Grapevine April 27 2008 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Stir-Fried Greens with Brown Rice

Well is it spring or isn't it? The cold snap is delaying many crops. I am giving all fair warning now. Strawberries will be late this year. Several farms have some strawberries under cover but the bulk of the crop needs warmer weather. The freeze in the Gorge will have an effect on the tree fruit crops. It's too soon to know the extent of the damage. I'll post a note when I hear from the farmers.

It will be a busy Sunday this weekend. Rieke Elementary School is holding its annual Art Fair from 10am-3pm in the school gym. After shopping at the market, check out the Art Fair.

This upcoming market is the last session of the winter season. We start our weekly schedule next week.


Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

The weather hasn't been too kind but there is still a fair bit of produce coming in this week. Several varieties of raab, chard, baby bok choy and kale will be the dominant greens. There may be some lettuce as well. Asparagus should be in good supply as should potatoes and onions. As for mushrooms, morels should be available as well as shitake and maitake. Apples and pears will be available as will cider.

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

IN
Herr Family Farm
Tastebud Farm

OUT
Ayers Creek Farm (back June 29)
Blossom Vinegars (back in May)
Copper Crown (back next week)
Kookoolan Farms (back next week)
Nonna's Noodles (back next week)
Salmon Creek Hydroponics (back next week)
Stephens Farm (back in May)

Cooking Ideas - Stir-Fried Greens with Brown Rice

Since this is the last winter market session, I wanted to push greens one more time. The cold weather this week probably helped me along. There are some great greens coming into the market this week - chard, baby bok choy, several raabs. This recipe by Carrie Floyd and posted on Culinate uses several greens. Enjoy!

Stir Fried Greens with Brown Rice by Carrie Floyd

Ingredients

1 bunch of Swiss chard
2 large stalks of broccoli
2 baby bok choy (or 1 large head)
Canola oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
Fresh ginger, a 1-inch piece, peeled and minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Ponzu (a citrus-flavored soy sauce, found in natural foods stores and Asian groceries)
Toasted sesame oil
3 cups cooked (leftover/cold) short-grain brown rice

Have at hand three medium bowls. Prepare the vegetables by first washing them; shake off the water but don't bother to dry them. Prepare the Swiss chard by first removing the ribs from the leaves; finely chop the ribs and place them in a bowl, then cut the leaves into slivers and place them in another bowl. Cut the stem from the broccoli, finely chop it, and add it to the chard stems. Then cut the broccoli tops into small florets, and place these in the bowl with the chard leaves. Finally, slice the bok choy into diagonal slivers, and place these in their own bowl.

Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet. When hot, add the shallot, garlic, ginger and red pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add the chard and broccoli stems - and another slug of canola oil if necessary - and cook over medium heat until almost tender, stirring often. Add the chard leaves and broccoli florets and continue to stir-fry until almost tender (or turn the heat down and cover, to steam instead of stir-fry).

When the vegetables are almost cooked through, turn the heat up to medium-high (removing the lid first, if you were steaming) and add the bok choy. Stir-fry for a minute or two, lower heat to medium, then add a big splash of ponzu and a drizzle of sesame oil. Stir to mix, then push vegetables to the outside rim of the pan and dump rice into the center. With a large wooden spoon break up the rice, and spread it out in the pan. Once the rice is warmed through, stir the vegetables into the rice. Season to taste with extra ponzu. Serve hot.

Grapevine April 10 2008 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Asparagus, Potatoes and Eggs

We are in that transitional period of spring. Most of the winter crops are done although there are a lot of good greens and root vegetables still available. Spring vegetables are starting to show up at the market along with a lot of plant starts and perennials. The cool temperatures are a bit of a problem but it looks like we'll have nice weather this weekend.

One or two other summer vendors may show up this weekend as well. I'll post a preview of the summer season in the next newsletter. Copper Crown and Tastebud are back this weekend while Square Peg Farm is finished for the winter season.

See you on Sunday.

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

OK, so the asparagus didn't quite make it the market last time. Rick told that there really should asparagus at the market this weekend. You will also find mache, spinach, several varieties of kale, chard, salad mixes and braising mixes. For all of you wanting to eat on the wild side, nettles, fiddlehead ferns, winter chanterelle, hedgehog and morel mushrooms should be available. Root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, celeriac, turnips radishes) will 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
Copper Crown (David said yes definitely)
Tastebud Farm

OUT
Ayers Creek Farm (back June 29)http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Blossom Vinegars (back in May)
Stephens Farm (back in May)
Square Peg Farm (finished for the season)

Cooking Ideas - Asparagus, Potatoes and Eggs

Here is another recipe from the Culinate collection. I was looking for inspiration for an asparagus recipe. I ended up on the Culinate website and came across a nice article on asparagus by Caroline Cummins. There are several good recipes at the end of the article. Jane Grigson is one of my favorite food writers so I decided to use her recipe. Enjoy!

How to Make the Most of Asparagus
From the book Good Things by Jane Grigson

Ingredients
2 lb. asparagus
1 1/2 lb. new potatoes
4 to 6 hard-boiled or coddled eggs, cut in half

Scrape the new potatoes and leave them in water until required. Peel the hard part from the asparagus stems, then trim 2 to 3 inches from the bottom. Tie the asparagus into bunches.

Put 2 inches of water into a large saucepan with a teaspoon of salt, and bring to a boil. Stand the bunches of asparagus upright in the pan, put the stem trimmings around them, and the new potatoes on top of the trimmings. Put the lid on the pan, or arrange a dome of foil over it if the asparagus heads come above the rim. Steam for 20 to 40 minutes according to thickness and type of asparagus.

When done, drain the asparagus (reserve the cooking water). Place the stalks on a platter with the potatoes and the eggs arranged around them. Serve hot, warm, or cold, with hollandaise or mayonnaise if you like.

This content is from the book Good Things by Jane Grigson.

Other Recipes from Culinate:
Roasted Asparagus (recipe by Deborah Madison)
Emerald City Salad (recipe by Cynthia Lair)