Riverwalk Farmers Market

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2015 Local Holiday Markets

This past year, Mom and I revamped the Little Wagon Produce website. After 6 years, it became outdated. It’s no small task for a small business. It took several meetings with Tim Smith’s team from Delmarva Digital, new pictures, and updated text. A few new features include a scrolling picture banner and a “We Sell” tab. Over the years, we’ve collected a database of customer email addresses to send seasonal updates. We feel it’s a nice benefit to quickly tell customers, “Sweet corn’s ready!”. This winter, I plan to increase our collection of customer recipes online. To check out our website or join the email newsletter, just go to our homepage.
Here’s our last email update for 2015 regarding upcoming holiday markets:
Greetings Patrons & Friends,
Thank you for a wonderful 2015 season! Little Wagon Produce is closed for the season. On a daily basis, we may have a few produce items available on our wagon for “self-service”. For those of you who stopped in the beginning, you know what this means!  However, we do have 2 upcoming holiday market dates to share with you. Please mark your calendars:
  1. Friday, Nov. 20 – Milton “Harvest Market”, Noon-4pm, on the grounds of Dogfish Brewery (featuring punkin ale), come enjoy the live music!
  2. Saturday, Nov. 21 – Milford Riverwalk 2nd Annual Fall Market, 10am–2pm, downtown Milford, come get your Dolce coffee and take a stroll!
We plan to offer the following at these holiday markets:
  • Jams, jellies, honey, canned pickles
  • Spaghetti and acorn squash
  • Butternut and Hubbard squash (good for pie making)
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips
  • Holiday slates with wrought iron (pictured below)
  • Holiday flags with wrought iron (these make great holiday gifts!)
  • Possibly a few fresh greenery pieces (wreaths, garland, etc.)
  • Possibly a few fruit baskets and/or jam & jelly gift baskets
We hope the weather stays mild and would love to see you there! You can also check out our Fall/Winter Recipes on our website. We will be adding more throughout the winter.

If you have any specific needs over the winter, please give us a call at the house (not the stand): 302-349-5206. Thank you again for your business and we look forward to serving you in 2016. Have a blessed holiday season!

Sincerely,
Little Wagon Produce
Dan & Becky Vanderwende and Families

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Bring on Summer and Fresh Produce!

Written by Christy Vanderwende Wright, Little Wagon Produce, for Milford Live (page 14) in honor of Local Produce Week

Bring on summer and the local produce! A sure sign of summer is downtown farmer’s markets. Little Wagon Produce is busy as a vendor at three – the Milton Farmer’s Market on Friday afternoon, the Riverwalk Farmers Market in downtown Milford every Saturday morning, and the Georgetown Farmer’s Market at 16 mile Brewery every Wednesday evening.

The Riverwalk Farmers Market in Milford has become a regular meeting hub for the Milford community. Shoppers mingle, talk, smile, laugh, and hug in between buying goods. Live music and many new vendors compliment the market. The weather has been warm but the grove of trees provides a refreshing shade. We appreciate the loyalty of Milford patrons year after year. I also appreciate the many questions and concern in my absence. I welcomed a baby boy last August and have taken time off to care for him. My sisters, Danna and Amber, have replaced me and love to share pictures of the baby!

The most popular question we get each year is “Do you have sweet corn yet?” The answer is YES! We are also picking daily our own yellow squash, zucchini, sweet corn, string beans, kale, green tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. We will soon have red tomatoes. Farmers have been blessed with plentiful rain this season. Keep in mind, there are expenses incurred by vendors such as fuel costs, paper and plastic bags or packaging, labor, and significant time picking and packing the day before the market. We tend to spend most of Friday preparing for the market in Milford and schedule 4-5 employees to attend and assist customers during the market.

If you do plan to take a stroll downtown soon, here are a few tidbits to help you be “Farmer Market Ready” this summer:

  • Bring cash! Many vendors are small businesses and cannot afford the fees accompanied with credit card machines. There is no bank in downtown Milford anymore.
  • Bring your own bags! The recyclable grocery bags work great! By doing this, you will help the environment and help us because plastic bags are an additional expense to vendors that we usually do not pass on to the customers. We even pay more and go out of the way to find heavy-duty plastic bags to hold a dozen ears of sweet corn (and they still don’t hold a dozen ears well).
  • Bring a friend! Word of mouth is the best marketing! The Riverwalk Farmer’s Market is open every Saturday from 9am-1pm.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask! Many markets have an information booth or a “Market Manager” to oversee the market each week.
  • Spread the love! Hopefully you will find more than one vendor to patronize. In Milford, there’s a large variety of vendors offering more than produce and there are several businesses nearby such as Dolce Coffee Shop, Blooming Boutique, Sugar Bee Candy Store, Arena’s and Georgia House Restaurant.
  • Bring your smile! Many vendors love to talk and engage their customers, including us.
  • Stay updated! The market is usually rain or shine! Vendors still come out in the rain. Check to see if your local market has a Facebook page and/or website for updates. Milford can be found on Facebook at “Riverwalk Farmers Market” and we update our page as well, “Little Wagon Produce”.
  • Say thanks to the vendors! There would be no market without them!

Thank you to all our loyal customers who already know the ropes and patronize the market week after week! Be sure to check out the Department of Agriculture’s “Buy Local” website for a farmer’s market near you at www.de.gov/buylocal.

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The Man We All Called Pop-Pop Bob

Everyone who knew him, loved him. He was so personable, loving, and outgoing. He smiled all the time. He loved his community, baseball, church, fire hall, 4-H, the DE State Fair, and family. But above all, he loved his grandkids. For almost 35 years, he was a second dad to me. I loved to hear him talk about growing up in Hickman, making scrapple with his dad, and his time working on base.

Even though he wasn’t a farmer, Pop-Pop had a love for agriculture and farm crops. This stemmed from his dad (Floyd Messick), owning a produce stand in Hickman and driving truck crops to the city with Mom-Mom’s dad (Hugh Vincent). This may help explain Pop-Pop’s role as Superintendent of the Farm Products building at the DE State Fair each year. One of the ways I connected with him more recently was through the Milford Farmer’s Market. For the past 10 years, he showed up on Saturday morning in Milford to help my Mom sell produce. He would sit in a chair in the back and cup vegetables, while customers sat with him. He loved the conversation, hugs, and smiles from so many familiar faces he saw each week. I joked that I’m not sure who was more popular-our sweet corn or Pop-Pop Bob. But in recent weeks I know for a fact now, it was Pop-Pop. Thank you so much for all the concerned questions about him from customers in recent weeks.

So here’s to the man who painted my bedroom Punky Brewster colors (each wall was a different color), took us grandkids to the beach every Labor Day and taught me how stand a wave, let us celebrate the last day of school by inviting friends over to swim in his pool, taught me how to drive on the Nine Foot Road well before I was 16, came to all my high school ball games, drove me to Springfield, MA for a FFA contest when no one else would, loved to hug and squeeze me, and danced with me at my wedding. No matter what I did, he loved me unconditionally and made me feel important. He will never be forgotten and I’m proud to call him mine. Baby Wright may never meet him but I will be sure to teach him about the loving man we all called “Pop-Pop Bob”.

Robert Eugene Messick

April 8, 1930 – June 28, 2014

This sailboat was filled with sand and had our names on it.

This sailboat was next to Pop-Pop’s pool in his backyard. He filled it with sand and had our names on the side.

This pretty much sums him up.

May 1984. This pretty much sums him up.

Sitting on the top row of Woodbridge Elementary School bleachers. I have no idea what we were watching. I am the one underneath the pom-pom. (Christy, Derek, Pop-Pop, Devon, Danna)

Sitting on the top row of Woodbridge Elementary School bleachers. I have no idea what we were watching but doesn’t he look like a big kid sitting there with us? Can you guess who is underneath the pom-pom? (Christy, Derek, Pop-Pop, Devon, Danna)

In the old 4-H Building at the fair. Janelle and I just gave our sewing demonstration. (Pop-Pop Bob, Janelle, Christy, Mom-Mom Ruth and Mom-Mom Ann)

In the old 4-H Building at the fair. Janelle and I just gave our sewing demonstration. (Pop-Pop Bob, Janelle, Christy, Mom-Mom Ruth and Mom-Mom Ann)

This was at Girl's State in 1997. He came to see me sworn in as Girl's State Auditor. (Danna, Pop-Pop Bob, Christy, Pop-Pop Bill)

This was at Girl’s State in 1997. He came to see me sworn in as Girl’s State Auditor. (Danna, Pop-Pop Bob, Christy, Pop-Pop Bill)

He recovered well from heart surgery in 1999.

He recovered well from heart surgery in 2001.

Delaware State Fair in 2002. He loved to stick his tongue out at us.

Delaware State Fair in 2002. He loved to stick his tongue out at us.

 

He loved the DE State Fair.

He loved the DE State Fair and served as Superintendent of the Farm Products building.

The was at the Milford Farmer's Market one year. He loved to help us every Saturday morning. And the customers loved him.

This was at the Milford Farmer’s Market in 2008. He loved to help us sell produce every Saturday morning. He helped Mom initially, when she started at the market 14 years ago. The customers loved to see him and often sat down with him or gave him hugs. Thank you to all the customers who have asked for him this year.

Dec. 2008. Our annual shot of all the grandkids.

Dec. 2008. Our annual shot of all the grandkids at Christmas.

Sept. 22, 2012. At our wedding, right after the anniversary dance, which they won. It's one of the only pictures I have of all 4 of us together.

Sept. 22, 2012. At our wedding, right after the anniversary dance, which they won (they were married for 64 years). It’s one of the few pictures I have of all 4 of us together.

 

 

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Are you Farmer’s Market Ready?

A sure sign of spring and summer is farmers markets; many of which have begun already this year. Little Wagon Produce has been busy with two so far-the Milton Farmer’s Market on Friday afternoon and the Riverwalk Farmers Market, which is in downtown Milford every Saturday morning. This week was the return of the Georgetown Farmers Market which is on Wednesday afternoons.

I always look forward to returning to the Riverwalk Farmers market every spring because we’re amazed at the loyalty of many of our customers year after year. Many of our regulars ducked showers last weekend to see us and to find Mother’s Day flowers or produce.  The past 2 weekends, I’ve received many of the same questions such as “Do you have sweet corn yet?” and “Are the strawberries local?” These are great questions and it always helps when the farmer is right there to answer. Anytime my Dad visits the market he is usually surrounded by inquiring customers about the food he grows.

Farmer Dan is on right. Its rare to see him at the market! He's usually in the field.

Farmer Dan on right. Its rare to see him at the market but the customers love to talk to him! He’s usually in the field picking the produce or keeping the irrigation going.

Sometimes I take this chart, made by the DE Dept. of Ag, to offer customers insight about the growing season in Delaware. It helps a customer understand that sweet corn is never ready in Delaware until the last week of June or thereafter. So please don’t believe any of the false advertising you may see!!! I can also assure you that almost all produce will be a little later than normal this year because of the cold wet spring. No strawberries have been local until this past weekend. I know this confuses customers because last year the weather was extremely mild and strawberries came on early. I try to remind customers that farmers are always at the mercy of Mother Nature. Here are some more tidbits to help you be “farmers market ready”:

  • Bring cash! Many vendors are small businesses and cannot afford the fees accompanied with credit card machines.
  • Bring your own bags! The recyclable grocery bags work great for this! By doing this, you will help the environment and help us because plastic bags are an additional expense to vendors that we usually do not pass on to the customers. We even have to pay more and go out of the way to find heavy-duty plastic bags to hold a dozen ears of sweet corn.
  • Bring a friend! Word of mouth is the best marketing for us!
  • Don’t be afraid to ask! Many markets have an information booth or a “Market Manager” to oversee the routine each week. Some markets even have a bell that rings before you can sell anything (Milton).
  • Spread the love! Hopefully you will find more than one vendor to patronize. In Milford, there are many wonderful downtown businesses such as Dolce Coffee Shop, Blooming Boutique, and Georgia House Restaurant.
  • Bring your smile! Many vendors love to talk and engage their customers, including us.
  • Stay updated! Many thought the market was canceled last Saturday because of the rain but we were open. Check to see if your local market has a Facebook page and/or website.

Thank you to all our loyal customers who already know the ropes! And for all the newbies, I hope to see you soon! For a market near you, see the 2013 Farmer’s Market Directory here.

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Farmers’ Markets: Past, Present, Future Part II – From Farm to Table

Happy National Farmers’ Market Week! In honor of the week, here’s my second post from the series, “Farmer Markets: Past, Present, Future“.

Back in July, news editor Gwen Guerke shared my Facebook post in the Milford Chronicle, in which I thanked our Riverwalk Farmer’s Market customers for supporting LWP in the 100 degree heat on July 7. I also shared that we sold out of 2500 ears of corn by 11:30 am. Since then, many customers have commented to me, “Did you really sell 2500 ears?” Yes, we did. But this is normal. We always pick approximately 60 baskets (42 ears each=2520 total ears) for the market each Saturday. It usually lasts until noon time, sometimes 12:30. What was abnormal was the fact that we sold all 60 baskets by 11 am that day, which was most likely because of the heat. Many of our customers choose to beat the heat by coming early, as we open around 9 am. The past couple Saturdays have been this way, as the heat and humidity in DE has not let up. I usually have time to clean up, consolidate baskets, and talk to customers but not when everyone comes out at once!

You may think, “What’s the problem? Isn’t selling out the goal?” It is and I’m not complaining. But Gwen hit the nail on the head with her next statement in the column. She wrote, “Think about this though: before the market opens at 9am Saturday, someone had to go out in the fields and harvest each and every ear. A lot of time and effort goes into the “Farm to Table” concept, so when you’re buying fresh and local fruits and vegetables take the time to thank the people who put in the work to make it happen.”  She’s right. More recently, many customers have been asking me if we picked the corn that morning. I tell them the truth, which is we usually have to pick some the night before and the rest in the morning. Why? Because even though we start picking corn at 5:30 am on Saturday mornings, we can’t get it all picked and packed by 8am, which is when we have to leave to get to Milford. Who’s the we? It’s usually Farmer Dan (my Dad), Breck (my brother), Uncle Doug, and Melissa Baker (a long-time, dedicated employee) and myself. We typically can pick one full basket every 10 minutes, which is about 6 baskets an hour. Therefore, 5 people picking corn can accomplish approximately 60 baskets in 2 hours but keep in mind we have to pick enough to keep our home retail stand going, too, as well the Western Sussex (Seaford) market and other wholesale orders. Additionally, it’s wet, so we wear rain suits to stay dry. There is usually minimal air movement as well, although it’s very peaceful. Here’s a You Tube video to give you an idea of what it’s like in the corn field: http://youtu.be/JknGLcKtGZU. At the beginning, you’ll see Dad actually husk an ear and taste it. He loves to do this and it’s his way of ensuring the planting is good. And here are some pics to share from the corn field:

Love this picture because it shows how much Uncle Doug has to bend over to pick sweet corn. But it also shows how much animals love him. Here Pansy is waiting for him to feed her an ear of corn, too.  🙂

Here Melissa is throwing a full basket on the corn wagon. It helps that she’s a lot taller than the wagon (unlike me!). 🙂

Any volunteers to help us pick this Saturday? If so, see you at LWP around 5:30 am. Otherwise, we’ll just see you at 9 am, with 60 baskets already grown, picked, packed, and delivered straight to you, the consumer, at the Riverwalk Farmers Market! Oh yea–and thanks to Gwen, for understanding and shining light on exactly what is “Farm to Table”!