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September 19, 2007
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This week’s Kuna Farmers Market article is coming to you from Sindelfingen, Germany.
I am on a business trip with HP in the city where my husband, Bill, and I lived
five years ago. This visit brings back many fond memories of the city we consider
our international sister city to Kuna.
Sindelfingen, population 60,000, holds a small-town appeal with its quaint neighborhoods,
small shops, and gathering places. Homes constructed of concrete and red-tile roofs
are decorated with window boxes of blooming geraniums.
Most homes are apartments with three or four stories providing living space for
a family on each floor. Homes are close together with very small yards. Streets
are quite narrow. The density of the city is intentional as fields and forests are
protected open spaces for agriculture and public enjoyment. Pedestrian and biking
areas are prominently designated throughout the city. Bicycle paths wind through
fields and forests to hidden places such as Esselmuhle, a small farm, restaurant,
and shop that specializes in fresh produce from the garden and bread made from the
flour ground at its old water-powered mill.
Much of our inspiration for the Kuna Farmers Market stems from the weekly Markt
on the MarktPlatz in old downtown Sindelfingen. Each Saturday we gathered our shopping
bags and rode our bikes a few kilometers to the bustling market that begins at 7
am. Vendors specialized in local fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, fish, eggs,
herbs and spices, and fresh cut flowers. Other vendors filled in with citrus and
produce not available locally or in the off-season. We looked forward to the friendly
greetings from the vendors who were always patient with our elementary German communications.
Small-town Sindelfingen co-exits with modern industry in the area and benefits greatly
from major international businesses. Daimler-Chrylser is a Mercedes car factory
that builds hundreds of cars per day starting from huge rolls of sheet metal. High
tech businesses such as HP, Phillips, IBM, and Siemens also provide employment for
the area.
The signs of fall are appearing around the city. The leaves are just beginning to
show hues of yellow, red, and orange. Pumpkins and squashes are piled near the pathway
next to a corn field. The circus is set up on the corner of an empty field. Two
large tents are surrounded by many wooden wagons that provide transportation and
living space for the entourage including the staff, clowns, acrobats, and other performers
such as the double-hump camels, elephants, and goats.
At the Kuna Farmers Market this week, fall produce is arriving. Neal Durham will
have a good selection of apples, peaches, and concord grapes that are great for
juice and jelly.
Next week on September 29, the Market will celebrate a bit of Germany with Oktoberfest
at the Market. Watch for more information next week.
Upcoming Market Events:
Sep. 29 - Oktoberfest at the Market with Edelweiss Dancers and Wood‘n Hearts Square
Dancers (extended hours 9am to 1pm)
Oct. 6 – Heatherwood Swingers
Oct. 13 – Christmas in October and Elvis
Oct. 20 – Christmas in October
Oct. 27 – Meet the Candidates, Halloween
Market hours are from 9 am to 12 noon every Saturday through October 27. The location
is at Sandstone Plaza at the west end of Main Street in downtown Kuna.
For more information please contact Cheryl McCord at 922-5113 or visit the website
at www.KunaFarmersMarket.com.
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