New Vendor: Whitmore Farm

Whitmore Farm http://www.whitmorefarm.com/ joins the Westover Farmers Market beginning this Sunday.  Whitmore Farm raises pastured pork, eggs, and seasonal grass-fed lamb. The farm also raises a small amount of seasonal vegetables, cut flowers and starter plants. The farm is located in Frederick County, Maryland, outside the town of Emmitsburg off of U.S. Highway 15. The pigs and poultry are heirloom breeds humanely raised that yield pork, sausage, and eggs different from those found in most stores.  Whitmore Farm will be located in stall spot # 31 at the north end of the market.  Please give them a warm welcome!

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Winter market hours begin this Sunday; Spriggs Delight Farm starts at the market

The winter season of the Westover Farmers Market opens this Sunday morning an hour later — 9 a.m.  The winter market runs until 1 p.m.

This will give customers more light and warmth during this cooler season of the year.  Adjust your shopping time accordingly.

Spriggs Delight Farm, which produces delectable varieties of goat cheese, begins at the market this Sunday.  The special strains of bacteria that transform the pasteurized goats milk into cheese remain alive in these products.  This means that the cheeses will continue to mature as they age and develop a stronger flavor — unlike store-bought cheeses.  Decide for yourself whether you like the cheese best mild or more funky, and age it at home in the refrigerator accordingly!  Spriggs Delight Farm, which is near Sharpsburg, Maryland, can be found up on the plaza near the Westover Library entrance.

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New Vendor: Michely Almaraz, El Tenedor de Nacho

A new vendor this week at the market is Michely Almaraz, who does business as El Tenedor de Nacho. He offers tamales and empanadas as well as Latino desserts like tres leches cake and home-made flan. His commercial kitchen is in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and he sells at several farmers markets in the Washington metro area.  Michely does catering as well.  As he states “We make the most delicious empanadas (chicken, beef, cheese & more) and desserts.  Our goal is to provide a unique flavor for all of our customers.”  His web site is http://www.eltenedordenacho.com/.  Find his delicious foods up on the plaza area of the Westover Farmers Market.

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Shenandoah Seasonal Joins the Market

We have a new vendor beginning at the Westover Farmers Market this Sunday — a second organic vendor offering a wide range of seasonal vegetables.

“Shenandoah Seasonal is a family farm growing chemical free vegetables, specializing in greens, herbs, and flowers in Virginia. We provide farm fresh products throughout all four seasons.  Our web site is www.shenandoahseasonal.com .  Also check us out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahSeasonal/.  We are excited to be joining the Westover Farmers Market!  Find us at the north end of the market next to Penn Farm.” — Dan and Ali Haney

1,000 Facebook Likes and Pie Life Returns to the Market in May

We’ve reached 1,000 likes on the Westover Farmers Market Facebook page! Please like our page if you haven’t done so already: https://www.facebook.com/westoverfarmersmarket.

Speaking of “likes,” do you like pie? Livin’ the Pie Life will be returning to the market this summer! Because of their growing popularity, they won’t be able to make every market Sunday, so you should check for the “Eat More Pie” banner in the plaza. While you wait for the summer market to begin, you can read about Livin’ the Pie Life in a recent Washington Post article.

Cheese — and Seconds

Spring Gap Mountain Creamery will rejoin the Westover Farmers Market this Sunday.  Spring Gap offers several aged cheeses made near PawPaw, West Virginia from raw milk coming from the Shenandoah Valley.  The Creamery’s cheeses include Jersey Gold, Shenandoah Sunrise (a southern French farmstead cheese), Sophie’s Select (a medium sharp cheddar), West Virginia Blue, Bloomery (similar to a Camembert or Brie), and Farmhouse Feta (our favorite!).  Spring Gap will be selling up on the plaza area of the market.

An open secret of farmers markets is the availability of fruits and vegetables from our local vendors that are sold at a sharply reduced price as seconds.  If you are making an apple pie, who cares if the apples you use are a bit misshapen or have a bruise?  Also if you need a large amount of a fruit or vegetable for a recipe, ask the several farm vendors at the market whether they have seconds of what you need.  You could get some or all of what you want from the seconds bin and pay notably less than you would at any regular grocery store.  Be a sharp farmers market shopper!

New Organic Vendor

We are pleased to welcome a new vendor to Westover Farmers Market: Over the Mountain Farm, a fully organic fresh vegetable and fruit operation located in Boonsboro, MD.  Expect to see several varieties of tomatoes and squash, red and fingerling potatoes, melons, fresh green and lima beans, beets, spinach, cucumbers, peppers and garlic.  As the season progresses, Over the Mountain will introduce new items including kale, swiss chard, arugula, salad mix, bok choi, cauliflower, carrots, radishes and lettuce.