Opening Day: Woonsocket Farmer's Market!

Opening day at the Woonsocket Farmer's Market (Tuesdays from 4pm to 7pm) started off with a bang. 50 + people shopped just in the first hour! Some folks had been eagerly awaiting the opening since 3:15 that afternoon (the market opens at 4pm). Last year the Woonsocket Farmers Market was in held in the parking lot of Precious Blood Church and was not very well atttended. This year Farm Fresh RI found a more central location on busy Cumberland St. in the parking lot of St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center.
Celebrating their 25th year of farming, Moosup River Farm from western Coventry (they also run Knight's Farm stand, cafe and Apple Orchard in Glocester) was there selling beautiful blueberries, potatoes, squash, spinach, chard, green beans and tomatoes!
My friends at Cooks Valley Farm in Wrentham, MA were there selling luscious raspberries red and white baby onions with the tops on, beets with the greens, lovely lettuces, broccoli, potatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and shell peas. Oh and some beautiful big zucchini ripe for stuffing!
The Farm Fresh Table (Rhode Island's Food Stamp Nutrition Program) will be at the Market twice a month teaching people how to use fresh, local produce to cook dishes that are delicious and nutritious! They'll have free recipes, nutrition information and food samples. The recipes they demo and hand out are low cost and very easy to make! On this day the Herb Garbanzo Dip cost less than $2.00 to make!

Herb Garbanzo Dip
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, chives, dill, basil etc.)
Rinse herbs in cool water and dry with a paper towel. Open the garbanzo beans. Drain and save the liquid from the can. In a food processor, combine garbanzos, garlic, oil, lemon, salt and herbs. Blend on low speed, gradually adding bean liquid until dip is thick and creamy.

Serve with pita bread, carrot sticks or other cut up vegetables. Or spread dip on a tortilla and roll it up with cheese and fresh veggies.
Makes 8 servings (3 tablespoons each). Per serving: 60 calories, 2g fiber, 2g protein

Alan Hill of Hill Orchards had not only sweet Ida Red apples for sale, but he also had his own Applesauce (no added sugar! made with naturally sweet Cortland apples) and Apple Butter. Oh and some terrific early tomatoes (so lovely and sweet with a sprinkling of salt!).

The market is managed by Laura Genello. Laura will be manning the table and available to answer any questions you may have regarding Senior Coupons, WIC, EBT and more. Don't have any cash on you but you really want some fresh veggies? Farm Fresh RI accepts credit cards and will turn that into fresh bucks to spend as you wish at any of their markets. The market this week even had some freshly baked dynamite and dinner rolls for sale for $1.50 a bag, from Dupras Baking Co. (Caranci's Bakery).

I will be attending the market every week to put together the fresh from the market report for my radio show (Jen's Dish on WNRI/1380am every Wednesday from 9am-10am - to listen live: www.wnri.com). I look forward to seeing you there!