Canning Summer at The West End Farmers Market!

Starting in February people in the neighborhood began asking, "When does the farmers market start?"  The glittery eyes, the minor note of desperation as they grilled for a date, revealed a customer suffering from fresh food withdrawal. 

Why do we like our food fresh?  Well to begin with, it tastes better - as a matter of fact it tastes great!  Other more intellectual reasons: there are more nutrients when a vegetable or fruit is picked the day before, there are usually far less pesticides and fertilizers used in local, small farming, and local fruits and veggies are not grown from genetically engineered seeds.  At the farmers market, a juicy ripe tomato, is a luscious-taste-sensation tomato, not a peanut/corn/tomato hybrid with a thick skin and little juice.  

The drawback of course is that local fresh food is only available during the growing season.  But what if you could extend the growing season, or rather extend the period you could enjoy the abundant fruits of the growing season?  In the two hundred years since preserving food in sealed glass jars was invented, people have created stupendously tasty recipes for keeping all manner of fresh fruits and vegetables available through the sparse winter months.

This year the National Farmers Market Coalition in partnership with the company that makes Mason Canning jars and tools has chosen The West End Farmers Market and 49 markets throughout the U.S. to help promote canning as a method for people to have access to fresh food through the winter. 

At the West End Farmers Market we will be having canning demonstrations, giving away coupons and pamphlets, having a raffle for free canning kits, and BEST OF ALL, we are sponsoring a canning recipe contest.  Look for more information on this blog and our facebook account.

Until then - All you foodies out there - WE WILL SEE YOU AT THE MARKET.
Stop by the Eden Good Tent or the West End Farmers Market Hospitality Tent for more information.