Diaper Derby

I am surprised how many people have never heard of a Diaper Derby.

So let me tell you what it is.

Basically it is a crawling race for infants. That's it! You put the youngster down and whoever crawls to the other side the fastest wins. Usually it's not the fastest crawler that wins, it is whoever needs a nap and wants their momma the most.

So we are going to have a diaper derby the morning of the Fall Festival at the Farmers' Market.

The Farmers' Market will be located on the Swiss Church grounds Saturday, Topeka and Elm, between the main church building and the annex (that house on the corner). It looks like it will be a chilly morning. So we will keep them bundled up till the last minute.

Sign your little one up at 10 am and we should be ready to race at 10:15 am.

The winner gets a large pack of Huggies Diapers size 3.

A few rules do apply, as long as they crawl they are fine, they don't have to stay in their lane, just crawl to the finish line. But if they stand up and walk they will be disqualified. Also the baby has to cross the finish line, moms are not allowed to pull them across.

Depending on how many are there we can do several heats and then a final.

Here are a few tips:

• Have two people for the baby, someone at the start and someone at the finish.
• Bribes are legal, take that pacifier down to the finish line and let junior come get it.

So if you have a crawler 6-18 months come over to the Whitewater Farmers' Market at Swiss Church Saturday, October 5th, at 10 o'clock. Race starts at 10:15 am.

Friday's Market Cancelled

Sorry to cancel the market this Friday, Sept. 20th. But the venders are engaged otherwise.

Please join us for our last Farmers' Market of the season at the Whitewater Fall Festival.

The Farmers' Market will not be meeting at the Scout House like usual, but we will head over to the children's activities and car show on the Swiss church grounds at Topeka and Elm.

The Market will be open at 9 and be open till after the parade.

We have some fun activities planned as well as having veggies from the fall garden.

Hope to see you there, October 5th for the Whitewater Fall Festival!

Zucchini, the Forbidden Vegetable

Zucchini is one of the most popular summer squashes.

But I have only been recently introduced to this versatile vegetable. This year I planted several plants and have enjoyed experimenting with it in our meals.

Growing up, it was forbidden and not allowed in the house and not even an option to grow in the garden. It is the only vegetable that my father hates.
Once upon a time, my father grew it in the garden. My mother prepared it for supper one evening. After one bite, my father without saying a word, stood up from the supper table, went out to the garden and started pulling the zucchini plants out by their roots throwing them over his shoulder. My siblings and I were too small to remember but dad recalls us watching wide eyed out the window. He said "nothing that tastes like that will grow in my garden." There is no use convince him; tell it is good in bread and he will inform you the bread is good without the zucchini.

But now I have a garden of my own and even though it isn't the most favorite vegetable in the garden, I like it and I'd like to share a recipe, from Smitten Kitchen, that my husband has enjoyed this summer.

Zucchini Fritters

1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper

Bacon Grease or another oil of your choice, for frying

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Have a baking sheet ready.

Grate zucchini and combine with salt, let it sit for 10 minutes. Wring out the zucchini by wrapping it up in a clean dishtowel or cheese cloth and wring.

To the zucchini shreds and a little more salt and add remaining ingredients, except bacon grease, to bowl.

In a large heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of grease over medium-high heat. Drop small bunches of the zucchini batter into the skillet. Cook till fritters are golden, about 3 minutes a side. Place fritter in the oven on baking sheet to keep warm while frying the
remaining batter.

We have had these fritters for breakfast several times this summer. Top them with a sausage patty and an over-easy egg. Very good!


Come join us at the market tonight!

Come to the Market!

Tonight from 5-7 is the Farmers' Market.

The McKinney Sisters will be providing music for us. Their specialty is gospel bluegrass; they play guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin and dobro.

The boy scouts will be grilling hamburgers and hot dogs.

We will have an assortment of vegetables: tomatoes, yellow squash, peppers, acorn squash, butternut squash, and cucumbers. As well as homemade soaps and vanilla.

Also the Centre Point Church is having their coffee house this evening from 7-11.

Here are a couple pictures from last week.

Tonight at the Market

In the garden, the beans and tomatoes are doing well. So are the cucumbers and peppers.

We should also have farm fresh eggs tonight, as well as homemade jellies, soaps, bread and grass feed beef!

Music will be provided by the Jesse Busenitz's Bluegrass group.  I have a bubble activity/craft for the kids.

We are looking forward to a lot of fun tonight at the Whitewater Farmer's Market.

Whitewater Memorial Library

The Whitewater Memorial Library is an asset to our community. Their staff do a wonderful job of investing in the community, not only by bringing us the latest New York Times bestsellers but by helping us connect to each other and connect to the world around us.

The library offers activities for everyone, like an occasionally movie matinée, story time for the kids (and moms), and classes for adults, like the Kindle class this summer.

Jean, the librarian, is a regular vendor at the Farmers' Market. She has been introducing the new media available for check out at the library. Jean has featured the Nook E-reader, Playaway Views, and the Playaway. The Playaway is a self-contained digital audio book that merely requires a set of headphones, but can also be played through a vehicle radio.

Also Jean has had literature, magazines and videos for sale at the market.

Visit their website at whitewaterlib.info.

Market this Week

Since we cancelled last week's Farmers' Market, we will be having the market this week and next.

When the sun appears again there will be a lot of produce.

Come join us Friday night, August 16th, at the Scout House 5-7 and next week August 23rd.

We will have an activity for the kids, live music, fresh produce, and the boy scouts will provide supper.

Market Cancelled

Sorry folks everything is a little soggy!

Earlier in the week the Scout House at a couple feet of water in it!

So the Market will be cancelled tonight.

But when the rain decides to stop the gardens will begin to grow and grow and grow.

So we may have one next week. Stay posted and watch for the sign at 196!

Gardening with David Entz

One young man that is on his game as far as gardens are concerned is the youngest vendor at the market, David Entz.

This morning, David showed me around his garden. The pumpkins have taken over. It is hard to tell where the sweet potatoes, cucumbers and watermelon are exactly. Just looking over the garden all you see is a sea of pumpkin plants!

David has cucumbers, yellow squash, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, banana peppers and zucchini ripe for the picking. Any of which would be a great addition to your dinner table. Here is a wonderful cucumber salad recipe from David's mom Sharon Entz! Hope you all enjoy it.

Kansas Cucumber Salad

4 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. white sugar
4 tsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. dill weed

Combine all the ingredients and chill.

David's parents, Leland and Sharon Entz, operate Whitewater Tire, just southeast of Whitewater. So next time you need a flat fixed or a set of all season tires, swing by Whitewater Tire, but don't forget about David. He'll be over tending the garden, so check with him and see what's growing!

So pass by the produce sections at your super market and come get fresh from the garden veggies locally grown here in rural Whitewater!

Market Tonight!

This evening, the Whitewater Farmer's Market will be hosting a benefit for the Brian Wisdom Family.
Brian Wisdom was in a terrible car accident July 7th. He is still recovering in the hospital.

Tonight the picnic supper will be hamburgers and hot dogs and fix-ins, put on by the staff at Wheatstate Manor, where both Brian's wife, Gina, and mother, Marie Wisdom work.

Along with our usually booths, we are going to have an activity for the kids. Every market, we try to have a craft for the little market attendees, and tonight we will have a scavenger hunt. Some of the clues will take some figuring, so parents maybe needed.

Bring the whole family out for supper tonight, show the Wisdoms that we are thinking of them and praying for them.

Planting a Fall Garden

What a wonderful time to get the fall garden in! All this rain has christened the ground to ensure a bountiful fall harvest.

Plant bush beans, beets, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli before the end of July.

In August, be ready to plant kale, lettuce, radishes and turnips.

Many herbs can be planted in the fall as well.

Take advantage of all this wonderful rain. Get your fall garden in today!

Kansas Rain Gauges

Last Wednesday evening, Norm Oeding of Janzen Family Farms contacted me.

Norm said that he would have free Kansas Rain Gauges for anyone that would like one! He also mentioned that they carried the logos of a variety of beverage and were slightly blemished.

Everyone loves free stuff, right? "Perfect" I thought. I could use I rain gauge, so could others!

Low and behold when I arrived at the Farmer's Market, Norm bestowed on me my free gift.

Yes, it is a pop bottle cap. I had my doubts that this was an adequate instrument to collect rain, but considering Whitewater received only about an inch for the entire month of June. This rain gauge may actually prove useful. Plus I'm all for upcycling! So Saturday, I put my "Kansas rain gauge" out on our deck.

Sure enough it collects the rain, but I should have picked up a couple more. Saturday evening and Sunday morning, we received about 3/4 of an inch for the Whitewater area. My rain gauge holds a little  less than 1/4 inch of rain. I had to empty my rain gauge 4 times.

Thank goodness Norm brings more than just rain gauges to the Farmer's Market! Come try the loaf bread, rolls, hamburger and hot dog buns from the Little Red Hen Bakery as well as Big Rick's BBQ sauce and other locally produced condiments. Norm also sells organic wheat and flour, as well as grass feed beef.

Next Market is Friday, July 26th.

Welcome to the Whitewater Farmer's Market blog!

On this site, we will let you know what to expect at the upcoming Farmer's Market in Whitewater KS.

The Farmer's Market is held every other Friday evening from 5 pm - 7pm at the Whitewater Scout House, 500 E Topeka.

Here is the schedule for the rest of the summer.

July 26th

August 9th

August 23rd

September 6th

September 20th

October 4th

Also on this blog, we will be introducing you to our vendors and the products they are bringing to the market.

Check this site throughout the week to see what produce is ripe and what will be available for purchase at the coming market.

We are excited about this new community event and look forward to seeing you at the Whitewater Farmer's Market!