Westfield Farmers Marker Newsletter Week of August 4th

For safety reasons, we ask that customers not enter the
Market grounds until the 12 noon opening bell.

For public health and safety, only service animals are permitted to enter the Market.

Parking for the Market
We know that parking has been challenging this season and we appreciate your patience while we work on easing the crunch in the back parking lot.  Market customers may not park in the lot at The Arbors next to the Market. That is private property, and reserved only for staff and visitors of The Arbors.  Any vehicles parked in the Arbors lot without permission are subject to being towed at the owner's expense. 
​ Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.


Next Thursday, August 11th, the City of Westfield City Clerk's office will conduct a voter registration drive at the Market.  

Rachel’s Table provides food via the vendors and patrons of the Westfield Farmers' Market to "Reduce Waste and Relieve Hunger." Market customers may bring unexpired non-perishable items from home, or make fresh produce purchases for Rachel's Table the day of the Market, and bring them to the Market Table, where they will be held until pickup at the end of the day. Rachel’s Table volunteers will deliver to agencies that feed the food insecure in Westfield as well as further into Hampden, Hampshire or Franklin Counties. Your purchases will go far in alleviating hunger amongst our neighbors. 

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Market Vendors

AeroGreen Urban Farm
Been's Beans Coffee
Botanical Blends
Boys and Girls Club Free Lunch  1:15pm-1:45pm
Crystal Clear Emotions
Della Terra Farm
Doce Mercer
​En3rgyUp Organic Juices
Galactic Hobo Hot Sauce
Gray Raven Farm
​Growing with Minerals
​Mark's Clay Creations
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​Meadow Burn Farm
MSPCC
Optix Mushrooms
Pignatare's Farm
​Pitchfork Farm
​Plum Island Jams
Ray's Family Farm
​The Savoy
​Sweet JJ's
Tots A Lot Frozen Lemonade
Vlad's Fired Pizza

Music at the Market

 
 Ed Bentley              12pm-2:30pm
 Gary Kotros             2:30pm-5pm

Vendor Spotlight:   ​Doce Mercer

A family-owned gift box business which celebrates individuals with delicious, freshly made treats.  Offering baked goods and jams, and gift boxes upon request.

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield Summer Meals

Free lunch will be provided at the Market each week from 1:15pm until 1:45pm.  No eligibility requirements, and no questions asked.  

Recipe of the Week

Gazpacho
From The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook

The traditional Spanish soup, paired with slices of crusty bread, makes a refreshingly light summer supper. Choose the amount of garlic to suit your taste, and consider adding a jalapeño or two for extra flavor. The Spanish tend to favor a completely pureed soup, so much so that people often drink it out of a glass, but feel free to keep some texture if that’s your preference.
4 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 8 large tomatoes)
2 large cucumbers, peeled and diced large (about 3 cups)
2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup diced red onion
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded, ribs removed, and diced small (optional)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
Dollop of sour cream, chopped scallions, herbs, or extra diced vegetables for garnish (optional)
1. Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil. Meanwhile, score the tomatoes on the bottom with a paring knife by making a shallow X through the base into the skin. Working in batches if necessary, lower the tomatoes into the boiling water for about 30 seconds, then remove them with a slotted spoon and place in the ice water to shock and stop the cooking process.
2. After about a minute or two, the tomatoes should be cool enough to handle and the skin will peel off easily. Core the tomatoes and cut each in half horizontally, through its equator. Remove the seeds by squeezing the halves gently and sliding your fingers or the point of a knife into the seed pockets and pushing the seeds out. Chop roughly and place in a large nonreactive bowl (such as stainless steel, glass, ceramic, or enamel-coated metal).
3. Set aside a few pieces of cucumber and bell pepper for garnishing the soup later.
4. Add the remaining cucumber and bell pepper, red onion, garlic, jalapeño (if using), vinegar, and lime juice to the tomatoes and toss together. Using a blender or food processor, and working in batches if necessary, pulse the ingredients to your desired consistency—chunky, smooth, or somewhere in between.
5. Stir in the olive oil and cilantro, add the salt and pepper, and chill for at least an hour in the refrigerator before serving. Once the gazpacho has chilled, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.
6. Mince the reserved cucumber and bell pepper pieces for garnish. Ladle the chilled soup into bowls or glasses and sprinkle with your choice of the garnishes before serving.

"The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color. Often at night there is lightning, but it quivers all alone."

~Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting, 1975