2007 Opening Dates, Honeybees, New Volunteers and More!

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush."
~Doug Larson (Olympic medalist in running)

In this spring's 'teaser' newsletter:
- MFM Starts Earlier this Spring
- Master Naturalist Classes Available
- Pesticides, Cell Phones Linked to Honeybee Deaths?
- Recipe: Pan Sauteed Baby Greens with Garlic and Ginger
-Vendor Profile: Mon Valley Farms- Introducing MFM's Newest Volunteer, Brad Stephens
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MFM Starts Earlier This Spring

While spring has technically 'sprung,' the weather sure isn't making any of us eager to break out the lawn chairs right now. But have hope! The Morgantown Farmers Market is announcing that it's first market day will be one week EARLIER than last year. Our vendors are 'ramped' up to bring you lots of greens, root vegetables, hydroponic tomatoes, bedding plants, meats, eggs, soaps, and much more starting MAY 19! Mark your calendars, spread the work and stay tuned for more information. Don't forget to visit the market web site at http://www.morgantownfarmers.org/ , and the new web log at http://morgantownfarmers.blogspot.com/. This season, we'll try to archive the news on the 'blog' to make it more convenient for you loyal readers out there to find old blurbs without scrolling through your e-mails. Check it out and let us know what you think!
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Master Naturalist Classes Available

The WVU Extension Service is offering classes that will help people become a certified Master Naturalist. This is a joint program with the DNR Wildlife and State Parks Divisions, and Davis & Elkins College.Classes will be offered free on wildflowers, birds, trees, mammals, ecology, insects, nature interpretation, and many other topics. Participants will need to complete 64 hours of classes and field trips and give 30 hours of volunteer service to enhance or promote conservation in their communities. There will be a $40 charge for a manual and certificate. Classes will be held at Ridgedale School on Thursday evenings and on weekends in Percival Hall on the WVU Evansdale Campus. Field trips to localnatural areas such as the Monongahela and Deckers Creek Rail Trails, the Botanic Garden, and Cranesville Swamp Preserve will also count toward the 64 hours.Anyone over 16 years old who has an interest in nature studies is welcome to enroll (by May 10) by contacting:William N. Grafton WVU Extension ServicePhone-Office: 293-2941 X2493Phone- Home: 304 906-7937Email: wgrafton@wvu.edu
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Pesticides, Cell Phones Linked to Honeybee Deaths?

The blog 'Beyond Pesticides' takes a look at the startling loss of honeybees throughout the United States. Check it out (along with a long list of specific pesticides found be be highly ior moderately toxic to bees) at:
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=42

More recently, some reports are showing that low level ectromagnetic fields may be disrupting bee behavior and learning. The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up. Read an April 15 article at:
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/wildlife/article2449968.ece
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Recipe
PAN SAUTEED BABY GREENS WITH GARLIC AND GINGER
You can use any greens for this dish such as chard, red chard, kale, or collard greens, also called golden chard, and delicata or black kale, also called dinosaur kale because of the rough alligatorlike pattern on the leaves. For an entree, take a 1-pound block firm tofu, slice it the long way into "-inch-thick slices and fill layers with the cooked greens, stacking them like a Napoleon.
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger root
8 cups chopped well-washed greens such as collards, kale, chard or spinach
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger root and saute 1 minute until just beginning to turn brown. Immediately add the greens and stir constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Keep cooking 4 to 5 minutes until the greens are tender and cooked through. The water clinging to the washed leaves will evaporate and cause steam that will help cook the leaves. Add the soy sauce or tamari and serve. Makes 4 servings.
Per serving (without tofu): 93 calories, 71 percent calories from fat, 7 grams total fat, 1 gram saturated fat, no cholesterol, 6 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total fiber, .38 gram total sugars, 3 grams net carbs, 2 grams protein, 282 milligrams sodium. Per serving (with tofu): 200 calories, 63 percent calories from fat, 14 grams total fat, 2 grams saturated fat, no cholesterol, 7 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams total fiber, .38 gram total sugars, 3 grams net carbs, 16 grams protein, 282 milligrams sodium.
Source: South Florida Sun Sentinel
Submitted by Cynthia McCloud, MFM's Recipe Manager ______________________________________________
Vendor Profile: Mon Valley Farms

(*** This is the first of what we hope will be a regular feature this year, as we periodically highlight some of our vendors. Below is the first in the series.)


Mon Valley Farms

Mon Valley Farms, LLC is a coalition of local farmers committed to raising beef cattle by adhering to sustainable practices, and keeping their herds free of the hormones and antibiotics widely used in the mass feedlots across the nation. Mon Valley Farms is a mainstay of the Morgantown Farmers' Market, and you'll also see their beef for sale at Mountain People's Market and Co-op and Southern States as well. You can learn more about the business, view a price list, and see photos at their website: http://www.monvalleyfarms.com/

(Editorial comment: Their steaks cannot be topped! One bite and you'll never go back to standard supermarket beef . . .)

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Introducing MFM's Newest Volunteer, Brad Stephens

Brad Stephens will be serving as an editor for this year's MFM e-newsletter. Together, he and Stacy Miller have set up a blog called the Real Food Reader, on which they plan to post updates on a weekly basis (check it out at http://www.morgantownfarmers.blogspot,com/) Below is Brad's greeting:

"Hello! I'm a relatively new lawyer in Morgantown, and my wife, Jennifer, will be starting her practice as an attorney around early August. Neither of us is a Mon County native, but we've come to believe that Morgantown is where we belong.

This year will be a busy one for Jennifer and me, who are expecting our first child on the opening day of the Market--May 19. Perhaps it's a sign that our little one will come to appreciate eating fresh and local, as we most certainly have. Notwithstanding my first-kid anxiety and big adjustments on the way, I will be working with Stacy in preparing the newsletter this season, particularly when she's absorbed in her own milestone events--a wedding and honeymoon!

Jennifer and I were treated to a veggie windfall once again last summer, via Kathy Evans' weekly CSA deliveries. We also enjoyed browsing the MFM and making delicious impulse purchases, and we expect to be there essentially every Saturday this year. I know a few of the vendors already, and I look forward to meeting more of you as the year progresses. You can reach me at the current market e-mail for newsletter matters at morgantownfarmersmarket@gmail.com."

Feel free to pass on any local news of interest to your fellow farmers' market fanatics by e-mailing Brad. Or to thank him for helping to bring you this service.