Farmers' Markets 2015

[huiray]

From the BRFM and CFM today - details here.

 

[Katie Meadow]

This summer a new fruit arrived at the Berkeley Farmers' Market. Only one vendor seems to have it. It's called a Peacotum, and yes it is what you are guessing, but they could have come up with more appetizing name. I don't know the percentage of peach, apricot and plum. It could be a nectarine crossed with an apricot, in which case it should be called an Aptarine. They are beautiful, with a very smooth distinct pearly skin and very delicious, but also pretty fragile. They bruise easily and get overripe quickly, but when they are unblemished and just ripe they are fabulous. Far, far superior to most of the pluots we are getting regularly, although I know it isn't fair to compare them. Is any one else seeing these?

[gfweb]

Kerry, what do you do with 20 provencal tomatoes?

[Kerry Beal]

Pasta, bruschetta - anywhere a really tasty tomato is required. This batch I freeze dried. 

[rotuts]

had to look it up :

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=Peacotum%2C&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

 

did it taste like Fruit Punch ?

[Katie Meadow]

had to look it up :

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=Peacotum%2C&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

 

did it taste like Fruit Punch ?

After you replied I too googled the Peacotum. Indeed, we are getting them only from The Blossom Bluff stands at various farmers' markets. The article suggesting that it tastes like fruit punch is way off base and seems like a terrible insult; it is somewhat tart and mysterious tasting. The shifting color is other-wordly. I don't think the skin is fuzzy but maybe it is more velvety. I'm buying vast quantities every weekend, and as they get too ripe I throw them into smoothies. I may just go for broke (the stone fruits from most vendors in the Bay Area are hardly cheap) and try cooking up a peacotum compote. I wouldn't want to say that multiple times quickly.

[Kerry Beal]

Awoke in Dunnville again this am - after an overnight shift in the ER. Hit the farmer's market on the way out of town.

 

Took a little sample of the freeze dried corn to the vendor I'd purchased it from - she enjoyed it!

 

 

Cheddarwurst, cantaloupe, peaches and potatoes.

 

 

Of course more tomatoes, a couple of nice peppers along with a lovely cauliflower and some fresh green beans. 

 

 

Last week heading home I'd seen a sign on the side of the road saying eggs $1 a dozen. Had to stop this week! Apparently they are breeders and can't sell the eggs through the usual channels until the chickens are a certain age. Bonus for me. 5 dozen that I intend to freeze dry. Eggs aren't huge - but the price is right!

[heidih]

It was the usual fantastic array today but so bloody hot already at 8am that I was lugging around a tumbler of iced tea and had no hands to take pictures.  The stone fruit, grapes and greens were particularly lovely. 

 

I got my weekly fix of Malabar spinach (see image) and my well-done peanuts. The latter are unsalted, large, sweet and so so perfect.

 

The most intriguing item was at the stall with the biggest selection of "Asian" vegetables. They had green ginger at $10/lb.  These were uprooted plants about 30" tall with a small rhizome with the white/pink color that young ginger has. The lines were long so I did not have a chance to get more info other than overhearing the vendor say it was a 6 month greenhouse growing cycle. I wonder if the stalk and leaves of the plant are used in cooking? Will try to get more info Tuesday when not so busy and I think they sell that day also.

 

 

Edited August 15, 2015 by heidih (log)

[huiray]

Today at BRFM and CFM.

 

 

Stuff included Japanese Trifele tomatoes (top right), Papa Cacho fingerlings (below the tomatoes) and another Galia melon.  Further details here.

[Smithy]

I had the pleasure last Monday of visiting an offshoot of the St. Paul Farmers' Market, this particular offshoot being in the town of Savage. What a fine time we had! The majority of vendors are from the Hmong immigrants, and if I lived in the area I'd be doing more serious exploration of Southeast Asian cookery to take advantage of the produce.

"Sweet red onions" was one of the more familiar but still interesting items. "How sweet?" I'd ask. "Are these like Vidalia or Walla Walla onions?" They didn't know. They're just sweet red onions. Of course I had to buy some. Here's my haul:

The sweet red onions are very pretty when cut. They don't have the usual bite that I associate with red onion, but they aren't insipid.

I had a tough time deciding whether to take those cute little eggplants in the direction of curry or stir fry. Given the bottle of sesame-ginger salad dressing cluttering our refrigerator from a party last week, I went the stir fry direction. The dressing was too sweet on its own (for my tastes) but not a bad basis for a stir-fry sauce, with extra ginger and some soy sauce. Eggplant, ginger, carrots, onions and a few other odds and ends made for a tasty, but less-than-photogenic dish.

The culture clash came with this rice, picked up at yet another market at our current stop:

This is wonderfully fresh and flavorful: nutty and fluffy, and an excellent complement for the dish even if the cuisines are an ocean and continent apart.

[huiray]

Basil, Japanese Trifele tomatoes, bicolor corn, mini red & orange sweet peppers, yard-long beans, Dragon Tongue beans, Siberian Red & Music garlic, chanterelles, red & yellow carrots, square donuts.

[Tri2Cook]

I haven't made the local farmer's market yet this year. It's every second Friday from 10 am - 2 pm... not very well thought out for drawing maximum customer saturation in my opinion. There's one next Friday and the last one for the year 2 weeks after that. I don't see any way of getting to either of those so I'm going to recruit someone to go for me. I mainly just want a few things from the lady from the elk farm. In addition to her own products, she also brings cheeses from a semi-localish cheese maker. I'd like to peruse the veggie selection but if I can get my stuff from the elk lady, I'll be happy.

[cyalexa]

The Recipe Table at the Stillwater Farmers' Market. The cash is for the bags, the recipes are free.

 

 

 

 

[kayb]

Getting into definite lack-of-variety season at the market here. Still plenty of yellow squash, zucchini, and purple hulled peas. Green beans and corn are gone. Tomatoes, after a temporary bout with the drift from rice spraying, have recovered to some extent. There's eggplant, and peppers, and we're starting to get some winter squashes.

[heidih]

It was gorgeous and inspiring as always this morning. Even as it opens at 8am the crowd makes it hard to get images.  I got peanuts, Malabar spinach, parsley for the rabbit, incredible Honeysweet pluots, and tomatoes. I always have to tell myself "you can return on Tuesday - just a few days away...."

 

Here are just a few shots:

 

Half of the incredible greens array

 

A stunning pepper selection

 

More of the Asian veg vendor with very young ginger in foreground. The pale brown bin is raw peanuts with okra in front of it

Edited September 5, 2015 by heidih (log)

[ElainaA]

I went to the Syracuse farmer's market this morning. I came back with some honey crisp apples, a bushel of tomatoes for canning, some lovely young ginger and, the best thing, 2 sfogliatelle.

 

[rotuts]

""  2 sfogliatelle.  ""

 

how nice.   my FM has a backed breads stall that leans toward France a bit.  He has so many things he is never ready to sell by the time I get my other things.

 

​ands then there is a nice line waiting.

 

good for him

 

not so hot for me.

 

the croissants and pain au chocolat rival any ive ever seen.

[huiray]

Today's purchases from BRFM & CFM:

 

 

Details here.

[kayb]

New at the market yesterday -- sweet potatoes, and figs. Late corn and late tomatoes coming in. Picked up some yellow zucchini, as well. My egg man wasn't there -- good thing I've been light on egg use this past week!

[Shelby]

New at the market yesterday -- sweet potatoes, and figs. Late corn and late tomatoes coming in. Picked up some yellow zucchini, as well. My egg man wasn't there -- good thing I've been light on egg use this past week!

My girl's chickens stopped laying about 3 weeks ago.  She brought me a dozen last week 'cause she likes me but she said they just aren't laying many right now.

[huiray]

Yesterday at BRFM and CFM:

 

Tomatoes, hot red chillies, poblanos, broccoli, epi bread, green cabbage, muscadine grapes, Romanesco zucchini, turnip greens, cantaloupe, green lettuce, beef short ribs.

 

Details here.

[kayb]

New at the market yesterday -- sweet potatoes, and figs. Late corn and late tomatoes coming in. Picked up some yellow zucchini, as well. My egg man wasn't there -- good thing I've been light on egg use this past week!

 

 

My girl's chickens stopped laying about 3 weeks ago.  She brought me a dozen last week 'cause she likes me but she said they just aren't laying many right now.

Learned the next week that, sadly, egg man and his wife, having gamely tried to make a go of it farming, gave it up and moved back to town to return to teaching school. Hate that. However, I did find a new egg man, who had bought the former egg man's chicken flock. Wondering who bought his grapevines, berry bushes, pigs and fruit trees.

 

I hate that people have so much trouble making a lliving farming. Many of the vendors at our market are retirees who have gardened all their lives in addition to holding a job, and are just stepping it up a bit in retirement. I worry about the fact so few of the vendors are under 50.

[cyalexa]

Most of the vendors at my local market are retired university faculty.

[huiray]

Most of the produce vendors at the farmers' markets I regularly go to are professional farmers doing it on a full-time basis. I would also consider the Amish farmers to do it as a full-time calling. The meat vendors are also doing their stuff full-time. With a few exceptions they are well below retirement age, while some who are older folks have younger family members or hired hands doing the heavy-duty stuff on the farms. Some of the other craft people and prepared food vendors may be doing it part-time or be doing it "on the side".  Many of the vendors have full-scale websites and/or Facebook pages too.

[kayb]

Most of the produce vendors at the farmers' markets I regularly go to are professional farmers doing it on a full-time basis. I would also consider the Amish farmers to do it as a full-time calling. The meat vendors are also doing their stuff full-time. With a few exceptions they are well below retirement age, while some who are older folks have younger family members or hired hands doing the heavy-duty stuff on the farms. Some of the other craft people and prepared food vendors may be doing it part-time or be doing it "on the side".  Many of the vendors have full-scale websites and/or Facebook pages too.

 

That's good to hear. We do have a couple of Amish families who sell at the market -- one does baked goods (KILLER cinnamon rolls!), and the other veggies. We have one man who raises beef that's a (relatively young) retiree, and one other young couple who grow a lot of flowers, as well as early spring veggies. They also operate a farm-to-table restaurant. I don't think there's another vendor, other than crafts/baked goods, who is under 60. Sad.