Despite last week's damaging rains and flooding, we had a great Saturday market with blue skies and over a dozen vendors! We also had a great turnout of shoppers and a lot of fun with our Kids' Day event!
The Children's Advisory Commission of Indiana County set up an awesome Community Tent with a fun farm trivia game (complete with prizes) and photo booth. The Girl Scouts provided crafts in the Kids' Tent of clothespin caterpillars or your own personalized pet rock. Finally, the Market Info booth had a book and game about how your favorite vegetables grow. There were lots of families and lots of smiles throughout the morning. Thank you to all who participated!
This Saturday, we are excited to hold our first Chef Demonstration of the season! Josh Truitt, Executive Chef at CH Fields (and a market favorite) joins us in the Artisan Tent to show ways you can enjoy fresh, local foods at your 4th of July barbecue. Music Together will occupy the Kids' Tent with fun music and movement activities, including lots of instruments to play with. Finally, the Ken Sink chapter of Trout Unlimited will be in the Community Tent providing information about water, local streams, and watersheds. Be sure to stop in and say hello!
Our market product of the week returns this week as we highlight a favorite of children and adults alike - the sugar snap pea!
We are in peak season right now for these fresh, crisp, pea pods. Unlike snow peas (which are flatter but also have edible pods), snap peas are full in shape and have round peas inside. They are best eaten fresh, either raw or lightly cooked.
Fun Facts:
- The sugar snap pea is a hybrid of green (shelling) peas and snow peas that was developed in 1979. They were even bred with their fibers going in one direction so they are easier to chew (healthyeating.sfgate.com).
- Snap peas have fewer calories and more nutrients than shelling peas (www.nutrition-and-you.com).
- They are high in dietary fiber, which helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels (www.nutrition-and-you.com).
- An excellent choice for expectant mothers, snap peas are a great source of folic acid (www.nutrition-and-you.com).
If you can stop munching long enough to put these sweet pea pods into a meal, try a refreshing salad with your favorite early-season veggies. I love a mix of lettuce and other salad greens, snap peas, carrots, radishes, and anything else you love. Really dress it up by throwing in a few fresh strawberries or blueberries!
Toss it with this simple homemade vinaigrette.
We are still scheduling for our special tents through the end of September. If you are a local artist, musician, or are involved with a community organization or kids' group, e-mail us at indianafarmmarket@gmail.com if you'd like to participate!
See you at the market!
CH Fields (inside the Hilton Garden Inn) "believes in real food, grown and harvested by the good folks in our community who take care of their land for future generations."
Ken Sink Trout Unlimited is our local chapter with a mission to "conserve and restore the cold water fisheries in and around Indiana County Pennsylvania."
Music Together is an internationally recognized music and movement program for children birth through age five - and the grownups who love them. Our local Music Together program is run in partnership with the IUP Community Music School.
