April Update

Hello all,

Christine and I had a pair of good meetings this week. We met with the Board of Health along with a few interested vendors and they were very helpful in answering some questions that we had. We also met again with the Recreation Department. They agreed that we could have access to the bathrooms at the Community Center each week. That's a big win because it saves us the cost of renting porta-potties which likely would have been pricey (and kinda gross).

A few other notes:

1) I know that some of you had expressed interest in selling baked goods. It's a state law, however, that baked goods can only come from a commercial kitchen and I know that some of you mentioned you didn't have access to one. We were surprised to find out that there is a commercial kitchen inside the community center. We talked at our meeting last night about the possibility of possibly renting the kitchen as a market and believe there's a good chance we could do so at a fairly nominal price. If any of you might be interested in that, please let me know. I wanted to gauge interest before going any further w/ the community center folks.

2) If any of you plan on using scales at the market, I'd suggest you give a call to Joseph Suppa (781-293-3864). He's the sealer of weights and measures for Pembroke.

3) We've had some musicians and artists that have expressed an interest in performing at the market. We have a great bandstand for doing so. If you know of anybody that might be a good fit, let me know. We're ideally looking for fairly low-key or acoustic acts (no metal or gangsta rap...sorry).

4) We're thinking of having a fundraiser/party in June to help pay for any advertising, unforeseen expenses and possibly to be able to give a little money to the artists that perform. I think it'd also be a great opportunity for vendors, volunteers and supporters of the market to get together and celebrate what we hope will be a very a successful summer. If you think you'd be interested in attending, let us know. I'd like to have a ballpark figure interest-wise before we go and try and find a place to hold it.

5) We are working with the state to get the market approved for WIC (women, infants and nutrition program). Vendors that want to be offer WIC need to take a one-hour certification from the state. Once I have some dates for the certification, I'll let you know. It's a great program that you can read more about here

6) Think that's about it. Contracts should be ready very soon.

Be well,

Matt York
farmersmarketpembroke@gmail.com

Spring is coming!

After all the rain over the weekend, it is so nice to see the sun again. Spring is in the air and the signs are all over my yard...bulbs are popping up everywhere! Most exciting for me is the garlic growing in the garden. This is my first year growing garlic. My mother-in-law gave my some bulbs in the fall and I was thrilled (that's where I am in life now, garlic bulbs make me happy)!

Matt & I continue to work on the contracts for the market. We will be meeting with both the Board of Health and the Recreation Department in the next month. We are hoping to have contracts available in April.

We are still looking for vendors and musicians. Anyone who is interested who has not contacted us yet, please either email us at farmersmarketpembroke@gmail.com or call Matt @ 781-953-6177 or Christine @ 617-293-2480.

Finally, today is the Plymouth Winter Farmers' Market at Plimoth Plantation from 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM. I've heard great things about this market and plan on going. Stop in and buy local! For more information visit www.plimoth.org.

A great turnout for our 2nd meeting!

Thank you to everyone who came out to make our 2nd Pembroke Farmers' Market meeting a success! We were thrilled to have twice as many people in attendance as our last meeting. It was great to see so many familiar faces as well as some new faces. Interested vendors include a large produce farm, a farm with sheep, rabbits, wool and soaps, an herb vendor, lobstermen, bakers, honey and maple syrup producer, a local deli, a potter, craftsmen, local farmstand operator and a jewlery maker. More vendors have expressed interest. We were thrilled by the number of volunteers! Thank you so much for coming out to support the market. Without all of you, the Pembroke Farmers' Market would not be possible! Anyone who was unable to unattend, please do not hesitate to contact us for meeting agenda and handouts.

Meeting Reminder Feb 9th

Hi Everyone! We just wanted to sent out a quick reminder. We have scheduled a second meeting for Tuesday, February 9th at 7:00 pm at the Pembroke Public Library. The meeting is open to potential vendors, volunteers and shoppers. Please remember to check out our blog at www.pembrokefarmersmarket.org. We will be updating information often.The market will take place on Saturday mornings from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm starting July 10th! If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at farmersmarketpembroke@gmail.com or give us a call. We look forward to seeing you all! Sincerely, Christine Falk 781-826-8679Matt York 781-293-3339

"Fresh" being screened in Marshfield tonight!

Join fellow foodies for a screening of "Fresh," a thought provoking and inspirational film about our current industrialized system of food production, tonight at 7:00 PM at the Trinity Church in Marshfield brought to you by the people at Rise and Shine Farm in Marshfield. For more information, contact Marta, Doug & Jamie MacFarland at riseandshinefarm@verizon.net.

If you can't attend the screening, but would like to learn more about the film, please visit www.freshthemovie.com.

Farmers' Market Meeting scheduled ~ Tuesday, February 9th

Please join us on Tuesday, February 9th at 7:00 PM at the Pembroke Public Library for a Farmers' Market meeting. The Pembroke Farmers' Market will begin on Saturday, July 10th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on the Town Green. Potential vendors, volunteers and shoppers are all invited to attend the meeting. As always, we look forward to your feedback on what you want to see at the market. If you are unable to attend the meeting, but are interested in participating, please feel free to contact us at farmersmarketpembroke@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you all and Happy New Year!

Location found for Pembroke Market!

We are thrilled to announce the 2010 Pembroke Farmers' Market will be held Saturday mornings on the Town Green in Pembroke Center! Bringing local produce, meats, seafood, baked goods, eggs, flowers and more to our community is the main goal of the market. The Pembroke Farmers' Market will also provide educational information on our towns rich farming history, the benefits of eating local and how to become a local "farmer" yourself! Information for interested vendors will be availble January 2010.





We are very interested in any suggestions on what you would or would not like to see at the Pembroke Farmer's Market. Email farmersmarketpembroke@gmail.com.

FARM PEMBROKE 2010