We Give Thanks For Our Abundance

As winter sets in this holiday season, we're all hoping that we can keep eating local foods. We're thankful here in Central Texas that we can find fresh broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, winter squash, kale, peas, mustard greens, cauliflower, carrots, turnips, lettuce, spinach, leeks and more. Beyond fresh produce there's always local eggs, dairy products, honey, meats, beans, grains, jams, pickles, and other home canned or dried goods. By focusing our attention on preparing and eating these winter foods over the coming months we deepen our connection to the natural flow of the seasons and to the earth itself.

As Thanksgiving approaches, we give thanks for our abundance and for the ongoing support so many people are giving to family farmers, even in these hard economic times. Your growing commitment to creating a sustainable food system is one of the blessings for which we are truly grateful. We hope that at least a few local foods find their way to your holiday feast this year.

The Manor Farmers Market would like to extend a Texas sized thank you to all of our loyal patrons. May your tables be well stocked and your hearts full of gratitude. Eat well. Eat local. Happy Thanksgiving!

Market Offerings for Nov. 25

SPECIAL EVENT: Join us on Dec. 16 for our 1st annual Merry Market Day! Sip hot chocolate, shop the local vendor booths for handmade gifts and seasonal goodies, and buy a few raffle tickets for $1 each for your chance to win a huge Merry Market Gift Basket overflowing with items donated by our wonderful Market vendors. Raffle tickets will be on sale at the Market from Nov. 25-Dec. 16 and all proceeds will benefit the Manor Farmers Market. So mark your calendars now for Dec. 16 and come on out to support your friendly local Market! Sponsored by Voelker Custom Homes. A great big Texas thank you to Stan the Man.

And now for the Market offerings:

Burt's Texas Garden: This year we are thankful for YOU, our customers! On our market table, we will have Yellow Squash, Zucchini Squash, Tatuma Squash, Turnip Greens, Turnips, Mustard Greens, Lettuce, Radishes, Broccoli, and Hot Peppers. In addition, we'll have Dill Pickles, Pickled Beets, Jalapeno Jelly, and Farm Fresh Eggs. Happy Thanksgiving!

Munkebo Farm: is bringing squash, green onions, mustard greens, bell peppers, hatch green chilies, lettuce, spinach, baby kale, escarole, basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, berry pie, buttermilk pie and bread.

Laverne's Vegetable Patch: will have eggs, salsa, yellow squash, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and lettuce.

Ray the Noodle Man: With Texas Wendish Heritage Society Noodles made the old fashioned way with eggs, flour and salt. Just like his Mom, known all over Central Texas as The Noodle Lady, started making some sixty years ago in Giddings.

Goodwin Homestead: I will be bringing stained glass mosaics for home and garden and handmade embroidered wool felted bags. I also have a few butternut squash.

A Wild Soap Bar LLC: Located on Union Lee Church Rd. Serving up truly natural native Texas soaps, body balms, and eco-friendly gift sets. Take advantage of our discounted Farmers Market prices! Use the contact form at http://www.awildsoapbar.com by 10am Wed. morning to order anything on the website for delivery to the Market or browse our fragrant weekly selection when you get there. Stamp out fake evil commercial soap....lather up with a wild soap bar!

Bloor House: handcrafted necessities has lovely things for the entire family, Texas Beer Soap, Shea Butter Body Cremes, All Natural Laundry Soap that's great for sensitive skin as well as HE washers, Liquid and Gel Soaps, Healing Lip Balms, Bath Milk and Bombs, and more! Gifts created for every budget (starting at just $2) ! Bloor House products are great for stocking stuffers as well as holiday gifts for teachers, co-workers, and clients... gift wrapping and shipping available!

Manor Market farmers, ranchers and vendors would like to thank all the local organizations & businesses that make the market possible every week: East Rural Community Center, Manor Chamber of Commerce & Manor Veterinarian Hospital.

Austin Organic Gardeners Planting Calendars

Click here to see what to plant and when in the greater Austin Texas area.

Don't have time to garden? Shop the Manor Farmers Market instead! :o)

Market Offerings for Nov. 18

Join us on Dec. 16 for our 1st Annual Merry Market Day! Sip hot chocolate, shop the local vendor booths for handmade gifts and seasonal goodies, and buy a few raffle tickets for $1 each for your chance to win a huge Merry Market Gift Basket overflowing with items donated by our wonderful Market vendors. Raffle tickets will be on sale at the Market from Nov. 25-Dec. 16 and all proceeds will benefit the Manor Farmers Market. So mark your calendars now for Dec. 16 and come on out to support your friendly local Market! And now for the Market offerings:

Munkebo Farm will have native mustard greens, baby kale, spinach, lettuce, bell peppers, hatch green chili, hot peppers, jalapenos, green onions, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon thyme, pesto, blue cheese dressing, berry pie, buttermilk pie and bread.

Laverne's Vegetable Patch -This week finds the patch with a few more vegetables. Yellow squash - still doing great. The patch will also have cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, Chinese cabbage and greens. Also available will be the homemade salsa and home grown country fresh eggs. There will also be several bouquets of flowers from the patch.

Burt's Texas Garden: It almost feels like fall this week! On our market table, we will have Yellow Squash, Zucchini Squash, Tatuma Squash, Turnip Greens, Turnips, Swiss Chard, Mustard Greens, Lettuce, Radishes, Broccoli, and Hot Peppers. In addition, we'll have Dill Pickles, Pickled Beets, Jalapeno Jelly, and Farm Fresh Eggs. We are sold out of Chow-Chow for the rest of the season.

Richardson Farms: All natural, humanely raised beef, pork and poultry from their family farm in Rockdale. Sausages: Italian hot or sweet, breakfast in link or pan, smoked beef or pork. Chops, ribs, steaks, cutlets, ground meats and roasts. Truly exceptional quality while supporting the local ranchers and economy.

Kala's Kuisine: I will bring all my award winning salsa's, Almondaise, hummas, cilantro chutney, curry sauce and always the samosa and momo's. These are my standard products. I do not know if you knew that I got 9 awards on my salsa's this years hot sauce contest. 5 in Austin, 2 in Houston and 2 in Alberkerky. Curry-chipotle got first place, Mirchi-masala got first place and curry tabasco got second place and mango chutney got third place on all the events. That is why I said award winning salsas.

Ray the Noodle Man: With Texas Wendish Heritage Society Noodles made the old fashioned way with eggs, flour and salt. Just like his Mom, known all over Central Texas as The Noodle Lady, started making some sixty years ago in Giddings.

Spud Pancakes, Inc.- Volkmar Helmenstein's mobile pancake wagon will be at the market making homemade potato pancakes to order. Served with apple sauce or sour cream. Delicious!

Goodwin Homestead: Beautiful hand made stained glass mosaics for home and garden, 100% wool felted bags, and green beans

A Wild Soap Bar LLC: Located on Union Lee Church Rd. Serving up truly natural native Texas soaps, body balms, and eco-friendly gift sets. Take advantage of their discounted Farmers Market prices! Use the contact form at http://www.awildsoapbar.com by 10am Wed. morning to order anything on the website for delivery to the Market or browse their fragrant weekly selection when you get there. Stamp out fake evil commercial soap....lather up with a wild soap bar! cheers! maggie hanus, soap bartender, a wild soap bar LLC 512.272.4058

Bloor House: handcrafted necessities has lovely things for the entire family, Texas Beer Soap, Shea Butter Body Cremes, All Natural Laundry Soap that's great for sensitive skin as well as HE washers, Liquid and Gel Soaps, Healing Lip Balms, Bath Milk and Bombs, and more! Gifts created for every budget (starting at just $2) ! Bloor House products are great for stocking stuffers as well as holiday gifts for teachers, co-workers, and clients... gift wrapping and shipping available! Order this week to have hostess gifts ready in time for Thanksgiving!

Manor Market farmers, ranchers and vendors would like to thank all the local organizations & businesses that make the market possible every week: East Rural Community Center, Manor Chamber of Commerce & Manor Veterinarian Hospital

Market Spotlight: Munkebo Farm's Legacy

Munkebo is the village in Sweden where my great grandmother was from. I recently went to Sweden for a month and found my relatives (3rd cousins). The last communication was in 1907 between my great grandfather and his brother through a letter. The saved letters dating from 1884 are how I was able to find them. They still live on the family farm in a village called Basthult. The older folks are retired from a small dairy business (18 cows) and their children and grandchildren help with the timber business. They wait 100 years from the time they plant to harvest. The older lady, Sigrid, has a loom and made her own Swedish folk dress out of flax that her mother grew and wool for the skirt and vest. She hand hammered the sterling broach that holds the purse to her skirt and also hammered the decorations for her shoes. She likes to cook and has a special talent for cookies and pastries. Some of the family belong to a hunting club that splits the take of moose and deer, which they butcher themselves.

Throughout Sweden most homes are heated with radiant heat produced from running hot water through radiators in the rooms and pipes in or under the floor. My cousins use wood chips from their woods to feed their furnace twice a day (the hopper looked like it holds a feed sack's worth of chips). I noticed no soot coming out the stack, but of course there is CO2. The houses are built with very thick walls. They all have super efficient windows and because the sills are so deep; they always have plants on them.

The people that I met in Sweden and other places in my travels have one thing in common, most are not big consumers and keep appliances long periods of time through repair and proper maintenance. They don't redecorate or change out their furniture or car every few years either. They are frugal compared to most people in America. The cities have a definite delineation between them and the countryside, no sprawl or billboards. There are no big box stores, mostly family businesses. They have an excellent train system and in the cities most walk, ride the bus or bicycle.

I know that world travel isn't green, but when you look at the educational opportunities and cultural exchange it becomes acceptable to me in moderation.

Germaine
Munkebo Farm, Owner & Founder

Local Farms Provide Veggies for Thanksgiving Luncheon

The East Rural Community Center Thanksgiving Giving Luncheon will be on Fri., Nov. 13th from 11 to 2 at 600 Carrie Manor Street in Manor, TX, next to the library. Everyone is welcome. The luncheon features a savory turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Decorative placemats for the feast were made by the talented students of Anita De La Cruz at Manor's Decker Middle School. This year we are excited to be serving vegetables grown right here from Burt's Texas Garden and Hands of the Earth Farm! Many thanks to all of the volunteers and contributors who make this special community event possible.

Spicy Stir-Fried Radish Greens and/or Swiss Chard

(Makes 2 servings, can easily be doubled. Recipe created by Kalyn with some chard-cooking inspiration from Vegetables Every Day.)

8-10 ounces radish greens and/or swiss chard, washed and cut into 1/2 inch slices
2-3 tsp. peanut oil
2 large garlic cloves (for seasoning the oil)

sauce mixture:
1 T soy sauce (I like Kikkomans)
1 tsp. rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tsp. Agave nectar
1/4 tsp. (or less) Sriracha sauce or other hot sauce

Wash and dry radish greens and/or swiss chard. (I used a salad spinner.) If desired, soak greens for about 30 minutes in very cold water. (This makes sure they're crisp for the quick stir-frying.) Working in batches, cut greens crosswise into 1/2 inch slices.

Mix together sauce ingredients and set aside. Preheat the wok or large, heavy frying pan until it feels very hot when you hold your hand there, then add the oil. When oil looks shimmery, add the garlic cloves and cook about 30 seconds, making sure garlic doesn't start to brown. Remove garlic and discard.

Add chopped radish greens and/or swiss chard all at once and immediately begin to stir-fry, turning greens over and over just until they are almost all wilted. (For me this was only one minute, but I have a great gas stove with a burner with really high heat.) When greens are almost all wilted, add sauce ingredients, stir, and cook 30 seconds more. Serve hot.

Market Offerings for Nov. 11

Burt's Texas Garden: We'll have BROCCOLI this week! You can also stock up on Yellow Squash, Zucchini Squash, Tatuma Squash, Turnip Greens, Turnips, Canola Greens, Collards, Mustard Greens, Lettuce, Radishes, and Hot Peppers. In addition, we'll have Dill Pickles, Pickled Beets, Chow Chow, and Farm Fresh Eggs.Sorry, we are still sold out of Bread & Butter Pickles, and Jalapeno Jelly for the time being.

Munkebo Farm is bringing mild hatch green chili's, garlic, bell peppers, spinach, parsley, oregano, basil, mixed heirloom lettuce, Indian mustard greens, Chinese cabbage, kale, dandelion greens, blue cheese salad dressing, basil walnut pesto, apple pie, berry pie and bread

Laverne's Vegetable Patch will have salsa, eggs, yellow squash and some cherry tomatoes.

Goodwin Homestead: extra collards , peppers, and green beans. Stained glass mosaics and felted bags.

Ray the Noodle Man: with Texas Wendish Heritage Society Noodles made the old fashioned way with eggs, flour and salt. Just like his Mom, known all over Central Texas as The Noodle Lady, started making some sixty years ago in Giddings.

NEW Kala's Kuisine- Exotic & Nepalese food as sold at Whole Foods, Greenling and now Manor Farmers Market including: Curry Chipotle Salsa, Chutney Salsa, Mango Chutney, Cilantro Chutney, Peak O’De Gallo, Curry Sauce, Alu Tama Salad, Nepali Pasta Salad, Saag Pasta Salad, Chole, Pulau, Saag Paneer, Samosas, Saag Lunch, Chole Lunch, Saag Wrap, Roti Wrap

NEW Spud Pancakes, Inc.- Volkmar Helmenstein with his mobile pancake wagon will be at the market making homemade potatoe pancakes to order. Served with apple sauce or sour cream. He came by my house today so I could try them, delicious Eat up!

Bloor House handcrafted necessities has lovely Bath Milks for the entire family, Texas Beer Soap, fresh Body Cremes, All Natural Laundry Soap that's great for sensitive skin AND safe for grey water systems, Liquid and Gel Soaps, Healing Lip Balms, and more! New for November: Bath Bombs have returned! Gift baskets created for any budget! Bloor House products are great for stocking stuffers as well as holiday gifts for teachers, co-workers, and clients... Order early and have hostess gifts ready in time for Thanksgiving!

A Wild Soap Bar LLC: Located on Union Lee Church Rd. Serving up truly natural native Texas soaps, body balms, and eco-friendly gift sets. Take advantage of their discounted Farmers Market prices! Use the contact form at http://www.awildsoapbar.com by 10am Wed. morning to order anything on the website for delivery to the Market or browse their fragrant weekly selection when you get there. Stamp out fake evil commercial soap....lather up with a wild soap bar!

Have You Heard The News?

The Manor Farmers Market has a brand new website! Please visit today and sign up for our email list to receive important market updates and news of our special events. Each week the market reaches new heights as we slowly but surely build upon our prior successes. The Manor Farmers Market is growing! Yes...pun intended.

Market Offerings for Nov. 4

Lavern's Vegetable Patch, Munkebo Farm, and Burt's Texas Garden: This week we should have Yellow Squash, Zucchini Squash, Turnip Greens, Turnips, Canola Greens, Collards, Radishes, and Hot Peppers. In addition, we'll have Dill Pickles, Pickled Beets, Chow Chow, Farm Fresh Eggs, and Jalapeno Jelly. Also bell peppers, mild hatch green chili, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, lemon thyme, basil-walnut pesto, blue cheese dressing, apple crumble pie, berry crumble pie and bread, greens, salsa, and cucumbers. Plus a couple of bouquets of flowers! PRETTY!

Richardson Farms will not be at the Farmer's Market on Wed. Nov. 4th. as we will be loading the last 60 of our turkeys into the trailer to be taken to the processor. We leave at 3:30 AM....so, it is a must to load them late in the evening before. Thanks for your interest in Richardson Farms Meats.

Ray the Noodle Man: with Texas Wendish Heritage Society Noodles made the old fashioned way with eggs, flour and salt. Just like his Mom, known all over Central Texas as The Noodle Lady, started making some sixty years ago in Giddings.

Laura with gourmet Tamales: Green Chili Turkey, Red Chili Pork or Chicken with vegetables. Hot from the steamer and ready to eat with some home-made salsa from the market.

A Wild Soap Bar LLC: Located on Union Lee Church Rd. Serving up truly natural native soaps, body balms, and eco-friendly gift sets. Take advantage of their discounted Farmers Market prices! Use the contact form at http://www.awildsoapbar.com by 10am Wed. morning to order anything on the website for delivery to the Market or browse their fragrant weekly selection when you get there.

Goodwin Homestead: Stained glass mosaics for home and garden, and 100% wool, hand dyed, felted, and embellished bags.

Manor Farmers' Market is sponsored by: the East Rural Community Center, a non profit 501c3 organization, Manor Veterinarian Hospital & the Manor Chamber of Commerce.