Artisan Days Are Here!

Come to Local Roots for our monthly Artisan Days!

Enjoy local crafters and artisans with hand-crafted treasures including jewelery, fiber arts, pottery, artwork, and unique gifts.

Fourth Saturday of the month, 9 AM to 3 PM

• July 24th
• August 28th
• September 25th
• October 23rd
• November 27th

Cultivate Community -- Shop Local First!

Also at the market this Saturday, July 24:

The Wayne Center for the Arts will help us celebrate Artisan Day by inviting kids of all ages to make "Summer Butterflies" using recycled cardboard tubes and colorful paper. This is a free activity!

Sofie Dittmann of the Bake Haus demonstrates some delicious, seasonal sandwich ideas made with her sliced bread, and Mary Crabtree of Penny Lane Products samples a yummy cucumber risotto! Stop by for a snack and to pick up some recipes and ideas you can try at home!

From 12:30 to 2:00 PM we will be "Talking Garlic" with Mary Gnizak (Adonai Acres) and Carmella Massaro (Twin Parks Organic Farm), who will give their tips on growing, cleaning, and preserving garlic. Cost is $5 for Local Roots members and $7 for non-members. Call or email to register!

At the Market July 15-17

Stop by Local Roots this weekend to see what summer has to offer!

Our coolers and displays are overflowing with lots of veggies, berries, and peaches picked fresh from local farms. Colorful and delicious, you'll enjoy indulging your taste buds with all this fresh food!

This Saturday, July 17th, from 9 AM to noon, Marlene Boyer cooks up whole wheat pancakes in our demo kitchen. Free samples to try with various local syrups!

Next Saturday, July 24th, from 9 AM to 3 PM, is the first of our monthly Artisan Days! Our talented crafters & artisans will be on hand with their beautiful hand crafted items. Shop for a unique gift or treat yourself!

Sign up now for our session on GARLIC -- Saturday, July 24 from 12:30 to 2:00 PM. Producer members Mary Gnizak (Adonai Acres) and Carmella Massaro (Twin Parks Organic Farm) will give their tips for growing great garlic. Carmella will discuss growing, cleaning, and grading garlic, and Mary will show how to braid softneck garlic, a traditional way to dry the garlic harvest (and a delicious way to decorate!). Cost is $5 for Local Roots members and $7 for non-members. Register by calling 330-263-5336 or talk to Jessica (manager) at the market.

Come and enjoy the taste of a local summer!

Celebrate Food Independence

This weekend, we celebrate the birthday of our nation with the usual parades and picnics and fireworks. At Local Roots, we're also celebrating our first year as an official cooperative! Our latest column in the Wooster Weekly News offers some thoughts on the subject.

We can't help you with local fireworks at Local Roots, but we sure can outfit your picnic basket! Stop by for some of the best summertime eating around!

Saturday, stop by the market between 9 AM and noon to see Terri Miller make and bake focaccia and whip up a variety of fresh herb pestos (one great way to preserve your summer herbs!). In addition, John Sterling of Johann's Bakery will offer samples of a variety of his freshly baked breads.

Take a look in the freezer for more picnic or family gathering ideas: Fox Hollow Farm has lamb breakfast patties and links as well as lamb chorizo.

Master Gardener Susan Sivey of Noah's Landing (7575 Brown Rd., Shreve) invites you to tour her gardens this Sunday, July 4, from 2 to 6 PM. Susan has daylilies for sale- most for $5 or less.

Don't forget, Wednesday, July 7th at 7 PM, the Local Roots Board will have their monthly meeting. Members are invited to attend in order to learn more about board business. We will elect new board members in September, so don't miss your chance to learn more about the operations at Local Roots.

Our first Artisan Day is coming up on Saturday, July 24th. Contact Jessica Eikleberry, market manager, to reserve your space today!

Welcome Spring!

Saturday we celebrate the first day of Spring, and it hasn’t come soon enough! Stop by Local Roots this weekend for your first taste of spring. Whether Spring tastes to you like fresh greens, some locally-raised lamb, delicious herbed cheeses, or tasty cookies, we’ll have something to wake up your taste buds!

Expanded Hours Fridays from Noon to 7 PM

Our doors are now open Fridays from noon to 7 PM, so stop by and pick up some goodies for the weekend! (Please note that many producers will still bring their products in later on Friday or Saturday morning, so it may be a while until the store is fully “stocked” on Friday; stop by after work anyway!)

What’s Cookin’?

The demonstration kitchen will be busy Saturday morning, so stop by and try something new!

9-11 AM: Lynn McGinnis from Weedy Ways will bake her gluten-free goodies and be available for questions on living gluten-free.

11:30 AM-1 PM: Elizabeth Geiser will offer a cooking demo for kids. Bring your young ones and introduce them to the fun of cooking!

We’ll also have guitar music by Morgan Quinn to liven the shopping atmosphere from 10 AM to noon. Come in, grab a cup of locally-roasted coffee and a delicious treat from the bakery case, and enjoy the music!

Ready to Green Up Your Thumb?

Don’t forget, our Square Foot Gardening workshop will take place this Saturday (the 20^th) from 1 PM to 2:30 PM. You can get all the production of a traditional row garden in just 20% of the space, with only 2% of the work and no weeds. Master Gardener Cassie Holderman D’Aula has trained directly with the author and creator of Square Foot Gardening, Mel Bartholomew, and in this class she will cover the ten basics of the method. It’s so easy, you’ll be able to get started right away!

We still have places available in the class. The cost is $5 for Local Roots members and $10 for non-members, and the class will take place in the meeting room at the market.

Get Your Fresh Food Fix With a Couple of Clicks

Members, have you used the online order system? If not, you’re missing the chance to order ahead on almost 300 different items, from fresh produce to select cuts of meat to specialty pastries and more, some of which are only available online. If you think you’re too busy to spend time shopping at Local Roots, shop online and make your trip quick, easy, and efficient. The next order cycle begins on Sunday.

Volunteers Needed!

We’re having a volunteer day on Tuesday, March 23 from 10 AM to 4 PM. We still have much to do to spruce up the market. Stop by next Tuesday to help Jessica clean, make t-shirts, and more!

More on Organic Gardening

Our gardening workshop series continues this week!

On Thursday, March 11, at 7 PM in the Local Roots Market building, local farmer Monica Bongue (of Muddy Fork Farm) will present part two of her discussion of organic gardening techniques. Participants from the first session said the ideas were very helpful in their own gardening planning this year.

If you didn't attend part one, don't worry! Come anyway and pick up plenty of tips to make your organic garden even better.

Cost for the program is $2 for Local Roots members and $4 for non-members.

Get growing with Local Roots!

Home Gardening and Preserving 101

Yes, even though the snow is scheduled to return this week, we've still got dreams of garden greens in our minds! And you're thinking what we're thinking -- that the perfect antidote to the winter blues would be planning your garden -- you're not too late!

This Thursday, February 25, at 6:30 PM in the Local Roots Market building, Melinda Hill from OSU Extension will begin the Home Gardening and Preserving 101 series. (Co-leader of the series, Ron Becker, may not be able to make this workshop.) This first of three sessions covers what you need to know in planning your garden this year.

The following two sessions in the series will be:

--Thursday, May 6, 6:30 PM, Planting the garden
--Thursday, July 15, 6:30 PM, Preserving the harvest

This series earned an enthusiastic response when it was held at the Wayne County Public Library last year, so don't miss it at Local Roots! You still have time to register by emailing events (AT) localrootswooster (DOT) com.

Cost for this session is $5 for Local Roots members and $10 for non-members. Cost for the three-part series is $10 for Local Roots members and $20 for non-members.

This year, get growing with Local Roots!

Organic Gardening Program

Yes, the snow has piled up over the past few days, and probably the last thing you're thinking about is starting your garden. (Unless you're like some of us, who can't wait for that next glimpse of ground...) But it's never too early to start thinking and planning for this year's crops!

This Thursday, February 11 at 7 PM, Local Roots board member Monica Bongue will lead the first of two programs on organic gardening techniques. As the owner of Muddy Fork Farm in Wooster -- a certified organic farm -- she has learned many useful tips over the years and is willing to share them with you.

(Bongue is also president of the Real F.O.O.D. chapter of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, which meets at Local Roots on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 7 PM. You are welcome to join us!)

The second part of this series will be held on Thursday, March 11 at 7 PM. Both sessions will be held at the Local Roots Market building at 140 S. Walnut Street in Wooster.

Cost for the program will be:

$2 per session for Local Roots members
$4 per session for non-members

Get growing with Local Roots!