Try Something New!

Now that summer in Whatcom County is here, at least most of the time, it's exciting to see the expanded range of vegetables -- and even some early berries -- at the market!

 

I have a market share with Cedarville Farm -- pay $50, have credit for $55 worth of produce -- ideal if a CSA box is too big for you. I look forward to seeing "my farmer," Mike Finger, every Saturday and loading up my bags with veggies. 

Lately I've been gorging on the mixed salad greens and sugar snap peas, but Mike persuaded me to step outside my comfort zone last week with a new crop he's growing -- salad turnips. 

Even though I love vegetables best of all food, I never have enjoyed turnips, so I was not exactly keen about trying salad turnips. However, Mike promised that they were mild and slightly sweet, and were great in salads or as part of a raw vegetable plate, so I bought a few.

Their charming round shapes and pretty colors (a pearly white and a soft red) made them attractive photo subjects, nested in their own leaves -- and I had to eat a couple of slices of a red one to reveal the pretty pattern inside -- so I am here to report that Mike was right. 

Salad turnips, although they will never replace mixed green salads or sugar snap peas in my heart, are pleasant additions to the joys of summer eating. Give them -- or some other vegetable you've never eaten -- a try!

-- Cynthia St. Clair

Ode to Strawberry Jam

The Chef in the Market series has started and I was finally was able to catch it last Saturday with Renee Bourgault serving up yummy spring spreads. I was really intrigued with the radish spread served on Breadfarm crackers since I have yet to convince my family that radishes aren't "yucky." This tasty spread may provide me with a new way to challenge their food phobias! Check out all the recipes and find out more about Chef in the Market here.

Speaking of Renee and Breadfarm, we have a new favorite treat at my house -- or I should say my toddler has a new favorite. He has hardly allowed us to partake of our new find since we discovered it last Saturday. On a whim I picked up a jar of Breadfarm's Strawberry Jam since I had a few extra dollars burning a hole in my pocket on my way out of the market.

Let me tell you, opening the jar is like standing in the middle of a strawberry field. The jam has lovely chunks of strawberry still visible and it is more saucy than jammy which makes it oh-so-flexible. My three year-old's favorite snack is plain, nonfat yogurt with a dollop of this fantastic sauce stirred in. We had it on waffles this morning. I even made a lovely strawberry vinaigrette for tonight's spinach salad just by whisking in a little good quality balsamic vinegar, some very light olive oil and a pinch of salt. Alas, I fear we'll be scraping the bottom of our jar long before our next visit to the market to buy some more!

Southern Hospitality

I've been crazy busy the past couple weeks and have missed out on my weekly Farmer's Market visits. So when I returned Tuesday from a business trip to Atlanta, GA, I was overjoyed when I realized that this was the opening week of the Wednesday Market in Fairhaven. While much smaller than the Saturday market, it really has a charm all it's own. Kids are able to run around the green while you make the intimate circuit of farmers, crafters and food vendors. This year, after consulting Fairhaven merchants, market vendors and customers, the hours have changed to 12noon - 5pm every Wednesday from June through September.

Inspired by my recent trip to the deep South, I decided to give collard greens another chance so I picked up a beautiful little bundle from Roslyn at Rabbit Fields Farms booth, along with some glorious garlic scapes (more on those another time). Most people assume that collards need to be cooked forever with bacon or pork fat to be any good. While I can attest that they are delicious that way (!), I also know that collards are fantastically nutritious and actually quite easy to prepare. One of my favorite preparations is simplicity at its best. I've seen it most frequently refered to as "Brazilian" style and it is basically collards thinly sliced and cooked quickly over medium heat in a skillet with some olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper for 3-4 minutes. That's it. I also like to add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end, but it's not necessary.

This time around I tried to recreate a dish I had while in Atlanta called potlikker (sometimes refered to as pot liquor or collard broth). It was served to me at a sweet, truly southern restaurant called May Mack's Tea Room (see picture). It was actually complimentary for all first time visitors to Mary Mack's! My understanding is that potlikker is basically the "broth" left after cooking traditional collards.

My version is a little heartier as I added white beans and a little veggie broth. I also "lightened" it by not cooking it with the traditional ham hock or bacon. Instead I finished the dish with a couple splashes of chipotle tabasco which added a slight kick with the smokiness I would have gained with the addition of these meats. I rounded out the meal with some corn bread and voilá, my son and husband ate it up (after a only a few scrunched up faces when I mentioned it was made with collards!). This dish could easily be made with any hearty green, such as kale or even spinach. For the recipe, click here.