Grapevine March 30 2008 Newsletter

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Spring Salmon & Sorrel Soup

I am writing this week's newsletter from Kansas City where I am attending the SARE's 20th Anniversary New American Farm Conference. SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education), a program within the US Dept of Agriculture, helps advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities through a nationwide research and education grants program. Deep Roots Farm received a SARE grant to help launch the Hillsdale Winter Market in 2004-2005. The Hillsdale Winter Farmers Market Project was selected to present a poster at the conference. Farmers, ranchers, extension agents and market managers were all interested in the winter market and now want to explore extending their own markets.

While here in Kansas City, I had the chance to meet a lot of people working on really great projects. From a nonprofit marketing fresh fruits and vegetables for small farmers in the Northeast to Navajo farmer reclaiming its native corn heritage in Arizona, the diversity of projects was incredible. A local farmer, Larry Thompson over in Boring, was awarded the Patrick Madden Award for Sustainable Agriculture for the Western SARE region. Congratulations to Larry and Kathy Thompson for their years of hard work promoting and strengthening sustainable agriculture.

It looks like it will be a bit wet in Portland this Sunday. But rain or shine the farmers and other food vendors will be there with plenty of great local food for you. See you on Sunday.

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

Asparagus should make its first appearance at the market this weekend. You will also find mache, spinach, several varieties of kale, chard, salad mixes and braising mixes. Potatoes, carrots, celeriac, turnips and Jerusalem artichokes should be in good supply as well. Draper Girls Farm still has apples and pears and will be bringing cider.

As for meats, Pine Mountain Ranch will be bringing bison and elk, Kookoolan will have chicken, duck and rabbit, Columbia River Fish will have steelhead. Ancient Heritage Dairy, Fraga Farm, Oregon Gourmet Cheeses and Organic Life Creamery will be bringing a wide variety of cheese as well.

Check the availability list for the complete list of who's coming this weekend and what they expect to be selling.

IN
Gales Meadow Farm
Packer Orchard
Rick Steffen Farm
SunGold Farm

OUT
Ayers Creek Farm (back June 29)
Blossom Vinegars (back in April)
Copper Crown
Stephens Farm (back in April)
Tastebud Farm (back April 13)

Cooking Ideas - Spring Salmon & Sorrel Soup

We're trying something new this week. Our friends at Culinate have graciously opened their recipe collection to us. We will occasionally post a recipe from the Culinate recipe file and include links to other recipes using products coming into the market. Over the next few months, we will also be archiving recipes from prior Grapevine editions as well.

To kick off this new venture, here is a recipe by Diane Morgan. You can read Diane's introduction and serving suggestions here or by clicking on the recipe title below. Enjoy!

Spring Salmon & Sorrel Soup (from Culinate and Diane Morgan)

5 cups fish or seafood stock, or 4 cups chicken stock and 1 cup water
3/4 lb. red boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 salmon fillet (about 10 ounces), skin and pin bones removed, cut into 4 equal portions each about 2 1/2 inches square
2 tsp. olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 oz. sorrel leaves, stemmed, thick center ribs removed
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a heavy soup pot, bring the stock to a boil. Add the potatoes. Lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook the potatoes until tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange the salmon on a rimmed nonstick baking sheet or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Rub the salmon with a little olive oil and sprinkle each piece lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, purée the sorrel, pulsing on and off for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and process until the sorrel is completely puréed and blended with the butter. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and set aside.

When the potatoes are tender, place the salmon in the oven and bake until the fat between the layers begins to turn white and the fish flakes slightly, 20 to 25 minutes. The fish will appear to be underdone because the color is so beautifully pink and vivid, but it should be fully cooked.

While the salmon is baking, finish the soup. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup directly in the soup pot. Alternatively, working in batches, purée the soup in a regular blender and then transfer the soup back to the pot. Add the cream and stir until the soup is barely simmering. Add the sorrel butter and stir until well combined. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Keep warm until the salmon is done.

To serve, ladle about 1 1/4 cups of soup into each of 4 warmed large, shallow soup or pasta bowls. Carefully place a piece of salmon in the center of each bowl and garnish with some minced parsley. Serve immediately.

Other Recipes from Culinate
Roasted Asparagus (recipe by Deborah Madison)
Emerald City Salad (recipe by Cynthia Lair)
Buffalo Brisket in Tomato Sauce (recipe from the Culinate Kitchen collection)

Grapevine March 16 2008 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Irish Lamb Stew

I am looking forward to this weekend's market after a three week break. It was nice to have an extra week to prepare things for the coming season but our pantry is running low.

Ayers Creek Farm is finished for the winter season. Anthony and Carol will be back on June 29th with berries and preserves. Pitkin Winterrowd Farm is back with vegetables, herbs, cover crop seed and eggs. More farms will be returning over the next few market sessions.

Farris Seaman Plants, Garden Color and Honeyhill Nursery will all be at the market with hardy perennials for all of you gardeners. Vanveen Bulb won't be at the market this weekend but should be at the March 30th market. Tastebud Farm won't be making pizzas at the market this Sunday. Mark is putting the finishing touches on his new space on SE Milwaukie. Tastebud will be back on March 30th.

Finally, the Shamrock Run is this Sunday. SW Terwilliger Blvd will be closed from 8am-10am. The 15k race goes down SW Barbur Blvd so portions of SW Barbur will be closed as well. If you are coming from the eastside or downtown then get on I-5 southbound, get off at exit 297 (Terwilliger Blvd Exit), come up SW Bertha Blvd, go just past the second light (SW Vermont St.) turn right on SW Bertha Court, then turn right on SW Capitol Hwy. From there, just follow the market signs.

See you on Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

Easter egg radishes and nettles, two sure signs of spring, will be available this weekend. Potatoes, carrots, celeriac and turnips should be in good supply as will black radishes and Jerusalem artichokes. As for greens, you should find mache, spinach, several varieties of kale, chard, salad mixes and braising mixes. Draper Girls Farm still has apples and pears and will be bringing cider.

As for meats, Pine Mountain Ranch will be bringing bison and elk, Kookoolan will have chicken and rabbit, Columbia River Fish will have steelhead. Ancient Heritage Dairy, Fraga Farm, Oregon Gourmet Cheeses and Organic Life Creamery will be bringing a wide variety of cheese as well.

Check the availability list for the complete list of who's coming this weekend and what they expect to be selling.

IN
Crabapple Company
Farris Seaman Plants
Garden Color
Salmon Creek Hydroponics
Pitkin Winterrowd Farm

OUT
Ayers Creek Farm (back June 29)
Blossom Vinegars (back in April)
Copper Crown (back in March)
Gales Meadow Farm (back March 30)
Stephens Farm (back in April)
SunGold Farm (back March 30)
Tastebud (back March 30)
Vanveen Bulb (back March 30)

Cooking Ideas - Irish Lamb Stew

With a name like mine, you can't hide from St. Patrick's Day. While many Americans think of corned beef and cabbage as the classic Irish meal, my relatives rarely had beef. Lamb and pork were far more common. And given the number of children (my grandmother was one of sixteen), stews stretched the meat further. This recipe is pretty simple. Be sure to brown the meat well on all sides. The stew's flavor will be much better. Enjoy!

Irish Lamb Stew
2 pounds lamb cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, cleaned and cut into 1 inch chunks
2 large carrots, cleaned and cut into half-moon pieces
1 turnip, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
1/2 cup dry red wine

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Dry the lamb cubes and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large thick bottomed Dutch oven on medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon oil. Once the oil begins to smoke, add 1/2 the lamb pieces and brown on all sides. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil, brown the remaining meat and transfer from plate.

Lower heat to medium and add the onions. Cook onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add wine, scraping up the browned bits of meat and onion on the bottom. Add meat and any juices on plate, thyme, bay leaf and water. Bring to a simmer, cover and place pot in the oven. Cook for 1 hour.

Stir in potatoes, carrots and turnips. Cover, return to oven and cook until lamb is done, about 45 minutes to an hour. Let sit for 5 minutes, taste and adjust salt and pepper as necessary. Serve.