While at the City Market.....

Where in the World is the JOE?

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 16:35:55 -0400

The coffee vendors aren’t usually ready for business as early as I’M ready for coffee on a Saturday morning. You’d never know that I’d already had two cups before leaving the house (cripes, it’s still DARK at 6:30 nowadays!), but there’s something about sipping coffee at the market that brings the planets into alignment for me. Apparently, the same holds true for others!

We positioned MarketCam in ‘the rafters’ of Shenandoah Joe’s EZup canopy this morning. Well, not so much me, actually -- turns out I’m just a little too short to reach, but Dave’s right hand man, along with John Whiteside from Wolf Creek next door, got the grippy-tripod thingy situated properly... and started recording a morning of coffee-lovin’ customers.

I hope you’re enjoying these videos - they certainly are easy to shoot, and we don’t even have to think about the camera during the course of a busy market morning. The joy in these projects is coming home and looking at the video frame by frame, because you’ll never know what you’ll see. And that element of surprise, coupled with people letting their hair down and enjoying each other’s hard work and company - captures the essence of the market, doncha think?

Conversations in our “Community Living Room”

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 21:58:21 -0400

One of our good friends describes the City Market as “the community living room”, and that really resonates with me. On any given Saturday morning, you’ll find a diverse group of market-goers converge in one place to shop, talk, socialize, drink coffee and exchange ideas. One thing that really stands out as we people-watch: people are generally in a really, REALLY good mood! We could ruminate on why that is ... but sometimes it’s better to just savor the feeling.

We’ve been moving MarketCam around to capture different perspectives of the market, but thought you might like to see what WE see on just about any Saturday morning. This morning, we set up a comment board in our booth, and invited passersby to tell us their favorite part(s) about our Farm Tour - and boy, did we get results! We hope that you’ll continue to come and share your raves and frustrations about the market, and if we haven’t been introduced yet, please.... stop by and chat. Coffee’s on!

Nostalgic tunes of Five Foot Two....

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 20:58:10 -0400

We enjoy having music at the City Market, but there’s something about the nostalgic tones and tunes of Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue, that bring out the toe-tappers and sing-alongers in all of us! Sweet harmonies, a uke and a washboard -- what more could we ask for? Give a listen while you watch the market unfold.

On the slope at Stony Mountain

Sat, 7 Aug 2010 20:24:14 -0400

Today, Market Central began promoting our upcoming farm tour, “Meet Yer Eats!”, at the City Market. Stony Mountain is one of the 18 host farms this year, and we positioned MarketCam so that we could capture images from Bill’s spot at the base of the hill. As I was loading and editing the images I thought -Wow, what a slope! The incline of this part of the market site is a nuisance for customers, it causes hip, back and knee problems for vendors, and you can imagine the kind of momentum a wayward watermelon can gather! It also renders a certain part of the market unnavigable for wheelchairs and some strollers. You’ll still see lots of customers in this video, but there are certainly some who just couldn’t manage the slope.

A Market Star!

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 07:16:01 -0400

We set up our “MarketCam” on the potato table at Appalachia Star Farm on this sweltering morning. Yikes! it was hot! Nevertheless, shoppers thronged to the market and scarfed up bags and BAGS of fresh produce. We are well into the height of summer produce, with lots of juicy tomatoes, peaches, corn and melons! Thanks to Kathryn Bertoni, of Appalachia Star Farm, for hosting MarketCam this week -- where will it show up next? hmmmmm..... we’re open to suggestions! Got any?

Pickin’ our way through the Market

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 07:10:31 -0400

Bud Branch, aka: BanjoBud, accompanies the crowd at the Charlottesville City Market on July 10, 2010. Thanks to Simon Cockayne for sharing some of his great photos with us, while our camera was busy taking this time lapse movie of the market. Can you guess where the camera was???? Thanks to Nathan Yoder, for letting us mount the camera under the squash table at his booth across the aisle!

We always get a great view of the parade of kids who stop and listen, and frequently dance! One of my all time favorite ‘banjo dancers’ is featured at the end of this video. Too much fun!

Stop and Smell the Flowers!

Sat, 3 Jul 2010 20:40:03 -0400

I’m frequently drawn to Eileen Stephens’ booth (“Green and Gold”) for early morning shots of her gorgeous fresh cut flowers. The “Phlowerlady”, as she’s known to many, has a passion for flowers, and that passion is recognized instantly as you stroll past her booth on a Saturday morning. Today, however, we brought the camera INTO her booth, to capture passersby instead. An absolutely glorious morning, cool and pleasant, was our gift today, but we know it won’t last long -- as temperatures are predicted to soar close to 95 degrees for Independence Day. So.... just for today.... I hope you had a chance to stop and smell (or at least admire!) the flowers!

A Bagel’s Eye View

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 20:28:56 -0400

Janet Dob and Cynthia Viejo, affectionately known as “The Bagel Ladies” at the City Market, weren’t satisfied with the blistering hot weather today -- they had to add OVENS to the equation! Honestly, the things they do to bring freshly baked bagels to the throngs of customers on a Saturday morning! Our “MarketCam” was perched on the top shelf of the bagel bin for the morning, and if there were such a thing as therm-om0-vision, you could tell we nearly reached 100 degrees today! Thanks, ladies ~~ Enjoy!

I found my thrill --

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 07:29:27 -0400

I’m always excited to see blueberries arrive at the City Market, and apparently, I’m not alone! I bought a container of these juicy little morsels from Waterpenny Farm mid-morning, thinking that we’d have fresh blueberries on our cereal on Sunday morning. What the heck was I thinking?? I snatched a couple from the basket, and they soon became the nibble of the morning, and were gone by noon! *sigh* Watch as the blueberries fly off the table, along with baskets of multiple varieties of delicious baby squash. I love the fact that you can find such variety of squash at the market, and that the growers pick them when they’re young and tender -- can you say: YUM!?! Maybe these are varieties you haven’t seen before. It matters not -- they’re all delicious, nutritious, and quick cooking. Try slicing the baby patty-pans in half, drizzle with olive oil, dust with salt and pepper, and grill. That’s one of our favorite ways of cooking them -- what’s yours?

People Watching

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:38:03 -0400

One of my favorite things at the City Market is to watch passers-by, and this morning I let my camera do it for me. So, here you have it, the view from the “Scratch and Dent Table” at The Orchid Station booth. This time-lapse video captures shots every 60 seconds from 7 a.m. to noon, then slows things down to show you a few nice still shots within the frenzy. Enjoy!

Dots Day!

Sat, 5 Jun 2010 16:44:56 -0400

Market Central’s first “Dots Day”
(Connecting the Dots in our Local Food System) was great fun and information for the market community, and I hope you had an opportunity to visit some of the exhibitors and cast your dot votes on our dot surveys. I’m still tallying the vote totals -- actually, that’s a lie: the boards are still on my dining room table, but I promise to count and post the results very soon! In the meantime, enjoy this video from Meet the Farmer TV, filmed at the City Market on Dots Day!
Check out a few more pictures and information here.

The Great ‘Scape

Sat, 29 May 2010 14:21:38 -0400

One of the joys of farmers market shopping lies in finding the unusual. It matters not whether we’re talking about objet d’art or the star ingredient for the soup du jour - uncommon is fun. Though, in the case of garlic scapes, one’s unfamiliarity with this delicacy might deter one from eating it. Please don’t make this mistake. Their season is fleeting, and it is upon us.

A garlic scape is simply the flower stem of the garlic, and is only produced by the traditional hardneck varieties (not the modern “softnecks”). They’re beautiful and exotic looking, curling ‘round in circles. Besides enjoying their chaotic presence in the garden, they have a mild garlic flavor, and are a great addition to soups, stir fries and just about any other dish where you’d like a little boost of garlic. Still hesitant to try garlic scapes? - or unsure which part to use? Luckily, you have an expert at arm’s reach when you shop at a farmers market -- just ask the grower!