Only two markets left!

David Rogers

Dexter Lake Farmers' Market runs through September, which means you have two more Sundays to come meet your local farmers, sample delicious fresh produce, buy handmade crafts and enjoy the creative community atmosphere.

To facilitate that atmosphere this Sunday, David Rogers will be performing on his melodious musical guitar.  David will perform for us starting around noon, when the market opens.  We hope you can be present to meet your friends and neighbors, have lunch or a snack and listen to David play. His offerings include classical and folk. You can learn more about him and his music at www.sasquatchguitar.com.

Above you see Joel Hucka of Circle H Farm of Dexter helping a customer choose her vegetables. Circle H Farm is in its fifth year of growing certified organic produce for the community.  Farmers and siblings Sarah and Joel Hucka are the third generation of their family on their land. They have been with Dexter Lake Farmers Market from the start and have provided us with a steady supply of high quality vegetables in season. Currently they are also producing fall raspberries.

Circle H Farm has a CSA program (Community Supported Agriculture) in which the customer pays up front for a season's supply of produce, available for pick-up at the farm, or delivered to Eugene or Oakridge.  Circle H sells at Sprout! all year long. Sprout! is an indoor farmers market and food hub at 4th and A in Springfield, open every Friday afternoon from 3-7 PM.  After the Dexter Lake Market's last day for the 2013 season, on Sept. 29, you can find the local bounty there.

I chose the picture of Annette and Dick Pershern of River Bend Farm over some which show more of their produce because, as their produce is truly beautiful, also the people themselves have become special to me and I love this shot of them. And, you can see Annette's popular chocolate chip cookies in the picture!

River Bend Farm is family owned, and is located just 2 miles east of I-5 off Highway 58.  Their farm stand is open Monday through Saturday from 9-5:30.  So if Annette and Dick seem a little tired on some Sunday Dexter Lake Farmers Market days, their intense summer schedule is the reason! There are good signs to lead you from Highway 58 to the farm, or you can call Annette for directions at 541-520-2564.
River Bend Farm produces many berries, tree fruit, vegetables and hazelnuts.  They usually start coming to Dexter Lake Farmers Market in mid-season when the fruit crops ripen.

We hope to see you Sunday, Sept. 15 at Dexter Lake Farmers Market.  Munch on fruits and berries, cookies and other baked goods, pizza, fruit smoothies, or other special products, relax to the music, and enjoy the late summer weather at Dexter Lake State Park.

Thanks to everyone who has participated in Dexter Lake Farmers Market this season.

Chanterelle Enchantment

Last Sunday, Sept. 8, we had a nice surprise at Dexter Lake Farmers Market; Chanterelle mushrooms! These delicious wild-crafted mushrooms appear in the Western Oregon and Washington woods when the fall rains come; Brian and Beth Rands found these in the woods. They brought them to the farmers market and many happy customers took home a bag full. There are many ways to prepare Chanterelles.  I like them sliced and sautéed. Brian and Beth also have dried Chanterelles available.

Brian, Caleb and Beth Rands show off the lovely mushrooms to Fergus McLean

Last Sunday's market offered a lovely selection of fruits and vegetables and most of our customers' favorite items, such as pizza baked in a wood-fired oven on the spot, fruit smoothies, Annette's delicious cookies and pies, raspberries from Circle H Farm, and strawberries from Phil. "Knitpixie" Lorna Pearman offered her selection of knitted items, soaps, and artistic photos on greeting cards.

There are three more Dexter Lake Farmers Market days for 2013; Sept. 15, 22, and 29, all Sundays, from noon until 3 PM at the Dexter Lake State Park. Support your local growers.  Come buy your fruits, veggies, and special treats with us.  The fall fruits are coming in, the apples are crunchy and sweet.  Hope to see you there!

Vendor Highlights at DLFM

We have local food producers old and new, large and small here at Dexter Lake Farmers' Market. Read on to meet a few of them, and come sample their products at the market every Sunday through September!

Gail Gould of Cheviot Hill Sheep Farm

Gail Gould, of Cheviot Hill Sheep Farm in Pleasant Hill has sold her varied products at Dexter Lake Farmers Market for several years.  Her husband's dad bought their farm in the 1970's, and Gail and the family have lived there for 20 years. They have extensive apple and pear orchards, and initially sold the fruit and used the sheep to brush out the orchard. As time went on, they started to sell meat, wool, and other products as well as the fruit and vegetables from the farm.  Her lamb, which is sold frozen, is a her major product. Gail is a holder of an Oregon Department of Agriculture certified meat production license.
"We really like being able to come sell at Dexter Lake Farmers Market," says Gail.  It's a very sweet and friendly place."

Sherry Reyna of Ferns Edge Goat Dairy

Sherry Reyna has owned and managed Ferns Edge Dairy since 1970.  Other vendors at the market have traded for her goat manure to fertilize their fields.
Sherry makes many varieties of award winning artisan goat cheese, and also sells two varieties of locally made cheeses from cows' milk.
"Community is everything to me" says Sherry. "Almost everything we eat at the farm is local, including many of our own products."
Ferns Edge goat milk and cheeses are sold at many local food outlets in Eugene, Corvallis, Salem and Portland, as well as at the Lane County Farmers Market.
We are lucky to have her at a small farmers market like ours; it helps that she lives just across the road from us.

Kathi with her plants and herbs

Kathi Jaschek sells at the market as "Kathi's Plants and Herbs".
"I've been growing indoor and outdoor plants for a long time," she says. " I like to propagate what I have and share my extras with others. With the trend of Farmers Markets becoming more popular all the time, I figured that it was time to join in the fun!"
Offerings include hen & chick starts, spider plants, and various herbs, plant starts or dried, such as rosemary, lemon thyme, and catnip."
We have enjoyed Kathi's presence at the market this past few weeks.  We think you may find something on her table to take home with you!

We continue to offer pizza baked on-site in a wood-fired oven; fruit smoothies; a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and berries; baked goods include Annette Pershern's ever popular cookies; and many other tasty and tantalizing treats.

Please join us at Dexter Lake Farmers Market!  We will be there at the lake from noon until three on Sunday for four more markets this year.  September 8, 15, 22, and 29. Don't miss this pleasant venue.  Meet your neighbors and have lunch while you listen to music and enjoy a fresh breeze blowing off Dexter Lake.

Get your Christmas shopping done early at DLFM!

Imagine a December without rainy drives to the mall or late nights spent on the computer hunting for unique and personal gifts for your loved ones. It's possible if you visit Dexter Lake Farmer's Market this month and snag some of the one-of-a-kind items only available through the end of September!

Looking for something bright colored and lovely? You may want to shop for a bracelet or anklet from the selection shown above by Martha Moulton, a jeweler who is a frequent vendor at the market.  Her pieces are high quality and artistic. Perfect for that hostess gift.

Other crafters include Lorna Pearman of Knitpixie, and Christelle Munnelly of Moon Root Farm in Cottage Grove.

Our food vendors also offer gift ideas in the form of fresh and local vegetables, fruits and berries. How about canning your own home made relishes, pickles, sauces and jams for a priceless and thoughtful gift everyone can use! Some of our vendors also sell their own preserved foods and local honey which is shelf-stable for years.

Come to the market this Sunday, and every Sunday through the end of September.  Relax with friends and neighbors and enjoy the pleasant cool breeze that come off of Dexter Lake this time of year.  We're hoping to see you there.

Martha and her daughter Whitney Moulton talking to a customer.
Martha's jewelry is sold under the name of "Polka Dot Pony".

We have enjoyed music at the Farmers Market on a regular basis this season.  Whitney Moulton (pictured) playing her string bass has been a great favorite, as have Whisky Chasers and Fiddlin' Big Sue.

Something for Everyone at DLFM

Dexter Lake Farmers Market
   At Dexter Lake State Park
   Every Sunday through September 29

It rained last Sunday, and we had a small market.  Never-the-less, we had a good balance of fruits and veggies, and Phil sold his smoothies and other treats, such as frozen smoothy pops, and frozen bananas dipped in chocolate.

We enjoyed the presence of Christelle Munnelly from Moon Root Farm in Cottage Grove, selling for the first time at Dexter Lake Farmers Market.  Christelle features liquid and bar soaps, goat milk soap, soy candles, organic vegetables, chicken and free range eggs.

Rick Mangnall and Maya Allcott of Quick Bear Farm give a sample of their
pasture-raised pork to Lorna Pearman of Dexter, also a vendor.  

Dexter Lake Farmers Market is proud to share many unique products.  One of my favorites is the pasture-raised pork from Quick Bear Farm.

Pasture-raised means that the pigs have a shelter, and they can also run and move about in the pasture.  Getting a lot of exercise means that the pork is lean.  They eat grasses and weeds, roots, fruits, veggies, dairy, and some grain.  Quick Bear Farm Pork products are sold frozen.

We learned what low fat means when we prepared our package of pork for breakfast the day after we bought it at the market.  The amount of fat poured off was minimal, and yet the texture and flavor were excellent.

There's something for everyone at Dexter Lake Farmers Market.  We're proud of the selection of fruits and vegetables we have been able to offer this year.  Wood-fired oven pizza is always popular; Pam and Donaldo use cheese and veggies from the market on the pizzas they make.  Annette of River Bend Farm brings a popular array of baked goods along with a variety of fruits and vegetables; among the favorites of her many fine products are cookies, available in several varieties. She has been bring a steady supply of her home-grown SunCrest peaches.

We'll be set up at Dexter Lake State Park every Sunday through the end of September from noon until 3 PM.  Hope to see you there!

New Vendors at the Market

Here's the latest from Dexter Lake Farmers Market: Two new local food vendors! Also, we're happy to let you know that PizzAldo's wood-fired pizza is back!

LeRoy Culley's Wonder Bee Honey is produced on his acreage on Place Road in Fall Creek.
LeRoy practices natural, treatment-free beekeeping.  This trend in beekeeping is growing nationally. For many years, bee keepers have used various treatments to keep their bees healthy, for example, putting a pesticide in the hives four times a year to prevent the growth of mites that can kill the bees. LeRoy himself for a number of years practiced organic beekeeping, applying herbal treatments to prevent the growth of parasites.
Treatment-free beekeeping relies on developing strains of bees that are are resistant to parasites and other bee diseases through their own intrinsic good health. LeRoy's bees are locally acclimatized, some hives descending or partly descending from wild bees from our area.

LeRoy sells honey that is 100% pure, unprocessed and unfiltered.  Come by and talk to LeRoy if you are interested in bee culture, you may learn a lot.  And you'll love his honey!

We now have available pork from the folks at Quick Bear Farm in Dexter.  This meat, raised and processed locally, is pasture-raised, antibiotic- and hormone-free.  Good healthy food tastes best.  More on the folks at Quick Bear Farm in a future e-newsletter.

Our other meat at the market is organic lamb raised and marketed by Gail Gould of Nestfarm. Come by, meet these local growers, and prepare for a meaty treat on your dinner table. All our meat is sold fresh frozen for your safety and convenience.

Music at the August 4th market will be by David Rogers.  Meet your friends, have lunch together, and enjoy a day at the park with the pleasant breeze from the lake blowing across the grassy lawn.

Dexter Lake Farmers Market will be held at the lake every Sunday through the end of September from noon until 3 PM.

DLFM Features Fine Local Crafts

Did you know? 

In addition to a variety of local farm-grown vegetables, fruit, berries, flowers and herbs, you can also find handcrafted works of art and craft at the Dexter Lake Farmers Market.
Products on sale from our fine craft vendors include hand-made soap; greeting cards, photography, jewelry, knitted products and patterns, even children’s books!

Check out the colorful booth of Lorna Pearman, Knitpixie. She is one of four DLFM crafters.
A Dexter native, Lorna has been with the market from the start. Her artistic nature shines through her varied and lovely products. She turns her camera to the flowers, animals and insects around her to delight the eye on her greeting cards. Her knitting excels. And she will sell you the pattern of your favorite and get you set to knit her lovely designs on your own.

If you’re looking for great local food, we of course have that in abundance here at the Market.
Last Sunday, we were happy to add Riverbend Farm to the mix, with pies and cookies, honey and all kinds of jam. Annette has lots of fruit ripening up in the coming weeks. We hope to see her regularly at Dexter Lake Farmers market for the rest of the summer!

Sorry, no pizza next Sunday 

Is wood fired pizza your market favorite? Then you will miss Donaldo and Pam next Sunday, July 28. PizzAldo will be back on Sunday, August 4.

Meet the Rands 

Meet Brian and Beth Rands and their son Caleb, who live on a mountain slope up beyond Lowell. Brian, Beth and Caleb are community activists who have been involved with Dexter Lake Farmers Market from the start. On July 21 and 28, Pam will be taking leave of her management role, and Brian and Beth will be our market managers.

We’re still running the e-terminal every Sunday for your SNAP, credit and debit cards. See you at the market!

 

Next Sunday’s Music: Fiddling Big Sue Band 

For a good time, join us at the lake!

Every Sunday through September