. We found exactly what we needed in about five minutes which gave us some time to visit Ertel Cellars Winery which is only a few miles from the farm.

The family owned Ertel Cellars Winery is on 200 acres of beautiful Indiana countryside. We were warmly greeted and sampled a few of the wines. My favorite was the light and refreshing Vidal which I understand pairs well with asparagus (good thing to know since our asparagus is just starting to come up through the garden soil).

While we tasted the wines we looked at the menu and wished we had come around meal time. Chef Ed currently grows his own potatoes and is actively sourcing local food producers to develop recipes for his spring menu. The chef is a frequent visitor at the local farmers markets where he buys seasonal produce and herbs for his culinary creations.

With its tasting bar, lounge, restaurant, and wine market nestled in sprawling vineyards with beautiful sweeping views of the Indiana countryside, Ertel Cellars Winery is now on our "must visit" list whenever we're in southern Indiana. Which I think will be more often now that I've discovered that lovely Vidal!

Mooresville Community Garden Gives Gardeners More than Land

As a Junior majoring in Dietetics at Marian College, Amanda Armstrong would have never guessed that her college paper outlining a grant proposal for a community garden would go much beyond the good grade and class credit she received for it. But eight years later, she would find herself revisiting that topic and creating a community garden in Mooresville.

One day last January as Amanda looked at the great expanse of lawn surrounding her church, she felt it could be put to better use than " just growing grass". She thought the land would make a great community garden and approached the Trustees who enthusiastically supported her plan. Less than 90 days later she was taking applications for plots from prospective gardeners for the First United Methodist Church's Community Garden.

This year is the second season for the garden and everyone from the former year has returned in addition to a few new folks. Some of the returning gardeners have taken two plots and are looking forward to another great growing year. Bea Lewis says the gardens are a "true blessing" for her. She was thinking about putting some raised beds in her own yard when she saw the sign for the gardens and knew immediately that this was a perfect solution to her needs. In 2007 she grew heirloom tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, lemon cucumbers, and watermelons. Over the winter she and her family enjoyed her peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chili sauce. "I love it! It's the best thing this community has ever done for us! It gives me a place to go to each day where I can enjoy working in my garden and making new friends.", she told me last week. Bea can hardly wait to put her plants and seeds in this year. Her enthusiasm is shared by her grandson who told her recently that he is "dying for one of her fresh tomatoes".

Pam Taber grew up with a big garden tended by her parents but at her current home she doesn't have the yard space for one. When she saw the sign for the community garden, she jumped at the chance to grow her own fresh produce for her family of four. Last year she grew tomatoes, zucchini, beets, spinach, yellow squash, and peppers. She's very excited to be taking on two plots this year.

Arlen Armstrong, Amanda's father-in-law, praises the "community feel" of the gardens and says that he enjoys being around his fellow gardeners as they share conversations while working their plots. Arlen needed a place to grow tomatoes including his much prized "Rose of England", a variety which has been grown by his family for over 100 years. He also grew sweet potatoes last year, most of which he donated to the local food pantry, Churches in Mission, where each week all the gardeners donate part of their harvest.

Amanda is reluctant to take too much credit for creating this successful venture, crediting instead the generosity of the church Trustees and the hard work and enthusiasm of the gardeners themselves. But those I spoke with say that she deserves the lion's share of the praise for this new community gathering place. She had a dream and worked hard to make that dream come true for everyone who now takes great delight in the quickly advancing gardening season where they will come together once again to tend to their crops, share their harvest, and enjoy each other's fellowship.

Congratulations to Amanda whose vision, hard work, and generosity contributed to making this beautiful community garden possible in Mooresville!

Photo: Courtesy of Amanda Armstrong