Thursday, August 27, 2009

Reminder: Public Meeting Monday

Don't forget, we're having a public information meeting this coming Monday about Local Roots:

Shoppers Meeting
Monday, August 31 at 7 PM
the Local Roots Building (140 S. Walnut St., Wooster)

Whether you're already a member, you're interested in membership but haven't signed up yet, or you just want to learn more, come to the meeting. The program will include:

--a review of the Local Roots concept
--overview of membership
--demonstration of the online order system
--discussion of future visions
--ideas for future community events
--a tour of the building

We will allow plenty of time for questions and answers, and we will have applications available and encourage everyone to fill out their forms at the meeting.

Refreshments will be provided by the steering committee. Since the building is still mostly empty, please bring a chair. Parking is available in the lot south of the building as well as across the street at the Wayne County Public Library.

We welcome all interested members and shoppers, and we hope to see you there!

Come join us!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Let Them Eat Cake!

The Wilderness Center held a "Savor the Flavor" fundraiser Friday night at Quailcrest Farm, and they invited Local Roots to participate and show off some of those delicious local foods from local farmers and producers.

How could we resist?


If you were there, you met our treasurer, Marlene Barkheimer (pictured here) and her daughter Jessica (our intrepid photographer) dishing up slices of a luscious carrot cake made by steering committee member Betsy Anderson.


Jessica reports that the cake was so popular, it disappeared by 7:15 PM, and even then, people wanted to lick up the remaining frosting!


A sign at the table listed all the local food producers who contributed to the ingredients of the cake -- and special thanks go to Monica Bongue of Muddy Fork Farm (another steering committee member) for the lovely carrots on top of the cake as well as inside!

The turnout for the event was impressive, which just goes to show you that eating locally really resonates with us here in the heartland -- not just with the gourmet foodies on the East and West Coasts. (We've always known that truly good food is grown by local folks!) And if you missed it, the Daily Record covered the event on the front page this morning.

If you missed the event, or if you missed out on that fantastic cake, or if you're just curious, Betsy has agreed to contribute her carrot cake recipe to the September newsletter, so keep your eyes open for it.

Thanks to all who stopped by!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Meeting for All Potential Members and Shoppers

Now that we've had a meeting specifically for interested producers at Local Roots, we're inviting all community members interested in shopping at Local Roots to attend a meeting to learn more.

Shoppers Meeting
Monday, August 31 at 7 PM
the Local Roots Building (140 S. Walnut St., Wooster)

Whether you're already a member, you're interested in membership but haven't signed up yet, or you just want to learn more, come to the meeting. The program will include:

--a review of the Local Roots concept
--overview of membership
--demonstration of the online order system
--discussion of future visions
--a tour of the building

We will allow plenty of time for questions and answers, and we will have applications available and encourage everyone to fill out their forms at the meeting.

Refreshments will be provided by the steering committee. Since the building is still mostly empty, please bring a chair. Parking is available in the lot south of the building as well as across the street at the Wayne County Public Library.

We welcome all interested members and shoppers, and we hope to see you there!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Producers!


Our meeting for producer members (current and prospective) last night went very well. We had a large crowd of local producers show up for the presentation and discussion (and coffee and cookies!), and several people raised excellent questions and ideas.

A dozen or so producers volunteered to serve on the producer advisory council, and when we have the list narrowed down, we will let you all know who you can contact for questions about the producer guidelines and the details for selling products in the market (many of which will be worked out by this council).

Thanks to all who attended!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Producer Member Meeting

A reminder to all farmers, growers, bakers, and other producers interested in selling at Local Roots Market:

We are having a meeting for prospective producer members on Monday, August 10 at 7 PM at the market building located at 140 S. Walnut Street, Wooster, OH. The meeting will cover:

--a review of the Local Roots concept
--overview of the producer guidelines
--overview of the application process
--demonstration of the online order system
--discussion of the in-market sales procedure
--call for volunteers for a producer advisory council

We will allow plenty of time for questions and answers, and we will have applications available and encourage producers to fill out their forms at the meeting.

Refreshments will be provided by the steering committee. Since the building is still mostly empty, please bring a chair. Parking is available in the lot south of the building as well as across the street at the Wayne County Public Library.

We welcome all interested producers, and we hope to see you there!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Weekly Wonderful!

If you're in the Wooster area, be sure to pick up a copy of the Wooster Weekly News on a weekly basis. (Sorry, it doesn't appear to be available online.)

The Wooster Weekly News has graciously offered us a weekly space in the newspaper -- more than an ad, a little less than a column -- for Local Roots specials, announcements, and other useful information. For the first couple of weeks, you'll find information about Local Roots in general and about how to become a member -- just in case you hadn't heard enough from us already!

We're very excited about this generous opportunity and want to thank the Wooster Weekly News for their support!

Monday, August 3, 2009

All the News That Fits

Our August newsletter is now available! You can download the four-page PDF file from our newsletter archive page and enjoy it at your leisure. This month the newsletter features:

--an update on the market progress
--news about the USDA grant we received
--a review of A Nation of Farmers
--tips for reducing your electricity usage and bills
--a recipe for fattoush, a delicious and fresh summer salad
--August's seasonal produce list

If you're interested in receiving our newsletter by email, please drop us a line at news (AT) localrootswooster (DOT) com.

And if you're interested in becoming a member, we welcome you! Stop by the web site and learn more about membership.

The newsletter is published monthly, and we welcome ideas and submissions. Drop us a line at news (AT) localrootswooster (DOT) com by the 15th of the month for inclusion in the next month's newsletter.