Grapevine June 1 2008 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Dilled Vegetables

It's hard to believe it's June. The spring rains will eventually recede and things will dry out.

The first Sunday of the month is the usual slot for Market Jam with Josh. Josh is out of town so the Market Jam is next week. The Underskore Orchestra will be playing this Sunday instead.

Jane Luthy, owner of Coombs and Luthy and a Landscape Design and Garden Consultant, will be at the market this Sunday to answer your garden and landscape questions. Jane has 24 years experience in the Portland area. Have questions about your garden? Bring photos to the market and Jane will be happy to offer suggestions.

See you on Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

Strawberries season was slow to start this year but the berries are starting to come in. There were a few Hoods available last week and there should be some available this week as well. However, it will likely be next week before we see Hoods in large quantities. Asparagus, snow peas, rhubarb, and lettuces should all be in good supply. Other spring items like asparagus, pea tendrils, rhubarb, morel mushrooms, scallions, green garlic and lettuce will be good supply.

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

IN
Blossom Vinegars
Boyco Foods
Chanka's Catering
Little Pots and Pans
Salubrious
Unger Farm

OUT
Ayers Creek Farm (back June 29)
Gales Meadow Farm (back late fall)
Kookoolan Farms (back next week)
Pitkin Winterrowd Farm (back late fall)
Souper Natural (back next week)

Cooking Ideas - Dilled Vegetables

This week's recipe comes from Connie Rawlings-Dritsas, owner of Blossom Vinegars. Connie's vinegar adds a nice flavor to the vegetables. Connie has many other recipes at her stall and on her website. Enjoy!

Dilled Vegetables
1 cup water
1/4 cup Blossom's Lemon Dill Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 carrots, penny cut( or mixed vegetables, asparagus, or broccoli florets)

Place all ingredients in a covered saucepan. Cook until almost tender. Cool. Refrigerate in liquid until well chilled. Drain and serve cold.

Grapevine May 25 2008 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Spring Vegetable Saute

Looks like we finally have normal weather for May. A few crops are still a bit behind normal harvest times but things are looking up. Deep Roots Farm returns this weekend. Stephens Farm snuck in last weekend with strawberries and should (hopefully) have more berries this weekend. This is the last weekend for Llama Mama and Must Love Dogs as they move to their summer markets. Look for them to return to Hillsdale in the late fall. If you are in Tillamook you can find Llama Mama where Chris is also the market manager. Must Love Dogs is at Parkrose Farmers Market on Saturday and Montavilla Farmers Market in SE Portland on Sunday.

See you on Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

Strawberries should be a bit more plentiful this week. Other spring items like asparagus, pea tendrils, rhubarb, scallions, green garlic and lettuce will be good supply. Spring onions showed up in small quantities last week and will be more readily available this Sunday. The same goes for basil. Kale, collards, chard and raab should be readily available as well. As for mushrooms, the first of the eastern Oregon morels will be coming in. According to Norma, these mushrooms are beautiful.

Check the availability list for the complete list of who's coming this weekend and what they expect to be selling. Note that Tastebud will not be making pizzas at the market this weekend but will have bagels and sandwiches.

IN
Deep Roots Farm
Fraga Farms
Must Love Dogs

OUT
Ayers Creek Farm (back June 29)
Blossom Vinegars (back next week)
Little Pots and Pans (back next week)
Salubrious (back next week)
Unger Farm (back late May)

Cooking Ideas - Spring Vegetable Saute

There are many ways you can use vegetables coming into the market this week. A saute is one of the simplest and most flexible options. I've often tossed sauteed vegetables with pasta to make a quick meal and was already working on a recipe. But listening to a recent podcast from KCRW's Good Food reminded me how flexible sauteed vegetables can be. Evan Kleiman suggests a number of options including adding cooled vegetables to a salad and cutting lettuce into a chiffonade and adding it to the saute. There really is no one way (or wrong way) to serve sauteed vegetables. Enjoy!

Spring Vegetable Saute

Select a variety of vegetables (fresh onions or leeks, green garlic, asparagus, carrots etc.) and fresh basil or mint. Wash vegetables thoroughly and cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan or skillet. Starting with onions or leeks, saute until the vegetable softens. Add each vegetable one at a time (longer cooking vegetables first) as each softens in turn. The vegetables are ready when tender. Add the fresh herbs when the vegetables are nearly done, toss, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serving suggestions:
Toss the vegetables with pasta (penne is a particularly good choice)
Serve as a side dish
Cool to room temperature, toss with lettuce and serve as a salad

Grapevine May 18 2008 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Sesame Noodles With Asparagus Tips

With predicted temperatures in the 80s and 90s, it's hard to believe that we had near freezing temperatures just three weeks ago. I'm more than ready for spring weather but not quite ready for summer.

We've a full market this weekend. Greg Clarke, a longtime market favorite, will be playing this Sunday. Fellow HBPA member, Hillsdale Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Center, will be tabling this weekend. Food Front will also be at the market to answer questions about the store plans and membership.

See you Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

Strawberries should be a bit more plentiful this week. Other spring item like asparagus, pea tendrils, rhubarb, scallions, green garlic and lettuce will be good supply. Kale, collards, chard and raab should be readily available as well. Spring onions showed up in small quantities last week and should be more readily available this Sunday. As for mushrooms, morels should be available as well as shitake, nameko and maitake.

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

IN
Blossom Vinegars
Little Pots and Pans
Salubrious

OUT
Ayers Creek Farm (back June 29)
Deep Roots Farm (back next week)
Fraga Farms (back next week)
Must Love Dogs (back next week)
Stephens Farm (back late May)
Unger Farm (back late May)

Cooking Ideas - Sesame Noodles With Asparagus Tips

We are in the middle of a kitchen remodel at home so testing recipes is a near impossible task right now. Fortunately, our friends at Culinate can provide me with cooking ideas. The following recipe is from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone. Follow this link to read Deborah's introduction and other recipes. Enjoy!

Sesame Noodles with Asparagus Tips (from Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone)

Marinade
1/4 cup sesame oil
3 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
7 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. Chinese black or balsamic vinegar
3 1/2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili oil
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3/4 cup chopped cilantro

Noodles and asparagus
Salt
2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced on a diagonal
1 (14 oz.) package thin Chinese egg noodles
10 scallions, including the firm greens, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted until lightly browned

Mix the marinade ingredients together, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the asparagus. Cook until bright green and tender but still firm, just a few minutes. Scoop the asparagus out, rinse it under cold water, and set on a towel to dry.

Pull the noodles apart with your fingers, add them to the boiling water, and give them a quick stir. Boil until tender but not overly soft, tasting them often as they cook. It should take only a few minutes. Pour the noodles into a colander and immediately rinse under cold water. Shake off the excess water.

Toss the noodles with all the marinade and most of the scallions, sesame seeds, and asparagus. Mound them in a bowl or on a platter, then garnish with the remaining asparagus, scallions, and sesame seeds.

Grapevine May 11 2008 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Food Front To Open In Hillsdale
- Cooking Ideas - Fettuccine Alfredo with Morels

We had a successful opening day last week. Nice weather, good music and great food all made for a successful day. The forecast calls for cloudy weather but at least the temperature will be above 45 degrees. It will be a good day to pick up some food for the week and plants for your garden.

See you Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

Farmers are still feeling the effects of the long cold spell in April but more items are coming to market. Several varieties of lettuce should be available and several farms are bringing salad mixes too. Kale, collards, chard and raab should be in good supply. Asparagus will be plentiful as will leeks, pea tendrils, scallions, potatoes and onions. Rhubarb should continue to be in good supply. As for mushrooms, morels should be available as well as shitake and maitake. Early strawberries (grown under cover) will be available. 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
Garden Color

OUT
Ayers Creek Farm (back June 29)
Blossom Vinegars (back next week)
Deep Roots Farm (back next week)
GreenGable Farm (finished for season)
Little Pots and Pans (back next week)
Salubrious (back late May)
Stephens Farm (back late May)
Unger Farm (back late May)

Food Front To Open In Hillsdale

Many of you have been stopping by the information booth to ask if Food Front was going to move into the former Wild Oats space. Food Front announced that they will be opening in that space this summer. A formal announcement will be made in front of the store on Monday, May 12, at 10 a.m. Everyone is invited to attend. Visit Food Front's website to read the press release and to learn how to become a member-owner.


Cooking Ideas - Fettuccine Alfredo with Morels

The morel mushroom is a springtime mushroom. It has a great earthy flavor which goes well with sharp cheeses. Cleaning morels can be a bit tricky. Try brushing off the grit and pine needles. If brushing doesn't remove all the grit then rinse the mushrooms with water and wipe dry. It's best to wash the mushrooms shortly before you are going to use them.

The following recipe is adds morels to a classic dish. This recipe doesn't use cream in the alfredo sauce. I think butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano make a nice sauce all by themselves. But if you really want cream in the sauce then add a little. Enjoy!

Fettuccine Alfredo with Morels
4 ounces morels, cleaned and halved or quartered (depending on size)
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup water
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5-6 pieces
1 lb. fettuccine
2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, about 1 cup
Salt
Pepper

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add chopped garlic and shallots and saute until the shallots are appear translucent, about 3 minutes. Add morels and the water, cover and lower heat. Simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove cover, add a little salt and pepper, raise heat a little and cook until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has nearly evaporated. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 200 degreees F. Melt butter in a heatproof serving bowl, about 5-10 minutes.

Cook fettuccine in a 6 to 8 quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

Drain fettuccine in a colander, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Immediately toss fettuccine with butter and salt in bowl, then slowly add 3/4 cup cheese, tossing constantly and adding enough of cooking water to keep pasta moist. Add cooked morels, add salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.

Grapevine May 4 2008 Market

this week
-What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Braised Baby Turnips

The market's seventh season starts this weekend. I feel less frenzied before Opening Day since we started going year round. At the same time I do feel a certain amount of anticipation for the return of weekly markets.

We will have free vegetable starts for the first 500 customers this Sunday. The return to the weekly schedule also means the return of the Market Jam. Josh Kadish will be playing this weekend so bring bring your song requests.

See you Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market 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. Rhubarb started showing up at the market last week and there should be plenty this week. As for mushrooms, morels should be available as well as shitake and maitake. Apples and pears will be available as will cider.

With the start of the new season, we have returning vendors and a few vendors adding new products. Salvador Molly's and Chanka Catering return to the market this week to join Savory et Sweet and Tastebud Farm in the ready to eat foods area. Sweet Briar Farm will start selling grilled sausages as well as its sausage and other pork products. Little Pots and Pans returns this week. Salubrious should be returning in a few weeks.

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

IN
Blossom Vinegars
Chanka Catering
Copper Crown
Kookoolan Farms
Little Pots and Pans
Nonna's Noodles
Salmon Creek Hydroponics
Salvador Molly's

OUT
Ayers Creek Farm (back June 29)
Deep Roots Farm (back next week)
Garden Color (back next week)
Salubrious (back late May)
Stephens Farm (back late May)
Unger Farm (back late May)

Cooking Ideas - Braised Baby Turnips

Spring and fall are the best times to find baby turnips. There has been a lot of very nice baby Japanese turnips coming to the market for the past month. The nice thing about turnips is that you can eat the greens as well. Young turnips are especially easy to use since you don't have to peel them. The recipe below uses the whole turnip and doesn't involve much more than washing the vegetable and braising until tender. If only more things in life were this simple. Enjoy!

Braised Baby Turnips

Thoroughly wash turnips. Trim the end but leave the greens attached, removing only wilted or browned leaves. Put the roots in a large saucepan and add a little butter and some water. Braise covered until the roots are soft but not overcooked.

Note: If you are braising a lot of turnips then you can use a covered roasting pan in a 350 degree oven.