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.