Some Farmer's Market Blue Grass- Music to Shop By

This Saturday at Court and High, it's Bluegrass and Bounty--Wayne Willis and Liberty Grass will be entertaining us in the Courthouse Galleries Courtyard while we pick and choose from the Farmers Market at Court and High Streets. Best blueberries in the region, tomatoes, okra, squash and beans; seafood, poultry, beef and more; herbs and flowers, jams and jellies; cakes and cookies galore. Yum!

Looking forward to a long weekend of not mopping up after a storm! See you downtown....

Portsmouth Farmers Market is Currently Free to Participants

The next Farmer's Market will be Saturday 8/21/2010 on the corner of High and Court Streets in downtown Portsmouth's Olde Towne. Farmer's start arriving from 8:00 am on but the market officially opens from 9:00 AM to 2:00ish. Currently, our farmers market does not charge farmers to participate. Participants always include a variety of farmers selling fresh, locally grown produce, meats, and seafood. Other participants include backyard gardeners, downtown food related businesses, and individuals preparing a variety of home made products from soaps to jams.

Some of the good things to eat include: veggies, fruits, fresh eggs, home made jams, fresh flowers, hormone free/free range beef and chickens, barbecue ribs, herbs, and fresh seafood from the Easter Shore. Last week a retired school teacher sold home made birdhouses and feeders with bird food.

Take advantage of being in Olde Town Portsmouth and visit the adjacent shops, quaint bistros, and a top notch movie theater (the Commodore.)

Come for a bagel and cream cheese, brunch or lunch at Brutti's which is right across the street. In fact Brutti's outdoor seating provides a great vantage to see the farmers market and passers-by.

Come for cheese and wine from Angry Adams.

Come for the unique shops like Queen Bee next to the Commodore.

Come and visit the beautiful courtyard of the "Court Street Galleries" and go inside to browse around.

Come for and visit our up-scale consignment shop "Next" at the 600 block of High Street.

Come visit our Children's Museum and the Sports Museum just down the street.

Come and have a relaxing good time.

Coast Guard City Century Bike Ride Will Pass By Farmer's Market

The City Coast Guard festivities will be going on during this Saturday's Farmers Market (Aug. 7, 2010.) As usual, the Farmer's Market will set up on the sidewalk in front and along side of the Courthouse Galleries.

Farmer's Market vehicles will be located in the Courthouse Galleries' parking lot. Farmer's Market volunteers will be available to help point out suitable setup areas.

For safety's sake, the Farmer's Market will not set up in Court Street as this is where the Coast Guard City Century Bike Ride will be passing through. The festivities are attracting many people to downtown so this Saturday promises to be a very good Farmer's Market day from the perspective of Farmer vendors.

Links:
Cycle Classics
Coast Guard Bike Event Maps
Coast Guard City Celebration Schedule

Next Farmer's Market Sat. July 24, 2010 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM

The Broken Arrows Farm will be at this Saturday's Farmer's Market. Don't miss out on their fresh meats and produce. I learned through a recent email that they just processed whole broilers Friday. I've purchased and prepared several of their chickens and a turkey in the past, and they taste sooo much better because they are very fresh. Yep, you CAN taste the difference. Check out their new website- http://www.brokenarrowsfarm.com

Remember, the Portsmouth Farmer's Market is easy to get to. It's on Court Street at High St.

My husband has been doing the shopping for the past several weeks, but I will be back visiting and buying this week. Hope to see you there.

July 10, 2010 Farmers Market

Farmers and shoppers, please take note that there will be an additional Portsmouth Farmers Market held this Saturday from 8:30 to 1:20.

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From Walking Sticks to Flower Arrangements...

The Portsmouth Farmers Market offers a wide variety of special items to make your 4th of July weekend memorable.

In a previous trip to the market, a display of creative, brightly painted chairs caught my eye. Looking a little closer, I realized they held pots of delightful, potted, flower arrangements. This participant also offered hand made walking sticks and unique, fountain flower arrangements.

July 2nd First Friday Market and July 3rd Sat.

This is First Friday week in Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Farmers Market will be part of it opening from 5:00PM-8:00PM.

Then, it will re-open Saturday morning beginning at 9:30 and ending around 1:30PM. The cooler weather makes visiting the farmers market a perfect activity for this 4th of July holiday weekend.

I'm going to an annual block party Saturday evening and as usual will be bringing some food. I enjoy taking healthy choices and hope to find some salad fixings and a watermelon at the market.

Farmer's Market Open Friday May 7th and Saturday May 8th

The Portsmouth Farmer's Market will be held Friday May 7th from 5pm-8pm and Saturday May 8th from 9am-1:30pm. It is located on the corner of High and Court Street. The above graphics were taken during last Saturday's Farmer's Market. As you can see, the place was buzzen...

The next Farmer's Market will be May 15th next weekend. Don't miss the great buys, fresh produce, and other farm/garden products.....

The Next Farmer's Market is May 8th

The May first Farmer's Market was a big success with many vendors in attendance. There were splashes of magnificent color in the fresh flowers.

One of my personal favorites is the Olde Man and the Seafood. I purchased a pound of fresh, sea scallops and cooked them up that evening. I made sure they were dry and pan sauted them in olive oil. They were delicious as well as healthy.

Above, Pat, owner of Olde Man and the Seafood, collects the scallops. I highly recommend these scallops.

Berkley Bridge Closed Use Alternate Route

The Berkeley Bridge will be closed this weekend for repairs. Map Quest may be used to plot an alternate route to the Downtown Tunnel or you may elect to use the Midtown Tunnel. Directions from Hampton Blvd. in Norfolk are given below and shown above. Just Mapquest directions from where you are to High St. and Court St. in Portsmouth for more exact directions.

1. Start out going WEST on HAMPTON BLVD/VA-337 W toward GRESHAM DR. Continue to follow VA-337 W. 0.1 mi
2. Stay STRAIGHT to go onto MIDTOWN TUNNEL EXPY. 0.4 mi Map
3. MIDTOWN TUNNEL EXPY becomes US-58 W. 2.3 mi
4. Take the VA-141 S/LONDON BLVD ramp toward DOWNTOWN PORTSMOUTH/NAVAL SHIPYARD/NAVAL HOSPITAL. 0.3 mi Map
5. Merge onto VA-141 S/LONDON BLVD. 1.2 mi
6. Turn RIGHT onto EFFINGHAM ST/VA-141. 0.1 mi
7. Turn LEFT onto HIGH ST. 0.3 mi
8. COURT ST & HIGH ST.

Thanks to Mapquest for the map and directions.

Kitchen Prepared Food Labeling Rules for Vendors

This information is for those Portsmouth Farmers Market vendors who sell foods prepared in uninspected home kitchens that qualify for an exception to inspections, i.e., jams, jellies, breads, cookies, etc.--see regulation quoted below.

Typically you don't need an inspection by the state for foods from:

Private homes where the resident processes and prepares candies, jams, and jellies not considered to be low-acid or acidified low-acid food products and baked goods that do not require time or temperature control after preparation if such products are: (i) sold to an individual for his own consumption and not for resale; (ii) sold at the private home or at farmers markets; and (iii) labeled "NOT FOR RESALE - PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION."

Please make sure your foods are properly labeled at the Portsmouth Farmers Market. The Farmer's Market volunteers are so happy to have your participation! If you have any questions, please contact Terry Danaher, PortsEvents Volunteer, at: 397-6395 or terryatwinc@aol.com.

Spring Has Sprung and The Freshest Produce Is Here

Fresh veggies, herbs, poultry, eggs, seafood, baked goods, and sassy sauces are just a few of the delights offered through the Portsmouth Farmer's Market. In addition to the produce, farmers, local growers, and hobby gardeners usually offer live plants, unusual as well as more common herbs, and cut flowers. The May 1st date will coincide with the Downtown Flea Market. The new space for the Farmer's Market is on Court Street and High in the heart of Olde Towne Portsmouth. I'll be there with camera in tow. See you there.

May 1st Grand Opening for 2010

We are looking forward to our first official Farmer's Market opening on May 1, 2010. There are new and better things in store for all of us.

Our permanent location is now at High and Court Street one block west of our old location on Middle street. We have banners flying to welcome you.

We will be participating once each month with Olde Towne's "First Fridays" at the same location from 5:00pm to 8:00pm on the first Friday of each month.

In addition to our "First Fridays" 1st and 3rd Saturdays, we will have an additional market on May 8th 9:00am to 1:30pm in conjunction with the Gosport Arts Festival.

So..... for the month of May, there are four dates you don't want to forget , Sat. May 1st, (Friday May 7th, 5:00pm to 8pm) Sat. May 8th, and Sat. May 15th.

See you there....

2010 Sneak Preview

This past Saturday, May 3rd, the Portsmouth Farmer's Market opened for a special preview. The market was held in the Museum parking lot just off Court Street. The market generally begins at 9:00 AM and ends around 1:00PM. Sometimes farmers stay a little later to sell out of their wares. However, the smart shopper comes early.

Arriving just after 9:30, I spied some freshly harvested, tender asparagus at the Brother's Farm Market booth and am glad I purchased them right away.

By the time I chatted for a few minutes with a friend and recommended he check out the asparagus, they were sold out. However, they still had leeks, fennel, and mint. In addition to the asparagus, I purchased some fresh scallops from Pat Taylor at the Old Man and the Seafood booth. Once home, I rinsed the asparagus and snapped off their lower stems. This ensures I save and use the only tender part. Next, I steamed them until they were a brilliant green.

Then it was to focus my attention on the scallops. After drying them thoroughly, I sauteed them in olive oil. I added both to cooked whole wheat linguine and included some steamed broccoli florets and cubed zucchini to create a scallop,veggie, pasta salad. I added a splash Newman's Balsamic Vinegret to add some flavor, and voila a cool spring luncheon was born. Needless to say the scallops were plump, fresh, and succulent. Sauteing them dry brings out their sweetness. My husband appreciated the fresh combination of veggies and scallops as it was a feast for the eyes and tastebuds.

I do enjoy going to the farmers market. Inevitably, I meet and chat with friends and vendors. The visit made for a pleasant, satisfying Saturday morning, lunch, with great leftovers to savor later.

Health Department Permit Now Required

PortsEvents will once again obtain the permit for the market as a whole, but Portsmouth Farmer's Market Participants are also required to have permits for each food vendor this year.

If you already have a permit from the Virginia Department of Health, you need not pay the $10 fee, but we still need to have the permit application from each vendor. A copy of the permit and application is attached; you can fill it out and fax it to: 703-783-0053. If you cannot fax the application, please e-mail the following information to terryatwinc@aol.com :

Vendor/Owner Name
Address
Work Phone
Home Phone
A list of all food and beverage items that will be sold at the Portsmouth market.

Please include the following sentence at the end of the listing:

"The above is true to be to the best of my knowledge, and I will comply with the Health Department Requirements, signed [your name and the date]."

I will fill out the applications for signature at the April market for those vendors who cannot fax the application with signature to me.

I look forward to seeing you Saturday--and to getting your permit applications, which should take approximately 5 minutes or less to complete, as soon as possible. I will be taking them to the Portsmouth Health Dept. on Tuesday afternoon, March 30, so I'd appreciate getting them back by noon. If you have any questions or for some reason can't make the Tuesday deadline, give me a call; I can be reached at 757-397-6395.

I'm sorry for the late notice, but at least the form is extremely short and uncomplicated, and the fee is minimal!

Sincerely,
Terry Danaher, happy purchaser of just about everything at last year's market!
PortsEvents Volunteer
phone: 757-397-6395
fax: 703-783-0053
e-mail: terryatwinc@aol.com

April 3rd and May 8th Have Been Added to the Farmer's Market Schedule

We have the opportunity to use the Courthouse Gallery Parking lot on April 3, for the Farmers Market. This will be our first themed market. The theme will be "Going Green in Olde Towne"

Bonsai demonstrations, art exhibits, music, Stealth Mobile Shredding will be here for free shredding Bring what you have and join us for a fun filled Sat. great time to get your legs for our official opening on May 1st.

In addition to our current dates, Sat. May 8th has been added to the schedule. This is the week-end of Gosport Arts Festival and Portsmouth will be buzzing with visitors from everywhere. This is A BIG EVENT!!! Market hours will be 9:00am to 1:00 or 2:00pm. or until you sell out.

The schedule below reflects the additional dates.

If you have suggestions, comments, questions please call Brenda at: 397 2616.

So You'd Like to Participate in the Farmer's Market

If you're interested in participating in the Portsmouth Farmer's Market, contact Brenda at:757 397 2616. Participant's are required to fill out an application and obtain a "Grower's License."

This license is issued by the city of Portsmouth, 801 Crawford Parkway, 1st floor, Commissioner of the Revenue Office.There is no charge for this license. If you need more information about this license, you may call or email Bernetta Walker. Walkerb@portsmouth.gov 757 393 8714 ext 2110.

All others, who are not growers, are required to have a business license. (same address and info above) If you already have a business license from another city that will be acceptable, and you do not need one from Portsmouth.

2010 Portsmouth Farmer's Market Schedule

At last great news has arrived. Brenda, one of the Farmer's Market original organizers, sent participants and other volunteers the following email. It outlines this year's schedule.
"We are delighted to send this mail to you. Olde Towne Business Association (OTBA) promised new and better things for 2010, Farmer's Market will participate in First Friday's. ( the first Fri of each month 5:00pm to 8:00pm). This is a popular event each month that brings many visitors for a fun filled evening, your presence is going to make it even better.
Our permanent location for the Market will be Court Street. This location is not only high visibility, but it affords us the space that is needed.

Below is the schedule for the market.

April 3

May 1, 7, 8, 15

June 4, 5, 19

July 2, 3, 17, 31

August 6, 7, 21, 28

September 3, 4, 18

October 1, 2, 16

November 5, 6, 20

December 4 and to be announced.

Looking forward to seeing all of you in May 2010."

City of Portsmouth Celebrates National Nutrition Month (March)

The Portsmouth Farmer's Market is a way of obtaining in-season, farm/garden fresh produce, herbs, meats, and products. Fresh, minimally processed foods are the best kind. It's what nature intended us to eat. To these ends, the city of Portsmouth VA will be celebrating National Nutrition Month and the Portsmouth Farmer's Market Blog would like to share this information by publicizing their announcement.

Farmer's Market Participant Links

On my last trip to the Farmer's Market just before Christmas, I gathered as many business cards as I could from the participants. This is not a complete list, but it's a start.

If you're looking to purchase items from these fine folks during the winter/early spring season before the market opens, you may find the contact info helpful.


Broken Arrows Farm "All Natural Pasture Raised Animals"
email: brokenarrowsfarm@aol.com
http://www.brokenarrowsfarm.com/

Sauces 4 U "The best Hot Sauces you will get your hands on!"
(757) 641-7829
email: info@sauces4U.com
http://sauces4u.com

Batten Bay Farm "Naturally Grown Fresh Produce and Cut Flowers"
email:drbyrum@verizon.net
http://battenbayfarm.com/default.aspx

The Old Man and the Seafood "from the shore to your door"
email: pat@theoldmanandtheseafood.com
http://theoldmanandtheseafood.com

Stonefield Soaps "Handcrafted Goats Milk Soap"
email: keenandhawes09@gmail.com
http://stonefieldsoaps.com

Off Season Sales Venues for Farmers

The Portsmouth Farmer's Market will be starting up again this spring. In the meantime, a potential, free marketing strategy for our farmers may be to post produce, meat, etc. on Craigslist under the "For Sale" "Farm and Garden" section. I've created this short tutorial outlining how to set up an account on Craigslist. I did it for another project and thought it may be useful here. It's a straight forward, four-step process.

I'll set up another on "Selling on Craigslist" and use the Farm and Garden section for the demo.
Our local Craislist link is: http://norfolk.craigslist.org/

A Green Growing Thought

Although snow threatens us as I write this entry and winter is not yet over, it may be a good idea to spruce up on those gardening skills. The Virginia Cooperative Extension(VCE) will be offering Master Gardener Classes. A Master Gardener Volunteer is a person who successfully completes the master gardener course and then acts on behalf of the VCE as an educator in their community. Course topics include: botany; diseases and weeds; perennials and annuals; pest management; organic gardening; fertilization; vegetables and herbs; soil science; pruning; interior plants; lawns, trees, and shrubs; plant ID; and composting. Master Gardeners must complete the course work sponsored by VCE and a 50 hour hands on internship in Master Gardener Volunteer projects. The Portsmouth Master Gardeners Office may be able to help you hone you gardening skills for the next planting season. They will know of projects and other educational offering in the area. For more information about the Portsmouth VA program, call: (757) 393-5197. Their web site is: http://offices.ext.vt.edu/portsmouth/