***Saturday, May 18***

Companion Planting: 9:30-11:30   

Companion planting is a method of combining certain plants together to benefit one or both of the plants in some way.  Susan will focus on attracting beneficial insects into the garden and perhaps discouraging those insects that are harmful.

 Growing Sweet Potatoes: 1:00-1:45  

Learn the basics of growing these tasty, nutritional plants, as well as how to start your own plants.

 Growing Tomatoes: 2:00- 3:00  

Learn the basics of growing almost everyone’s favorite vegetable plant, including staking, pruning, and mulching.

Classes are FREE but please register by calling the market at 330-263-5336 or emailing roots@LocalRootsWooster.com so we know how many to expect!

If you are not familiar with Zumba, it is a fun, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired mix of dance and fitness. You do not have to know how to dance (Latin or otherwise), and it’s meant for all fitness levels. It’s sweeping the world right now in popularity because it is high-energy and addictive!

Wondering what to do for mom??  Local Roots can help!  Join us May 11^th for:

FLOWERS! FLOWERS! FLOWERS!

Unique and edible salad & stir fry bouquets from Adonai Acres

Make your own Mother’s Day Card with Karen’s Garden

Arts and Crafts including new Artisans on site

Gourmet Chocolates from Lissa Chocolate

 TONS of Garden Plants, Herbs, Flowers, Hanging Baskets

Live Music

]]> http://localrootswooster.com/events/mothers-day-art-plant-sale-511/feed 0 http://localrootswooster.com/events/aprilmay-newsletter http://localrootswooster.com/events/aprilmay-newsletter#comments Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:32:29 +0000 jhugon http://localrootswooster.com/?p=995

April/May, 2013 Newsletter Highlights:

Download the April May issue here (PDF)

• News from the Market
• Through the Green Door – By Sharon Logan Kelly
• Gardening Notes – By Susan Sivey
• Spring Gardening Classes
• Coloring Contest Winners
• Artisan Corner – Artist J.T. Durkalski
• Grass Roots Corner: Community Bulletin Board
• Local Roots Ashland Update – New Location
• May 11th Mother’s Day Art/Plant Sale
• New Gardens at Local Roots
• New Cooperative Multi-Farm CSA with “Local Roots”
• Commercial Kitchen Update

 Our local producers are bringing their fresh picked delicacies to market daily. Stop by to pick up yours today and enjoy a yummy and healthy dinner tonight!

Producer’s with greens in the market include:

Martha’s Farm, Hillside Gardens, Crooked Barn Farm, Adonai Acres, Autumn Harvest Farm

Local Roots Produce Producers Monica Bongue (Muddy Fork Farm, Wooster), Jennifer Grahovac (Crooked Barn Farm, Wooster) and Martha Gaffney (Martha’s Farm, Ashland) have joined forces to create new markets for local growers through a cooperative multi-farm CSA program. 

“Farm Roots Connection” is funded in part by a grant from the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education funds and looks to use refrigerated trucks to deliver fresh farm goods including dairy, eggs, meats, honey, maple syrup and bakery to the Cleveland/Akron areas.  The business will use Local Roots in Wooster as home base to aggregate the products.

The business will be farmer owned and managed and is currently looking to begin operations this summer.  They are currently seeking producers with organic/sustainable and natural farming practices who would like to participate.  “This is a great opportunity for farms to increase their sales,” says Monica Bongue, one of the founders.  “CSA’s offer many benefits for farmers.”

From Farm Roots Connection

To interested growers:

We are looking for growers of high quality produce and animal products that can commit to using organic/sustainable and natural farming practices for our new cooperative multi-farm CSA. We are developing a distribution system to deliver farm goods to the northeast Ohio area. We will be working closely with the Wooster Local Roots Cooperative, dba Local Roots Market and Cafe . Smucker’s in Orville will provide our first  pick-up location for shares.

Our second producer meeting will be Thursday,  May 16, 2013 in Wooster at the Local Roots Market and Cafe, 140 South Walnut St., at 7:00 pm. For more information contact monica@farmrootsconnection.com.

This is a great opportunity to increase your sales.  The benefits for farmers are an up-front partial payment and guaranteed sales, focused crop production, good pricing strategy, convenience, low risk participation and a direct link to customers. The marketing, distribution and delivery will be managed by the group leaders and costs shared by the farmers participating by means of a 20 % commission of gross sales.

Please join us for updates of a new distribution ,delivery, and marketing cooperative for small scale farmers. We hope to build a community of farmer’s with shared goals that can provide healthy safe food and deliver to urban areas.

We would like to collect your bid sheets for crops that you can provide the multi-farm CSA. FRC_CSAbid sheet2013 and FRC_CSAbrochure2013 are attached.  We will have guidelines, marketing agreements and membership forms available at the meeting.

Smucker’s company will be a starting a farmer’s market at their headquarters in Orville and will be our first location for CSA share pick-up . Representative from Smucker’s will be  at this meeting to recruit producers for their new farmer’s market.

About us

Farm Roots Connection is a multi-farm cooperative CSA that delivers fresh farm goods to the urban areas. We pack weekly shares of high quality, fresh produce, dairy, eggs and meats We also offer honey, maple syrup and breads from artisan bakers. Our farmers are committed to using sustainable and natural growing practices for produce . Meats, eggs and dairy come from animals treated humanely and have unlimited access to the outdoors and pasture. The distribution and delivery system of our products is owned and managed by our farmers in a cooperative way.

This business is funded in part by a grant from the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Eduction funds awarded to a group of women farmers. Please help us grow and thrive in our first year to promote a healthy food exchange between local farmers and consumers who care about their food.

While that is still the most important reason to become a member, we do realize that many people need a little more of an incentive to push them over the edge to join.  We also are always looking for ways to say “thank you” to all those who already support us.

Local Roots offers these incentives for our members:

Rewards Points for Purchases

Members earn a 1% store credit on everything they buy.   Just shop like normal (be sure to give the cashier your member number!) and each quarter we will credit your account based on the total spent in the previous 3 months.  This is tracked at the cash register — no special cards needed! 

Renew by 4/30 to get credit for February-April purchases in May!

10% off “Cupboard” Items

Local Roots has expanded our product base to include some non local items like olive oil, coconut oil, sugar, and salt.  These items are part of what we call the “Local Roots Cupboard” and are 10% off for members!!  All products are fair trade or direct from small farms, and organic whenever possible.  These products are bought and sold by the cooperative and were added to the market to complement the great local products already available as a way to make Local Roots more of a “one-stop shop” for customers.

Member Referral Program

Do you love Local Roots?  Tell your friends!  Our members are our best advertisements, and it is time we reward you for all the nice things you say about us!

If you tell someone about Local Roots and they end up becoming a member you will receive $5 store credit.  Paid members only, please (volunteer memberships not eligible).

Classes and Events

Members receive discounts on all classes and events held at the market.  Throughout the year, Local Roots hosts a number of great programs from gardening classes to movies and dances.  Check out our website http://localrootswooster.com/events-education for the current schedule.

 Online Orders

Only members can take advantage of our Online Order system.  Customers save time by shopping in advance and having their order ready for pick up on Saturday.

 These great new incentives are only available to up to those with current paid/volunteer membership.  We hope you consider becoming a member to support Local Roots, and if you have already, please consider this a way for us to say “thank you”!

If you have questions about your membership status, email Jessica@LocalRootsWooster.com or ask at the cash register.

The dinner series will run for six consecutive Tuesday evenings, from February 19 to March 26.  Each evening’s presentation will begin at 5:30 PM with an introduction by health coach Melissa Schultz.  Presentations will include cooking demonstrations, hands-on food preparation, and nutrition and exercise discussions by professionals. 

View the schedule of the topics covered Roots of Health 2013 Calendar (more details to come!)

Following each presentation, the Local Roots Café will serve dinner, featuring seasonal produce and other products found in the market.  Vegan options will be available.

In addition, Local Roots will provide recipes and a shopping list of healthy foods available that week to encourage nutritious home cooking.

The dinner series will be held in the meeting room at Local Roots Market and Café.  Cost is $15 per week for Local Roots members and $17 for non-members.  Anyone who signs up for the entire six-week series will receive a free lunch from the Local Roots Café.  Registration must be done in person at the checkout register at the market.

From 10 AM to noon the Café will feature omelets

At 1 PM join us for a presentation from Mel Bolt, bluebird specialist from the Ohio Bluebird Society about conservation efforts and rebuilding the native population

A children’s scavenger hunt as a way to learn more about native birds (following the presentation)

Sale on (chicken) Eggs from Martha’s Farm $2.50/doz (regularly $3.30)

A variety of bird-themed products available for sale from our many local producers including: Bluebird Blueberry Simple Syrup, Gudrun’s bird’s nest cookies, Karen Geiser’s bird themed cards, and many other spring things!

Give aways and drawings!