Farmers' Markets 2021—

[chromedome]

I grow a chard called "perpetual spinach," which is bred to stay spinach-sized and spinach-tender even when mature (but which is less sensitive to heat than spinach, and won't bolt). It could be that, or some similar cultivar.

[Katie Meadow]

2 hours ago, chromedome said:

I grow a chard called "perpetual spinach," which is bred to stay spinach-sized and spinach-tender even when mature (but which is less sensitive to heat than spinach, and won't bolt). It could be that, or some similar cultivar.

That sounds delicious. But the leaves of this plant were large, like regular chard. It was indeed spinach tender but didn't taste like spinach, and when cooked had a texture I prefer to spinach. If I were planning to be in Highlands on any other Saturday I would go back to see if the vendor was there again. I have a suspicion he would say it was just swiss chard.

[haresfur]

My beef guy took a well deserved break last month so I had to stock up. Here is a steak I didn't buy. Scored some pretty good sweet corn, avocados, heirloom tomatoes, and some other odds & ends.

 

Edited February 10 by haresfur (log)

[rotuts]

@haresfur

 

that certainly is an impressive looking rib eye.

[liuzhou]

7 hours ago, haresfur said:

 

 

Is it normal for Farmers Market produce to be barcoded where you are?

 

It certainly isn't here.

 

Edited February 10 by liuzhou (log)

[blue_dolphin]

2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

Is it normal for Farmers Market produce to be barcoded where you are?

 

It certainly isn't here.

 

I haven't seen it done here but I would't be surprised to see it from a vendor like Novy Ranches, which sells their beef at my local farmers market but also has a small retail shop and sells to a few retail butcher shops.  

 

 

 

Edited February 10 by blue_dolphin
missing word (log)

[haresfur]

4 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

Is it normal for Farmers Market produce to be barcoded where you are?

 

It certainly isn't here.

 

 

 

I guess it is part of the software that generates the labels. But there are a lot of biosecurity laws that growers have to watch out for. All cattle and I think now sheep have to have ear tags so they can be traced through to the abattoir. I believe all eggs sold have to be stamped with the producers identification and people have been fined for selling unstamped eggs in their little stand at the end of their drive. 

[Captain]

3 hours ago, haresfur said:

I believe all eggs sold have to be stamped with the producers identification and people have been fined for selling unstamped eggs in their little stand at the end of their drive. 

 

Never heard or seen that one mate..?

[NadyaDuke]

We are lucky that our  closest Farmer's Market is just over half a mile away - and today was the first day of the season.  I walked down, which helps me limit my purchasing as it's uphill on the way home ;). It's early here in the Pacific Northwest, so a lot of stalls were not produce stalls yet, but things like honey, jam,  or jewelry- later in the season some will be replaced by more produce.  I made a tidy haul, came home, and took a mind to catalog it and make sure I use it all.  Here's the plan so far. We love asparagus so two bundles have no problem getting eaten so it just remains to be seen if I'll do anything besides roast it...

 

I'm very visual, so this blackboard on the pantry door will be my memento mori:  all vegetables die. Do you have any tricks to make sure to use all the wonders you bring home? 

 

And I have a very large gorgeous bundle of mint that was a deal for $2. I'm making a dip that uses it, and there are always whiskey smashes - other ideas for the or another unclaimed produce?

 

 

 

Edited May 11 by NadyaDuke (log)

[blue_dolphin]

I really like your blackboard and need to try something similar.  Since my big fridge broke, I've got an apartment sized one which gets over crowded and I tend to miss things until it's too late.  I can try sticking a white board to that fridge and get myself some nice colored dry-erase markers to make it fun!  

 

Sounds like you're good on the asparagus but I'll toss out an idea or two anyway.  In her book, Ruffage, Abra Berens has a "recipe" for pan-roasted asparagus with yogurt + shaved radishes that's barely more complicated than just roasting it but looks very pretty:

 

If you have Josh McFadden's book, Six Seasons, there's a great recipe for Raw Asparagus Salad with Breadcrumbs, Walnuts & Mint on p 73.  I've seen it online, too, so I suspect you can find it.  It's a great way to show off really fresh, first of the season asparagus.  You can top it with grilled salmon or throw in some beans to make it more of a meal.

 

Also in Six Seasons is the recipe for Pasta alla Gricia with Slivered Sugar Snap Peas which is one of my most-made dishes.  It uses twice the amount of vegetables as pasta and works equally well with slivered asparagus. 

 

I could go on but I think I should shut up now.  Oh, wait.  One more on the mint.  Eric Kim's Korean American has a super easy recipe for Salt-and-Pepper Ribs with Fresh Mint Sauce.  The ribs are cooked quickly in the oven and the mint sauce is the perfect bright contrast to them. 

 

OK.  I need to address my own veg collection now!

 

[NadyaDuke]

@blue_dolphin OOh I do have Six Seasons - thanks for pointing those out! They all look good and I especially welcome a new way to use radishes.  Looking for that recipe online I found a bunch of recipes using asparagus and radish, which makes sense as they're in season at the same time.  This is going to be fun. 

[FauxPas]

  

2 hours ago, NadyaDuke said:

other ideas for the or another unclaimed produce?

 

 

I have a suggestion for the green garlic. A local farmer gave us this recipe for salad dressing and I make it whenever I can get green garlic at local farmstands or farmers' markets. I adore this stuff. It kinda looks like pea soup but it's SO tasty! 

 

GREEN GARLIC SALAD DRESSING 

 

 3 stalks green garlic (white and green parts) chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

1 teaspoon mustard 

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Blend until dressing is smooth and emulsified (like a smoothy). Refrigerate. 

 

Drizzle green garlic dressing on anything to add a sweet, intense garlic flavor. From salads to pasta, to bruschetta and roasted vegetables.

 

Edited May 11 by FauxPas (log)

[NadyaDuke]

20 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

  

 

 

I have a suggestion for the green garlic. A local farmer gave us this recipe for salad dressing and I make it whenever I can get green garlic at local farmstands or farmers' markets. I adore this stuff. It kinda looks like pea soup but it's SO tasty! 

 

GREEN GARLIC SALAD DRESSING 

 

 3 stalks green garlic (white and green parts) chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

1 teaspoon mustard 

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Blend until dressing is smooth and emulsified (like a smoothy). Refrigerate. 

 

Drizzle green garlic dressing on anything to add a sweet, intense garlic flavor. From salads to pasta, to bruschetta and roasted vegetables.

 

 

Well- that looks PERFECT for the spinach salad I'd planned. Thanks!

[BonVivant]

I eat radishes all the time, more starting in spring and a bit less when the weather turns chilly. Like with cucumber, I never cook "radi", love the crunch and freshness. Beside cold soups I just eat the slices in a salad, on bread with cottage cheese or ricotta.

Chilled radish-buttermilk soup and pureed radish greens.

 

Another radish "soup" (cold), with kefir.

 

Radish greens-chard "soup" (cold)

 

I plan what to cook in my head so if I'm not eating I'm probably thinking about what to eat!

[NadyaDuke]

Well I'm making headway and am loving your suggestions. Monday night I made a big spinach salad with lots of veggies, manchego and some leftover linguica and made the Green Garlic dressing @FauxPas shared - that was delicious! Last night I made the asparagus salad with breadcrumbs etc that @blue_dolphin recommended. I wasn't convinced my asparagus were up to "eat them raw" so I quickly blanched them, iced them and dried them off. We loved it and I'm making it for dinner again tonight!

 

As my board noted, I made a bean dip that used mint, and have been eating that with various veggies during the week, as well. And we've been having BLTs for lunch as a local grocery has some good local greenhouse tomatoes, so that's tackling the lettuce. I also made the rhubarb galette which was tasty but looked fairly beaten up as I'm not the pastry chef in the family but my husband wasn't available - so no photos of that to share!

 

Now I have to figure out what to do with the radish and turnip greens. I think I'm going to dig into Tamar Adler's books for inspiration.

 

[blue_dolphin]

Yesterday was our local farmers market and I finally got around to buying a white board I could stick to the front of the fridge and try a version of @NadyaDuke's blackboard.  I'll have to play around to figure out what works for me, but I have to say that I really like her idea of putting those intended recipes right in clear sight. 

We'll see how this develops but I like the idea.  The board (a flexible sheet, really), the eraser and the markers are all magnetic and the markers each have a little eraser on their caps, handy for quick corrections. 

If it works out well, I might get another one for a freezer inventory. 

[NadyaDuke]

@blue_dolphin I've been traveling for a couple weeks so just getting back into the swing of things around here. I love your board - how's it going? 

 

Many years ago we used to keep two whiteboards on the fridge - one for what was in the freezer and one for groceries. When we remodeled the kitchen at our last house, our kitchen designer saw the "5 pheasants" on the freezer whiteboard and said, "OK, so you two really do cook!" Well, also my husband occasionally hunts which is why we had the pheasants. In the remodel she put a chalkboard insert on the new fridge but it turned out our favorite thing for that was using it to post menus for when we had company. (Secondary benefit, instant activity for visiting children.)  

 

When we moved to our current house several years ago we did the chalkboard paint on the pantry door and use it for menus, and things like this, and the occasional "let's figure out a problem unrelated to cooking." I also sometimes just post the weeks dinners there though I often have them in Paprika now instead.  We also got a big freezer for the garage recently and I added a whiteboard and pens for that so I can keep track of what's there, as well.  

 

Today I'll replenish the fridge after our 2+week vacation and I'm looking forward to going to the farmer's market Saturday!

 

Edited June 5 by NadyaDuke (log)

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

I keep a clipboard slipped into the cookbook bookcase in the kitchen area.

Page for 'to cook', 'to use', future projects and an 'in/out' list to limit visits to the main freezer.

Page itemizing the main freezer contents.