Farmers Market vendor helps reduce Holiday stress

Tired of fighting the crowds in the stores? Worried about how much shipping will cost from far away warehouses? If you shop the Farmers Market on Historic N 1st Street virtually, you can lighten some of your Holiday stress.

A very popular stop at the Farmers Market was Toohill Beef. They offer their very own locally and naturally raised, source verified from birth, hormone free, Angus cross BEEF, pork and chicken. You can pick up their products at Strawberry Fields or the Fresh Catch, or you can simply order it online.

And to make this offer more tempting, the Toohill's have stated that they will take 10% off any order emailed to orders@toohillbeef.com, but ONLY if you mention that you read it on our blog.

So be sure to get some beefsticks for your uncle, some summer sausage for that office holiday party or a ham for Christmas dinner. Heck, get all three! But don't forget to mention the blog, Farmers Market on Historic N 1st Street, to get your 10% discount!

Post Season Reflections...

It seems odd that the market season is all but over, but the cool wind and colorful leaves are certainly obvious indicators that summer is over. While our 1st season was a short one compared to the other markets, we still need to reflect on it.

So with that, keep an eye out for a survey where you, the consumer, can give your input on how you thought the season went. And it is with your input that we hope to make next season even better. Until then stay warm and enjoy the beauty that comes with Autumn.

Market bags to serve as a 'healthy' reminder

It is with some sadness, yet with lots of satisfaction, that we mark today as the last Thursday for the 2009 season for the Farmers Market on Historic North First Street. We undertook this huge task in the hopes of promoting the healthy produce and great products that our local businesses have, while working hard to make it accessible to more people.

To help you remember to stay healthy throughout the rest of the year and into the 2010 market season, we will be giving away the other half of the market bags. Just like last time, you can get a free bag with the purchase of $3 or more with vendors at the market. It can be as easy as getting those peppers and onions to make some salsa or some hamburger patties for that Labor Day cookout or other those items you have on your shopping list - you can get a market bag.

Be sure to stop by from 3 to 7 pm today to help us close the season. There will be live entertainment, provided by 2BadActors. The mister will be available for the kids, and the smiling faces of the vendors will be there to thank you for making Champaign-Urbana a healthier place.