Market Scenes - August 12, 2009

Orchard fruit season is in full swing at North Star Orchard. Their seemingly endless varieties of plums have been fantastic the last few weeks, peaches are hitting full stride, and early season apples and pears have just entered the rotation.

Sue Miller of Birchrun Hills Farm brings her local cows’ milk cheeses to the market only once a month, as she rotates through a single vendor space along with two other producers. In addition to her staples, this week she was selling wedges of her once-a-year batch of Matilda’s Summer Tomme. Sue also brought a disc of her first run at making a washed-rind cheese. She’s calling it Red Cat (it’s based on the same recipe as her top selling cheese, Fat Cat) and the sample I tasted showed great promise. Right now, it’s being washed with a simple brine solution but Sue is talking with Bill Covaleski, co-founder of and master brewer at Victory Brewing Company, about going with a Victory beer wash. Now that sounds really promising…. Having tasted Sue’s cheese (and Bill’s beers), I’d say Victory Prima Pils should be just about perfect.

Just a few of the gorgeous, delicious varieties of tomatoes that the folks from Lime Valley Mill Farm (certified organic) bring to the market each week.

Sweet, bell and frying peppers, grown and harvested by Fruitwood Orchards Honey Farm in Monroeville, NJ.

Restaurateur Michael Hawthorne, chef and proprietor of Kaya’s Fusion Cuisine (it’s BYOB) right here in Havertown, PA, buys much of the produce he uses each week at the Oakmont Farmers Market. It may not be the most cost-effective approach for his bottom line but it’s a fantastic demonstration of his commitment to supporting both local agriculture and business in his own community.

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Posted by David McDuff
Read more at McDuff's Food & Wine Trail

Recipes for Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar Snap Peas
These are an important early season vegetable that you’ll find readily available from sources like farmers markets, food co-ops, and home gardens. Fresh or lightly cooked, sugar snap peas can be enjoyed pods and all.

Storage
Store whole, unwashed sugar snap peas in a perforated plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to five days.

Handling
Rinse sugar snap peas in their pods and pat them dry. To string both sides at once, hold the top stem-end and pull down toward the flat side of the pea. Alternatively, string peas after cooking to retain sweetness.


Sugar Snap Pea and Cucumber Salad with Walnut-Dill Dressing
Delicate cucumber slices and refreshing dill are wonderful companions for crispy-sweet sugar snap peas. The robust flavor of a walnut dressing adds depth to the bright flavors in this summery salad. Friend of the Farm.
Serves 4

1 pound sugar snap peas
1 cucumber, peeled if thick-skinned, halved lengthwise, seeded, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon walnut oil or peanut oil
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Remove the strings from both edges of the pea pods.

2. Place the peas in a steamer basket set over 1 1/2 inches boiling water, cover, and steam until they are just crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Drain the peas in the sink and immediately run cold water over them. Transfer the peas to a clean, dry dish towel and pat them dry. Place them in a large bowl and add the cucumber.

4. Put the oil, walnuts, lemon juice, water, dill, and cayenne pepper into a blender. Blend until smooth.

5. Pour the walnut dressing over the cucumbers and peas. Toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Sautéed Sugar Snap Peas with Carrots and Honey Glaze
The fresh, summery flavor of sugar snap peas is set off by the sweetness of lightly cooked carrots and a honey glaze. Sweet simplicity. Friend of the Farm.
Serves 3 to 4

1/2–1 pound sugar snap peas
2 medium carrots, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
freshly ground black pepper

1. Remove the strings from both edges of the pea pods (start by gently pulling from the stem).

2. Cut each carrot into thirds. Slice each third, lengthwise, into quarters so that the slices are about the size and shape of the sugar snap peas.

3. Place the carrots in a steamer basket set over 11/2 inches boiling water, cover, and steam until they are just crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the carrots in a colander.

4. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sugar snap peas; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the carrots. Continue to cook and stir until the peas are bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add the honey and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly, until the peas and carrots are thoroughly glazed with the honey.

5. Remove the skillet from heat. Season generously with pepper.


The Crop
Peas, like all legumes, are great soil enhancers. Their leaves gather nitrogen from the air, and their roots thread that nitrogen into the soil, right where we want it. Another way to put nitrogen in soil is to inject fields with anhydrous ammonia. We prefer to let our plants do it in their organic, silent, and splendid way.


Excerpted from Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables: Seasonal Recipes and Stories from a Community Supported Farm by Farmer John Peterson & Angelic Organics (Gibbs Smith Publisher). Check with your local farm or bookstore for availability. Additional recipes, charts, signed copies of this book, and quantity discounts available at www.AngelicOrganics.com/cookbook.

Random Thoughts on Opening Day

Yesterday was opening day of the third season of our beloved Farmers Market. The weather was perfect and we walked to the market with good friends...what more could we ask for? As I reflected on the day, I wanted to share some things with you.

Random Thought #1: "Thank You For This Food"
As we walked around the market, I couldn't help but be so happy to be able to spend my money on the best fruits and veggies around...the sweetest and juiciest strawberries, fresh asparagus and crisp lettuce, pastured eggs, local honey and organic herbs. It might seem strange to hear me say I was happy to spend my money, when we are all so careful about how much money we spend these days, but there's no one I would rather give my money to than these hard working people who grow such nutrient rich, delicious food. These are farmers who I have become friends with over the years, people who I want to see succeed in their businesses - not just because they feed me, but because they are doing mankind good by growing crops and raising animals in a healthy way. Thank you!

Random Thought #2: "A Girl and Her Peas"
As much as my face twists when my three year old tells me she wants to eat mac n cheese, PB&J, or chicken fingers, she does like some veggies (peas and corn, if corn counts), but she is not that child who cannot get enough of green beans and broccoli. However, there is something magical about the Farmers Market and the veggies we buy there. She gets to meet the farmers who are growing the lettuce, peas, asparagus. We returned home from our trek yesterday, started to prepare for dinner and as my husband got home, she shouted "we got sugar snap peas at the farmers market"! Then, she demanded she have some with dinner. As this is not a normal request, I quickly said "of course, here they are!" and she ate several in a row nearly without a breath in between each. After dinner had ended, she pranced around the house yelling, "we love sugar snap peas!"

Thank you, Miss Peg, for your sugar snap peas. And, parents and grandparents who are out there reading this...there is hope for the kid who doesn't want to eat his veggies! Take him to the Farmers Market!

Random Thought #3: "Go Home and Make This Now"
I'd like to share with you a recipe for tarragon chicken salad I've been making for years. Luckily, Lime Valley Mill Farm had the tarragon I desperately needed and I added some crisp green lettuce from Blueberry Hill Farm. Yes, there is a bite taken out of the second half of the sandwich. I couldn't help myself and almost finished the delicious sandwich before I took the picture! Please forgive me. Better yet, make the chicken salad yourself and post a thank you in the comment section. (OK, that is a little presumptuous, but if you like tarragon, I think you will enjoy this.)

Lemon-Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches

• 1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 3)

• 3/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 12 slices rye bread with seeds
• 2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
• (JEN'S NOTE: I added apple chunks)
  

Bring large saucepan of salted water to boil. Add chicken breasts; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate; cool. (JEN'S NOTE: You can cook chicken however you want. I put split breasts in the crock pot and left it on high for three hours.)

Mix celery, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, onion, tarragon, lemon juice, and lemon peel in large bowl to blend. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch cubes; stir into mayonnaise mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill. (JEN'S NOTE: This chicken salad is better the next day as the flavors have had time to get to know each other.)

Arrange 6 bread slices on work surface. Spread with 3 tablespoons mayonnaise. Divide salad among bread slices. Top each with lettuce and second bread slice. Cut sandwiches in half and serve.

See you next Wednesday!

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA

Oakmont Farmers Market Opens Wednesday

It’s only two days until the grand opening of the third season at the Oakmont Farmers Market, so I thought a little announcement and information might be in order.

There’s big news for the market on two fronts this year. First, the OFM is now an official 501c3 not-for-profit educational organization. Second, and for your greater shopping pleasure, the market will be joined by three new producers:

• Lime Valley Mill Farm, located in Lancaster County, will be at the market every week, offering organically farmed (not certified) specialty vegetables.
  
  
• As a cheese lover, I’m especially excited to have two of the area’s finest farmstead cheese producers – Shellbark Hollow Farm and Birchrun Hills Farm –join the market this year. They’ll be alternating, once a month each, in the market spot occupied the other two alternating weeks of each month by Spotted Hill Farm.

We’re also very pleased to have the following producers returning for this year’s market:

• North Star Orchard: Multiple varieties of heirloom apples, pears, plums and peaches; fruit butters and assorted vegetables
  
• Fruitwood Orchards Honey Farm: Local honeys and a variety of fruits and vegetables
  
• Blueberry Hill Farm: Berries, vegetables and dog treats
  
• Schaeffer's Flowers: Flowers and wreaths
  
• Hillacres Pride: Cows’ milk cheeses, beef, pork, lamb and hummus
  
• Great Harvest Bread Company: Bread, baked goods, granola
  
• Backyard Bison: Burgers, steaks, ribs, roasts and cured meats from locally pastured American Plains Buffalo
  
• Spotted Hill Farm: Goat milk soaps and body care products
  
• Lindenhof Farm: Chickens and eggs, turkeys and potpies, pork, lamb

As in years past, the mission of the market is simple: to provide an outlet for local farmers to present their naturally grown goods directly to members of their own greater communities. The market is producer-only; to be represented, all products must be grown and produced within 100 miles of Havertown. The idea is not only to provide healthy, natural products but also to promote a greater reliance on locally farmed food. Why buy an “organic” apple from Washington State, a blackberry from Mexico, ground beef from Texas or broccoli from China when you can get them and other great seasonal goods from a farm in your own community? When the food on your table doesn’t travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to get there, its environmental impact is gentler and its greater freshness is made that much more meaningful.

The Oakmont Market opens at 3:00 PM sharp this Wednesday, May 21, 2009. Bring your families, bring your shopping lists, bring your tote bags and your appetite, and help to strengthen your community by eating great, locally grown food.

Oakmont Farmers Market

Wednesdays from 3:00 to 7:00 PM
May 20 – September 2, 2009

And as daylight begins to wane...

Wednesdays from 2:00 to 6:00 PM
September 9 – November 25, 2009

In the Oakmont Parking Lot
One block NW of the intersection of Darby & Eagle Roads
2419 West Darby Road
Havertown, PA 19083

A Fall Favorite: Southwestern Pumpkin Soup

There's this soup I have been making for years that I would love to share with you. I've made it mostly for myself (I can be selfish with my food at times), but I also made it for my daughter's second birthday party last year and there wasn't a drop left.

I have an addiction to soup - mostly the pureed kind - and this one is at the top of my list. It's a twist on the traditionally-spiced pumpkin soup. I found it while paging through Bon Appetit all the way back in 2000 and lucky for you, the recipe is below or online at Epicurious.com.

It's Southwestern Pumpkin Soup: slightly sweetened with brown sugar and spiced with chili powder and cumin. The added touch of cilantro and sharp cheddar sprinkled on the top makes it quite special. It does call for canned pumpkin, but if you have a pumpkin from the Farmers Market all the better!

Southwestern Pumpkin Soup
Serves 4 (first course)

• 3 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 cup whipping cream

• 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (packed) grated sharp cheddar cheese
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Bring chicken stock and whipping cream to boil in heavy medium pot. Whisk in canned pumpkin, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, coriander and nutmeg. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until soup thickens slightly and flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Soup can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally.) Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each serving with cheddar cheese and cilantro and serve.

Romanesco Invades the OFM

Romanesco broccoli, that is. This most unusual of crucifers -- looking like alien vessels, shrubbery maintained by garden gnomes or perhaps an oddly green coral outcropping -- is actually a variant form of cauliflower, known for its visually stunning fractal appearance as much as for its tastiness. When I spotted a bin full of perfectly fresh specimens at North Star Orchard's stand at last week's OFM, I couldn't resist taking one home.

The question was what to do with it once I got it home. Not one to cook from recipes very often, I decided to just wing it, my only parameter being to utilize ingredients from the Oakmont Market wherever possible. Here's what I came up with -- my "recipe," if you insist.

Romanesco cidrée au gratin
(Don't let the fancy French name scare you. It's really easy.)

Ingredients:

- One medium-large head of Romanesco, florets divided and stem chopped in 1/2 inch cubes.
- One medium yellow onion, diced
- A few ounces of fresh apple cider
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cheddar, Jack, Gruyere or other semi-soft cows' milk cheese, grated or thinly sliced.

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Steam Romanesco until al dente. If using the stem, give the stem pieces a brief head start.
- Meanwhile, sautée onion in olive oil until aromatic and soft.
- Remove Romanesco from the steamer, shake off excess moisture and add to the sautée pan, cooking together with the onions for a minute or two, just enough to let the flavors meld.
- Add apple cider to the pan -- I used the delicious cider from Fruitwood Orchards -- and simmer until cider reduces by about half.
- Transfer contents of pan to an oven safe casserole, top with cheese of your choice and bake in oven until cheese starts to bubble. I used Gruyere (that I already had on-hand) but the Cheddar or Jack from Hillacres Pride should work mighty fine.
- Remove from oven and you're ready to enjoy.

Can be served on its own as a side dish or over brown rice or other grain of choice as a main course.

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Posted by David McDuff, HTFMA
McDuff's Food & Wine Trail

Harvest Locavore Dinner - 6PM (SEATS AVAILABLE), 8PM (SOLD OUT)

The Haverford Township Farmers Market Association is thrilled to announce the first-ever Haverford Locavore Harvest Dinner on Thursday, October 16 at Kaya’s Fusion Cuisine, 5 Brookline Boulevard, Havertown.


Kaya's Fusion Cuisine is using ALL LOCAL FOODS from the Oakmont Farmers Market to create a fixed-price four-course dinner. There will be two seatings, at 6 pm and at 8 pm (SOLD OUT), and the cost per person is $45 (includes tax, but not tip). Kaya’s is a BYOB establishment and there are no corkage fees for this dinner.

Items featured on the menu will be (subject to change):

Starter: Butternut squash and 5 spice soup with a coconut drizzle

Second Course: Broccoli, red onion and turkey bacon salad

Main Course: Slow-roasted Bison short ribs served with a Colby cheese and cauliflower puree with braised Brussels sprouts

Dessert: Pumpkin cheesecake and spiked hot apple cider

To find out more about the Harvest Dinner and make a reservation, call 610-446-2780.

Hurry! Space is still available at the 6pm seating, but the 8pm seating is SOLD OUT!

I hope to see you there!

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA