Fresh News

Mike gets our coveted “Employee of the Year” award by default since he was the only one here who volunteered to help us settle a debate.  The question was, is it really humanly impossible to swallow a tablespoon of cinnamon or is this just a myth?  Thanks to Mikey’s bravery we can put this debate to rest!  Please, don’t try this at home!

There’s just too many of our favorite things in stock right now to fit in our email, so we’ve put this little visual guide together to let you know what’s Hot for the Holidays!

These guys are HUNGRY!  Good thing we’ve got 20lb Bags of Deluxe Mix Bird Food on sale for $6.99!

Got Firewood?  Nothing warms up a frigid December night like a roaring fire!  We’ve got well-seasoned Hardwood by the Bin or by the Box.  We’ll Deliver too!  Call for details…

Trees, Blankets, Pine Rope, Wreaths!  If it’s green and has needles on it, we’ve got it covered!  Trees from $39.99, Grave blankets from $24.99, Pine Rope at $1.49/yd.

Poinsettias are in Full Bloom! From $4.99!

Clementines from Spain are at the peak of Flavor!  Just $6.99 5lb box!

We’re your source for Holiday Baskets and Party Trays!  Custom made to your order!

Meet Yakup! He’s the manageer of the hotel I stayed in while visiting Istanbul, Turkey last week. While he’s only known about Farmer’s Market for a few days, he’s already a big fan!

We are proud to announce our newest Farmer’s 4 Causes partner is the Backstoppers!  This amazing non-profit organization is devoted solely to the support of the families who survive fallen Police and Firefighters.  Starting today, when you carry a Farmer’s 4 Causes card for Backstoppers, we’ll send up to 10% of every purchase straight to the Backstoppers.  Now you can support our everyday heroes just by shopping for the freshest fruits and vegetables in town!

Learn more about Backstoppers by visiting their website.

As a group, we’re down nearly 230 lbs in just 9 weeks!  We’re in the home stretch now just in time for the temptation of holiday meals and sweets.  Never fear!  The Farmer’s 4 Fitness gang won’t let a silly old Pumpkin Pie slow us down

Here’s your chance to win the hottest gift going this Christmas season!  From our friends at Jan’s Hallmark Shops, we are going to give the adorable Mr. Squiggles to one lucky Fan of Belleville Farmer’s Market!  Here are your instructions:

Pictured below are the receipts from Farmer’s 4 Education, Farmer’s 4 Faith, and Farmer’s 4 Causes transactions from the month of October.  Earlier today I weighed the receipts on one of our retail scales here at the N. Belt store along with the 24 paper clips and 7 rubber bands that hold the entire stack together.

To be eligible for a FREE Mr. Squiggles, the winning Fan must submit the closest guess to the total weight of the receipts pictured above without going over.  I will give you a hint and tell you that the weight is not below 0.75 lbs and not above 2.50 lbs. Since there will be many guesses, please post your estimates down to the 100th of a pound.  For example, don’t guess 2lbs, guess 2.00 lbs or 2.01 lbs.  In case multiple correct guesses, we will select the winner in the order the answers were submitted.  One guess per Fan please!

For most businesses, sending over $1,500/month back to local schools would have been enough…but we didn’t stop there.  We’ve taken the success of Farmer’s 4 Education and extended it to some of the most worthy non-profit organizations in the Belleville area.  Our Farmer’s 4 Causes initiative just launched last month and we’ve already raised $318 in three weeks for the Belleville Area Humane Society, Hospice of Southern Ill, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Violence Prevention Ctr, and the 42Foundation!

I’m pleased to announce that we’re adding another non-profit partner that you can start signing up in our stores to support immediately – The Illinois Center for Autism! We’re going to kick off their participation with a bang when we attend their Annual Trivia Night on November 14th.  We’ll be in person signing folks up to send up to 10% of their spending in our stores back to support the amazing work they’re doing for Autistic individuals in St. Clair County.

We’ll also be Puttin’ on the Ritz with the Hospice of Southern Illinois at their annual Gala at the St. Clair Country Club.  Hospice already has over 50 cardholders that have enrolled in-store so we can easily reach the 6% rebate level by enrolling the attendees at the Gala on November 14th.

Here’s the rundown for October’s rebates…

Belleville Area Humane Society $175.63

Violence Prevention Center $71.10

Hospice of Southern Illinois $43.70

Big Brothers / Big Sisters $28.31

Abraham Lincoln $196.30

Douglas $55.44

Franklin $52.61

Henry Raab $37.53

Jefferson $51.50

Roosevelt $102.15

Union $44.33

Washington $22.35

Westhaven $106.19

High Mount $71.58

Wolf Branch $104.28

Millstadt Primary $50.45

Whiteside $70.03

Signal Hill $39.95

Smithton $69.61

Emge $25.80

Ellis $46.41

Cathedral Grade School $66.32

Blessed Sacrament $92.44

St. Mary/St. Augustine $156.12

St. John Smithon $22.03

St. Paul’s M.D.O $71.81

Harry continues his assault on his waistline and the rest of the competitors!  He’s now dropped over 15% of his starting weight (over 43lbs!).  Sherry is still in second place (down 12%), with Annmarie close behind now down nearly 30lbs from her starting weight just 7 weeks ago!   Angie (High Mount) was the week’s winner dropping an awesome 5.4 lbs or 2.5% during Halloween Week?!?!  Wow, that’s an accomplishment!  She takes the $10 Gift Card to the Swansea Subway this week.

Remember, there’s no smoke and mirrors here.  The group as a whole is now down 188.9 lbs in just 7 weeks.  No miracle pills, no infomercial exercise gizmos, and no stomach zapping electrical belts.  This is all being accomplished with a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, sensible meal choices, and lots of exercise at the YMCA.  Next time somebody says diet and exercise just aren’t enough to make a difference – get their email address and send them the link to the leaderboard below!

Clementine’s are the tiniest of the mandarins. Imported from Spain, Morocco, and other parts of North Africa, clementines are a cross between a sweet orange and a Chinese mandarin. They are small, very sweet, and usually seedless. Most people think of clementines as small tangerines, but they’re a different variety entirely, with a distinctive taste. The Clementine is an excellent eating orange. Its small size and lack of seeds make it particularly popular with kids. Clementines have been available in Europe for many years, but the market for them in the United States was made only a few years ago, when a devastating freeze in Florida made domestic oranges scarce and expensive. A lot of oranges, including clementines, were imported from Europe, and clementines started to catch on. Over the past few years they’ve become increasingly popular, and as the demand has gone up, so has the price.

The mandarin orange originated in the Far East and has been around since 2000 B.C. If you’ve never seen a fresh mandarin, you’re in for a surprise – the rind is a brilliant emerald green, and the flesh a beautiful deep orange. In the United States mandarins are grown in Florida and California, but they’re not often available fresh because canners buy them up. The flavor of a fresh mandarin is much better than that of the canned, however, the flesh is semisweet, with no netting and no seeds. A lot of people pass them by at our store because they think they’re just green oranges – that is, until I cut into some and let them have a taste. Then they come back for more. When mandarins are available, you’ll find them in produce markets in the late fall. They can be available for two or three months, but later in the season there is heavy competition from the canners. Don’t pass up fresh mandarins if you see them.

Whatever the variety, look for oranges that are shiny and heavy in the hand. It’s a primary rule for a number of fruits, but it’s especially important for oranges. Check the scent – the orange should smell good. Except for Robinson tangerines, the rind should never feel puffy – that is, it should not feel like there’s any space between it and the flesh. There should be no spotting, no signs of shriveling, no white patches on the rind, and no fermented smell.

Tangerines are the most perishable of the oranges. They will keep a day or two at room temperature and up to a week in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Other oranges can be kept out at room temperature for three or four days with little problem. Refrigerate them in a plastic bag or in the crisper drawer, and they’ll keep well for one to two weeks.

History

The origin of clementines is shrouded in mystery. Some attribute their discovery to father Clement, a monk in Algeria, who tending his mandarin garden in the orphanage of Misserghim, found a natural mutation. He nurtured the fruit tree and subsequently called it “clementino”. Others, like Japanese botanist Tanaka, believe that clementines must have originated in Asia and found their way through human migration to the Mediterranean. Whatever their origin, the fact is that clementines found their natural climate and soil in Spain, where they developed their particular aroma, sweetness and taste. Commercial production of clementines began in Spain in 1925. Today there are 161,000 acres dedicated to the cultivation of clementines.

Clementines were first brought to the United States in 1982. Knowledgeable industry people soon recognized them as a fruit with great market potential. Nevertheless, it took 10 years of persistence, imagination and plan hard work to make this latecomer of the citrus family the undisputed citrus choice of children and adults alike.