The Perfect Place to Be?

Friday, August 24, 2018

It WAS the perfect place to be!  A clear summer day with…..

live music of all sorts,      

an opportunity to chat and linger with family and friends, new and old,

a chance to check out the newest in electric vehicles (courtesy of Peoples Power and Light),

do some sun exploration via the “sunscope” with Scott MacNeill from the Frosty Drew Nature Center and Observatory (He knows the REAL name of the piece of equipment),

take delight in watching some little ones,

and help yourself to our cookout Party Food – prepared and served by our unmatched volunteer staff!

When you were finished with your watermelon, it was time to visit the South County Art Association to view a fine demonstration of skill and artistry.

Amidst the special events, shoppers still made the rounds, selecting goods from our vendors, the backbone of our market.  Here are a few of them:

All the while, in and around the bustle of our weekly market, Trevor from PBS showed up to do some filming for a production of “Our Town”. And when he took a little breather, Trevor tasted his FIRST oyster – one from Ninigret Oyster Farm!

Season 11 draws to a close THIS Friday, August 31st…We’ll have all the fresh food, local offerings and finely crafted items you’ve come to look for each week in the summer.  The RI Chapter of Surfrider will be there!  Join us one more time in 2018 to be part of our Farmers’ Market Community!

Taking Care of the Environment Starting Right Here in Charlestown!

Friday, August 17, 2018  We, at the Charlestown Land Trust Farmers’ Market are INVESTED!  We’re invested in maintaining natural resources and open space.  We are invested in sustainable practices. We are invested in our community.

How are we showing that investment?  For one thing, this year we have a new policy to MINIMIZE THE USE OF PLASTIC – with an emphasis on single use plastic.  Here are some examples of  efforts to follow this policy.

Every week at our CLT Market Table we offer reusable bags for Shoppers to purchase.  Some of the bags are made of recycled materials by one of our volunteers.

Alongside the Blue Trash Receptacle a Green Recycling Bin is brought out for people at the market to separate out their mostly plastic recyclable items  (not straws!  They go into the blue bin.)

What does reduced use of plastic look like for Vendors?  This year the Lemonade Boys have decided NOT to use plastic straws, an item that so often ends up on our beaches and in waterway, hurting animals that inhabit the area.

Great Harvest has paper bags for some of its products including for this delicious cookie held up by Blessing.

Wandering Star uses compostible containers and obtains compost from a local farm.

Narrow Lane Orchard uses cardboard boxes for their berries instead of plastic.

And Lazy K Ranch raises animals which provide the sustainable, renewable fiber for their beautifully soft items.

 

 

 

Our Shoppers are showing their investment in the care of the environment, not only by bringing their own reusable bags, but by using a bucket from home for carting off oysters….….and bringing a previously used bag for this week’s clams! Inspiring!!!

So bring your own bags or buckets or whatever is needed in order to take home as much of your Farmers’ Market produce using as little single use plastic as possible!

Another aspect of Sustainability has to do with keeping our market running week after week.  Each Friday morning Vendors unload, set up, and arrange their goods.  And each Friday afternoon they wrap up, pack up, and reload their vehicles.  Our Volunteers – from Perspectives and from Chariho High School (along with our faithful CLT group!) have made a world of difference in the way the market works every week…We LOVE them!

We were treated this week to a visit from Hera Gallery in Wakefield….What a treasure trove of potential artistic expression! Fairy Houses and crafts of all kinds were available for people of ALL ages! 

And once again, URI Master Gardeners showed up with all sorts of gardening info, soil testing options and welcoming smiles.

Glorybound came by this past week and gave us a country sound that fit right in with our market vibe.

This coming Friday, August 24th,   People’s Power and Light and the South County Art Association will be on hand.  We’ll also be holding our annual PARTY MARKET!  For Music we will be JAMMING – Bring your instrument(s) – clapping hands and tapping toes will do!  Enjoy our CLT Party/Picnic with hot dogs on the grill and watermelon.  Remember last year?  We had a BALL…and WE PLAN ON JUST AS MUCH FUN THIS YEAR!  Join us!

T-H-E Destination Each Friday Morning All Summer…

Friday, August 10, 2018

At the end of the summer, at the end of a vacation, at the end of a day in South County, many people enjoy taking something home that reminds them of time spent in this setting of countryside-woodland-pond-beach-sea.

Functional artistry from Kelley Kreations Pottery, pieces to be used while sharing stories or plans….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or perhaps a photograph or two from Sand Hill Cove Photography that captures some bit of beauty or a particular memory you want to keep…

 

 

 

Sometimes a piece of jewelry that catches the light in a certain way or contains a shell or stone that is reminiscent of a walk on the beach….Audrey’s Creations fit that bill.

 

 

And then there are the memories, like this one with Gandolf, the alpaca (see below), that will simply warm your heart when you think of them.

It’s all there at our market, waiting for you.

 

 

 

 

 

Before leaving the market on any given day, however, here’s a list (and corresponding photos) to check, some of the reasons that drew you to the market in the first place:  Fresh Fruit, Fresh Veggies of all sorts, Fresh Seafood, Fresh Bread, Fresh Eggs and local Meat, Fresh Honey…

   

This week’s music came to you from Where’s Lewis with Gerry Nicoletti and Lee Singer. Perfect accompaniment on a summer day!

Each August the Church of the Holy Spirit holds a Chowder Cook-Off where parishioners prepare their favorite version of that local favorite: Clam Chowder.  Visitors to this event sample the results (quite delicious) and are invited to cast their vote for the Winning Chowder.  Stay tuned to learn who received the Golden Clam Shell award.

 

Hopefully you had a chance to learn more about the Boy Scouts in our neck of the woods.  There is a strong Boy Scout presence in our local communities and visitors to the Boy Scout table were able to discover more about them.

We were fortunate to welcome our local Save the Bay CoastKeeper Dave Prescott.  Stop to talk with Dave and feel your knowledge of the state of our local salt waterways grow.  Find out reasons for focusing on the bigger environmental picture!

 

 

Were you there last year on Fairie House Making Day?!?  If your were, or if you weren’t, you’ll delight in the possibilities that Hera Gallery will present this Friday, August 17th for constructing your own Fairie House.  This is an “All Ages Opportunity”.  And if you haven’t had a chance to visit Hera Gallery in Wakefield, there will be information at their table at this week’s market.  Their exhibits are unique, current, and beautifully presented.

URI’s Master Gardeners will be on hand once again to offer soil testing and help with your gardening questions.  And Glory Bound will bring us music!

So do stop by!

 

Warm and Welcoming – with a Summer Breeze….(and an Upcoming Contest – Scroll Down!)

Friday, August 3, 2018

Every now and then, perhaps quite often actually, there is a new piece of information to be noted about one of the products or  vendors at our market.  For example, Great Harvest, maker of those multigrain breads and fresh fruit squares that people wait in line to purchase?  They use grains that are actually milled at their bakery in North Kingstown!…  Yes, locally ground flour!  The concept of “whole grain” takes on another dimension….(Your taste buds will have already informed you about the deliciousness of it all.)

This week we welcomed a new product:  Sea Fresh -Composted Seaweed!  Many locals of yesteryear availed themselves of seaweed from our extensive coastline and spread it across their garden patch each fall to enrich the soil for the coming season.  Raymond Xavier has been following his “recipe” for making seaweed compost over in Matunuck.  Find it at our market!

 

Thank you to Peter Weremay for the music, music, MUSIC!  And while Peter played, young artists created, and… 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and shoppers shopped: for fresh produce,

 

 

and products locally made.

The Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County, now in their 40th year,  joined us to share information about their many community enhancing services.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See that t-shirt fluttering in the breeze?

Take a closer look. If spring green is not your color, well then, what about this shade of blue?

Perhaps you like BOTH of the new t-shirt colors… Or maybe you are particularly fond of the original deep forest green shirt… We have them ALL at our CLT Market table.  So stop by and join the CLT fashionista scene!

For those of you who are Instagram users, this week is NATIONAL FARMERS’ MARKET WEEK, August 5-11, and there’s a photo contest going on.  Post your favorite image on Instagram with the hashtag #NationalFarmersMarketWeekRI, tag it with the name of our market and the farmer or vendor in your photo and submit….You’ll be eligible for the $50 Fresh Bucks prize to be used at any participating RI Farmers’ Market this season.  Check out Farm Fresh RI Instagram page.

One more thing! Shoppers are welcome to use their credit cards, debit cards and SNAP cards.  You’ll find these services right next to the CLT Market Table.  In addition Senior Coupons (available at the local senior centers) can be used for fruits and vegetables at our market.

This coming Friday, August 10th….be ready to hear music with Gerry Nicoletti.  We’ll have both the Girl Scouts AND the Boy Scouts with us.  And a particular local favorite – Dave from Save the Bay.  For those of you wishing to sample a savory South County Classic, stop at the Church of the Holy Spirit’s Annual Chowder Cook Off...We who are veterans of this market, never miss a chance to step over to the Church’s table to taste what’s cookin’.