Winter Farmers' Market

Something that many New Englanders look forward to every summer is the Farmers' Market. It's the place to get fresh fruits and vegetables grown in your own backyard. We got our start at the Farmers' Market back in 1991 and it created a great foundation for Stonewall Kitchen. It is one of the places that has inspired many of our delicious products.

I have good news for those that thought they could only experience the Farmers' Market in the middle of the summer ... Winter Farmers' Market. It is a growing trend here in the Seacoast and in lots of other parts of the country. I really hope it is not just a trend, but something that will be around for a long time. I love going to the Farmers' Market and getting fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, flowers, etc. All while supporting the local farmers and vendors. There is always such a great variety of products and some you never knew existed. Have you ever heard of Dessert Hummus? I had never heard of such a thing until my last visit and let me tell you, it is delicious. I got the Chocolate Mousse Hummus and it disappeared almost as quickly as I got it home.

The excitement has definitely caught on in the Seacoast. There is always a steady stream of shoppers at the Local Winter Farmers' Market, which is held at various locations throughout the area. For a complete listing of locations in the Seacoast you can visit the Seacoast Eats Local website.

It has also become popular in other parts of the country. Here is a link so you can find out if there are any Winter Farmers' Markets in your area. http://www.localharvest.org

And the Jam Goes On

After starting out in Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area, the Stonewall Kitchen Jam Tour just returned from a visit to the mid-Atlantic region this past weekend. Lisa and Carol from our wholesale department traveled from Maine to North Carolina to bring shoppers the gift of free Wild Maine Blueberry Jam (our #1 best seller for 18 years!) and $2.00 coupons.

At A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, not only were the jam samples and savings flying, the ladies set up a tasting station and handed out Blueberry Cobbler, Meatballs with Apple Jalapeno Jelly, and Hot Pepper Jelly over cream cheese. Despite the frightful weather, lots of great people came in and were happy to see us!

In Raleigh, Lisa and Carol set up shop in the Whole Body section of Whole Foods for the lunch crowd, before heading off to The Fresh Market for the Friday afternoon rush-to-the-store-for-dinner-makings crowd. Most people were on a mission to grab groceries and get out, but the lure of free and delicious jam sidetracked a goodly few. Back by the cheese section, Heidi and Becky (two of our local broker representatives) were doing a demonstration of the Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam Cheese Ball, as well as a variety of jams and jellies over cream cheese.

Along the way, the ladies were able to visit several other retailers who carry Stonewall Kitchen products in their stores. At Foster's Market in Chapel Hill, they met Mary Kirk – an obvious foodie who is just perfect for her job. She was nice enough to disclose the secret that "all good Southern women have their very own cheese straw recipe.” (For those without one, here’s an alternative.) And they found Parker and Otis to be a fabulous store with a friendly staff –especially the owner, Jennings.

With their heads spinning and the rental car GPS smoking, Lisa and Carol worked their way to the Raleigh-Durham airport to head back to Maine. Thankfully, they avoided the blizzard chaos in Washington DC and Philadelphia with a fortunate connection in Charlotte. Next stops on the Jam Tour include Texas (Austin, Spring, and Houston) later in February, and then New York City and New Jersey (Mendham, Short Hills, and Garwood) in March. Check our schedule to see if the tour stops near you!