Welcome Back!!!

Look at that…it’s Thursday evening, again, and it’s time to open up the market for another week of fun!!

We thank all of you, week in, and week out, for showing us the love, giving us your orders, placing your trust in all of us!!

I am opening the market, tonight, for the week!! Get your lists ready, and get ready to place your orders!!

We love to bring you our local love…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Would You Look At The Time!

The market closes at 8am, today!!

Go ahead…make our day!! Get your orders in for the best of the best in a little local market of love…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Weblog Entry

Amour!!!! That’s all we can say to our followers, our fans, our customers, the ones who have supported us, even when they thought that we were crazy with our visions!!
Yesterday’s State of the Plate Local Foods Dinner, was once again both an honor, and an incredible time to reconnect with our roots, building even more growth.
State Of The Plate has become a tradition in our county. I love that I was able to be on the ground floor of it, years ago, and to have watched it evolve over time. It is a day of beautiful countryside, beautiful barns, this year, a huge thank you to Pretty Prairie Farm, for once again, hosting our event!! Last year, we were honored to have been hosted by the beautiful, Wren Farm!!
The day is a coming together of fellowship in local, an appreciation for our growers and producers, and a way to get the word out about the, well, State Of All Our Plates…
We always come away with renewed energy, renewed love for what we do, renewed respect for those in the community who allow us to do what we do, an overwhelming love for those who buy from us, love us, and a renewed determination to take things to the next level!!

It’s an amazing feeling, and an amazing time to be a mover and shaker in this local scene…

Thank you, to all of you who buy from us, support this little local market of love, and who continued to spread the word!!

This market is a year round market, full of goods, and passion, and everything local!! As we soon bid goodbye to the seasonal physical markets, we can all rest easy, that we remain your local supplier, in the winter months!!

And, to quote a song lyric…You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Learning To Fly

Well, some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I’ve started out for God-knows-where
I guess I’ll know when I get there
I’m learning to fly, around the clouds
But what goes up, must come down
I’m learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings…
Coming down is the hardest thing…
(Tom Petty-Learning To Fly)

Good evening, little local market of love customers…and, more importantly, much love to you!!

Well, it’s been a week. You know it, I know it. As weeks go, it’s been a crushing, sad string of events.

Your market manager was a bit scarce, a bit shy of a lot of posting, a whole lot of upset.

The past week found myself, along with much of my high school class, and classes behind and before me, saying goodbye to one of ours. Gone too soon, once again, the sadness of another one losing a courageous battle. Jenny, our vibrant, blonde, beauty, who still possessed all the love and energy as she did in high school, fought the good fight. She was such an example of learning to fly. She finally got her wings, taking her out of her pain, late last week. Her funeral was Monday. Yeah, that fateful day.

In one day, crushing waves continued to hit. First, a farewell to a friend. But, before that, we woke up to the Las Vegan horrifying news. We ended the day, bidding Tom Petty farewell.

Too much. Too much. Too much.

And, Tom…well, you know my love of music, musicians, bands, songs…and, I take the passing of each musician so hard. But, Tom…well, he was different. Tom was, to me, the everybody musician. A good guy, playing the kind of music that was there for you, each step of the way.

I was lucky to see him perform, on several occasions. I just sat, and cried. I cried for the lives lost, the injured ones in Las Vegas. I cried at Tom’s passing. I cried at Jenny’s passing. So much good, gone in a blink.

Learning to Fly…after my sadness, after trying to come to terms with it all, I kept singing this song, over and over. Playing it over and over. Because, in my life, learning to fly, was the way I lived. Growing up, all I could think about was flying. Flying to the moon, flying to anywhere, flying out of the West End, flying off to find myself.

Later, when I took off after college, moved across the United States, having my daughter, starting my own businesses…life…all life…it’s about learning to fly. I was never afraid of flying. I figured I would either land on my ass, or I would sail to success.

And, then, watching Jenny leave us, watching her try to fly, only to fly off for eternity, and then the other events of Monday, reminded me that learning to fly happens, everyday, in every way. Learning to fly also gives me hope, gives me inspiration, makes me realize that I have a role, in all of this. A role that is to be the best human I can be. I can shelter with love, I can hug and hold whoever needs it, I can carry out the positive, loving vibe that was started before me…

I’m learning to fly…it’s my thought for tonight. An odd weblog, you may think, for opening the market for the week, but not really.

We all have a part. We all can fly. We all can help, love, nurture, lead, protect…and, if my message has never resonated before, I hope that it does now…what the world needs now, is love sweet love…we are all learning to fly…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Count Down

Good Morning!!

You have until 8am to get your orders in for the week!!

Plenty of time to order the local goodness from this little local market of love…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Happy Friday!

Hello, customers and vendors of this little local market of love…

Just a reminder that our annual State Of The Plate celebration is taking place, on October 8th, at Pretty Prairie Farm!!

The deadline to reserve a seat at the table is by the end of business day, today!! Please call the Champaign Chamber of Commerce to place your reservations!!

It is always such an amazing day of sharing food, stories, meeting various market vendors, and celebrating all that is grown/produced locally, in Champaign County!!

Don’t forget…the deadline is today!!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Turn On Your Lovelight!

So, what are you waiting for? I am getting ready to open the market for the week!!

Before I do that, let me just caution you about ordering from here. Only order if you are interested in all things local! Only order if you love knowing that your food is being grown/produced, right here, in your own backyard. Only order if you love the thought of spending your money in our own community. Only order if you love the ease of our market, the ease of the weekly pick up, the fun of being greeted by your market managers, handing you your baskets, bags, or armloads of local goodness…

Only order if this is all important to you!!! If it is not important to you, then…what? How can this NOT be important to you?

Ok…you seasoned, loyal, weekly customers…proceed to the market!! You new, timid, unsure, sort of scared or sort of trying to make that jump into all local, affordable, nutrition, people….well, ok, you move right on along to the market site, too!! There is no time like the now time!! Just do it!!

Our market is opening…and, let me give you all a few heads up on a couple of items that I purchased, from this week’s market.

The new paw paws from Valley View Woodlands…AMAZING…could not quit obsessing about them. Almost custard like. I termed them a tropical crème brulee!! They are so tender, your market managers ate them with spoons, right out of their skin. MUST ORDER.

The triple chocolate gluten-free take and bake cookies from Madison Ling! Popped a cookie sheet full of them, into my oven, the minute I walked in the door, and started dinner…After they cooled, and after I had my steamed brown rice with slow roasted tomatoes from the all organic gardens of Hippie and the Farmer, I sampled one of the cookies…yes, yes, yes!! I cannot express just how delightful these are!!

These are just a FEW of the many items on our market, and only a few of what I purchased!!

You all rocked the market out, this week…let’s do it, again!!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Get Your Groove On

This week’s market closes at 8am, this morning!!

Go ahead…you still have time to join the fun!!

Ready, set, order…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Way Down Yonder In The Paw Paw Patch

Because you knew it was coming…because of this big news from Valley View Woodlands!!

I wanted to let our fellow market members know that Valley View Woodlands has just listed our pawpaws for the first time.  Our pawpaw orchard is finally coming into maturity, and this is our first real harvest.  The varieties we planted were selected for size and taste.  I’m sure anyone who tastes them will agree—they are delicious!  They are currently the world’s hottest food trend.  In recent months they have been featured in many articles, including a cover story in a gourmet magazine. 
 
Eaten fresh with a spoon, or used to make ice cream, mousse, or smoothies, people love the banana-mango flavor.  Check the market for an ice cream recipe. It’s a tropical treat we can grow right here in Champaign County.  The colorful pulp is very nutritious, ranking with oranges and bananas in vitamins and minerals.  It is also loaded with anti-oxidants.  There is also currently research going on involving pawpaws’ cancer-fighting properties.
 
One other exciting note is that by next week we hope to have pawpaw trees for sale.  These are trees we have grown from seed.  We will feature grafted varieties—they are grafted like apples to propagate known improved cultivars.  Seeds collected from our orchard will also be available so that folks can start their own trees.  We will send out another notice when they are available. 
 
Thanks to our fellow market members for their support!

Marc Stadler
Valley View Woodlands!!

When Your Hot Your Hot...

So…the weekend passed by in a blazing haze of heat!!

I hope that you all were able to get out to enjoy one or both of the local happenings, locally.

Saturday found your two market managers at the Simon Kenton Chili Cook Off competing with Hippie and the Farmer!! We got second place in booth creativity and design!! Yay!! It also gave us time to promote this market!!

Sunday found me with my side gig, The Soul Sisters, at the Covered Bridge and Bluegrass Festival in Union County!! Again, a hot day, but so fun to be out, do a bit of promoting, and it was nice to support our sister county!!

Now, we have crashed into fall, crashed into Monday, and still have that sunny heat!!

To celebrate the coming in of fall, Madison Ling has listed her gluten free zucchini bread!!

Why not take a moment, and get back in the swing of things, and order from our market!! You don’t even have to be out in the heat to do it!!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam