2012 Farmers Market dates are June 17th-November 18th!

Some vendors will attend the Rotary Street Fair on June 3rd!

Thank you all for supporting our local farmers and local food artisans! From sweet potatoes to pies, from pickles to side dish squashes, from pumpkin ravioli to cupcakes; you can find it all at the market for your Thanksgiving table!

ON OCTOBER 16TH, DENVILLE FARMERS MARKET WILL MOVE ACROSS THE STREET ON BROADWAY TO BE PART OF HURRICANE RELIEF EVENT DENVILLE UP & RUNNING! WE WILL START ON REGULAR TIME 8:30 AM AND VENDORS WILL STAY UNTIL THEY HAVE THEIR FABULOUS PRODUCTS TO SELL!

I hope everyone has recovered from the hurricane disaster! As you all know Denville downtown was greatly affected by the hurricane. I have attached a video that describes the situation better than any words would. I call for everyone to visit local downtown shops that have reopened when you visiting the market on Sunday morning!

Flooding in Denville Downtown

Please read article by Lisa Kintish!

Denville Farmers Market is ready for its second season with our favorite returning vendors and exciting new vendors!

Please join me to welcome Denville’s very own Sugar Mommy Cupcakes with their “Yummi Van” and Denville Seafood.  Starbrite Organic Farm will be brining their unique variety of vegetables. Once a month we will have Hickory Ridge Alpaca Farm brining their four legged friends. Baby Bear Food homemade babyfood is great news for busy baby moms!

There will be more live music and cooking demos!

Don’t forget your totebag and if you don’t have one then please see manager’s table for Denville Farmers Market tote bags and T-shirts!

See you all at the market on the 19th!

Liisi

Denville Farmers Market is preparing for its 2011 season!

Market will start a week earlier: June 19 till November 20th.

Sundays 8:30 am to 1:00 pm

Bloomifield Ave Parking Lot, Downtown Denville!

More vendors, entertainment and cooking demos will be set up for more excitement at the market!

For those of you who can’t wait till June 19th, please note that most of the vendors will be attending The Rotary Street Fair on June 5th!

All Farmers Market Vendors will be together at the corner of the Bloomfield Ave and Broadway: across the street from the regular market spot!

More info to follow soon!

Your Market Manager,

Liisi Lascarro

liisi.lascarro@denvillefarmersmarket.com

The Denville Farmers Market is a member market of a New Jersey Council for Farmers and Communities. NJCFC  invited me to their annual meeting at a farm. This year meeting was hosted by Clifford E. and Melda C. Snyder Research and Extension Farm-Rutgers Center for Sustainable Agriculture. You can search NJCFC website to see how this wonderful organization is supporting local farmers and provides support to community farmers market. Point of this posting is to praise the Snyder Farm experience. Snyder Farm is not only doing research, but also offering support on best growing practices to all the Jersey Farms. Actually, most of the research projects are initiated based on accumulating farmers concerns and questions. Peter Nitzsche, County Agricultural Agent, accommodated us with a tour at their fantastic 390 acre facility introducing their research projects.

Couple of learned points to share:

Fruit Thinning – Apple trees often set a heavier crop of fruit than the limbs can withstand. To ensure good fruit size, return bloom for the following year, and to prevent tree breakage, it is necessary to thin the fruit. Every apple blossom results in a bloom cluster of 5 to 6 blossoms. Apples should be thinned when they are about the size of a dime. Cut off enough fruit so that the remaining apples are spaced 4 to 6 inches apart, and leave only one fruit per cluster. It may seem like very few fruit remain, but you will harvest higher-quality fruit, potentially reduce insect and disease problems, and increase the chances for a full crop the next season.Every apple blossom results in a bloom cluster of 5 to 6 blossoms. Apples should be thinned when they are about the size of a dime. Cut off enough fruit so that the remaining apples are spaced 4 to 6 inches apart, and leave only one fruit per cluster. It may seem like very few fruit remain, but you will harvest higher-quality fruit, potentially reduce insect and disease problems, and increase the chances for a full crop the next season.

Personal Watermelons-The new smaller versions of Watermelon, called “personal watermelons,” range from two to five pounds versus 10-20 pounds, with a thinner rind and firm flesh that registers a higher brix, or sweetness level, than regular watermelon.

Asparagus is dioecious, which means male and female flowers are borne on different plants. In general, male plants have a number of advantages over the female plants.

• Male plant lives longer than the female

• Male plant emerges earlier in spring than female

• Male plant does not produce fruits, which will compete with the crowns and roots for nutrients (Since asparagus plant depends on the nutrients stored in the crown and roots for next year harvest, reduction in stored nutrients will affect the yield and eventually the longevity of the plant).

• As male plants do not produce fruits that divert resources from the crowns and roots they out yield female plants over time. The yield advantage of an all-male field becomes increasingly apparent after the second or third year in production.

• Female plant has a tendency to lodge in heavy rain and strong wind as its fruits increase the weight of the plant. Male plant is less likely to lodge under the same conditions.

• Male plant has no seeds that can produce unwanted volunteer seedlings. Generally, volunteer seedlings are inferior to elite F1 hybrid and volunteer seedlings compete with F1 hybrid plants for nutrients.

With all that said there is tons of work, research, science, technology behind all the innocent looking fruits and vegetables. Next time you will be enjoying your seedless watermelon, don’t take it for granted!