Buy Local Food In Kitsap

Issue No. 13     July 16, 2009
Port Orchard Farmers’ Market Newsletter
In This Issue
Ambergardens Farm
Gems and More
Lavender-Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

From the Prez,

THE HAZARDS OF FARMING aka WEATHER HAPPENS…

Along with the costs of land, labor, supplies and seed, the farmer always has critters, weeds, diseases, and most unpredictably, weather to contend with.  Farming is a bit of a dice game and not for the faint of heart.  We sometimes hear comments, especially in the spring, about “where is the produce & why is produce so late coming in this year?”  Well, this year we had a really cool wet spring, which slowed things up to start for everyone.  Then, they were going along nicely when parts of Kitsap County were hit with hail in June and some of our farm crops were damaged.  Flowers were knocked down, lettuce crops were smashed and the growing tips of vining crops such as cukes and beans were broken off.

We had a bit of a thunderstorm this last week and they can be really impressive, but from a farmer’s viewpoint, they make us a little nervous because that’s when we get the hail storms and the pounding rain that just ruin our efforts.  Luckily, this time it didn’t happen.

Many of you know Davis Farms, a fixture at our market for many years.  Eager veggie eaters line up in front of their produce stand each Saturday.  They were one of the farms hit with hail in June.  So yes, they will be here, maybe this week but we’re told definitely before the end of July.  We do have lots of fresh produce of all kinds in the market though as not all farms had hail & not all crops suffered damage.  So come down for those veggies and fruits, because we have them!

Thank you as always for supporting the Port Orchard Farmers Market.  Without you, we don’t have a market in our wonderful community.

We’ll see you at the market.  It will be a beautiful day and there’s a lot to do and see at our waterfront market.

Laura Pittman-Hewitt, President of the Port Orchard Farmers’ Market
president@Pofarmersmarket.org

Ambergardens Farm

Ambergardens Lavender

Hidden away in South Kitsap, Ambergardens is an intensively managed organic farm owned and operated by Laura Pittman-Hewitt and her husband Gene.  On an acre and a half, Laura produces an abundance of annual and perennial plant starts, gorgeous vegetables, fruits, lavender plants and bouquets, herbs of all kinds, and from this plenty she also makes herb-based skin care products such as lotions, soaps, and salves.  To achieve this abundance while being gentle to the earth, Laura blends and uses her own recipes of organic fertilizers.

Laura Pittman-Hewitt

Not busy enough?  Laura takes her products to three area farmers’ markets – Tacoma, Gig Harbor, and our own Port Orchard market.  Still not busy enough?  Laura is a Master Gardener and volunteers her time doing, among other things, an organic gardening class held over the winter.  And STILL not busy enough?  Laura is the president of the board of the Port Orchard Farmers’ Market and writes a weekly column in this newsletter.  And she is an excellent cook — many of the recipes appearing in the newsletter are from her.

As you might have guessed, in a former life Laura was equally intense – an insurance broker doing world wide consulting to Fortune 500 companies in the area of global risk management.  Opting for a better quality of life, she made the switch from whirlwind executive to organic farmer, and we’re all glad she did.  Think of the impact she has made to gardeners in our area.  This year, she started over 5000 seedlings, 1600 of which were tomatoes.  Hundreds of families will be enjoying fresh tomatoes this summer from the seedlings she has nurtured.  Now that’s making a difference in our community.

Bracelets from Gems and More

Mavis and Dan Eastlick of Port Orchard have been mainstays of our farmers’ market for ten years.  Crafters for a long time in diverse products, they have found real delight and success with beautiful jewelry.

Dan and Mavis Eastlick

Mavis creates gorgeous necklaces and bracelets from freshwater pearls.  She hand ties these, explaining that hand-tying keeps the pearls from rubbing against each other and also guards against the pearls spilling if the strand is broken.  Mavis can tie a strand of pearls in half an hour, while watching TV.  Like all really talented crafters, she finds it relaxing to keep her hands busy working with beautiful objects.  Dan is the support member of the team, using his carpentry skills to make display racks and other provisions as needed.

Gems & More covers the spectrum with products for every age and price.  Big sellers are their hematite necklaces, $3 and $5 earrings, and their line of summer jewelry for youngsters.  The Eastlicks attend jewelry shows to purchase the pearls and stones for these products – some of these shows are in the Pacific Northwest, and they also attend the big jewelry show in Tucson.

Mavis has a bit of advice for keeping your pearls in good shape.  Remember that pearls are living things with a delicate porous surface that can absorb odors.  Avoid, or be very careful, with perfume or hairspray when wearing pearls.

Lavender-Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

¼ cup lemon juice
1 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup sugar
2 tsp fresh lavender blossoms, finely chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
zest of one lemon, finely chopped
3 Tbsp canola or peanut oil
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Blend together the lemon juice and milk and let stand to curdle. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, lavender blossoms, blueberries, and lemon zest.  Toss to make sure the blueberries are well coated with flour.  In a separate bowl, mix the oil, egg and curdled milk.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, stirring only until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Work quickly and do not overmix.  Spoon the batter into well-oiled or paper-lined muffin cups. Bake the muffins on the center rack of the oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Port Orchard Farmers’ Market
Every Saturday
9AM to 3PM
On the waterfront in Port Orchard
P.O Box 8247
Port Orchard, Washington 98366