Farmer's Markets - Heartland venues

[prasantrin]

I was in Chicago from August 20-23, scheduled specifically so I could take in the Green City market that Wednesday. I was disappointed. I thought I had read that the Wed. and Sat. markets were not much different, but the Wednesday one was kind of...pathetic. Maybe it was the time we arrived (10am) or the week (near the end of August) or the weather (hot and humid!), but there was really very little to be seen in terms of variety. I did buy some butterkaese from a dairy in Wisconsin, but that was all we were interested in. Most of the other booths were more or less identical with their peaches and apples, and more peaches and apples. Or maybe nectarines and apples...

The Minneapolis Farmers Market, on the other hand, was a complete joy. We spent a couple of hours there, at least, just wandering the stalls, and amazed at the Asian vegetables they had available. We brought back a couple of coolers full of greens for our friend's Thai restaurant in Winnipeg, and her cooks (recently arrived from Thailand) were so excited to see our haul. They used some of our purchases to make us an impromptu dinner the night we arrived home.

I have some pics of MSP's market, but none of Chicago's. Must find the time to download them.

Oh, the chef from Blackbird and Avec (Chef Kahan?) was doing a demo at the Green City Market. We watched a bit, but couldn't stay for all of it.

[Zeemanb]

Okey dokey....topping this bad boy so we can get to ramblin' about our Heartland markets....

I've been extremely busy in the past few weeks, so this was my first Saturday to make it down to my local farmer's market here in Parkville (I am nothing if not loyal.....okay, lazy and gas is expensive). Usual stuff for this time of year...I did pick up some rosemary and summer savory plants for growing, mixed greens, beautiful baby arugula, and ................................MORELS! I was getting all angsty and impatient like I do every year, wanting to see more stuff, but then I spotted these GORGEOUS blonde morels.......seriously, the Jane Mansfield of fungi. For any of you local folks, the extremely popular vendor who sets up at the west end across from the elk meat guy has got the goods, and hopefully he'll have them next week too. He has all kinds of price breaks when you buy more, half pound for $20 and a pound for $30. Cruel as a drug dealer, I tell you. They are sliced and soaking in salt water as we speak....

So, any good finds so far this spring?

[ulterior epicure]

Okey dokey....topping this bad boy so we can get to ramblin' about our Heartland markets....

I've been extremely busy in the past few weeks, so this was my first Saturday to make it down to my local farmer's market here in Parkville (I am nothing if not loyal.....okay, lazy and gas is expensive).  Usual stuff for this time of year...I did pick up some rosemary and summer savory plants for growing, mixed greens, beautiful baby arugula, and ................................MORELS!  I was getting all angsty and impatient like I do every year, wanting to see more stuff, but then I spotted these GORGEOUS blonde morels.......seriously, the Jane Mansfield of fungi.  For any of you local folks, the extremely popular vendor who sets up at the west end across from the elk meat guy has got the goods, and hopefully he'll have them next week too. He has all kinds of price breaks when you buy more, half pound for $20 and a pound for $30.  Cruel as a drug dealer, I tell you.  They are sliced and soaking in salt water as we speak....

So, any good finds so far this spring?

Yep, I found those morels a few weeks ago. So, what are you going to do with them??

You know, Zeemanb, we should gang up on this guy and find out where his stash of Jane Mansfields are; I have no idea what wooded areas in our 'hood are hiding these blonde beauties.

[Zeemanb]

Yep, I found those morels a few weeks ago.  So, what are you going to do with them??

You know, Zeemanb, we should gang up on this guy and find out where his stash of Jane Mansfields are; I have no idea what wooded areas in our 'hood are hiding these blonde beauties.

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Very nice specimens UE, similar to mine.......bad photo, but you get the general idea. The big one there is bigger than my hand.

I'm too impatient to do anything too fancy, I'll just do a simple dusting with flour and saute them in butter. They will make a nice side dish to my bay scallop and mixed green salad with a fried spring green onion dressing that I'm making for dinner tonight. Fresh flavors of spring!

Oh, and I'm way ahead of you with this guy....stopped by the hardware store on my way home and picked up some vice grips and a blow torch. By this time next week, we should be gorging on the Mansfields..... .

[moosnsqrl]

I was fortunate to attend a birthday party (yes, Z, old hippies in Lawrence) last weekend and a friend showed up with a grocery bag full of morels. If I were any more specific she would use vice grips and a blow torch on me, but they were from around Baldwin. She spent most of the evening flouring and frying and she never did get ahead of us. I guess we forgot to go outside and tell the others that there were morels to be had.

Some of my other disgusting friends - who literally find them in their window boxes every spring - saute them very slightly in EVOO (no flour) and put them on homemade pizzas. Yum.

I've been to the Lawrence market and the OP market so far this year. It took so long to warm up, the pickings were pretty slim at both. And I've been trying to get to the Bad Seed market on Fridays, but haven't made it yet. Brooke sends out an email each week to let us know what the farmers are bringing and it sounds fabulous - including some goat cheese in various forms (marinated, spreads with herbs, etc).

Oh, and Pendleton's is open for asparagus picking and they have morels daily right now. There is a full list of what's currently available at their website. For those on the Kansas side, it doesn't take long to zip over on K-10.

[Zeemanb]

I was fortunate to attend a birthday party (yes, Z, old hippies in Lawrence) last weekend and a friend showed up with a grocery bag full of morels.  If I were any more specific she would use vice grips and a blow torch on me, but they were from around Baldwin.  She spent most of the evening flouring and frying and she never did get ahead of us.  I guess we forgot to go outside and tell the others that there were morels to be had.

Some of my other disgusting friends - who literally find them in their window boxes every spring - saute them very slightly in EVOO (no flour) and put them on homemade pizzas.  Yum.

I've been to the Lawrence market and the OP market so far this year.  It took so long to warm up, the pickings were pretty slim at both.  And I've been trying to get to the Bad Seed market on Fridays, but haven't made it yet.  Brooke sends out an email each week to let us know what the farmers are bringing and it sounds fabulous - including some goat cheese in various forms (marinated, spreads with herbs, etc).

Oh, and Pendleton's is open for asparagus picking and they have morels daily right now.  There is a full list of what's currently available at their website.  For those on the Kansas side, it doesn't take long to zip over on K-10.

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On one hand I'm jealous, on the other.....if a bunch of Lawrence hippies showed up and only had a bag full of......morels, then that is pretty anticlimactic. I'm sure they were tasty and plentiful, so no knocking it.

More importantly, my feeble brain just rattled and I remember that there is a farmer's market in Briarcliff Village every Thursday (I think it's from 3pm to 7pm). I have not been, but it is worth doing some recon this week......

Any experiences with that one?

[ulterior epicure]

Yes, it's small, but I *think* there have been morels and organic (Campo Lindo) chickens for sale there.