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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Star Dancer Creamery


Star Dancer is sending an invitation to all market customers and vendors for their Open Farm Tour, THIS coming Saturday, October 17, from 2pm-5pm!!

You will be able to see their farm, pet the cows, tour the facilities, enjoy some country cooking!

There will be local vendors, on site, offering products!

Make sure to plan your Saturday fun around this fun event!

Located at 629 Old Mill Road
Springfield, Ohio 45506

Saturday, At The Farm!!


We would like to invite the virtual market vendors and customers to join us out on our farm Saturday October 10th at 2pm for a sorghum-making demonstration and a guided tour! Our draft horse, Tony, will help us squeeze the juice out of the sorghum cane, and we’ll be cooking it down to make sweet syrup – an interesting process if you’ve never seen it in person. End of the Road Farm may be a work in progress, but we, along with our three young children, have a lot of fun and enjoy working full-time on our homestead. There will be several samples of sorghum goodies to try – we’d love to meet you if you’re able to come!

Lee and Jennifer Ruff

If you want a fun day, full of farm love, and just a real good time…plan on attending this farm tour!! It was great fun, last year, and you don’t want to miss the fun!!
Directions – Take state route 36 West out of Urbana about 20 miles to Fletcher… you’ll go through St. Paris and Lena, and it’s the first “town” after 235.

Turn left at the first stop light, onto 589.

Turn right at the first street (no street sign) – that’s first street which becomes our driveway! Go past the yield and dead end signs, through the gate, and come all the way up to the house – we’ll show you where to park!

Weblog Entry


Don’t forget…tomorrow is Farm Tour Day out at End Of The Road Farms!!!

Here are the directions, it’s going to be a beautiful day, and a perfect day for the short drive to visit their very interesting farm!!!

See you there…

Directions – Take state route 36 West out of Urbana about 20 miles to Fletcher… you’ll go through St. Paris and Lena, and it’s the first “town” after 235.

Turn left at the first stop light, onto 589.

Turn right at the first street (no street sign) – that’s first street which becomes our driveway! Go past the yield and dead end signs, through the gate, and come all the way up to the house – we’ll show you where to park!

Bad Moon Rising


Don’t go around tonight…
Well, it’s bound to take your life…
There’s a bad moon on the rise…
(Bad Moon Rising-Creedence Clearwater Revival)

It’s been a crazy week, little local market of love customers!! It’s been busy, it’s been filled with activity, it’s been tiring, but it’s all been good, if not just a little bit off…

You know those kinds of days or weeks? You can’t put your finger on what exactly is off but everything seems just a tiny bit odd.

I like to always think that the moon is what drives us. Changes things up in our system, makes us crazy, makes us cranky, or makes us happy.

This week, as I get up, make coffee, gather baking supplies…I have taken my coffee outside, before dawn, and watched the most amazing scenes with the crescent moon, and most vibrant star patterns. It takes my breath away! After a while, I return to my kitchen to begin the baking for the day.

I love feeling part of something so large. I love starting my day out with the moon, while most people miss those early hours. It’s the magic hour…

But, this week was also met with a bit of an off feeling, oddly a bit tired, oddly in a bit of a mood. I couldn’t figure it all out but then more and more vendors and customers were arriving, tonight, with the same feelings. I could only sum it up by blaming it on the moon, la luna, the big crescent in the sky…

So, moving on, moving forward, let’s enjoy the moon but break the off feeling…let’s pick up the pieces and get this market started!! Nothing makes you feel better than to get back on track.

So, on that note…let’s open the market, think about the coming week, and make it all easy on you.

Fresh, local, inexpensive, nutrition…make this YOUR bad moon rising!! Make this your local connection week…let us lead the way…all the way to the moon!

Thank you for always supporting this market!! Because of you, we grow, each week, and we are strong, vibrant, and glowing…just like the moon!

Peace, Love, Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam

Be A Part Of It!!


Be a part of it? A part of what?

A part of this little local market of love. A part of this community. A part of the local scene. A part of supporting the local farmers, producers, growers…A part of this vibrant spirit that we call Champaign County!!

Try just one order if you have never placed an order! Place your order if you are a weekly/monthly customer, and come back for another order if it’s been awhile since you ordered!

We are doing great things, making it all happen, and we are doing it all…locally!

You have one hour to complete your orders for the week!!

Let’s see that love…

Peace, Love, Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam

Honey, Ah Sugar, Sugar!


Honey, ah sugar sugar…
You are my candy girl…
And you’ve got me wanting you…
(Sugar, Sugar-The Archies)

Go ahead, crank up your pop radio favorite…you know you want to sing and be all groovy playing the tambourine! Oh, wait, that’s just me….lol

ANYWAY…you really are going to want to sing, be groovy, and dance because guess what??

We now have local honey, again!!

Back for the season is Honey Boy Honey!!

Yes!! Go, order, be groovy, thank us, always…

Peace, Love, Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam

End Of The Road Farm Tour!!!


We would like to invite the virtual market vendors and customers to join us out on our farm Saturday October 10th at 2pm for a sorghum-making demonstration and a guided tour! Our draft horse, Tony, will help us squeeze the juice out of the sorghum cane, and we’ll be cooking it down to make sweet syrup – an interesting process if you’ve never seen it in person. End of the Road Farm may be a work in progress, but we, along with our three young children, have a lot of fun and enjoy working full-time on our homestead. There will be several samples of sorghum goodies to try – we’d love to meet you if you’re able to come!

Lee and Jennifer Ruff

If you want a fun day, full of farm love, and just a real good time…plan on attending this farm tour!! It was great fun, last year, and you don’t want to miss the fun!!

Peace, Love, Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam

Thank You!!


As always, we thank you for your continued support in this market! Thank you for putting your trust in our little local market of love, AND, for keeping your hard earned money in the local community.

Without you, the customers, we would not have this market. We appreciate you, we love you, and we look forward to your continued orders!!

I am opening the market, tonight, and hope that you take full advantage of all that we have to offer…

Peace, Love, Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam

Harvest Moon


But there’s a full moon risin…’
Let’s go dancin’ in the light…
We know where the music’s playin…’
Let’s go out and feel the night…
(Harvest Moon-Neil Young)

Yes…it’s fall, you can feel a slight change in the air, the breeze, the shadows from the sun, and the leaves that are now drifting down to the ground.

We saw the Super Moon, a Harvest Moon, on Sunday evening. I sat out on my back deck, glass of wine, waiting for the cloudy sky to allow a glimpse of the moon. And finally, it happened. Magical.

Fall also brings about a shift in our produce. We said goodbye to strawberries, long ago, but you know what…we now have apples!!!! And, although we do not have a virtual market apple vendor, we do have Herr Family Farms, who bring in their goodness, when they feel they have enough!!

So…today is Apple Day at market pick up!! Even if you didn’t get to place a market order, feel free to groove to the YMCA lobby at 4:15 for bags of apples!! They will go fast so get there, quickly!!

Fall is ALL about the apple…don’t miss out!!!!

And, on a last note…Harvest. We are now in harvest season, and we want to show all of our local farmers some love. Be kind, especially on the roads. I have seen so many impatient drivers, this past week, behind farmers on the roads. Show some kindness, and remember…our local farmers feed us…

See everyone, tonight, at market pick up!!!

Peace, Love, Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam

Fall Weather, Fall Market Items, Fall Fairy Dust


Swisher hill Herbs is introducing, for a limited time, Mini Fairy Flower rings made with dried everlasting flowers, pine cones & berries.

They fit over mini pumpkins for the Fall season or they fit over most standard candle rings for the holidays and other special occasions.

The rings are $5.00 each, and as an introductory offer, each Fairy Flower Ring will come with a mini pumpkin. Order today!

You can order these, from our market, and we will open the market, again, tomorrow night!

Peace, Love, Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam