Lavender Festival

The drifts of lavender are blooming,
and it's time for a Lavender Festival.This Saturday at Farmers Market we will have:
Free make and take lavender wand classes weave a 13-stem wand to keep your linen closet or "unmentionables" drawer fresh.

A distillation demonstration (9 - 11am)
See how essential oils are made. Our glass still allows you to see the process, drop by drop.

Lavender plants, sachets, soaps, essential oil, spray, and more!

Mention this email at the soap/herb booth,
and get a gluten-free lavender shortbread cookie.

Lavender Baked Custard Serves 2 to 4
1 bunch lavender
2 cups cream
1/2 cup 10X sugar
3 eggs, beaten

Gently heat the lavender in the cream for 10 minutes. Cool and strain. Add the fine sugar and eggs and bake in a moderate oven (375 F) until set. This custard is pale green and tastes delicious.

Be sure to bookmark the blog: http://msmj.blogspot.com to get any upcoming information and recipes!

Our Vendors and a Recipe

Who are the vendors at Mount Joy's Market?

MOUNT JOY MARKET VENDORS
(Regular, Weekly Standholders)

Creek Side Produce—Full line of produce and plants.
Grandma’s Kitchen—Pretzels, cookies, baked goods
Grandma’s Goodies—whoopee pies, rice crispie treats, pies, baked goods
Hartz Farm- Produce, gourds, wreaths
J&J Growers—Perennial plants, annual plants, hanging plants,
herbs and vegetable plants, produce in season.
Lancaster County Soapworks—handmade soaps and body care products, jewelry.
Main Street Mount Joy—Mount Joy merchandise
Nolt Family—Produce, baked goods
Prescott’s Patch—heirloom and old-fashioned vegeta­bles and fruits grown without chemicals
The Sunflower Lady—Fresh Cut flowers
The Essential Herbal—herbal publications and products

We were sad to learn that Sam Nolt won’t be joining us at the market this year. Sam’s produce was always spectacular and his tobacco slat creations were well made and imaginative. Sam plans to join us at market on both of the Craft Days. We all hope he has a happy retirement, & we will miss him very much.

What’s (Who's) New?
Welcome Josh Heller from Creek Side Farm Mar­ket, a new pro­duce vendor this year.
Creek Side is based on Route 772, 3 miles west of Manheim, and Josh sells off the property, at the Lititz FM, and now in Mount Joy at the Farm Mar­ket.
There are flow­ers, herbs, and he grows a full line of produce that will be com­ing as the season progresses.
He started this venture three years ago and loves farming
Josh was a chef in Boston before coming back to the Manheim area to start his own business, and we are hoping that he’ll share some recipes with us for the newsletter!
Josh will be here with his produce every week. Be sure to stop and welcome him to our market.

By the way ...

Did you know that The Tilted Kilt is serving breakfast on market morn­ings? Yep! It’s true! So now you can make a morning of it, have a well-prepared breakfast, and then saunter across the street to do some shopping. Thanks, Toby & Royce!

And finally, a recipe for one of our fresh offerings at market this time of year:

Baked Creamed Spinach
Ingredients:
2 lb of fresh spinach.
1 ½ cups of hot milk.
1 cup of cheddar cheese, grated.
2 Tablespoons of butter
2 Tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of nutmeg.
Preparation Instructions:
Trim and wash 2 lb of fresh spinach.
Place in a suitably-sized pot with water still on the leaves.
Cover; then cook only until wilted.
Allow to cool, then squeeze out the excess water.
In a saucepan, melt the butter; then add the flour.
Whisk and gently cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add the milk; then bring to a boil.
Add the salt and a pinch of pepper and nutmeg.
Cook for about 5-6 minutes.
Combine the sauce with the spinach and ½ cup of grated cheese.
Spoon into a baking dish, then top with the other ½ cup of grated cheddar.
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20 minutes.
Serve as desired.

Mount Joy Farmers Market - 2009

We have got some of the details ironed out, and for those of you looking forward to joining us on Saturday mornings, here is the schedule so far:

Opening Day - May 2

Spring Community Craft Day - May 16

Mount Joy Parade - May 23

Strawberry Festival - June 1

Taste of Mount Joy - July 25

Farmers Day - August 8

Autumn Community Craft Day - Sept 12

Last Day of the Season - October 17

Stay tuned, and we'll keep you updated on the vendors you'll find each week and any additions to the calendar!

Mount Joy Farmers Market

The Mount Joy Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 8 am to noon between May and Mid-October. It is located in the Union National Community Bank parking lot at 101 E. Main Street.

Each week find local produce, plants, baked goods, homemade soaps, doggie treats, and more. Looking for local merchandise like 'I Love Mount Joy' umbrellas and tote bags and farmers market lunch bags and shirts? Find all of these things for purchase at the market!

Special events occur at the Farmers Market throughout the season. July 26th is the 3rd Annual Recipe Exchange Day. As customers browse the stands, they can pick up new recipes for their cookbooks that use fresh local produce sold at the market. This is also the downtown's Taste of Mount Joy - Cruisin' Cuisine event from 11 am - 2:30 pm along Main Street. A great day of food celebration as well as a car show.

For more information, go to Main Street Mount Joy.