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Dallas Farmers Market Friends Host Ice Cream Social
Honoring Founder Ida Papert and Showcasing Talents of Local Culinary Students
(DALLAS)- To honor the commitment and efforts of Dallas Farmers Market Friends Founder, Ida Papert, the Dallas Farmers Market Friends is hosting the 3rd Annual ‘Mama Ida Ice Cream Social’ at the Dallas Farmers Market Plaza on Saturday, June 27 from 10 a.m.-noon. Working with local donations of fresh ingredients, a variety of ice cream and sorbet entries will be developed by local culinary students and the DallasCountyYouthVillage. Judged by all attendees, the winner will be awarded a cash prize.
In the late 80’s, the Dallas Farmers Market was feeling the effects of lengthy area construction, unrealized political promises and was in desperate need of a community coalition to preserve the integrity of the once popular, city owned ‘farm to table’ concept. Community volunteer Ida Paper, an election chair for Mayor Starke Taylor and a decades-long, seasoned civic leader seemed the logical choice for the politicos of 1991 to head an organization that would gather support for the 40 year old Dallas Farmers Market. With a small but visionary support group (aka Ida’s civic pals), the Dallas Farmers Market Friends held their first meeting in early 1991.
Fast-forward to 2009 and we see the results of the efforts of these original few. The DFMFriends have contributed thousands of dollars and volunteer timeto the DFM. These critical dollars have provided necessary materials, educationand oft times the reason the DFM could stay in the good graces of the sharp-penciled city budgeters.
Noting that she has worked with few Farmers Market directors that had more experience and credentials than the current Administrator, Janelle Leatherwood, Ms. Papert feels confident that the DFM can only continue its success in providing the city of Dallas with locally grown produce and meats.
The Dallas Farmers Market received a grant for a new initiative, Market to Menu. GO TEXAN is partnering with farmers markets across Texas to support local producers and GO TEXAN restaurants. Farmers markets were invited to submit proposals to receive up to $1,000 to host a GO TEXAN restaurant member or members for a cooking demonstration at their market.
The Texas Department of Agriculture’s new From Market to Menu partnership program helps certified farmers’ markets promote local growers and Texas restaurants committed to serving local products.
Saturday, June 20, 2009 GO TEXAN Chefs Janice Provost and Chad Houser from Parigi Restaurant will prepare fresh locally grown products during an outdoor cooking demonstration at the Dallas Farmers Market beginning at 10:00 a.m. and a second demonstration at 11:30 a.m.
The Market is located at 1010 S. Pearl Expressway Dallas, TX 75201 for complete information please visit www.dallasfarmersmarket.org or call 214-670-5880.
The cooking demonstrations will incorporate fresh Texas ingredients directly from the farmers markets, giving consumers an opportunity to taste and buy Texas produce and food. Participants will understand that local, sustainable products are going to be fresher. The chef will be able to explain that when your cooking is seasonally and locally-based, you might need to be more creative with what is grown locally.
Join us for this FREE demonstration and see how Chefs support local Texas farmers and Texas-grown products – and how they make the connection from Market to Menu.
We have all heard the saying, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” That adage holds true as the Dallas Farmers Market brings people together from across the city to barter and haggle over things that may have been stored in a garage or an attic somewhere for years. The Market will kick off its season hosting the Community Yard Sale on Sunday June 7, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
The Market welcomes downtown residents and the metro community to take this opportunity to clear out their closets, basements, and storage units and sell gently used items at the Market. When an item has outlived its usefulness, it is possible that it might be useful to someone else. The Market’s Community Yard Sale is a great way for individuals to find environmentally responsible ways to reuse items that might otherwise find their way to local landfills.
Shoppers will find used household items, clothing and apparel for adults and children, children’s toys, collectibles and much more. The Community Yard Sale will continue every Sunday throughout the season. If you are interested in participating in the community yard sales, please contact Elizabeth Scoggin for an application; she can be reached by phone 214-939-2242 or via e-mail at, elizabeth.scoggin@dallasfarmersmarket.org.
The Dallas Farmers Market, offering a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, is one of the largest public markets of its type in the country where farmers, producers and dealers sell seasonal crops to consumers. Since 1941, the Dallas Farmers Market has provided community residents and customers with a welcoming and dynamic marketplace. The Market is open 7 days-a-week 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. – www.dallasfarmersmarket.org
Recently, a bill named the HR 875 Food and Safety Modernization Act of 2009 was introduced in Congress.It is in response to the recent food-borne health scares and is an attempt to streamline the federal food regulation.Unfortunately, it is written with a broad coverage that includes not only large-scale corporate food producers and distributors but also our local farmers and growers who would be subject to the same regulation as these industrial giants, without the resources to implement it.
Though it is the opinion of many of the Farmer’s Market Friends Board of Directors that this legislation does not favor the local farms and meat producing ranches, we would like to provide its members with information so each of you can make your own decision in choosing to support or oppose this bill.
On Sunday April 15, the 2nd annual Chef and Farmers Roundtable found its focus quickly as five well-known Dallas area Chefs sat down with area farmers and ranchers to discuss the benefits and challenges of buying locally. Go to the Friends Website for more details on the meeting.
Edible Dallas & Fort Worth is a community-based publication that promotes the abundance of local foods in the greater Dallas & Fort Worth areas including counties all the way to the Oklahoma border. We celebrate the growers, producers, retailers, artisans, chefs, bakers, home cooks and gardeners, vintners, brewers and all who energize our community with authentic, locally based food choices. Not only is this a very good publication, but the Publisher, Nanci Taylor, is on the Friends Board Of Directors. Click to check out the on-line version.
This story was completely overwhelmed by the interview CBS did with Fed Chairman Bernanke. Hopefully you hung with the program for the last story about Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse, a world class restaurant in the San Francisco Bay area. Alice Waters has been preaching the virtues of cultivating fresh food for decades. As Lesley Stahl reports, this world-renowned chef and restaurateur hopes a slower approach to the food we eat will keeps us healthier and greener. See the story on the CBS site.
In case you haven’t heard: After years of importing ingredients from all over the world, chefs are going back to basics and staying local. The goal is to limit the human impact on the environment—less flying, driving, and fuel consumption (all of which leaves a smaller “eco-footprint”). Farm-fresh fare is also packed with nutrients, doesn’t have to be sprayed with chemicals to protect it for the long haul to the restaurant, and just plain tastes good. Everybody wins, from farmer to chef to diner. Follow this link to see a list of the top U.S. farm-to-table restaurants, all of which promote locally grown or raised animals, vegetables, herbs, and fruit.
a few weeks ago I published a link to an article in the Chicago Tribune regarding how President Obama and the First Lady, Michelle, might lead the nation when it comes to serving and enjoying wine. As a follow up to this, I found an article on Slate.com claiming that the Bush White House served terrible wines to their guests including foriegn dignitaries. Read the article to find out what wines are served in the White House and how they think Obama will “raise the bar” ( Remember that President Bush doesn’t drink)…
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