Party Down at the Summer Splash!

Summer Splash is Here!
We’re so excited to host yet another fun neighborhood party before summer ends!  Let the kids play in the water and enjoy other fun activities like scavenger hunts, balloon art, and story time.  Enjoy delicious samples from our vendors and enter our raffle contest for great prizes!!

Credit Cards now Accepted for Market Bucks!
We’ve been working hard to get our new “Market Bucks” to you, and it’s finally here!  Come by the info tent and use your credit card for a quick, easy purchase of market bucks.  Use them with any vendor throughout the entire market!

Blessing of the Backpacks

Hey kids, as part of the Oakley Farmer’s Market “Summer Splash” on Thursday, August 15, Pastor Rick from Oakley United Methodist will offer a Blessing of the Backpacks.  So bring your backpacks to the market and Pastor Rick will offer a prayer for you and your backpack before the new school year gets under way.  And tell the adults you know to bring their computer bags or other work-related bags, and Pastor Rick will bless those, too.

Sample some Cajun Sausage this week!

Spice it up this week with Cajun Sausage!  Check out the recipe for these italian stuffed cabbages here!
Vandele Farms will be offering samples of cajun sausage, and if that’s not tempting enough, they’re alsoon sale at $5.50/lb (normally $6.50/lb)!

And check out these other new Items:

Garlic scapes, snow peas, spring mix, new potatoes, cucumbers and broccoli
Peaches
Cherries
Roses and Gardenias in bloom

Produce

broccoli ~ cherries ~ collards ~ cucumbers ~ garlic scapes ~ herbs ~ kale ~ mixed greens ~ mustard greens ~ new potatoes ~ onions ~ peaches ~ radishes ~ red leaf lettuce ~ romaine lettuce ~ shiitake mushrooms ~ snow peas ~ spinach ~ vegetable and herb starts

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 ~ bath salts, sprays and scrubs ~ handmade soaps ~ candles ~ jewelry ~ polymer clay crafts ~ handsewn items ~ pottery ~ glass art ~ herbal teas ~ organic clothing ~ cut flowers

Peaches, Potatoes and Pesto!

Visit Whispersholler Farm to get peaches while they’re fresh!  

Dig into pesto this week at Finally Farm.  Toss it with some seasonal veggies available now, such as potatoes, snow peas, broccoli, or anything that catches your eye and tempts your palate!  Voila, dinner!

Whole milk now available! Farm to Home Milk is now offering 100% grass fed creamline whole milk!  This low temp pasteurized, non-homogenized milk preserves the naturally occurring probiotics in the milk.  Come by the info tent to sample some and purchase a bottle!

Oakley Community Garden News!  Please help us spread the word that our community garden is ready to give away free produce to those in need every Monday evening from 6:30pm to 8pm.  If you would like to join our team and lend a hand, please email oakleycommunitygarden@gmail.com to join the list serve.  Workdays are Monday evenings at 6:30pm and Thursday mornings at 10am.

For the kids…Face painting and naturally flavored snow cones!

**And remember to check out our online calendar to see upcoming activities and events!

Music this week with:
Dan Keller

See y’all Thursday!

MARKET CANCELED TODAY

Due to severe weather this afternoon, we will be erring on the side of caution and cancelling market today.

See y’all next week!

Eat a peach!

Peaches are here!  Stop by Whispersholler Farm and get ’em before they’re gone!  

Food & Faith Weekend June 7-8! 
Benefit concert for the market and community garden!
We wanted to send one final shout out for this weekend’s exciting food & faith event at Oakley UMC!  Join us Friday evening at 7:30pm at the Oakley UMC sanctuary for a bluegrass gospel concert with Charles Pettee and Folk Psalm.  All funds raised at the show will be donated to the market and community garden!  Saturday speaking events, from 10am to 3pm, will be lead by two of NC’s most recognized experts dealing with issues of food and hunger issues in our state.  What an honor to host the space!
All events are free to the public.  All are welcome!
Registration is easy, just click here!

For the kids…
School’s out for summer!  Let the kids celebrate with naturally flavored snow cones and face painting from Moon Acre Soap!
Listen up!
Music this week by JP Furnas!

 

Free fresh herbs this week!

Free fresh herbs and more!
Come enjoy the new, fresh bounty this week!  You’ll findbeets and radishes at Gladheart Farm to add to the mix of leafy greens available.  And stop by Adelbert Farmto pick up free fresh herbs to spice up any meal!  Looking for a new adventure in cooking?  Pick up somefresh rabbit from Dry Ridge Farm and chat with Wendy for some great cooking tips!  Or if you’d rather stick with what you know, check out Samuel Creek Farms for $1 off all chicken!

What’s Fresh This Week
Specials and sales week:
Free herbs at Adelbert Farms!
$1 off all chicken at Samuel Creek Farms!

Produce

beets ~ strawberries ~ shiitake mushrooms ~ vegetable and herb starts ~ mixed greens ~ mustard greens ~ spinach ~ kale ~ red leaf lettuce ~ romaine lettuce ~ nettles ~ swiss chard ~ 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 ~ 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

Seasonal Recipes

Chocolate Beet Cake by Martha Stewart 

Check out the recipe here!

Kid’s Activity:

Cereal Box Weaving

Music:

Dan Keller

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.