All Tucked in for the Winter

Delicious fall broccoli from Natalie's Garden & Greenhouse

All Tucked in for the Winter

Looking back on the 2020 season brings a feeling akin to whiplash. It was perhaps the most difficult season to host the market in our sixteen year history. At the same time, it was a resounding success in spite of all the challenges 2020 has put our way.

The end of the season left us elated, knowing we were able to make it all come together, providing a safe venue for our vendors to get their products out there and giving our customers reliable access to the farm fresh products they've come to expect from the WCM.

It took a few extra weeks to get the season off the ground and we couldn't have don't it without the hard work of so many people. Our Board of Directors put in the extra time to plan, along with the support of diehard market lovers to make sure we had a safe and functional plan in place.

Our vendors not only kept up their stupendous efforts to provide local food to the westside community, they adapted speedily to make their operations safe. Beyond adjusting to the new market setup, many quickly added cash-free payment options & pre-order options for our shoppers.

We couldn't have done it without the continued support of UW Health & the Digestive Health Center, who once again gave us a home for 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic. For the support of the market and their constant efforts in battling COVID-19, we simply cannot be thankful enough for the work they do.

We tip our caps to Public Health of Madison & Dane County as well for working with us to develop a safe market plan. Their guidance throughout this pandemic has reached far beyond just our market community, and we are very grateful for their assistance.

Another gracious nod is due to the Dane County Farmers' Market and their manager, Sarah Elliot & assistant manager, Jill Carlson Groendyk. They both put forth an incredible amount of work to get the DCFM up and running for the season and still managed to offer help and support to markets like ours as we planned for a COVID-19 market.

For the last four seasons, we've been lucky enough to have the support of Tracy Danner & the EVP Coffee URow crew. Good neighbors look out for each other, and EVP Coffee is a shining example of that level of caring & support.

Of course, none of this would have led to a successful season without the support of our amazing supporters/customers! You all showed up this year in force to make the season a success, adapting to our safe shopping guidelines while supporting our vendors week after week. We are in your debt for making the 2020 season a success, just as you've supported us since the beginning all the way back in 2005.

Before we sign off for the year, we want to direct you all to the many options for staying local over the fall and winter months before we return to the Digestive Health Center on April 17th, 2021. Please check out our guide below for the various pop-up, pick-up, home delivery or winter market options featuring our vendors. Your continued support not only helps our vendors, but will surely keep you satisfied with great local food options.

Please stay safe & healthy out there and we'll see you April 17th, 2021!

Ben Zimmerman

Market Manager

P.S. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates on our vendors over the winter season.

With Great Thanks

The 2020 market season would not have been possible without the outstanding support of our customers, vendors, community supporters and more. We'd like to give an extra shoutout to the following people who made it all come together this season:

Market Staff, Volunteers & Double Dollars Program Support:

- Katie O'Connell-Jones & Willy Street Co-op, Double Dollars Program

- Joseph Accomando & Clara Murphy, Market Staff & Support

- Barry Orton, All around assistance, planning support & advisor

- Kristen Kordet, Planning support & advisor

- Alma Horlock & The Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Double Dollars Program

- Mary Zimmerman, Newsletter editing

Market Haulers:

- Blue Moon Community Farm

- Highland Spring Farm

- JenEhr Family Farm

The WCM Board of Directors:

- Kevin Oppermann, President, Highland Spring Farm

- Mary White, Vice President, Honey Bee Bakery

- John Shadle, Secretary, Community Board Member, SAS Institute, Inc.

- Tasha Bynum, Treasurer, Urban Gourmet

- Diana Murphy, Dreamfarm

UW Health, Digestive Health Center & University Row

- Mary Evers-Statz, Director of Energy Management & Sustainability

- Amy Nelson, Category Manager, Procurement Services

- Tenzing Teleay, Admin assistant for the UWH Digestive Health Center

- Barbara Geissbuhler, UWH Planning, Design & Construction

- Paul Lenhart, President & CEO, Krupp General Contractors

- Michelle Fargen, Property Manager, Krupp General Contractors

Our Many Thanks to Willy Street Grocery Co-op!

We want to give a huge shout out to the Willy Street Grocery Co-op for funding our new EBT card reader this season! The market works hard to offer FoodShare acceptance for our shoppers and the 2020 season found us needing to purchase a new card reader during these already trying COVID-19 times. Thankfully Willy Street Grocery Co-op stepped up and offered to fund the new reader and setup so that we could continue to offer FoodShare acceptance this season. Our hats off to them and their amazing generosity.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies from Chris & Lori's Bakehouse

Stay Local After the Season Ends

This list of post-market season means to get our vendors' products will grow as new offerings roll in. Please check back regularly and feel free to email Market Manager Ben if you're looking to connect with any vendor not listed.

Dane County Farmers' Market:

The DCFM will continue to host their Wednesday and Saturday Pick-Ups and Saturday Walk-Up markets into mid-late November.

Information from their website:

"- The Wednesday Local Food Pick Up: This low contact pre-order/drive-thru model runs from 3-6pm on Wednesdays and will continue through November 18, 2020.

- The Saturday Local Food Pick Up: This low contact pre-order/drive-thru model runs from 7-9am on Saturdays and will continue through November 21, 2020.

- The Saturday Walk-Up Farmers’ Market: Continuing through November 21, 2020, from 9:30am to 12:30pm, patrons can spontaneously shop from vendors at their stands. There is a strict Safe Shopper Code of Conduct and safety measures will be enforced."

Participating WCM Vendors include:

- Alsum Sweet Corn

- Chris & Lori's Bakehouse

- Don's Produce

- JenEhr Family Farm

- Murphy Farms

- Savory Accents

- Stella's Bakery

- Ten Eyck Orchard

Eastside Farmers' Market:

The Eastside Farmers' Market will run an extended season through November 17th.

Information from their website:

"Starting on November 3 and going until November 17, the market extension will be located at the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center parking lot with a limited selection of vendors from 4-7p.m. each Tuesday."

Participating WCM Vendors Include:

- Emerald Meadows Family Farm

- Farmer Johns's Cheese

Madison Farmers Unite:

Madison Farmers Unite is a weekly Saturday pickup offering featuring local farmers' market vendors. Customers can order an array of fresh products by each Thursday for the Saturday pickup. Current participating Westside Community Market vendors include: Don's Produce, Fungi Farmers, Honey Bee Bakery, and Savory Accents.

Bryant Family Farms Pop-up at The Heights:

Bryant Family Farms will selling their fresh chicken this weekend outside of The Heights, located at 11 N. Allen St., both Saturday & Sunday from 8am - 1pm. The Heights will be open to service all coffee needs as well.

Green's Pleasant Springs Orchard On-Farm Pickup:

Green's Pleasant Springs Orchard will be open Saturdays & Sundays into Decmeber at their orchard with fresh cider pressed weekly and a great selection of apples remaining. They are closed weekdays.

Highland Spring Farm Pickup:

Highland Spring Farm, located just south of Madison, will offer on-farm Saturday pickup through Dec. 19th. Check their webstore for product offerings and ordering information.

ParKelm Farm Delivery:

ParKelm Farm will be offering delivery throughout the winter with a $30 minimum order. Visit their webstore for more information.

Science is Fun Online!

While we've been missing our friends from the Science is Fun crew at market this season, the science fun hasn't stopped! Swing over to their YouTube page to check out some amazing at-home science experiments to enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/user/WISLscifun/videos