Today Is THE Day!!

Swisher Hill Herbs invite you to enjoy our display and production Gardens Sunday July 19, 2015 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Located at 4083 Swisher Rd.
Swisher Hill Herbs display gardens have established in the 1980’s for visitors to learn about growing herbs, using herbs, and how herbs can be planted in gardens along with annuals, perennials, and shrubs in the landscape.
Demos: how to make: worm box, Herb vinegars
Relax with cup of herb tea, sample herbal butter, dips and cookies.
We are looking forward to your visit!!!

Gimmer Some Lovin'

And I’m so glad you made it, so glad you made it…
You got to gimme some lovin’, gimme, gimme some lovin’…
Gimme some lovin’, gimme, gimme some lovin’…
Gimme some lovin’ everyday…
(Spencer Davis Group)

The market is now open for the week!

Thanks, so much, for showing Charlene some good love, tonight, as she operated the market all alone!

Thanks, so much, for always showing our market the love, staying loyal, staying local…

Have a GREAT weekend!! Don’t forget, Art Affair On The Square, Saturday, AND, the Swisher Hill Farm Tour on Sunday…

More things to make you LOVE local!

Peace, Love, Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam

Last Call!

See you at check out!

Get your groove on!

The One Hour Countdown!

It’s that time, little local market of love customers! It’s Tuesday evening, there is one hour left in our market, AND, we want you all to get your shopping in!!

Make a list, remember how nice it is to order, pick it up, see our smiling faces, and go off on your way…

It can only make you happy if you order!

Peace, Love, Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam

A Happy Tuesday!! And, A Big Swisher Hill Farm Day!

Just a reminder that after you attend the local event of Art Affair On The Square, on Saturday, you then need to plan to attend the lovely day that Swisher Hill Herbs has planned for our market, on Sunday!!

It’s a big, fun weekend!! Make sure to join us out at Swisher Hill Herbs!!

Swisher Hill Herbs invite you to enjoy our display and production Gardens Sunday July 19, 2015 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Located at 4083 Swisher Rd.
Swisher Hill Herbs display gardens have established in the 1980’s for visitors to learn about growing herbs, using herbs, and how herbs can be planted in gardens along with annuals, perennials, and shrubs in the landscape.
Demos: how to make: worm box, Herb vinegars
Relax with cup of herb tea, sample herbal butter, dips and cookies.
We are looking forward to your visit!!!

A Day In The Life

Today will be a different sort of A Day In The Life…

Today will be just ONE day in my Cosmic life but this entry will not be about me or my baking or how I came to be the hippie bakestress or your market manager. That can come another time…

As you all know, I am a busy girl about town. Today, I bring you my Day, my months that begin each December, and my week that is this week…a well known event takes place, this coming Saturday…it’s a local, FREE, community based event. It brings artists in from our area, and surrounding areas. It brings local food vendors. It brings us local bands. It sheds light on the local literary artists, children’s art, up and coming artists, and it is all featured among the beauty of our historical downtown. This year we even have the pleasure of having the LOVELY Gloria Theatre as part of us.

We are pleased to also bring you a local artist who is near and dear to all of our hearts.

Yes, little local market of love…this week marks The 11th Annual Art Affair On The Square! I am one of the two chair persons. I am honored to a part of his event. I am filled with love and pride over our downtown and all that it offers. I am so proud to be involved in so many paths of local…

So, today, I share the write up from the Urbana Citizen as just one of the Days In My Life…plan to come out and support this amazing event!!

Art Affair on the Square, a multi-arts festival featuring a variety of visual and performing mediums, is set to return to downtown Urbana on Saturday, July 18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sponsored by Monument Square District, the Art Affair on the Square is a juried, invitational event that showcases the original work of over 60 artists from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The event is a primary fundraiser for the non-profit organization, whose efforts work to maintain the usefulness, profitability and beauty of Urbana’s central business and historic district. As always, the event is free to the public.

As in past years, the 2015 Art Affair on the Square will feature the white-canopied artist’s market, a children’s art area, a literary tent, an up-and-coming artists’ tent, architectural tours, horse-drawn carriage tours and live music and entertainment. Multiple food vendors will also be on site throughout the day, including Oakview Farm Meats, The Buckeye Pig Rig, Stevens and Sons Catering, The Depot Coffee House, ML Concessions, Tonya’s Concessions, The Tea Leaf Express and Jerry Singleton’s Kettle Corn.

The event is chaired by Pamela Bowshier and Sarah Thornton, both local businesswomen who manage stores in the Monument District. Bowshier, who owns Cosmic Charlie’s Bread and Threads, is an artisan bread baker for both Champaign and Clark counties. She manages two area farmers markets and is active in the Champaign County Local Foods Council. Thornton is the business manager and primary graphic designer at Main Graphics. A native of Champaign County and graduate of Graham High School, Sarah supports and volunteers for many local programs, including the Champaign County Arts Council and the Urbana Community ParkFest!

The Art Affair committee also includes Betsy Bohl, Bev Evans and Robin Henry.

This year’s event is set under the theme of, “Inspiration Move Me, Brightly!” A reference to a song by the Grateful Dead, the theme is meant to “encompasses the spirit of inspiring from the earliest of ages and encouraging the arts in children by giving them the outlet to develop a passion for the fine arts,” according to Bowshier.

Spotlight artist

The 2015 spotlight artist, Todd Buschur, embodies the theme well. As the art teacher at Graham High School for the last 26 years, Buschur has creatively encouraged many youth, including Bowshier’s daughter and Thornton, both of whom he instructed as students.

A Kansas native, Buschur received his bachelor of fine arts from Bluffton University in 1989 and a master’s of art from Antioch Midwest in 1998. Buschur also studied at The International School of Art in Italy before being hired at Graham. Buschur is currently represented by the Hayley Gallery in New Albany, Ohio, where he will have his fourth solo show this December.

“I make art because it is something I have to do, I need to share my experiences while in this world and I do this best through painting. As a young child, I was diagnosed with dyslexia, which made primary school especially difficult for me. For the most part, I dreaded school during that time and it is for this reason, I would often escape the frustration I felt for school by drawing and coloring. I believe it was through these early formative years much of my appreciation for making art developed,” Buschur said.

In an effort to emphasize children, several improvements have been made to the children’s activities, including relocation of the children’s area to the square’s southwest quadrant. Led by Bev Evans, the activities will “encourage children to create, express, and embrace their inner young artist,” Bowshier explained. Marianne Kessler, a songstress, will also perform in the children’s area at 10:30 & 11:30 a.m. In addition, a theatrical performance of “Blackbeard The Pirate,” sponsored by The Gloria Theatre and featuring area children, will take place at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids under 10 and seniors, and will be sold beginning at 2:30 p.m. at The Gloria Theatre.

One last special touch for this year’s Art Affair on the Square is a reception being held by the Champaign County Arts Council in honor of the late artist, Paul Reif. The reception, open to the public, will be held on the eve of the Art Affair, Friday, July 17, from 6-8 p.m. at the Arts Council Gallery, 119 Miami St. (see separate article in this newspaper)

Other notable displays and performances at the 2015 Art Affair on the Square:

-Landscape art created by Matt Turner, owner of Turner Landscaping

-Interactive artwork demonstrations by Mike Major, Urbana artist and owner of Main Graphics

-Entertainment on the Champaign County Courthouse steps, including the Champaign County Dulcimers, the Champaign County Youth Choir, The Florals, Michael Fritto, Larry Lyons, The Great Wide Open, and the Champaign County Arts Council’s showcase performer, Daniel Dye and The Miller Road Band

For more information on the Art Affair on the Square, call Thornton at 937-653-3334. The event also has a published Facebook page.

The Happiness of Herbs!

It’s that time, again!! Time for us to open up the market to Farm Tours!! The first one of the season will take place at Swisher Hill Herbs!!

Here is an invitation from Joe and Charlene Stapleton!!

Swisher Hill Herbs invite you to enjoy our display and production Gardens Sunday July 19, 2015 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Located at 4083 Swisher Rd.
Swisher Hill Herbs display gardens have established in the 1980’s for visitors to learn about growing herbs, using herbs, and how herbs can be planted in gardens along with annuals, perennials, and shrubs in the landscape.
Demos: how to make: worm box, Herb vinegars
Relax with cup of herb tea, sample herbal butter, dips and cookies.
We are looking forward to your visit!!!

Suite Madam Blue

Suite Madame Blue, gaze in your looking glass…
You’re not a child anymore…
Suite Madame Blue, the future is all but past…
Dressed in your jewels, you made your own rules…
You conquered the world and more…
(Suite Madam Blue-Styx)

So, I had a serious Styx addiction way, way back in the day. Freshman year in high school can pretty much be summed up, for me, by Styx. And, The Rolling Stones, and The Grateful Dead. But Styx…their music could transport. And, yes, like many girls, I was going to be Tommy Shaw’s girlfriend.

Anyway, recently, my mother gave me a few boxes that came from the attic of our West End house. One of them had ancient little drawings that my grandmother put into book form, and had her handwriting on each book depicting the year with my name. I almost cried just seeing her handwriting.

Another box had a bunch of cassettes and 8 track tapes. Some of the cassettes were mix tapes with years written on the covers. While going through the tapes, I found one with STYX written in marker. And, since you know my love of music, and my love of vintage, you just know that I have a cassette deck in one of my stereo systems. I popped this tape in, and let it play until it hit on this song.

I forgot how much love I had for this song. I started to remember the lyrics, and then the lyrics jumped out at me, reminding me of this little local market of love…

The beginning lyrics that I chose for this Weblog, spoke to me because we are no longer the child, no longer the young new kid. Our market has grown in the past four years, gained a presence that overcame the naysayers or the negative vibes that came with beginning something new. Something untried. Something unproven. We dressed our little market up, we marched it around, we sang it’s praises, we promoted, we conquered.

Suite Madame Blue gives way to our Suite Little Local Market of Love…we are a market of AMAZING proportions! So proud to be a part of the community. So proud to have such a local following.

Tonight, I open the market…I urge you to get to know us, revisit us, or continue to show us the love that you do on a weekly basis.

And, a quick note that I will be reminding you of in the next week…just as this market has grown, conquered, and held it’s own, we, your managers, have been watching, and adjusting when we feel it’s needed.

Beginning with Thursday’s pick up, we will now end pick up at 6pm instead of 6:30 pm*** This is really the first time that we have changed anything to the market, but after keeping records, we feel that the 6-6:30 time zone is no longer needed. So…make note…Customer Pick Up is from 4:30-6pm!!! Vendor Drop Off remains the same!!

Thank you for always supporting us, our little local market of love, and the community!!

Peace, Love, and Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam

Day In The Life Recipe!

So…not only do we get the latest installment of our market series, with Champaign Berry Farm, but Cathy also provided us with an amazing recipe, this week!

Thanks, Cathy…and thanks for being the spotlight vendor of the week in the Day series!!

Lemon-Almond Strata with Fresh Raspberries

1 lb. challah, brioche or soft French bread torn in bite-sized pieces

½ cup lemon curd (note- I googled to find a recipe for lemon curd since I could not find any in Urbana at the last minute)

1 cup fresh Champaign Berry Farm red or black raspberries plus more for serving

8 eggs beaten

4 cups milk (I used almond milk)

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp. almond extract

½ tsp. salt

1 cup slivered almonds

1/3 cup (or more depending on taste) Champaign Berry Farm Red or Black Raspberry Sauce

1. Lightly grease a 13 × 9 inch baking dish. Layer half of the bread in the pan. In small dollops, distribute lemon curd on top. Scatter the raspberries evenly over the top of the curd & bread. Layer remaining bread on top.

2. Wisk together eggs, milk, almond extract, salt and sugar. Pour over bread. Sprinkle with almonds. Cover pan and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover strata and bake for 60-65 minutes, until egg mixture is cooked through and almonds are toasted. Serve warm with Champaign Berry Farm Red or Black Raspberry Sauce and additional fresh raspberries.

Serves 8-10

Adapted from Parade Magazine

Cathy Pullins

Champaign Berry Farm

A Day In The Life

Hello, lovely little local market of love customers!! Can you believe it’s Monday? Can you believe that your market manager is just getting the Weblog out? Can you say that your market manager is still recovering, er, regrouping from her night in Columbus watching the simulcast of the Grateful Dead’s Farewell Tour? Yes…dancing, twirling, wine consumption, all equaled a very happy Fourth Of July weekend!!

So now…time to get my groove on!!

This week, we feature the story, and day in the life of the Pullins family of Champaign Berry Farm! Their farm is just up the road from my house, I have loved getting to know Cathy and Mike, and I loved reading their story…

So, here you go…the latest in the Days installments!!

Also, after reading, remember that the holiday weekend is over, the market is open, and it’s time to get those weekly orders ready!

Champaign Berry Farm, located on State Route 29 near Mutual, is a family run business featuring red raspberries, black raspberries and gooseberries. The farm started in 1993 as a Future Farmers of America project for the eldest son, Matt. At the time, Matt’s father Mike was the Executive Director of the Ohio Fruit Grower’s Society and was aware of the consumer demand for fresh, farm grown fruit. We began with the planting of 2 ½ acres of raspberries and added another 2 ½ in 1994. Matt graduated from Triad High School in 1997 and was off to OSU. He continued to help with the farm on weekends and during the summer. Meanwhile, the youngest son, Kent, managed the farm while he was in high school and college. Both are now grown and live and work away from the farm however they continue to be an integral part of the operation.
In the early 2000’s we realized the demand for fresh berries was growing beyond the capacity of the original 5 acres so we purchased the current farm and planted 23 acres in 2002 and 2003. The location is excellent with easy access to I-70, and State Routes 29, 36, 161, 4, 68, 54 and 56. Over 80% of our berries are sold as Pick Your Own. We hire local teens, college students and others to pick for customers such as those who use the virtual market or those who stop by to purchase pre-picked berries.
Our website www.champaignberryfarm.com was launched in 2005 and is updated often to enhance viability and sales. Check out our harvest section for recipes! We are also using social media to reach our customers. Kent’s wife, Lindsay, is the designer and webmaster of our website and she also creates Facebook posts as well as emails for our customer base. We are members of the Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association and annually attend trainings and seminars to learn about current trends and research in fruit production as well as to understand and comply with food safety regulations. We are also members of Ohio Proud and The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.