Glad to get back to the farmer's market, missed last week due to my wife and I are in the middle of buying a house. Each week there are more and more items showing up. We took a walk through the entire market first to see what was there and to compare prices and quality.
First got small Yukon and red potatoes, they can be roasted whole, about five stalks of broccoli and a pint of plum tomatoes. Grabbed some more rhubarb to make another pie, see previous posts for the recipe that I'll use. I'm going to bring it to a Peak Oil meeting this week, I've been told it's great to read about me cooking, but they haven't done any tasting yet ;-).
Seeing that the weather will get hot this week, we decided to make a chef salad one night. Picked up tomatoes, cucumbers, head of lettuce and some sugar snap peas. Mixed with some turkey breast, salami and whatever else is in the fridge, makes a great meal.
Onions are looking great, got two very large Willamette Valley sweet onions which I used in the recipe of the week. I added them to chicken Madeira, a great dish that is not hard to make but it very fancy. It's a good meal to make for a dinner party or a special occasion.
Chicken Madeira
3 to 4 chicken breasts
1 large onion
12 mushrooms
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/4 cup Madeira wine
1 tbs corn starch
3/4 cup flour
salt
pepper
2 tbs olive oil
1) Clean and cut chicken breasts if desired, mix salt and pepper in the flour and dredge the chicken to coat.
2) Heat a skillet, recommend cast iron, add one tablespoon of olive oil and fry the chicken until its browned on both sides, about two to three minutes a side. Remove from pan and put into a oven or Pyrex dish.
3) Cut up onion and add to skillet after de-glazing with the remaining olive oil. (De-glazing is adding a liquid to a pan after frying to scrape up the little bits that are stuck to the pan.) Cook onion for about five minutes until the onion begins to soften.
4) Slice mushrooms and add to onion and cook for another five minutes, they should be tender and cooked. Add broth and Madeira and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow sauce to reduce. Add seasonings, I put a dash of granulated garlic as well as some pepper.
5) To thicken sauce, strain off about a half a cup of liquid and mix with corn starch. Stir well to remove lumps and add back to the pan. Stir and allow to return to a boil, the sauce should thicken up nicely.
6) Pour mixture over chicken and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees, or until chicken is cooked.
Made this with the broccoli and rice. Rice is a good side dish since it sops up all the gravy. Note the more broth and Madeira you add, the more sauce you'll get, I make extra sauce since I love the taste. Feel free to use less if you don't want it as "saucy".
Grabbed some blackberries and raspberries since they are now in season. Also got more artichokes, this time tried an Italian artichoke as well as a regular one. Made them for lunch on Sunday. The Italian artichoke is meatier and has a strong artichoke flavor. The leaves are thicker and the heart was amazing. Not to diminish the regular artichoke either, it was just as good.
Still anxiously waiting for eggplant to show up, I'll be posting a bunch of recipes then.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Beaverton Farmer's Market Part 5
It was good to get back to the farmer's market yesterday after missing last week. My wife and I were out house hunting, one of the many reasons for us to get a house is to be able to start growing our own food. I'll still hit the farmer's market, but it'll be great to grow my own. Also found out that garlic is planted in September, hopefully we'll have a place by then and I can try growing that first.
From my last post, I did use the basil to make a pesto sauce but found out that you really need two bunches of basil to make it work for about a pound of pasta. I'll try again later in the summer and get a good recipe together. Cooked the last of the potatoes as well, they taste great just roasted in the oven.
Yesterday walked through and found even more fruits and vegetables being sold. Picked up some large sweet onions, very large. Probably will only need a half for most of what I'll cook. Got more potatoes, one booth has a mix and match for the same price, grabbed reds, fingerlings, purples and yukons to roast.
Broccoli is now showing up. Usually when I get it in the supermarket they cut off most of the stem, I got three stalks to use. I cut the florets off and will use them for another meal and cook the stems. The florets of the broccoli can be steamed or sauteed or even eaten raw. Here is a basic recipe to use for broccoli stems.
Sauteed Broccoli Stems
2 to 3 stems
3 to 4 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Balsamic vinegar
Lemon juice
1)Slice the garlic thinly and saute in olive oil for about a minute.
2)Cut the stems thinly, on an angle if possible for more even cooking, add to garlic.
3)Fry until garlic and stems are tender, about 5 to 6 minutes and add Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice (about a tablespoon each), stir until well mixed and serve.
Artichokes are now in season, got two of them, medium sized. Be careful of the thorns on the leaves, I cut my index finger handing them over. Artichokes are easy to cook, simply cut the bottom stem off so that the artichoke can sit evenly. Also cut the top quarter of the artichoke. I boil them in a pot of water for about twenty to thirty minutes until the artichoke is tender, you can put a knife through the center easily.
Turn the artichoke upside down to drain out any water and peel the leaves off to eat. The outer leaves have less "meat" the ones closer to the heart have more. The bottom part of the leaf is edible, it's the most tender part. Also when buying artichokes look for a head that is very tightly closed.
Grabbed some more strawberries, their my wife's favorite as well as yellow plum tomatoes for snacking. New item to try this week, radishes. The greens on top are edible, try those in a salad and see how fresh radishes taste. I'm not much of a fan, but it's worth a shot.
From my last post, I did use the basil to make a pesto sauce but found out that you really need two bunches of basil to make it work for about a pound of pasta. I'll try again later in the summer and get a good recipe together. Cooked the last of the potatoes as well, they taste great just roasted in the oven.
Yesterday walked through and found even more fruits and vegetables being sold. Picked up some large sweet onions, very large. Probably will only need a half for most of what I'll cook. Got more potatoes, one booth has a mix and match for the same price, grabbed reds, fingerlings, purples and yukons to roast.
Broccoli is now showing up. Usually when I get it in the supermarket they cut off most of the stem, I got three stalks to use. I cut the florets off and will use them for another meal and cook the stems. The florets of the broccoli can be steamed or sauteed or even eaten raw. Here is a basic recipe to use for broccoli stems.
Sauteed Broccoli Stems
2 to 3 stems
3 to 4 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Balsamic vinegar
Lemon juice
1)Slice the garlic thinly and saute in olive oil for about a minute.
2)Cut the stems thinly, on an angle if possible for more even cooking, add to garlic.
3)Fry until garlic and stems are tender, about 5 to 6 minutes and add Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice (about a tablespoon each), stir until well mixed and serve.
Artichokes are now in season, got two of them, medium sized. Be careful of the thorns on the leaves, I cut my index finger handing them over. Artichokes are easy to cook, simply cut the bottom stem off so that the artichoke can sit evenly. Also cut the top quarter of the artichoke. I boil them in a pot of water for about twenty to thirty minutes until the artichoke is tender, you can put a knife through the center easily.
Turn the artichoke upside down to drain out any water and peel the leaves off to eat. The outer leaves have less "meat" the ones closer to the heart have more. The bottom part of the leaf is edible, it's the most tender part. Also when buying artichokes look for a head that is very tightly closed.
Grabbed some more strawberries, their my wife's favorite as well as yellow plum tomatoes for snacking. New item to try this week, radishes. The greens on top are edible, try those in a salad and see how fresh radishes taste. I'm not much of a fan, but it's worth a shot.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Beaverton Farmer's Market Part 4
Another week, another opportunity to cook with local fresh food. First stop was off to get more rhubarb to make another pie, picked up three stalks to cook with. Over to the place where I got the butter ball potatoes last week. Only used about half of them, just roasted them with olive oil and some seasoning in the oven, the small ones whole, larger ones cut in half. They came out delicious. Decided to pick up a few purple viking and French fingerling's (small ones) to mix with what I had left.
Then over to the booth where I got my onions last time and picked up four for the week. I told the guy how good they were last week, he thanked me. They also had a lot of asparagus, but my wife and I agreed that we were "asparagused" out and should take a week off. Picked up some fresh Chinook salmon to make with dinner on Saturday, recipe to follow.
Walked around and ended up getting two zucchinis to try and make pancakes with. This batch came out better than before, but my wife is still not swayed. She says it's a texture thing, but they are tasting better. I grate the zucchini, add flour, egg, baking powder, granulated garlic and pepper. I fry them until golden brown. I'll keep working on the seasoning, when I hit upon something I'll post the recipe. Also got some strawberries, cherry tomatoes and a bunch of basil.
The first thing I cooked was the salmon. Since it was a small piece I mixed it in with rice and made a one-pot meal. I added rice, onions, garlic, mushrooms and black beans with the salmon, turned out good. Here's the recipe:
Salmon Black Bean Rice
Onion
Mushrooms
Garlic
Salmon
1 cup of rice (jasmine rice was used in the recipie but any rice will do)
14oz can of low salt black beans
Vinegar
Italian Seasonings
Salt
Pepper
First cook the rice. Put salmon in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, put some dill and lemon pepper on the top of the salmon. Saute onion, garlic and mushrooms (and any other vegetables you like) until tender. Add drained black beans, stir and keep on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Add rice to mixture when done and then add salmon cut up when cooked. Stir in some vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
For the rhubarb I made another pie using the same recipe from last week but this time made a cream cheese crust. It's the same recipe as the basic pie crust just substitute cream cheese for shorting. I made a rhubarb, strawberry, peach pie and had the right level of sweetness and tartness with the great crust. I'm going to a party next week so I'll try to make some to bring with me and get more opinions.
The basil will be used for a pesto sauce this week for pasta. I'm using walnuts instead of pine nuts, they work as well and are much cheaper. The trick is getting the right amount of olive oil so that it blends but doesn't become too watery. And don't forget the raw garlic.
The onions and potatoes will work great as side dishes this week. I am anxiously waiting for eggplant to come back, I'll have a bunch of recipes to post then.
Then over to the booth where I got my onions last time and picked up four for the week. I told the guy how good they were last week, he thanked me. They also had a lot of asparagus, but my wife and I agreed that we were "asparagused" out and should take a week off. Picked up some fresh Chinook salmon to make with dinner on Saturday, recipe to follow.
Walked around and ended up getting two zucchinis to try and make pancakes with. This batch came out better than before, but my wife is still not swayed. She says it's a texture thing, but they are tasting better. I grate the zucchini, add flour, egg, baking powder, granulated garlic and pepper. I fry them until golden brown. I'll keep working on the seasoning, when I hit upon something I'll post the recipe. Also got some strawberries, cherry tomatoes and a bunch of basil.
The first thing I cooked was the salmon. Since it was a small piece I mixed it in with rice and made a one-pot meal. I added rice, onions, garlic, mushrooms and black beans with the salmon, turned out good. Here's the recipe:
Salmon Black Bean Rice
Onion
Mushrooms
Garlic
Salmon
1 cup of rice (jasmine rice was used in the recipie but any rice will do)
14oz can of low salt black beans
Vinegar
Italian Seasonings
Salt
Pepper
First cook the rice. Put salmon in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, put some dill and lemon pepper on the top of the salmon. Saute onion, garlic and mushrooms (and any other vegetables you like) until tender. Add drained black beans, stir and keep on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Add rice to mixture when done and then add salmon cut up when cooked. Stir in some vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
For the rhubarb I made another pie using the same recipe from last week but this time made a cream cheese crust. It's the same recipe as the basic pie crust just substitute cream cheese for shorting. I made a rhubarb, strawberry, peach pie and had the right level of sweetness and tartness with the great crust. I'm going to a party next week so I'll try to make some to bring with me and get more opinions.
The basil will be used for a pesto sauce this week for pasta. I'm using walnuts instead of pine nuts, they work as well and are much cheaper. The trick is getting the right amount of olive oil so that it blends but doesn't become too watery. And don't forget the raw garlic.
The onions and potatoes will work great as side dishes this week. I am anxiously waiting for eggplant to come back, I'll have a bunch of recipes to post then.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Beaverton Farmer's Market Part 3
Although I missed the farmer's market last week due to being at the LP national convention in Denver, I was able to go this morning. Taking a week off must have helped ;-). There was a greater selection of fruits and vegetables than the past weeks combined. I took a walk through to see what everyone had first then made my way back around to get what I needed.
First I bought two large stalks of rhubarb which I made into a pie, recipe to follow in this post. I pick up more asparagus from where I got some two weeks ago, as well as some onions. Made my way over to another stand and got a bunch of carrots and some butter ball potatoes. I found out that these potatoes are good for baking or mashing, but have a heavy starch content so they don't work when cooked too long. I picked up two Yukon golds to use in a curry later in the week.
I didn't get seafood this week, but the snapper I got the last time was delicious. I just fried it up in a pan in olive oil and put some dill and pepper on it, a little bit of homemade cocktail sauce (ketchup, grated horseradish, granulated garlic) and a shot of lemon juice. Before I left I got some strawberries, mainly for my wife who loves them.
I wanted to try and cook the rhubarb again and decided to try and make a pie for a house warming party my wife and I were going to later in the evening. I cut off the ends of the rhubarb to make sure there was no trace of the leaves (They are poisonous!) and ran the stalks through the food processor to get a even thin cut. I put about a half a cup of sugar, cut up some of the strawberries and a few apricots and mixed them together. After making a basic crust I made a small sample pie, turned out good but too bitter/sour. So I added another half cup of sugar, baked the pie and hoped for the best.
After dinner I waited to see if people would be smiling or if their faces were puckering up. Turned out perfect, everyone loved the pie. So here is the recipe including the crust.
Rhubarb Fruit Pie
2 discs of basic pie crust (see recipe below)
2 large stalks of rhubarb
8 strawberries
4 apricots
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs corn starch
Basic Pie Crust
2 cups flour
2/3 cups shorting (cream cheese can be substituted for shorting)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup ice water
To make crust mix flour, salt and shorting using a pastry cutter or two knives. Slowly add water and stir with a fork until pastry sticks together. Add as much water until pastry is moist but not too wet. Break off into two lumps, one slightly larger than the other. Put balls into saran wrap and press down to flatten. Refrigerate for one hour minimum or up to twenty four hours.
Cut up rhubarb and any other fruits (I used strawberries and apricots), add sugar and corn starch and stir. Roll out larger pastry ball and put filling inside shell, cover with smaller shell or cut into a lattice pattern. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 375F. Cool pie after cooking for about 30 minutes to one hour, serve and enjoy.
I'll use the asparagus in a stir fry, curry and just plainly grilled or fried. The carrots came with the tops on. The person selling me the carrots asked if I wanted the tops cut off. I asked if you can cook them, like beet greens. He told me that this is debatable, some say you can other say that they are too bitter. A woman who worked at the booth mentioned that rabbits do eat the greens, so they are edible. I tried some with the guy I was talking to and realized that they are very bitter. I'm going to try and see if I can cook them up so I can go back and give them a recipe.
I may try cooking the potatoes like I did with the blue potatoes I got the last time. They were very small so I sauteed them with onions and garlic in olive oil. They turned out tasty but not much flavor. My wife suggested that they would go better with eggs, such as a side dish for breakfast. I'm thinking of using them when I make chicken breasts later in the week.
First I bought two large stalks of rhubarb which I made into a pie, recipe to follow in this post. I pick up more asparagus from where I got some two weeks ago, as well as some onions. Made my way over to another stand and got a bunch of carrots and some butter ball potatoes. I found out that these potatoes are good for baking or mashing, but have a heavy starch content so they don't work when cooked too long. I picked up two Yukon golds to use in a curry later in the week.
I didn't get seafood this week, but the snapper I got the last time was delicious. I just fried it up in a pan in olive oil and put some dill and pepper on it, a little bit of homemade cocktail sauce (ketchup, grated horseradish, granulated garlic) and a shot of lemon juice. Before I left I got some strawberries, mainly for my wife who loves them.
I wanted to try and cook the rhubarb again and decided to try and make a pie for a house warming party my wife and I were going to later in the evening. I cut off the ends of the rhubarb to make sure there was no trace of the leaves (They are poisonous!) and ran the stalks through the food processor to get a even thin cut. I put about a half a cup of sugar, cut up some of the strawberries and a few apricots and mixed them together. After making a basic crust I made a small sample pie, turned out good but too bitter/sour. So I added another half cup of sugar, baked the pie and hoped for the best.
After dinner I waited to see if people would be smiling or if their faces were puckering up. Turned out perfect, everyone loved the pie. So here is the recipe including the crust.
Rhubarb Fruit Pie
2 discs of basic pie crust (see recipe below)
2 large stalks of rhubarb
8 strawberries
4 apricots
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs corn starch
Basic Pie Crust
2 cups flour
2/3 cups shorting (cream cheese can be substituted for shorting)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup ice water
To make crust mix flour, salt and shorting using a pastry cutter or two knives. Slowly add water and stir with a fork until pastry sticks together. Add as much water until pastry is moist but not too wet. Break off into two lumps, one slightly larger than the other. Put balls into saran wrap and press down to flatten. Refrigerate for one hour minimum or up to twenty four hours.
Cut up rhubarb and any other fruits (I used strawberries and apricots), add sugar and corn starch and stir. Roll out larger pastry ball and put filling inside shell, cover with smaller shell or cut into a lattice pattern. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 375F. Cool pie after cooking for about 30 minutes to one hour, serve and enjoy.
I'll use the asparagus in a stir fry, curry and just plainly grilled or fried. The carrots came with the tops on. The person selling me the carrots asked if I wanted the tops cut off. I asked if you can cook them, like beet greens. He told me that this is debatable, some say you can other say that they are too bitter. A woman who worked at the booth mentioned that rabbits do eat the greens, so they are edible. I tried some with the guy I was talking to and realized that they are very bitter. I'm going to try and see if I can cook them up so I can go back and give them a recipe.
I may try cooking the potatoes like I did with the blue potatoes I got the last time. They were very small so I sauteed them with onions and garlic in olive oil. They turned out tasty but not much flavor. My wife suggested that they would go better with eggs, such as a side dish for breakfast. I'm thinking of using them when I make chicken breasts later in the week.
Beaverton Farmer's Market - Week 2
I've decided to try and do a weekly journal of the Beaverton farmer's market, of what I've bought and how I cooked and ate it. As for what my wife and I got last week included tomatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, rhubarb (mistakingly called rutabaga by me in my last post, sorry), asparagus, kale and a sourdough rye bread.
The first thing we cooked was the kale in a soup with linguica and a few of the Yukon gold potatoes. It turned out great. It can be made as a vegetarian dish if desired, just leave out the sausage.
Kale Potato Sausage soup
Head of kale
2 Yukon gold potatoes
1 onion
2 to 3 cloves of garlic (or more to taste)
14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
14 oz can of white kidney beans
4 cups of broth
6 to 8 oz of linguica (or sausage of choice)
1 Tbs olive oil
1. Cut sausage thinly and fry on each side until browned, drain and reserve a bit of the fat, add olive oil.
2. Cube potatoes, onions and chop garlic and saute until lightly browned.
3. Add broth, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. Add can of chopped tomatoes with the liquid inside.
5. Add the beans after draining.
6. Add the kale chopped and stir into soup until it begins to wilt. Let simmer for a few minutes to allow everything to heat up, season with salt and pepper to taste.
We had this for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day, it went great with the bread.
Later in the week we had pasta and used the tomatoes to make sauce. After frying some onion and garlic in olive oil and anchovy paste, the tomatoes were chopped up and added to the pot and cooked on low heat for about an hour. We kept in the skin and seeds, it was great with the left over bread which I toasted in the oven with some granulated garlic.
The asparagus was used in three meals, first simply steamed and eaten fresh on Sunday night. Later in the week I added it to a stir fry, and the last fried up with onions and peppers when we had fajitas.
For the rhubarb my wife chopped it up and baked it with vanilla sugar (sugar you put in a jar with a vanilla bean, try it!) for about 30 minutes, maybe about 10 minutes too long. It did taste good with some strawberries, I think next time we'll try baking it with some apples.
So yesterday we went early to avoid the heat, but didn't get much since we will be at the Libertarian convention later in the week. We did get some asparagus to cook on the grill, turned out great. They had some blue potatoes, we got some of the very tiny ones and will saute them up whole. Picked up some fresh snapper, about a pound for five dollars, to cook up before we leave town. And had to get some fresh bagels, some more tomatoes and some hot sausages from the German deli that cooks them up by the bandstand.
I'll be missing going next Saturday when I'm in Denver, but there should be more variety when I go again at the end of the month.
The first thing we cooked was the kale in a soup with linguica and a few of the Yukon gold potatoes. It turned out great. It can be made as a vegetarian dish if desired, just leave out the sausage.
Kale Potato Sausage soup
Head of kale
2 Yukon gold potatoes
1 onion
2 to 3 cloves of garlic (or more to taste)
14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
14 oz can of white kidney beans
4 cups of broth
6 to 8 oz of linguica (or sausage of choice)
1 Tbs olive oil
1. Cut sausage thinly and fry on each side until browned, drain and reserve a bit of the fat, add olive oil.
2. Cube potatoes, onions and chop garlic and saute until lightly browned.
3. Add broth, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. Add can of chopped tomatoes with the liquid inside.
5. Add the beans after draining.
6. Add the kale chopped and stir into soup until it begins to wilt. Let simmer for a few minutes to allow everything to heat up, season with salt and pepper to taste.
We had this for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day, it went great with the bread.
Later in the week we had pasta and used the tomatoes to make sauce. After frying some onion and garlic in olive oil and anchovy paste, the tomatoes were chopped up and added to the pot and cooked on low heat for about an hour. We kept in the skin and seeds, it was great with the left over bread which I toasted in the oven with some granulated garlic.
The asparagus was used in three meals, first simply steamed and eaten fresh on Sunday night. Later in the week I added it to a stir fry, and the last fried up with onions and peppers when we had fajitas.
For the rhubarb my wife chopped it up and baked it with vanilla sugar (sugar you put in a jar with a vanilla bean, try it!) for about 30 minutes, maybe about 10 minutes too long. It did taste good with some strawberries, I think next time we'll try baking it with some apples.
So yesterday we went early to avoid the heat, but didn't get much since we will be at the Libertarian convention later in the week. We did get some asparagus to cook on the grill, turned out great. They had some blue potatoes, we got some of the very tiny ones and will saute them up whole. Picked up some fresh snapper, about a pound for five dollars, to cook up before we leave town. And had to get some fresh bagels, some more tomatoes and some hot sausages from the German deli that cooks them up by the bandstand.
I'll be missing going next Saturday when I'm in Denver, but there should be more variety when I go again at the end of the month.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Beaverton Farmer's Market
I have been waiting months now for the farmer's market to come back in Beaverton. Last year was the first year my wife and I went to the farmer's market on a weekly basis. In the past we visited the Beaverton farmer's market once or twice, but never really bought much of anything. A few years earlier we went to the Tigard farmer's market (over in the Garden Home neighborhood), but it was smaller and we didn't get to many items there.
Last year due to health issues and a more concerted effort to eat locally, we decided to start going to the farmer's market on a weekly basis sometime in the early summer. At first we got a few items, some tomatoes, berries and maybe a sweet onion or two. After a few weeks we expanded to more fruits and vegetables. We would experiment, look on line or go to my cooking bible, Fanny Farmer, to find out how to cook what we got. By the end of the market we were getting dozens of items, bringing our own bags and going to our favorite boots for specific items.
The first day today was a good one. The market was packed and about three fourths of the spaces were filled. Since it is early in the season there weren't many fruit or vegetable options, but a lot of plants and seedlings. There was a lot of asparagus, rutabaga, leeks, leafy greens and even a stand selling tomatoes. There were some booths selling wine, cakes and breads. What I was amazed to see were how many booths were selling seafood and pork. In the past I would see one or two booths, but today I saw at least five. Although I need to eat less meat, I might start eating more local meat which looks to be of better quality than what I usually find in the supermarket.
So we got some asparagus, use half tomorrow night as a side with dinner and the rest in a stir fry later in the week. Four beefsteak tomatoes to use for a sauce with pasta. My wife got a bunch of rutabaga to make me a pie and has promised to not feed me the leaves ;-). A leek to most likely use with the chicken I will be making for dinner tomorrow. And for dinner tonight, a fresh bunch of kale and Yukon gold potatoes to use in a soup with linguca sausage and white beans, served with a sourdough rye bread that we bought on the way out of the market.
I look forward to the upcoming weeks where more fruits and vegetables will start showing up. This will give me an opportunity to make some old favorites and to try anything that I somehow missed last year. Thanks to the Beaverton farmer's market for allowing me to become more of a locavore.
Last year due to health issues and a more concerted effort to eat locally, we decided to start going to the farmer's market on a weekly basis sometime in the early summer. At first we got a few items, some tomatoes, berries and maybe a sweet onion or two. After a few weeks we expanded to more fruits and vegetables. We would experiment, look on line or go to my cooking bible, Fanny Farmer, to find out how to cook what we got. By the end of the market we were getting dozens of items, bringing our own bags and going to our favorite boots for specific items.
The first day today was a good one. The market was packed and about three fourths of the spaces were filled. Since it is early in the season there weren't many fruit or vegetable options, but a lot of plants and seedlings. There was a lot of asparagus, rutabaga, leeks, leafy greens and even a stand selling tomatoes. There were some booths selling wine, cakes and breads. What I was amazed to see were how many booths were selling seafood and pork. In the past I would see one or two booths, but today I saw at least five. Although I need to eat less meat, I might start eating more local meat which looks to be of better quality than what I usually find in the supermarket.
So we got some asparagus, use half tomorrow night as a side with dinner and the rest in a stir fry later in the week. Four beefsteak tomatoes to use for a sauce with pasta. My wife got a bunch of rutabaga to make me a pie and has promised to not feed me the leaves ;-). A leek to most likely use with the chicken I will be making for dinner tomorrow. And for dinner tonight, a fresh bunch of kale and Yukon gold potatoes to use in a soup with linguca sausage and white beans, served with a sourdough rye bread that we bought on the way out of the market.
I look forward to the upcoming weeks where more fruits and vegetables will start showing up. This will give me an opportunity to make some old favorites and to try anything that I somehow missed last year. Thanks to the Beaverton farmer's market for allowing me to become more of a locavore.
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