One of the greatest assets to our market is the venue provided for those important conversations. You know the ones – the riviting discussions that stretch a quick trip to the market into an hour long visit. Extend the visiting into the week by becoming a fan on facebook. Join the conversations happening everyday!
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The Oxford Farmers’ Market is a fantastic way to spend a Saturday morning. The smells of the fresh produce, fragrant soaps, and dried herbs . . . the eye-pleasing array of colorful fruits and vegetables . . . the decadent pastries . . . the socializing . . . all make it something worth getting up early for. But humans aren’t the only fans of the Farmers’ Market — many dogs enjoy the outing as much as the people do!
How do you know if your dog is a good candidate to take to the market?
Dogs who are well-behaved, confident, and friendly with other dogs and people – both adults and children – are a joy to have at the market. If your dog is friendly, but unruly and out of control, it will create an unpleasant day for both you and other people at the market. If your dog is aggressive or reactive, or even just shy and scared, the experience is likely to be a negative one for him. It may also be a scary (or even unsafe) experience for other dogs and market-goers. If your dog is worried about strangers, other dogs, or new situations in general, the market is not the place to attempt to resolve those issues. Not only can it put others at risk, but the intensity level of the market and the close proximity of other dogs and people can actually make your dog’s behavior worse, not better, over time. A professional dog trainer can help you work through these issues.
Even if your dog looooves other dogs, don’t assume that all other dogs have similar inclinations. Some dogs are well-mannered, but don’t really enjoy canine interactions. Always ask before allowing your dog to approach other dogs – and respect owners’ wishes if they decline the opportunity. (Do the same for meeting people – don’t allow your dog to put his uninvited nose into either dogs’ or humans’ nether regions!)
By the same token, if you don’t know another dog at the market, please keep a reasonable distance (at least several feet) when passing – don’t let your dog “get in a sniff” as he passes. (This is one of the many reasons to use a regular, non-retractable leash at the market – so you can control your dog’s actions.) It’s all about respecting the space of others, both human and canine.
If your dog ‘invades’ another’s space uninvited, and the other dog snarks at him (i.e. barks but doesn’t bite), don’t make the mistake of faulting the other dog – that’s a normal canine reaction to being inappropriately approached. (Think about this . . . if you are in an empty elevator, and someone you don’t know gets on and stands right next to you, or even puts an arm around you, you’re probably going to tell him to knock it off. Imagine if the stranger then tried to fault *you* for being too unfriendly!) Again, just because your dog loves to interact with other dogs doesn’t mean that that’s the way all dogs are or should be. All dogs are individuals, and like people, some are more gregarious and outgoing than others.
Finally, ensure your dog doesn’t sniff, lick, or try to eat any of the vendors’ merchandise. They tend not to like that . Don’t allow your dog to enter a vendor’s booth (unless they expressly permit it), and certainly don’t let her jump up on the table (or the vendor!)
Do:
– Bring your well-socialized, friendly, trained dog to enjoy the market with you
– Ask the other dog owner if it’s OK for your dogs to meet *before* you let them get close
– Keep a distance (minimum of 3-4’ whenever possible) between your dog and dogs he doesn’t know
– Walk your dog around a bit outside of the market before you enter so your dog has a chance to use the “facilities”
– Bring treats with you so you can reward your dog for good behavior
– Bring baggies with you in case you need to clean up after your dog
– Keep your dog on a standard 5 – 6’ leash (not a retractable one)
– Take your dog home if she is too stressed by all of the activity at the market
Don’t:
– Bring an aggressive or reactive dog
– Bring a very shy and/or scared dog
– Bring a dog you can’t keep under control
– Assume all other dogs are friendly
– Let your dog rush up to other dogs he doesn’t know without asking the other dog’s owner if they can meet. The other dog may not enjoy meeting new dogs.
– Take it personally if the other person says “no, thank you” to an offer to let the dogs meet.
– Bring your dog on a retractable leash
– Let your dog sniff, lick, or otherwise interact with the merchandise
– Let your dog walk into a vendor’s booth without express permission
In short, if you can teach Fido to respect the property and space of other dogs and humans, and to remain calm and well-behaved even when distracted by the cornucopia of great smells at the market, he can be a fantastic shopping companion.
In future articles, we will talk about dog-children cautions, learning to read canine body language, and what helpful behaviors to train your dog to do so he is a better-behaved market-goer . . . so stay tuned!
Sincerely,
🙂 Mel Bussey, CPDT, CDBC
Training Tracks Canine Learning Station
* Oxford Area: 115 Main Street, College Corner, OH 45003, 513-523-WOOF (9663)
* West Chester: 9235 Cinti-Cols Road (Route 42), 45069, 513-779-STAY (7829)
Unleashing the potential of dogs and their people
Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, IAABC Member #424
Association of Pet Dog Trainers #2437P
Member, APDT Board of Directors
Board Advisor, APDT Member Relations & Communication Committee
AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator #4438
Hello Oxford Farmers Market Community!
I am very excited about the upcoming summer season and the opportunity to continue the work and mission of the Sprouts program that Paula and her group of volunteers have cultivated. I thought I would take a moment to introduce myself….. My husband and I moved back to Ohio about two years ago, after spending five years in Austin, Texas. While in Austin, we feel in love with the local farmers markets. We were happy to move back to Ohio to be closer to family and to start graduate school, but we were sad to leave our Austin markets and community. So, you can imagine how excited we were to discover the Oxford Farmers Market. As I wind down my graduate work in Family and Child Studies, and prepare to work with families in the Early Head Start program in Butler County, I am also looking forward to experiencing the market in a new way by coordinating Sprouts activities this season!
I look forward to meeting y’all on Saturday, May 1st!
Lindsey Hersha
There’s a lot to marketing at Oxford Farmers Market Uptown: working with people and animals and display and food and finances. What a wonderfully safe place in which young people can L(earn). This grandboy wishes to buy a computer…..
We are excited to announce that we will begin selling the Shop Local Discount Card beginning on Saturday at the Oxford Farmer’s Market Uptown from 9:30-Noon. Thanks to the market for providing a table and space for us to sell the cards!
The proceeds from this card benefit four non-profit community organizations:
Oxford Community Choice Pantry
Oxford Farmers Market Uptown Sprouts Program
Friends of the Oxford Lane Library
McGuffey Foundation School
The card will allow you to get discounts at ten local and family-friendly businesses. The cost of the card is $15 and should easily pay for itself if you shop, play or eat in Oxford. (For some of us, the discount at Koffenya alone might pay for the card.)
As a very special offer, the Oxford Farmer’s Market will automatically give each cardholder a $1 Green Back to spend at the market. And if you bring a friend, you will each get $1 Green Back. That takes $2 off the cost of the card right away!
The cards will be good for all of 2010 and are great gifts for teachers, co-workers and sitters.
For a list of partner businesses and the discounts they offer go to:
http://www.oxfordshoplocal.com/
HOW TO BUY CARDS:
1. Stop by the market on Saturday and you can purchase your card AND redeem your Farmer’s Market perk right away! We plan to have a table at all the monthly Winter markets and through the spring. Sales there will depend on availability of volunteers to “person” a table.
2. Contact us about buying cards by using the e-mail on the website. We can arrange for the cards to be ready for you to pick up or, for a $1 handling fee, we can mail them to you once payment has been received.
3. Buy a card from a McGuffey family. They can get payment from you and get a card back to you.
HOW TO SUPPORT THIS FUNDRAISER:
• Buy cards to GIVE as gifts.
• Buy cards to SELL to friends.
• Advertise the card’s benefits in your own circles.
• If you have any ideas for where or how we might market the cards, please let me know.
As you can see from the image above, Wendy Duvall has outdone herself in designing the card AND busting out a website to support card sales this year (and into the future).
Look for our table at the market this Saturday between 9:30 and Noon!
Nancy
Nancy Hawthorne
nhawthorne@mcguffeyfoundationschool.com
Taken by Rebekah Powers
Those farm boys are tough! Although I did see him put a coat on later in the morning.
All farmers know you use what is available to solve the problem.
We will deliver free – one at a time
We had a brussel sprouts festival at the Market today and we crowned our Brussel Sprouts Princesses for the day: Sydney Rollins & Olivia Mullenix! They are holding brussel sprouts not yet cut from the stem and fresh from the garden of Ray & Judy Arlinghaus.
Brussels sprouts, is a hardy, slow-growing, long-season vegetable belonging to the cabbage family. Most Americans who do not like Brussels sprouts are haunted by childhood memories of smelly, army green, bitter, mushy globs that had to be eaten before dessert. Fresh Brussels sprouts, properly cooked, are deliciously delicate in flavor. Maybe it is time to give Brussels sprouts another chance, this time with a new attitude and a modern cooking spirit.
Like cabbage and cabbage sprouts, Brussels sprouts are a cool weather crop. They should be harvested when the sprouts are small, compact and bright green.
The fresher the sprouts, the better the flavor, so refrigerator storage should not exceed a day or two. Remove any damaged or irregular outer leaves and store fresh unwashed sprouts in plastic bags in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator.
Unlike most green vegetables, Brussels sprouts are rather high in protein. Although the protein is incomplete—lacking the full spectrum of essential amino acids—a serving of whole grains will make them complete. As a member of the cabbage family Brussels sprouts are a cruciferous vegetable. Current research suggests vegetables in this group offer protection against some forms of cancer.
The key to cooking Brussels sprouts is in not overcooking them. The leaves cook faster than the core, so cut an X in the bottom of the stem for even cooking when cooking the sprouts whole. As a rule, when Brussels sprouts have lost the bright green color, they are overcooked and have lost a considerable amount of nutritional value as well. Depending on size, cooking time should not exceed 7 to 10 minutes weather you are steaming, braising or boiling. Select sprouts of even size for uniform cooking. Large sprouts should be cut in half.
Braised Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Butter
Braising is an excellent method for cooking Brussels sprouts. Braising refers to cooking food with a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan.
1 pound small, firm, bright green Brussels sprouts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter or margarine
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Enjoy!