The Weblog

The local foods movement is alive and well in Champaign County! Here are some updates on other projects while we finalize our virtual market:

Local Producers Map:
Our local producers map is ready for publication and you will soon be able to find it on gochampaign.com. Copies will be distributed around the community, in the local telephone book, and other “hangouts”. The guide lists the location and contact information for nearly 50 local producers within our county. The map was a project of the Local Food Council and printed with the help of some local sponsors including the Monument Square District, Champaign Bank, the Community Improvement Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau and others. It is a great start to finding a local source for Champaign County’s finest!



 
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Turkey Chase


Good morning, lovely market customers!

What a change in the weather from a few short days ago. But, this brisk change just makes an early Saturday morning even more inviting to sit, with my coffee, and my favorite Saturday coffee mug, looking out at the frost on the hills behind my house, spin some tunes, and let the day unfold.

Today’s title, is from a soundtrack that I have loved, ever since I can remember. It’s from the Bob Dylan soundtrack to the movie, Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid. Bob did the music for the movie, and appeared in the movie as…..go ahead, surprise me with emailing me your answer. No cheating by looking it up. The first person to answer, gets a free Cosmic product, this week!

Anyway, November always draws me deep into listening to two Bobs. Dylan and Weir. Anyway, since here we are, in November, very close to Thanksgiving, I wanted to give a few updates to those of you who have only been with us since March, when we moved the market.

This week’s market is traditionally the last market before the Thanksgiving holiday. We take the whole week off for Thanksgiving. We don’t try to reschedule the pick up day. When we hit this point in the year, the season, I like to give the vendors a bit of time off. We all need a bit of a recharge, at this point. As their market manager, I am demanding, I ask for a lot from them, and each and every week, they give me their A game.

So, get your orders in, this week, because we will be off, the following week. On Thanksgiving eve, I will reopen the market for ordering.

In this month of November, this month of thanks, and giving, I always reflect back on things of the year. It’s been a crazy train. A crap shoot. Uncertainty. Questions. My gosh…how did we even get here? But, I am so thankful for silver linings in times of turmoil. This market, and it’s move to the farm, is one of them. The great pleasure of all of the customer base who have become more than customers. You have become friends. Each and every week, I love getting snippets of your lives. I love loading your cars with market loveliness.

For some reason, I have never been able to run this market as an assembly line at pick up. Some have said, why not just pack things up, and let the customers grab their boxes and go? Or, why not have several people out to hand out orders.

I cannot do that. A large part of what sets this market apart from other online pick ups/deliveries, is the interaction and bonds that have been built with each of you. It’s important to how this market thrives.

I hope that you all feel the same. I hope that you find peace, as you drive out to Thursday pick ups on the farm.

And, while we are giving thanks, I feel we all need to give the other market manager, and his family, a HUGE thank you, for housing the market after the YMCA had to let us find another place, in March. Because of their kindness, the market has grown into what I had always hoped, bringing all of you to the market.

The vendors deserve ALL the thanks for supplying us with product, each week, and for stepping up to the high volume and demands of this market.

And, while I have taken up your Saturday, long enough, I urge you to communicate with any of our vendors, if there is something that you would like during our week’s hiatus, after this Thursday. Many times, you all are able work things out, on the side.

Much love to you all…I’m floating back into my cloud of Dylan instrumentals, and allowing you to get back to your ordering.

Many thanks to the song requests, and favorite things, this week…I will be featuring all of them.

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam