PonderGuy, those 2 markets are likely to have quite different customer bases. I'm not sure if the urban core market where we sell could long exist without subsidies. The WIC & Senior FM Nutrition Programs are probably critically important. It wasn't that way the first or second year of the market's existence when these programs were not available but, honestly, I think the only thing that kept us going then was the hope that sales would get better. FM studies, and there are a few out there, have shown that something like 90% of the customers come from within 1 mile of the marketsite. Now, I realize that each market is different and there are tourist dominated markets where this wouldn't hold true but markets' tend to BELONG to neighborhoods - that seems to be what you are experiencing. Our experience here is that the suburban markets are dominated by resellers and crafters. The serious growers really tend to go downtown but they flat couldn't afford to do that if the neighbors couldn't afford to purchase their produce. It has taken the vouchers to make that happen. It is still a fairly small market but subsidized sales amount to about 30% of the market's total. Pray that we don't lose this under the current government plans to cut poverty programs. If that happens, we could just fold up our tents and head out to join the resellers in the suburbs. And, that should just about destroy the opportunity for growers to direct market in this area. Encourage, encourage, encourage the folks at your local WIC clinics and senior centers to get involved in bringing fresh fruits and veggies to their low-income clients. That is, if they are not coming down with vouchers already. If they are coming down, find ways, in cooperation with the social workers, to encourage more of them to come down. Having a 40% or 50% redemption rate will result in serious loss of potential income. Find ways to welcome these customers. They are our most vulnerable neighbors  usually young, single moms with babies and very elderly, frail folks. Having someone somewhere in the market to greet them especially and maybe with some free recipe cards will go a long way towards making them feel more comfortable. And, the just-regular-folks really seem to appreciate what is going on. TheyÂve got to worry about these peopleÂs well-being, also. Steve

Thanks, Teresa, I don't think I've ever seen a chicken pie recipe without vegetables, that looks really interesting and efficient, because Bud and Makayla wouldn't have to pick out the pieces of veggies, LOL. Ruthanna, the chicken pudding looks good, I'm going to try a couple of these as meals when Elery's family comes. I'll have 11 visitors for 5 days over the 4th of July weekend, so I'm going to have to find things that I can bake ahead or multiply to get enough servings. The following week is Fair Week too, so Bud and Makayla are spending the night tomorrow night, the fair entries will just have to be baked and frozen, then thawed for the fair. (shrug) Just as well, they're getting too complacent about all those ribbons every year, make 'em work at it this time! Ryse, where are you that you need to move to Tennessee for a better climate? I live in North/West Michigan and I really like to process chickens in the fall, far fewer flies and I don't rush so much to get the birds on ice like I do when it's warmer here. sleevendog, the traffic cones actually worked pretty well, but they weren't quite deep enough. Hey, I'm creative! I didn't have enough room to partially freeze all those halves before packaging, that was part of the problem, I think. On another food related note, the second calf of the year was born today, hooray. I left Mama to tend it and didn't bother them by getting close enough to determine whether it was a heifer or bull, I'll know soon enough. Oh, and Elery and I had chicken on the grill last night. No salting or pre-brining, because I wanted to see just how it was. Elery cooked it slowlyl on the cooler side of the grill and it was moist, juicy and delicious. I'm happy. Annie

Well, we had a good week. Let's see, what about the eating part . . . we had ginger-garlic stirfry chicken w/ candied walnuts, classic hot and sour soup, abondigas (Mexican meatball) soup, pesto both normal/basil and tomato/trapanese, seared salmon with sweet sauce that I'd call ''semi-sashimi'', broiled beef short ribs w/ hoisin/BBQ sauce, miso soup, slow-cooked beef brisket, tomatoes baked and broiled w/ cheese and mayo, some excellent couscous in a great chicken broth, lots of tangy salads, orange cake, peach cobbler, spicy marinated and grilled steaks which put me in a food coma, two chicken and chorizo paellas which worked out even though we used long-grain rice, and some other stuff that I forget. Poor dishwasher worked overtime. Even though we dined like, well, oinkers, the total food and wine bill for the whole week was probably the equivalent of a couple of group dinners out. Doing your own cooking just beats restaurants all day long. Took a five hour kayak trip, mis-timed the wind (lake wind advisories the last couple of days) and paddled our arms off to get home before the whitecaps and waves got too bad. Some mild sunburns. A cigar and scotch night, which basically means me and W_____ being banished to chairs way far downwind, out where the coyotes prowl. Lots of ''stitch and b*tch'' circles, there was quite an obsessive knitting group - which is why we resorted to the cigars in the first place. Fixed some plumbing leaks - it is a very old cabin, and something always has to be mended. Some serious napping. Got caught up on our friend's lives, mid-life menopauses, growing kids, and how everyone is coping w/ the current economy - lots of ''re-inventing oneself'', ''consulting'' and ''living more simply'' going on, but things are okay. The BP oil spill cleanup looks to be a surprise positive for one guy's research funding, glad someone I know is benefiting from that. 13 y/o R_____ has become quite the jazz pianist. 11 y/o C____ does a mean Michael Jackson dance routine. Found a quirkly old-time gun and blade store that had a particular discontinued Forschner Chinese vegetable cleaver that I've been looking for. Then a 12 hour drive back to Portland, kayaks on the roof killing the fuel economy, and back to work today. The best thing is that we are all getting together in a month to rebuild a rotten deck at another cabin. And there's an excellent little oyster farm just five miles down the road . . .

ohiomom, sounds nice. This was a couple tents behind a railroad sation, LOL. No ambiance, but I had fun :) Lucky, Kathleen, you have many markets at your disposal. I haven't been out east in a while and the way it's going, we're going to have to wait until spring! yes, San, this is the place. Was a lot of fun. Wish I found it sooner, the corn was fantastic, best I've had. Can't remember the name but it was not Silver King. Terri, there's one last donut left, hopefully for my morning coffee but highly doubtful :) earthlydelights, LOL, a granny cart would have been perfect, but I have no room in my frig for it all! I microwaved the cauliflower and the water turned a beautiful shade of purple, then I sauted it with some orange tomatoes. It was good. Cool color. Tomorrow I'll make some carrots. It'll be some very colorful dinners the next few nights!