Farmers Markets 2017

[sartoric]

Might be a bit early for North American markets, but here's my small haul from the Nerang local market this morning.

In the bag, fresh shiitakes, the potatoes are new season and tiny.

I've no idea what I'll make with this stuff, kinda like playing fridge lucky dip.

 

[MelissaH]

Definitely early for upstate NY. Our market won't even start until May, and for the first month they won't have much beyond plants that those with greener thumbs can put in the ground and watch grow.

[Smithy]

21 minutes ago, MelissaH said:

Definitely early for upstate NY. Our market won't even start until May, and for the first month they won't have much beyond plants that those with greener thumbs can put in the ground and watch grow.

 

That sounds like the Duluth (Minnesota) Farmers Markets. They'll also probably have some preserves, honey candles and baked goods - those things that are locally produced but not relying on this year's growth.

 

I'm surprised that Yuma, Arizona doesn't seem to have a farmers' market or three.  There's widespread industrial-scale agriculture here (maybe that's a clue) but the markets that I saw 3 years ago seem to have deteriorated (for my purposes only) into giant flea markets.  Maybe there's produce sold but I'm not interested in wading through the crowds and traffic to find out. I called the number listed on a website for another local farmers' market and got a restaurant!

[blue_dolphin]

It's not subtropical here but I'm lucky enough to live in an area with year-round fresh produce from local farmers markets.  @sartoric's post inspired me to take a jaunt to the Sunday morning market in Ojai, about a 40 min drive from here.  

Sadly, my phone has decided that it's only good as a phone (imagine that ) and little else and I was only able to sweet talk it into 4 photos before we both gave up.  Clearly, I will have to go again.

 

As far as fruit goes, citrus is still the star at this time of year.  Navel, Blood, Valencia and Cara cara oranges, multiple types of mandarins and tangerines. I bought a bag of Tahoe Gold tangerines from Friend's Ranch and some mandarinquats from Mud Creek Ranch.  Various lemons, limes, limequats, etc. were also on offer. 

 

I bought one of these big leeks from Roots Organic Farm in Los Olivos.  The white part is about 12 inches long.

I also bought some pork sausage from a stand selling mostly lamb and a few pork products. 

 

These nice berries are from Pudwill Berry Farm in Nipomo, north of Santa Barbara.  They also sell at my local market and manage to have these 3 types of berries year-round with a mix of other seasonal produce like figs in the summer-fall.

 

Temps were up into the 80s when I left around 11 AM and the folks manning this popsicle stand were doing a brisk business.  Perhaps a future career opportunity for a popsicle maker such as myself????

 

The Ojai market has a bit of a flower child vibe so there are vendors selling lavender and other flower scented oils, soaps, candles, etc. 

And a regular fixture at this market is the fellow who sets up with a big sign offering "FREE HUGS" 

 

I'll have to go back with a functioning camera so I can get some more photos.  Missed the avocados, walnuts, passionfruit,  strawberries, eggs, orchids and other flowers.....

 

[sartoric]

Another Sunday, another farmers market. This one is at the Gold Coast Arts Centre and much larger than where I went last week. It was also wet, very wet. It was only drizzling when I arrived, but soon turned torrential. Stupid here left not just one, but two umbrellas in the car. Of course the stall holders were not complaining, farmers love rain...

 

The atmosphere was not conducive to photos. So, there's only two, both taken from my temporary shelter while my leather shoes soaked up the rivulets running past.

 

Now attempting to get dry, here's my small haul. Figs, lady fingers, broccolini, galangal and one shepherd avocado.

 

[Smithy]

"Lady fingers" =? Are they some type of banana?

[sartoric]

3 minutes ago, Smithy said:

"Lady fingers" =? Are they some type of banana?

Sorry, yes they're bananas. They are much sweeter than cavendish. 

[sartoric]

Dry but windy at the farmers market today.

 

Baked goods.

 

The felafel guy.

 

Assorted chillies.

.

 

Red bananas and chocolate pudding fruit.

 

My haul, in the bag is watercress. The bread is sourdough and very tasty...

[Captain]

Where was this market please @sartoric ?

[sartoric]

20 minutes ago, Captain said:

Where was this market please @sartoric ?

Gold Coast Arts Centre/council chambers. Every Sunday from about 7.00 am.

[cakewalk]

@sartoric - what is chocolate pudding fruit? (Great name!)

[sartoric]

Black sapote- from wiki https://g.co/kgs/cG18Ah

[kayb]

I love this time of year. Another two-hour round trip to Memphis to score some asparagus for Easter, and whatever other goodies I happened across.

 

Strawberries, red and white radishes, green onions. Also, two great-looking Cherokee Purple tomato plants, from a Memphis non-profit that works with teen girls via gardening, preserving, selling produce, etc. And a half-dozen bagels.

 

And a bundle of gorgeous spring flowers to center the Easter table.

 

Oh, and brunch. Grilled cheese on sourdough, with bacon and avocado. Perfection. The epitome of the grilled cheese.

[robirdstx]

My husband and I went to the source this morning. Froberg's Farm in Alvin participates in our local Saturday farmer's market but the farm and strawberry fields are just 30 minutes away in the other direction. So we went. Strawberries were our main focus but we came home with a whole lot more, including some jalapeño and cheese sausage and pork ribs from Greak's Smokehouse. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2017 by robirdstx (log)

[sartoric]

Slightly devastated that the dosa lady wasn't there, maybe it was my grilling last week that did her in...https://forums.egullet.org/topic/154772-breakfast-2017-part-2/?do=findComment&comment=2101701

 

Anyhoo, we recovered enough to buy these treats.

 

Beetroot with leaves, spring onions, kale, eggs, cauliflower, limes, sugar bananas, Roma tomatoes, eggplant, and a pigs ear for the spoilt one.

 

Edited April 15, 2017 by sartoric (log)

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

On 4/3/2017 at 4:42 PM, sartoric said:

Black sapote- from wiki https://g.co/kgs/cG18Ah

Our sapote negro fruits are green and aren't really usable until they're very, very soft, and even then they're not favorites of ours. Perhaps I just haven't had a good one. We prefer chico sapote, which has fruit that tastes "like honey," as it was described to me by a fruit vendor in Chetumal. They don't grow at our altitude but we can drive an hour downhill and buy them for about 20-30 pesos a kilo. I will have to give sapote negro another try.

 

It's interesting that there are fruits with the same name that look very different from each other. For instance, our passonfruits are yellow, not red. I'm sure they are all the same on the inside, though.

 

Nancy  in Pátzcuaro

[blue_dolphin]

My haul from today's downtown Ventura Farmers Market.  Not my closest market, but I was lured by the promise of cherries from Murray Farms up in Bakersfield. They were expensive but are packed with flavor.

From top left: eggs, carrots, radishes, basil, strawberries (Seascapes from Harry's Berries), tomatoes, 1 Japanese and 3 Persian cucumbers, pea shoots and dill.

 

Edited to add a link to this nice article about Harry's Berries from last week's NY Times:  Red, Ripe and Renegade: Berries That Break All the Rules

Edited April 23, 2017 by blue_dolphin (log)

[sartoric]

This mornings haul, shiitake mushrooms, eggplants, roma tomatoes, new season strawberries, zucchini, lemons, buerre bosc pears and limes.

 

 

 

[Okanagancook]

No pictures.  Not much available yet with the slow spring.  Nice pea shoots and chipolini onions.  A nice dry cider.

the bakers where there with all kinds of yummy looking breads and sweets.  Lots of small veggie plants for planting in the garden.  I was hoping the fellow who grows magnificent oyster mushrooms was there, but no.

[Toliver]

On 4/22/2017 at 6:27 PM, blue_dolphin said:

My haul from today's downtown Ventura Farmers Market.  Not my closest market, but I was lured by the promise of cherries from Murray Farms up in Bakersfield. They were expensive but are packed with flavor.

Murray Farms is one of the more well known family farms in the Bakersfield area. They ship a lot of their cherries overseas (I've heard Japan specifically mentioned). I am not surprised they cost more...they're quality cherries.

Grimway Farms is another local family farm that specializes in growing the ubiquitous "baby" carrots. It's a name many people will recognize from the produce section of their US grocery stores. They were the ones that started the baby carrot craze.

 

edited to clarify

Edited April 24, 2017 by Toliver (log)

[kayb]

My first trip to the local farmers' market was this morning (it opened last Saturday, but I was out of town). An early spring meant there's a much greater assortment than usual at the market this time of year.

 

 

The haul included zucchini and yellow squash, snow peas, new potatoes, kohlrabi, radishes, carrots, cabbage and strawberries. Plus a bag of kettle corn, which had been half consumed by my daughter by the time I shot this photo.

 

Now to figure out what to do with kohlrabi, having never prepared nor indeed eaten it.

[chromedome]

1 hour ago, kayb said:

Now to figure out what to do with kohlrabi, having never prepared nor indeed eaten it.

 

Boil it, steam it, stir-fry it, make slaw...

 

 

[kayb]

After loading up last weekend, and not cooking all week, I started to not even go to the farmers market today. But I knew the Amish farmers would have ripe tomatoes if I got there early enough, so the dog and I braved the rain and took out.

 

 

Hello, my name is kayb, and I think I may have a problem. 

 

But it all looked so GOOD! Cling peaches, new potatoes, cinnamon rolls (that big plateful for 5 bucks!), a loaf of sourdough because I wanted bread and didn't feel like making any, lovely purple onions which may get just brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and pepper, and roasted; green beans, sugar snaps, the aforementioned tomatoes, broccoli, raspberries, strawberries.

 

This after I'd bought mango, blueberries and watermelon at Sam's. And then I stopped by Kroger to get milk, and bought a pineapple because they were on sale for 99 cents.

 

I believe I see a fruit salad on the menu for Sunday dinner. Although the raspberries are slated for raspberry-ricotta tart.

 

I've made ricotta this morning, and am presently making yogurt, and granola is on the agenda for later today. Dinner? Veggies. Squash (from the market last week) and onions, sugar snaps, new potatoes. Who needs meat?

[Anna N]

@kayb

 

Is my envy showing?  Those onions especially.  Oh my. 

[Shelby]

21 hours ago, Anna N said:

@kayb

 

Is my envy showing?  Those onions especially.  Oh my. 

I'm green, too.  Pea green.