Thursday, May 28, 2009

Grapevine May 31 2009 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market?
- Cooking Ideas - Slacker Boccone Dolce


We've got another good weekend coming up. Unger Farm returns to the market this week. Liepold Farm will be in the next week or two. Other market favorites will be returning in the next few weeks as we get closer to summer.

Don't forget to visit our newly redesigned website. The site is more interactive and you can leave comments. We'll be adding recipes, photos, volunteer opportunities and more. Check it out.


See you on Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

The nice warm days and evenings we've enjoyed have not only been good for Little League games but berries as well. Unger Farm returns to the market this week with strawberries. Happy Harvest, Deep Roots Farm, Rick Steffen Farm and Stephens Farm should all have strawberries as well. You should also find morel mushrooms, arugula, asparagus, spring onions, pea shoots, lettuce, beets, carrots and rhubarb as well. There will be a wide assortment of vegetable starts, herbs, perennials and bulbs. Gales Meadow Farm returns to the market for the last time this season with a wide variety of certified organic vegetable starts, especially pepper plants.

Pine Mountain Ranch recently began processing chickens on the ranch and is now offering fresh and frozen whole chickens along with its usual supply of bison, yak, elk and beef. Other meats at the market include Sweet Briar Farm (pork) and Draper Girls Country Farm (lamb and goat).

Check the availability list for the complete list of who's coming this weekend and what they expect to be selling. The list is posted Thursday afternoon and updated through the weekend. For Sunday morning updates, check Twitter feed either on our website sidebar or on our Twitter page.

IN
Gales Meadow Farm (last week for the season)
Happy Harvest
Unger Farm

OUT
Ancient Heritage Dairy (back next week)
Blossom Vinegars (back June 28)
Kookoolan Farms (back June 28)


Cooking Ideas - Slacker Boccone Dolce
Strawberries are starting to come into the market in a big way so I thought it was time for a strawberry recipe. I love the name of this recipe. As Carrie explains in her introduction to the recipe, "boccone dolce" means "sweet mouthful". The slacker part comes from using store bought meringue cookies. You can use any berry in this recipe.Enjoy!

Slacker Boccone Dolce
By Carrie Floyd, from the Culinate Kitchen collection

Ingredients
Chocolate sauce
4 oz. semi- or bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. water
¼ cup cream
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
1 tsp. vanilla
Bocconi dolci
3 pt. fresh raspberries, strawberries, or marionberries, washed and dried
1 pt. whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks and lightly sweetened
2 cups meringue cookies, gently crushed with a rolling pin
1 high-quality chocolate bar, for shaving

Steps

1. Make the chocolate sauce: Place the chopped chocolate, water, and cream in a heavy saucepan. Over low heat, melt the chocolate, stirring often. Once the chocolate has melted, turn off the heat and whisk in the butter, Grand Marnier, and vanilla. Pour sauce into a pitcher and allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Prep the bocconi dolci: Place half of the berries in a medium-sized shallow bowl and crush them with the back of a big spoon (if using strawberries, slice all of them into a bowl). If the berries are not particularly sweet, sprinkle them with sugar.
3. Whip the cream into soft peaks; sweeten with a spoonful of sugar as you’re whipping the cream.

4. Place the meringue cookies on a clean counter and gently — you still want chunks of meringue, not pulverized bits — crush them with a rolling pin.

5. With a vegetable peeler, shave curls of chocolate from the chocolate bar. (You can also use a box grater to grate smaller bits of chocolate.)

6. Assemble the bocconi dolci: Spoon a large spoonful of whipped cream onto a plate or into a pretty glass. Top with ½ cup crushed meringue. Top meringue bits with a large spoonful of the crushed berries and a small handful of the whole berries. Drizzle chocolate sauce over the berries. Add a dollop of whipped cream, a few whole fresh berries, and a sprinkling of the shaved chocolate.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Grapevine May 24 2009 Market

this week
- What's Coming to the Market?
- Vote For Your Market
- Cooking Ideas - Artichokes with Caper Mayo


Looks like we've a sunny Memorial Day weekend ahead. The warmer temperatures are good for the strawberries too.

Now that our redesigned website is up and running, we will be migrating the archives for the availability list and the Grapevine to the site. Just click on the Grapevine or Availability List category on the right side. I am publishing on the blogs and the new site for now but will move completely to the website on July 1. We'll maintain the old sites as they are but will not be publishing to them after the June 28 market.

See you on Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

Arugula, spring onions, pea shoots, radishes, lettuce, beets, carrots will be readily available this week. Asparagus will be in good supply including the white and purple varieties. As for fruits, you will find apples, pears, and strawberries. There will be a wide assortment of vegetable starts, herbs, perennials and bulbs.

Check the availability list for the complete list of who's coming this weekend and what they expect to be selling. The list is posted Thursday afternoon and updated through the weekend. For Sunday morning updates, check Twitter feed either on our website sidebar or on our Twitter page.

IN
Ancient Heritage Dairy
DeNoble Farm
Fraga Farm
Happy Harvest

OUT
Gales Meadow Farm (back next week for the last time this season)
Kookoolan Farms ( back June 28)
Red Dragon Nursery (back next week)

Vote for Your Favorite Market

American Farmland Trust has announced its first vote for “America’s Favorite Farmers Markets” contest. The contest is a nation-wide challenge to see which of America’s 4,685 farmers markets can rally the most support from its customers. The goal is to promote the connection between fresh local food and the local farms and farmland that supply it. Market shoppers will vote to support their favorite farmers’ market at www.farmland.org/vote starting in June. Results will be announced during Farmers’
Market Week August 2 - 8, 2009.

The contest is a fun way to promote local markets local food. The Hillsdale Farmers' Market is registered for the contest which opens June 1.

Cooking Ideas - Artichokes with Caper Mayo

DeNoble Farm is back with week with artichokes. Here's a pretty easy recipe from Carrie Floyd from the Culinate recipe box. Enjoy!

Artichokes with Caper Mayo (from Culinate Kitchen Collection)

Ingredients
2 large artichokes
2 lemons, halved
1 tsp. herbes de Provence, or ½ tsp. each dried thyme and rosemary
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
½ cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tbsp. capers
~ Salt
~ Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Steps

1. Fill a medium-large pot (large enough to just hold the artichokes) over halfway with water. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the water (reserving the squeezed lemon halves), then add a generous pinch of salt, the herbes de Provence, peppercorns and the bay leaf; bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the artichokes by first pulling off their tough outer leaves, cutting off the pokey tips of the leaves with either a knife or scissors, trimming the stems, and rubbing the cut surfaces of the artichoke with the squeezed lemon halves.

3. Once the artichokes are prepared, add them to the water, stem-side down. Cook, partially covered, at a gentle boil for 35 to 45 minutes. The artichokes are done when a leaf can be easily pulled off and when the bottom is tender enough to be pierced with a paring knife. Remove artichokes from the water and drain, upside down, in a colander. If you are serving them warm, let them drain a few minutes first; otherwise, drain, then chill.

4. While the artichokes are cooking (or chilling), make the caper mayo. Squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon into the mayonnaise; stir. Add garlic and capers and blend well; season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. To eat: Remove leaves one at a time from the artichokes and, as you do so, dip the bottom of each leaf into the caper mayo and scrape with your teeth the meaty part of the leaf. Once you get to the middle part of the artichoke, remove the purple leaves and choke (the fuzzy center) with a paring knife, to reveal the heart. The heart, once trimmed of the choke and any fibrous strings of the stem, is the best part.



You can find a printable version of the recipe here.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Grapevine May !7 2009 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Penne With Asparagus and Morels


Wow, three Sundays in a row without rain. I guess we being rewarded for all those snowy, icy winter market sessions.

As we move closer to summer, more vendors will start returning to the market. Stephens Farm returns this week. They will be bringing strawberries too. Ancient Heritage, DeNoble Farm and Fraga Farm are all off this week and back next week. In other farmer news, Jeff Rosenblad of Happy Harvest Farm was featured in a Salem Stateman Journal article this week. You can read the article and watch a video here.

Greg Clarke returns to Hillsdale this Sunday. Always popular, Greg is looking forward to being back at the market. And we are looking forward to hearing Greg play.

See you on Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

Asparagus, morels, radishes, lettuce, kale, spring onions, spinach, raab, broccoli, cauliflower top the list of vegetables you'll find this weekend. You should also find an ample supply of hydroponic tomatoes, shiitake and maitake mushrooms, spinach, arugula and carrots. As for fruits, you will find apples, pears, and strawberries. With the return of Stephens Farm there should be more berries this weekend too. For all you gardeners, there will be a wide assortment of vegetable starts, perennials and trees.

Check the availability list for the complete list of who's coming this weekend and what they expect to be selling. The list is posted Thursday afternoon and updated through the weekend. For Sunday morning updates, check Twitter feed either on our website sidebar or on our Twitter page.

IN
Copper Crown
Greengable Farm
Stephens Farm
Vanveen Bulb

OUT
Ancient Heritage Dairy (back next week)
DeNoble Farm (back next week)
Kookoolan Farms ( back June 28)

Cooking Ideas - Penne With Asparagus and Morels

Asparagus and morels are plentiful this time of year. I've been thinking an easy dish using both of them all week. Pasta is always a safe bet. I like to use penne with this dish because you can cut the asparagus into the same length as the noodle. I'm not the only one thinking about morels and asparagus. Portandia, a market shopper, posted a nice recipe on her blog too. I like pecorino and included it in this recipe but you can certainly not use cheese if you want a vegan dish. Enjoy!


1 lb. asparagus (one bunch) ends trimmed and cut into 1½ inch pieces
3 oz. fresh morels, cleaned and sliced in half
3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ lb. penne
2 Tbsp. olive oil
~ salt
~ pepper
~ Pecorino Romano, grated (optional)

Steps
1. Set a large pot of water to boil and cook penne.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add morels and garlic. Saute for about five minutes. Add asparagus and cook until the asparagus is bright green and just cooked.
3. Place cooked penne into a large serving bowl. Add vegetables, stir together, season to taste.
4. If desired, serve with grated Pecorino Romano.

Printable version here.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Grapevine May 10 2009 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking For The New Economy
- Cooking Ideas - Crepes

Happy Mother's Day!

What a great opening weekend. Nice weather (not the predicted rainstorms), good food and happy people. It was nice to see many of our summer vendors back for the season. More will return as we move towards summer.

We have a cooking demonstration scheduled for this Sunday. Jean Johnson, author of Cooking Beyond Measure and Measure Free Recipes blog, will show us ways to leave the measuring cups behind, take back the kitchen and eat well. Jean will be demonstrating how to make a variety of sweet and savory crepes. Jean has strong beliefs about cooking which she shares in the article "Cooking For The New Economy" below. We plan on having Jean visit us throughout the season to demonstrate how to cook seasonally and have fun in the kitchen.

It took longer than we hoped but our website has a new look. We are now able to archive all the Grapevine and the availability list on our site as well as do a lot of other things. Take a look and leave a comment.

See you on Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

With the return of DeNoble Farm, you will definitely find artichokes at the market this Sunday. You will also find asparagus, radishes, lettuce, kale, chard, spinach, lettuce, raab, broccoli, cauliflower and lots of other vegetables. As for fruits, you will find apples, pears, kiwi and strawberries. For all you gardeners, there will be a wide assortment of vegetable starts, perennials and trees.

Check the availability list for the complete list of who's coming this weekend and what they expect to be selling. The list is posted Thursday afternoon and updated through the weekend. For Sunday morning updates, check Twitter feed either on our website sidebar or on our Twitter page.

IN
Ancient Heritage Dairy
DeNoble Farm
Farris Seaman Plants
Garden Color

OUT
Copper Crown (back next week)
Kookoolan Farms ( back June 28)
Vanveen Bulb (back May 17)

Cooking For The New Economy-Eat Well & Tighten Your Belt

The economy is lurking outside our doors like the big bad wolf. We want fresh ideas on thrift, yet we hope to maintain an enjoyable quality of life. It can happen. We can eat exceedingly well and tighten our belts. All it takes is lightening up and having some fun in the kitchen.

We’ve identified the problem with the Standard American Diet (SAD). These days, most know that shopping the perimeter of the grocery is a healthier, more affordable way to fill the larder than schlepping into the inner aisles for things in crinkly packages. Many more are hip to the local, seasonal buzz that has centered the delicious revolution in one’s own eco-region, if not one’s own backyard. Yet, we keep consuming more ready to eat food than our health and wealth can stand. Why?
Culinary history suggests formal recipes have put too fine a point on cooking. At the end of a long day, few of us are in the mood for doing the equivalent of a small chemistry experiment when all we want is dinner.
Besides, following rote directions from elite authorities in your own kitchen isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Here they got to have all the fun of creating the recipes, and we’re pretty much relegated to being technicians. Putting on your reading glasses to make dinner? What’s wrong with this picture?

Americans only got measuring cups in the early 1900s, and everyday cooks around the world today still go with the flow. Back in the 1950s when renowned British foodie, Elizabeth David studied Mediterranean food, the Italians welcomed her into their kitchens, but they took little interest in quantities or measurements. According to David’s official biographer, Artemis Cooper, “David marked a jug out in both imperial and metric measurements, and on occasions ‘I stood over the cooks and simply forced them to show me what they meant by a handful.’”

The late food and wine critic who loved France so much he moved there, Richard Olney, did the same thing, but with clear reservations. In his introduction to Lulu’s Provencal Table, published in 1994, Olney writes that imprisoning the art of cooking in chilly formulas is like robbing a bird of flight.

The point is, of course, that we’d probably cook more delicious, healthy, affordable food if we left our measuring cups behind. For example, here’s an approach to Roasted Parsnips and Carrots:

French fry lovers will almost always give a plate of roasted parsnips and carrots fresh from the over a big nod of approval.
Slice parsnips and carrots on the diagonal. Shine them up with some good oil. Rub with paprika, coarse salt, and cracked pepper. Roast on a tray in a medium oven, turning the roots after fifteen minutes so each side gets golden brown.

Parsnip peelings are tougher than carrot, and depending on how thick you slice your pieces can be too much chew for some. Experimenting, doing one root with the peel and another without is one way to find out what you think. (Remembering that many nutrients lie just below the skin might make you more predisposed to give the peelings a serious chance.) That’s it. Enjoy.

In other words, simple everyday cooking just isn’t that difficult and the food you’ll turn out will be right up there with Garrison Keillor’s Powdermilk Biscuits-the ones “that give shy persons the strength to get up and do what needs to be done.” That’s what cooks in the world’s great ethnic traditions who cook creatively know. That’s what our ancestors knew. And that’s what we can rediscover ourselves.

Jean Johnson is the author of Cooking Beyond Measure: How to Eat Well without Formal Recipes. She has a doctorate in cultural history and lives in Portland, Oregon where she reads, writes, cooks, gardens, and bikes. Jean will be conducting a demonstration this Sunday at 11am. She will also have copies of her book available for purchase.

Cooking Ideas - Crepes

As mentioned earlier, Jean will be conducting a cooking demonstration this Sunday at 11 am. Jean kindly shared her recipe for crepes from her book Cooking Beyond Measure. Jean will show us ways to use crepes this Sunday. Enjoy!

Rolled Up Pancakes

They're called crepes today, but when I was growing up we just called them rolled ups. Mom made them on weekends because although they are easy, they do take time. If you give these a try and get some confidence going, know that they're great for corralling cooked vegetables as well.

Recipe Note

Beat in one egg for every cup of milk you use. Sprinkle in a little whole wheat pastry flour at a time and whisk. The goal is a silky batter comparable to a thin gravy. Add a pinch of salt and some vanilla, and let it set ten minutes or so.

Bring your pan up to medium heat and oil with a dab of butter. Then get ready to be quick on the draw. Ladle on some batter, very quickly lift the griddle, and swirl the batter around to coat the surface. Cook until the edges start to lift. Flip the thin pancake so the other side gets golden brown as well.

Details

Mom, and Aunt Kirsten Wilson who was also known for her rolled ups, used white flour for theirs. But once I got swept up in the late-1960s and its Appetite for Change-a phrase coined by Warren Belasco as the title for his book on "how the counterculture took on the food industry"-I've favored whole wheat pastry flour. Buckwheat flour also works as the world of blini makers well know. Actually, finely ground flours from the range of whole grains will work in rolled ups: cornmeal masa, quinoa, brown rice, millet, you name it.

The secret to rolled ups is being quick once the batter hits the griddle. It takes some practice, so expect rolled ups that look more like maps than perfect discs at first. Even these, though, will work since the edges are hidden once you roll them.

It's often the case that you have to go back and add more milk or flour to get a batter that flows just right. With patience, though, you'll find that making this special breakfast is not hard-only so time consuming that if you're cooking for a crowd you'll inevitably want to get two griddles going.


When I was young we ate rolled ups with butter and sugar, but these days a filling of warmed poached fruit and cottage cream sends me over the top. Sometimes I'll even go for pear wedges and beanpaste. Then again, there's the Scandinavian way that Aunt Kirsten favored: butter and raspberry jam-or the more traditional lingonberry.

On Learning Curves-

If rolled-ups sound daunting to you, all you have to remember is to make them the next time grandpa's around. Then just whisper to him that no matter how they turn out, he's supposed to ooh and ahh. That's what they do in Hopiland. Cooks learning to make piki bread, something much more difficult than rolled-ups, always present their first efforts to grandpa. That's the patriarch's cue to tell the fledging cook how delicious her creation is and eat the offering with great delight, even if it's thick and the ladies are teasing her about how it looks a map.

On the Griddle-

There's nothing like a cast iron griddle. Not only does it carry heat that cooks evenly and browns beautifully, all there is to cleaning is a quick wipe with a cloth. Between my griddle and cast iron wok, each of which have staked out rather permanent claims on the stove top, there is little washing of pots and pans going on in my kitchen.