Spring Fling this Thursday!

Come to the Spring Fling this Thursday!
Come for the community, stay for the prizes!

Stop by the info tent and enter your name to win one of three $10 gift certificates to the market!  Winners will be notified via email within the week.

Let the kids loose at the market to explore a real tractor from Gladheart Farm, a goat petting area, a kid’s food demo with Slow Foods’ FEAST program, face painting, balloon artistry, a flower planting activity, and a puppet show at 4:30 with Handspun Tales.
 
Visit with community partners:

• Merrimon Family Chiropractic will be here doing complimentary spinal screenings
• Compost Now Asheville will be here to introduce you to their new compost delivery service
• Asheville Neighborhood Committee coordinators want to hear from you about Oakley!

Music this week from Mattick Frick!

What’s Fresh This Week
Sales:
Finally Farm has chives, epazote, parsley, golden thyme and sage on sale!
New Items:
Boiled peanuts y’all!  Grab a bag at Sakshi’s Swiss Vending!
Stop by Julie Howerth Designs and pick up a men’s leather cord necklace just in time for Father’s Day!

Produce

strawberries ~ radishes ~ shiitake mushrooms ~ vegetable and herb starts ~ mixed greens ~ mustard greens ~ spinach ~ kale ~ red leaf lettuce ~ romaine lettuce ~ nettles ~ herbs ~ radishes ~ collards 

 

Meat

eggs ~ chicken ~ beef ~ pork ~ lamb ~ rabbit

…And more!

artisanal breads ~ sweet and savory baked goods ~ glazed nuts ~ boiled peanuts ~ cheesecakes ~ raw chocolate ~ cacao shots ~ hanging flower baskets ~ potted plants ~ landscaping plants ~ yerba mate energy bars ~ photo cards ~ bath salts, sprays and scrubs ~ handmade soaps ~ candles ~ jewelry ~ polymer clay crafts ~ handsewn items ~ coffee (plus fresh ground bulk) ~ coffee ice pops ~ fruit popsicles ~ kid’s accessories ~ magnets ~ pottery ~ glass art ~ herbal teas ~ organic clothing ~ cut flowers

Vote for the OFM for Best of WNC!
It’s that time of year again, and the Oakley Farmers Market would love your vote for the Mountain Xpress Best of WNC contest!  Vote here by June 5!

 

Food & Faith Conference at Oakley United Methodist Church (home of the farmers market)

June 7 – 8

All are invited to the Food & Faith Conference at Oakley UMC, to engage in discussion about faith communities’ important role in addressing hunger and food security issues in our communities.  The weekend kicks off with a Friday night concert with Charles Pettee and Folk Psalm.  Show begins at 7:30pm.  Saturday speaking events will be lead by Fred Bahnson and Norman Wirzba, leaders of the food and faith movement.  Saturday events will go from 10am to 3pm.  All events are open to the public.  Stay tuned for more info!

 

Get ready for the May 23 Spring Fling!

Hi Neighbors!
What a great opening day we had last Thursday. The parking lot was overflowing with vendors’ great products and happy customers. We’re so happy to be back in season, and we’re excited to invite you to our Spring Fling event on May 23!  Kid’s flower planting activity, face painting, a puppet show from Handspun Tales, a visit with the goats of Gladheart Farm and fresh food demos from Slow Foods FEAST will keep the kids busy!  We’ll be raffling off three $10 gift certificatestoo! Community organizations such as the newly arrived Compost Now will be here to sign you up for their awesome compost delivery service, Merrimon Family Chiropractic will be doing free spinal screenings, and Asheville City Neighborhood Association representatives will be here to chat up all things Oakley!

Until then, come by this Thursday for great spring produce, plus special sales, including $5/lb pork chops from Vandele Farms and a 2 for $5 special on potted sorrel, dill and cilantro from Finally Farm.  If you like ramps, visitGreen River Picklers for a very limited time sale of Ramp Salt, an artisan crafted blend of sustainably harvested dried ramps and vital mineral Celtic sea salt.  Check out our list below for what’s fresh this week, as well as info about Vandele Farm’s pig pickin’ festival!

Our kid’s activity this week is red runner pole bean planting at 4:30pm.  Enjoy music from Alex Krug.  And be sure to check out our new toddler swing set at the back of the market!

See you this Thursday, May 19 from 3:30pm to 6:30pm! Need directions?  Find us here.

 

Join us this Thursday, May 9 for opening day!!

We are beyond excited to fill you in on all the goings-on around here!  Our market stalls have filled up rapidly for the season, and you will find an abundance of wonderful food, plants, and hand crafted goodness.  It’s entirely too much to fit in one newsletter, so check out our new vendor page to get acquainted with all of our member vendors who will be serving the market each and every week, all season long.

Among the wonderful items to choose from next week, you’ll find seasonal products such as organic plant starts, seedling bags of mixed varieties, native plants, flowers, strawberries, asparagus, green onions, baby lettuce, stir fry greens, mixed greens and collards.  Landscaping plants will be available in the form of colorful maples, conifers, roses, and even a hardy banana tree suited to western NC with a little extra care!

Look out for body care products, chocolates, cheesecakes, baked goods, roasted nuts, coffee drinks, pickled veggies, and a whole lot more.

We’re so excited to announce that the market will be a pickup spot for Farm to Home Milk, Asheville’s own milk delivery service! FTHM delivers fresh, hormone and antibiotic free, flash pasteurized milk from NC’s last remaining glass bottle dairy farm, Maple View Farm.  Come by the info tent to sample great milk and cheese varieties and take advantage of FTHM’s awesome deals: $5 off your first order at the OFM, plus free delivery when you pick up at the market!!

And speaking of deals, grab a special opening day OFM coupon for $2 off of chicken, offered bySamuel Creek Farms!

It’s gonna be a fun day y’all!  We’ll have a visit fromMerrimon Family Chiropractic who will be offeringcomplimentary spinal screenings.  Bring the kids down for a fun Mother’s Day sugar scrub making activity, and stay for music from J.P. Furnas and Chris Porter.

See you this Thursday, May 9 from 3:30pm to 6:30pm!

Now Looking for a Super Intern!

Image Credit: http://blog.taketheinterview.com/2012/03/21/22-interview-questions-for-intern-hiring/

Oakley Farmers Market is looking for an intern interested in advancing their knowledge of agricultural retailing and community-led food security initiatives.  This internship is not specific to any field of academic study, we’re just looking for someone looking to help make the world a better place through an increased sense of community and access fresh, local food.

The Oakley Farmers Market internship position is an important role in the function of the market.  Responsibilities include the management of the market and compiling demographic data to further enhance our understanding of the needs and wants of our customers, farmers, and community at large.  This position is 6 hours per week of scheduled work with additional opportunities for research and data collection.  Internships are currently unpaid positions.

If the part about pay didn’t scare you away check out or internship page for more information and shoot us your resume.

Oakley Community Garden Workday (and Easter Egg Hunt)

Photo courtesy of KiraKira (http://www.flickr.com/people/justlikewasabi/)

Come share the love on Saturday, March 30 at 12pm at the market’s home of the Oakley United Methodist Church for a community garden work day.  For even more fun, bring the kids down at 11am that day for a church Easter Egg Hunt and hot dog lunch!  We’d love to see you there!  Volunteers are needed to hide eggs, cook hot dogs, help clean brush, prepare garden beds and install tree swings and a swing set (we’re working on getting one!).  We are also in need of donations for the garden and market, such as garden tools (hand held and larger tools) and outdoor children’s toys.

Oakley Community Garden workday this Saturday, March 9!

Thinking spring yet? We are! Bring the family down and join your Oakley neighbors this Saturday, March 9 from 10am-12pm at the Oakley Community Garden (home of the farmers market) for some spring cleaning and prepping! We will be preparing beds, moving brush, setting up compost bins, and adding new design ideas to the growing garden. Let’s get growing!

Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council Meeting of the Whole February 1

Exciting news on the Asheville Food Action Plan! If you want to get involved in this important movement, check this out!

 

http://www.abfoodpolicy.org/asheville-buncombe-food-policy-council-meeting-of-the-whole-february-1-2013/