Your Farmer's Market Reports for 2011

[Chris Amirault]

It's that time of year again! We're finally getting the first of the outdoor farmers' markets up and running. (Here in RI we have an indoor winter market too; click here for some pix.) The Providence markets are starting this weekend, but now that I live in the 'burbs I'll be checking out one that starts next weekend. I'll be interested to see how big it is and what sort of crowd it draws, as the Providence markets tend to be big and busy.

What are your farmers' market plans? Same as usual? New places?

[rotuts]

the Farmer's market in Natick MA on the commons started two weeks ago, although there are no fresh vegs yet.

crafts, cookies, baked goods. people bring seafood and grass fed beef althoough I have not tried those yet.

eventually there are 4 - 5 stalls with veg. my favorite is run by a Hmong family: just greens with an oriental emphasis.

I cant wait to try SV on really fresh veg. of course my yard has 16 tomato plants hard at work.

[Mjx]

The farmer's market here is a year-round thing (Wednesdays and Saturdays), because most of the vendors are selling the identical merchandise you find in the supermarkets (but it's still much nicer to shop there). There some good things, though: several beekeepers with their own honey, the salt guy, the organic produce stand that actually sells its own produce. There is a smaller greenmarket near the cathedral, which consist of a handful of sellers with a combination of their own produce and stuff from the wholesalers. Local strawberries are starting to show up, and soon the pea frenzy will be upon us .

[DanM]

This Sunday will be the first week of the regular farmer's market. The winter's farmers market has been running since February... outdoors! I can't wait for real veg again.

Dan

[DanM]

Early summer farmer's markets tend to be dominated by greens. This week we picked up some nice butter lettuce, spinach, beet greens (with tiny, pea sized beets attached), kohlrabi, rhubarb, green garlic, broccoli, and a hothouse cuke. Yesterday was the dry run day at the pick-your-own strawberry farm. Since my daughter was in day care, I went out and picked 10 lbs worth.

The spinach and beet greens were used last night for tomatillo sauced enchiladas filled with the greens, beets, and mushrooms. The recipe comes from Rick In hind sight, I wish I threw in some of the green garlic. The butter lettuce will be used tonight for an avocado mango salad with pumpkin seeds and salmon. These two recipes come from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless.

The broccoli will be given to my daughter, the rhubarb and strawberries might be made into jam, and the kohlrabi will be roasted later this week. The rest will be used when my muse calls... Maybe a green garlic and basil pesto?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

The year-round farmer's market here is at its winter high-point (zillions of vendors). The year-round standbys (broccoli, cauliflower, napa cabbage, other cabbages, carrots, red beefsteak tomatoes, seda bananas, oritos, gold pineapples, black-skin watermelon, coconuts, altitude blackberries, cape gooseberries etc. etc.) are all in but in higher quantities, and the winter-specifics (romanesco, white pineapples, carambola, red guava, local apples and pears, and a couple of types of passionfruit) are starting to make themselves known.

I find myself pining for the blueberries that will be in later this month, as well as mangoes, for which I'll have to wait until October, at least.

[ElaineK]

We just moved to the SF Bay area and Sunday was my first farmer's market here. In North Carolina, the farmer's markets were higher quality than the grocery stores, but also more expensive and everyone had the same price for everything. So I was shocked to discover that the prices were lower at the farmer's market here, and that pricing was quite varied even though the market wasn't massive.

We'd already done our shopping for the day and still bought: yellow raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cucumbers, cilantro, asparagus, white peaches, yellow peaches, nectarines, sweet cherries, and some absolutely delectable Pacific Snapper. There was so much more delicious stuff I left behind. I'm already plotting apricots and pluots for next week. And more vegetables, especially greens.

California produce tastes so much better when it hasn't been trucked 3000 miles and gas-ripened on demand.

[Zeemanb]

Our farmer's market in Parkville, Mo. (10 mins NW of downtown KC) opened a little over a month ago and this is our first year in a CSA. Our favorite farmers, Crum's Heirlooms, began one this year so it's the greatest...weekly pickup is less than 5 minutes from our house.

So far we have eaten pretty well- asparagus, kale, kohlrabi, different green mixes, Swiss chard, broccoli, tatsoi, spring onions, radishes...and other stuff I'm just not remembering. They also partner with other farms to provide some amazingly good strawberries, as well as my favorite super-coarse ground grits. Sounds like the pickup this week will include broccoli, turnips, spring onions and garlic scapes. I'll add some Napa cabbage and spicy mixed greens to that....they are SPICY!

Our rockstar favorite "how did I ever live without this until now?" item this year has been these radish pods. All the best things about a snap pea and the earthy-burn goodness of a fresh radish rolled into one miracle food....

We ate these on Saturday night in a salad of the spicy greens and fresh cubed kohlrabi with a very light vinaigrette- topped with our favorite local Farm to Market Grains Galore bread (grilled in what remained of the fat and char from the accompanying vintage breed ribeye steak) and a farm fresh sunny side up egg.

Market season is like one huge extended holiday for us.......and it has just begun!!!

[Genkinaonna]

The Beaverton Farmer's Market started the weekend of Mother's Day, and it's the family destination every saturday morning, although the week of my blog I missed it due to a birthday party. It's pretty big, 6 aisles wide with about 20 vendors in each aisle. It's a really good mix of ready to eat food, food to prepare at home (ie fish, soups, noodles, pestos/condiments) plants, and produce, plus a couple of wineries, breweries and an aisle of crafty-type stuff off to one side. I took a bunch of pictures during the first week of the market:

Here's the entrance:

My favorite cheese place (followed closely by Rogue Creamery, who also has a booth here):

This place is new this year, they have various fermented stuff, which I'm generally not a fan of, but it's interesting nonetheless:

This place has tons of different produce, I love their golden raspberries and peaches later in the summer, clearly new potatoes were the focus this week although they also had lots of greens, fava beans, and rhubarb:

And of course gelato is a must, even when it's cold and damp, like this day was:

There's a guy selling beneficial insects, this week the preying mantis egg case had hatched and there were about 100 leetle teeny praying mantises (manti? mantisees?) bopping around in a jar as well. Here's the ladybug cage, much lower ick factor and popular with the little folks:

I generally get breakfast here, it's usually either a sausage roll or a spinach and cheese pie:

My husband is fond of this place, they do Montreal-style bagels. He likes his with hummus, although they have lots of different sandwich options.

This week I'll take some more pics, there's quite a bit more fruit now that it's actually been warm for a while. I'll try to get some of the more interesting produce as well.

[annachan]

Having moved from San Francisco, I'm missing my year round markets at Alemany, Stonestown and the Ferry Building.

Thankfully, I do have a year round market near me in Australia. The Capital Region Farmers Market has a lot to offer. That is where I do the bulk of my shopping for the week.

[Pallee]

I picked up fresh shelling peas, morel mushrooms, asparagus, carrots, basil and surprisingly delicious strawberries today at the Wednesday Portland market in Oregon. So sad that next Wednesday is Viridian Farm's last Wednesday market. Guess I'll have to start getting up early on Saturday to avail myself of their fabulous produce.

[KatieLoeb]

I'm fortunate enough to have the Farmer's Markets I frequent most fall on my days off and one is even walking distance from home.

Head House Square Farmer's Market is but two short blocks from my house. I always load up on fruit and have my first cup of coffee there on Sunday mornings/early afternoons. Since I'm also off on Wednesdays I always check out the Fountain Farmer's Market on Passyunk Avenue and see what treasures that smaller market has to offer. Today I found sweet cherries and some gorgeous spring garlic I documented turning into soup over here.

[Genkinaonna]

I picked up fresh shelling peas, morel mushrooms, asparagus, carrots, basil and surprisingly delicious strawberries today at the Wednesday Portland market in Oregon. So sad that next Wednesday is Viridian Farm's last Wednesday market. Guess I'll have to start getting up early on Saturday to avail myself of their fabulous produce.

I went to two markets Saturday and Sunday (Beaverton and Hillsboro) but all the strawberries were sold out. I'm going early this week and hopefully I'll have better luck. Otherwise I'll just cheat and go right to one of the farms!

[rlibkind]

Local cherries maede their debut today at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. They are dear, however, at $5.99/pound for sweet reds and $6.99 for Queen Annes.

They were being sold by Kauffman's Lancaster County produce, operated by Benuel Kauffman. Although Ben raises some produce, most of what he sells is acquired from other Lancaster County growers.

More photos and details can be found on the Pennsylvania Cooking board's Reading Terminal Market topic. Also available: local sweet peas, new potatoes, lettuces, onions, strawberries (end of season soon), cucumbers, green beans, asparagus, summer squash.

[Genkinaonna]

Strawberry success! We went early (8:30) instead of waiting until we usually go and came home with 4 different cherry tomato plants, three kinds of strawberries (hoods, shucksans, and seascapes), potatoes (teeny little red finns and big ones for soup), three huge bunches of basil, spring onions, carrots, zucchini, and some gargantuan hot dogs (like 13 inches long) from these guys.

Here's my haul (minus meat and tomatoes):

I also saw quite a bit of growth of the produce variety, even from last week. It seems like things are finally growing! It was a long, cool spring so we're a little behind this year. Here's a particularly pretty artichoke I saw:

Next on the agenda: Strawberry Jam!

[KatieLoeb]

Local cherries maede their debut today at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. They are dear, however, at $5.99/pound for sweet reds and $6.99 for Queen Annes.

Bob:

The cherries I got last Wednesday at the Fountain Farmers Market were 4.99 for a pint box of either red sweet or Queen Annes. The sour pie cherries were a bit more at 5.99 for a box. I ate the reds I bought by the next afternoon. I think the vendor was Fruitwood Orchards. I'll likely head over there for some more this week...

[Beth Wilson]

I have been visiting my sister in Ottawa and we went to the farmers market down by the canal in Lansdowne Park. I have never seen such a variety of stuff in a market and it was all local!

Camera's battery was dead, sorry no pics. I got feta cheese that was made from sheep and buffalo's milk, chiorzio sausage made from elk, spring turnips that are apparently nice in salads and some mini purple onions. I couldn't decide between the Elk, buffalo, venison, organic beef or lamb.... I want to go back and try one of everything!

I think the farmers markets are offering a fantastic variety of stuff, but I did find some of the stuff fairly pricey. Thankfully, my sister only has a tiny freezer above her fridge so we couldn't go too crazy.

[DanM]

My wife will be on a business trip for most of this week, so I was able to buy some assertive greens she does not care for at the market today. This includes some black kale, mizuna, and some radishes with some lovely greens. I also picked up some spring garlic, scapes, and some fennel. I thought it was a fall crop, but I will take fennel when I can.

[Boilerfood]

Yesterday I was able to grab some carrots with the greens still attached (incredibly hard to find here), asparagus, fresh strawberries, and a head (?) of Kohlrabi, which was too weird looking for me to pass up.

[DanM]

Yesterday I was able to grab some carrots with the greens still attached (incredibly hard to find here), asparagus, fresh strawberries, and a head (?) of Kohlrabi, which was too weird looking for me to pass up.

Kohlrabi is excellent roasted for about 30 minutes at 450. Toss it with some olive oil, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and crushed fennel seeds. Season and roast.

The greens are not my favorite, but they can be cooked down to a nice side.

Dan

[kayb]

Our farmers' market has been going great guns since the middle of April, but we're getting into prime season now; from mid-June through late August, the bounty is just overwhelming. If I have a complaint, it's that sometimes the variety is a little lean -- no one sells asparagus, for instance, nor artichokes, nor some of the more "exotic" fruits and veggies. But there's a solid base of typical Southern garden and orchard produce, some good baked goods, and some crafts. Oh, and the tamales; I do love the tamales! (One yesterday was proscuitto, feta and artichoke hearts; howzat for a cool tamale? Unfortunately, I did not photograph it.)

Here's one of my favorite stands -- the Stutzmanns, an Amish family who grows greenhouse tomatos all year round, and some of the most delicious ones I've ever tasted! They also have baked goods and jams and jellies.

Shelled butterbeans and purple hulled peas; $3 per box. Green tomatos and carrots and eggplant in the background.

My guy from whom I buy my eggs weekly. Some are brown, some are green, bringing to mind Dr. Seuss.

Assorted pickles, jellies, relishes, sorghum:

My other favorite stand, the Vietnamese farmers, who offer the only "exotic" veggies at the market, along with a wide selection of more common produce and gorgeous flowers!

And finally, the entertainment: a pretty respectable bluegrass band!

[rlibkind]

Where are you and where is the market?

[gdenby]

From north central Indiana:

Asparagus and rhubarb starting to wane. Buckets of snap peas available. Some kohlrabi, new potatoes and onions. Saw a basket of small cukes. Still lots of plant starts.

[kayb]

Where are you and where is the market?

Hot Springs, Arkansas. The market is the Downtown Farmers Market, every Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday from 7-11.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Chicos, apple-bananas, tomatoes, sweet onions, watermelon, and a dozen medium brown eggs today at the Moloka'i farmer's market, not to mention a bucket of plastic sand castle molds from the local Tupperware lady. Had to go to the grocery store to find the local purple yams.