Yesterday afternoon, I went to the Shab Row/Everedy Square Farmer's market for their last day of the season. I got to chat with my friends from Whitmore Farm, Glade Link Farm, Persimmon Pond Plants, and Scenic View Orchards. The vendors were dressed up for Halloween; my favorites were Gwen from Glade Link dressed as a jack-o-lantern and Richard from Scenic View dressed as a hippie. I also got to chat a little with Yeon, who had a booth for kids with treats and crafts to decorate bat cut-outs. I hear pictures were taken, so hopefully some will get posted!
I picked up some fresh shelled lima beans and apples from Richard, cauliflower from Gwen, and ground lamb from Will at Whitmore Farm. Will told me that after the feature in the Washington Post last week on his eggs, he is sold out. Will's last week at the West Frederick Farmer's Market is this coming Saturday. He had lamb meatballs that sounded delicious, but I can't eat them because they have wheat in them. I also bought two dried lamb patties for my dog. Richard says he has lots of apples and potatoes right now, especially potatoes. He had a bumper crop this year. Fresh potatoes are a universe apart from store-bought potatoes. They are creamier, sweeter, and denser, and are one of the must-buy foods for me from the market. Gwen has a lot of gorgeous cauliflower for the market this Saturday; she also has cute flower displays in pumpkin vases. Wendy has pretty painted gourds and quince preserves.
I made a delicious dinner last night of lima beans and lamb burgers stuffed with chevre from Caprikorn Farms. I have the leftovers today for lunch. I was so hungry last night that I forgot to take a picture. I gave Lucy the Dog a dried lamb patty and she tore into it. When I gave her the second one, she already knew how good they were, and her eyes rolled back in her head as she grabbed it with her teeth and ran off to scarf her prize. I know how she felt. That's good lamb.
Shannon
Friday, October 30, 2009
Fresh shelled lima beans and lamb burgers
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Rounding up food supplies for the zombie apocalypse
If there is ever a zombie apocalypse, you should find me. I will know where all of the food is. Somebody else will have to be in charge of weapons, because that is not me. But I'll make sure we have something to eat.
Today you would have found me wandering around the farmer's market in the rain, ensuring that our food supply is still in good order. I can tell you that we are in good shape. I took this picture while hanging out at Rohrer's meats, making sure that we have an adequate supply of fresh bacon, Carolina barbecue, and raspberry-apricot jam. I am happy to say that we do. At the moment this picture was taken, however, I was just taking refuge from the rain and bothering Danny with idle chatter about chef's challenges, and how I cancelled today's due to inclement weather.
Luckily Glade Link Farm had plenty of cheddar cauliflower. And Summer Creek Farm had haricots verts and radishes. Scenic View Orchards had half pecks of Stayman apples. Catoctin Mountain Creamery had the blue goat and cottage cheeses I needed, along with teriyaki sticks. Caprikorn farms had a special on chevre and also had Italian goat cheddar. I was also relieved to see that Beth had a gluten-free pecan pie. Because that really builds the strength you need to fight off zombies. I didn't get to a lot of the other stands because I became preoccupied with running away from raindrops, taking shelter in random places. But this is good practice.
When it was all over, I took refuge at Moxie on North Market Street. I had a homemade butternut squash soup with toasted squash seeds and a harvest salad with chevre, apple, pecans, and bacon. It's important to build your strength up because you never know when...aagh!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Pretty things at the market
I had a really nice time at the market this morning. The produce was stunning and the market wasn't as busy as usual (probably due to the fair and the weather), so I got to chat with the vendors for a while.
I returned my milk bottles and picked up a quart of mocha milk, some teriyaki meat sticks, and a yogurt at South Mountain Creamery. If you have not tried the mocha milk, you shouldn't. Save it for those of us that are addicted to it.
I bought some gorgeous multicolored eggs at Whitmore Farm. Some lady bumped into me and cracked one, so I had to cook it as soon as I got home. It had an incredibly deep-colored, rich yolk.
I bought turnips from Glade Link Farm. I never cook with turnips, but I keep meaning to try them in something. On the way home I realized I was going to make a variation of shepherd's pie for the eggplant challenge, with lamb sausage and eggplant in the meat layer and mashed turnips and potatoes in the potato layer. Previously I had thought I was going to make a spiced curried stuffed baby eggplant with lamb. Funny how similar ingredients can make totally different dishes. Today is the last day of the eggplant challenge, folks, though I may make exceptions for you if you send me something next week-I have heard from a few people who are planning to do it and I definitely want to see their dishes!
I also picked up some Thai hot peppers from Summer Creek Farm. My friend Richard eats them raw. They are hotter than habaneros. I don't understand him either. I may end up making a hot Thai eggplant with basil dish later this week because I also bought an eggplant at Tomatoes Etc.
Scenic View Orchards had sold their last honeycrisp apple before I got there, so they promised to hold some for me next week. Thanks! And though I have my own tomatoes in the garden, I was stunned by the beauty of the ones at Jubilee and had to take a picture.
Hope you are enjoying the season and all of its gorgeous produce. And don't forget- today is the last day of the fair if you have not been there. (Tip: the food vendors in the ag section are local and their stuff tastes better- plus they support the local economy. Try a beef ham sandwich from Hemps, and bean or Maryland Crab soup from the New Market Grange. The bean soup is made by a 79-year-old man from scratch. And the corn dogs on that end are hand-dipped and fresh. Just sayin'. And then go to the farm bureau ice cream stand in the first commercial building in the grandstand.)
Shannon
Thursday, August 6, 2009
breakfast, lunch and left-over dinner
My new year's resolution was to do less and have a simple(r) life. I am miserably failing. It is time to remind myself that it is okay to do less. In my attempt to catch up with blogging (and make a simple posting), I present you with three photos of the meals that we recently had. For a Sunday breakfast, I made chestnut scones. It pretty much follows a basic scone recipe but has a bit of chestnut flour which gives a subtle nutty flavor. The texture becomes very crumbly though. Blueberries from Glade Link Farm and peaches, plums from Scenic view orchards accompanied the warm scones right off the oven.
Dan and I never made BLT at home, so we asked ourselves why not? Pineapple tomatoes from our garden, lettuce from Chesapeake's choice, bacon from Rohrer's Meats etc, and gluten-free bread from A Better Choice Baked Goods.
We had friends over for a gathering on Thursday night and these are left-overs that we ate the following day. Potatoes were from my garden (yukon gold) and Whitmore Farm (red bliss? I will ask Rose today at the market Will and Rose told me they were red thumbs potatoes). I followed Chelsea's recipe and it was fabulous! Speckled roma and basil from our garden. Cucumbers, sungold tomatoes, onions, garlic, peach to make a nice relish. What didn't make it to this photo are grilled veggies - grilled sweet corn and yellow squash were just phenomenal.
What are you cooking with the abundant summer veggies and fruits? Send us your photos, stories and recipes to share!
Yeon
Saturday, May 2, 2009
First day of market
On my way out the door this morning, I hoped that the rain would soon stop.
And it did, and the market was well attended. I walked around all morning eating things and chatting with people while Yeon took notes and chatted with people. At the end of the market, we were both a little tired, and Yeon was starving. But we both had picked up some really lovely produce, plants, baked goods, meat, cheeses...
I ran into my friend Lauren, who had a beautiful dahlia. Minutes later, I saw my friend Jeanine with a dahlia, and I told her that she had the same thing Lauren did. Jeanine said, "I know, I saw it and had to get one."
I thought this lady's basket was pretty with all of the herbs in it. It reminds me that people really enjoy the farmer's market experience.
Lots of stands had herb plants; there were so many wonderful varieties. I bought some from several different stands like Persimmon Pond Plants and So Very Special.
I bought a Mexican herb today called papalo because Nancy at Chesapeake's Choice challenged me to figure out how to use it. It had a currylike smell. It's the plant all the way on the right in the back, kind of looks like basil.
I ate a ham sandwich while I was paying for it, and stood around the Rohrers' booth for several minutes talking to my friend Jerica and her three-year old son. He bought a pound of bacon.
I ran into lots of friends. Here's Farmer Rick from Summer Creek farm helping Yeon carry some stuff to her car. They are talking about how to market the market. And Rick shared the idea with us of a senior citizen's day, which I really liked.
Hilda Staples, co-owner of Volt and keeper of their awesome blog, visited the market with her husband John and their two cute kids. I ran into Neil the sommelier and one of the chefs from Volt; they had a large bag of garlic and a big butt of pork. They are going to make sausage for the charcuterie at the restaurant. Hello, delicious.
I got bundles of asparagus from two vendors, Summer Creek Farm and Scenic View Orchards. They were totally different. Summer Creek's had tall, thin green stems and Scenic View's had short, stout purple spears. Get your mind out of the gutter.
I came home and drank half a quart of vanilla milk from South Mountain Creamery after I mowed the lawn.
We had a great first day of the market. If you were there, tell me what you thought.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Asparagus et al.: What I look forward to at the Farmer's Market
I don't remember when was the first time I had asparagus. I didn't grow up with it, but somehow I knew the vegetable. I guess my first encounter with asparagus was not as dramatic nor impressive as the one with bagels. The cooked spears tasted pretty bland. I didn't bother with them for a long time. Once my friend, who was in a graduate school then, invited some friends over for dinner. He fed us wonderful food, and his grilled asparagus was excellent. I learned that asparagus can be good, very good.
Friday, December 5, 2008
A picture a day: Last farmer's market
I took a bunch of photos at the last farmer's market of the year on Baughman's Lane and will try to share one a day during these winter months until I run out. Dan also took pictures. I asked Yeon what she would write about during the winter, and she has a backlog of material. So have no fears!
Here are some delicious products at Scenic View Orchards with an apple and pear theme. I like that they have candy apples. I am also a big fan of applesauce and no sugar added apple and pear butters. I could eat one of those pears right now.
Scenic View Orchards has its own shop on 550. They are closed at the moment but will be open December 13 and 14 for "holiday needs." See the website.
A new freeware graphics program and a new camera make blogging about Frederick foods even more fun.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Photos from the Farmer's Market
The Farmer's market is overflowing with the season's best vegetables, fruits and flowers. It is such a feast of colors, and the beautiful fresh bounty makes your heart beat fast with excitement. The photos below show only the vendors in the south row. I volunteered for Cakes for Cause on August 9 and 23 and thus had a limited time window to take photos. I will take more photos from the middle and north rows in coming weeks. Dan also has some photos from the previous markets and we will set up an album or a slide show once they are all compiled.
If you park next to the holiday cinemas and walk into the market, one of the first vendors you see is Shuck Pottery.
I bought a little green tea cup from Michael the other week. Do you have another one just like this one? I asked. No, I am sorry. I don't have one exactly like that one. In fact, I work very hard to make everything look different and unique, and believe it or not, it is pretty tough. He replied in smile.
Elin is wearing a new Cakes For Cause t-shirt. Behind her, you can see the freshly-baked croissants, scones, breads and others. Mike and Kate are working near a lemonade station.
I love the summery dresses and skirts that people wear to farmer's market. When this little girl ordered a strawberry lemonade, I had to take a picture. See her dress, her mom's dress and the lemonade all match!
Erland and Rieko of New Hope Farms sell oriental cucumbers which I love very much. This is the type of cucumber that I grew up with, and is crispy, its skin is never bitter, and extremely versatile. This week they surprised me with bags of microgreen! The only time I ate them was at Morimoto restaurant. If you are into salad green, definitely check this out.
I am always amazed at how many plants come out of the M & W Nursery van. They always bring beautiful trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals.
Sarah and Lisa are very knowledgeable about plants and let you know where the plants like to be placed and what kind of care they require.
Jubilee Organic Farm offers the most variety of organic produce in the farmer's market and they are now at the full height of summer produce. Everything looks gorgeous. Did I mention that they bring excellent melons?
Look at the crates of melon stacked up. You can see Ruth is setting up a station where she will cup up melons so that we can sample them before we buy.
Nothing beats the corn crowd at Scenic View Orchards. And their sweet juicy peaches are so good that I have been eating and cooking two quarts to half peck of peaches every week! I am not even going to start the overwhelmingly long list of awesome produce they bring to the market. Just come and see it for yourself.
You face Chesapeake's Choice at the end of south row. Dave and Nancy's farm must be exploding with produce - I noticed that their stand has almost tripled in the size. The table got so long I had to take photos from the other angle.
These two photos don't even cover the dog biscuits and the huge tub of melons that they brought this week.
You know how a kid responds when you lift her and spin her around? She laughs high and shouts, "Let's do it again!" I feel the same way. Let's do it again! - I can hardly wait till this Saturday for another farmer's market.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
What 40$ will get you at the farmer's market
Thank goodness I made it to the Farmer's Market today; I was suffering from withdrawal. I got there around 11 and made a beeline for Cakes for Cause. Sadly, they were already out of lemon ginger scones. Here's what 40$ got me at the farmer's market today:
- 2 cheddar chive scones, 2 chocolate croissants and a rye ciabatta from Cakes For Cause
- 3 doggie biscuits and a nice big eggplant from Chesapeake's choice
- a package of Canadian bacon and a ham salad sandwich from Rohrer's meats
- a round of goat's milk baby Swiss from Caprikorn farms (new product!)
- two containers of yogurt and a big ball of fresh mozzarella from South Mountain Creamery
- a quart of peaches from Scenic View Orchards
Right now I am roasting San Marzano paste tomatoes in the oven with oregano and basil to make fresh pizza sauce. They will be wonderful with the fresh mozzarella. And I think I am going to make a peach berry cobbler for the family reunion tomorrow...
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Harbaugh's farm stand
I could not make it to the farmer's market yesterday because I was trying to get my glasses fixed. This was too bad because I was hoping to get some jalapeño cheddar from Caprikorn farms to take back to my friend Gill at Market on Market for her to try. Market on Market is a little fancy food store on Market Street in Frederick. It's a great place for gifts, but more than that, the food there is outstanding. They carry fresh bread (the baguette is opalescent inside, it's so good) and delicious cheeses. They also make fresh Italian coffee. This place strikes me as a little known secret and is worth a splurge for something special.
Anyway, I missed the Farmer's Market yesterday and that was sad. Especially since my glasses are worse than when I took them to the shop. To make up for missing the market, I stopped by Harbaugh's (on my way to have apple dumplings with my parents) and picked up some fresh produce. Here is what I got for $5:
- 1 round yellow seedless watermelon
- 1 small French cantaloupe
- 1 sweet long italian pepper
- 1 long japanese-style eggplant
Harbaugh's also has cheap perennials, trees, and greenhouse plants. The prices are good and the quality is good. Enjoy!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday dinner with my parents, especially my Dad
My story is about my Dad, and his love of summer food.
My father visited me at the farmer's market this Saturday on his way back from the dump. He was sweaty and tired, so we got him a lemonade at the Cakes for Cause booth where I was volunteering. He stayed and chatted a few minutes, and we decided that we would have Sunday dinner at my parents' house. I gave him the 4-pound sirloin that I had just purchased from Rohrer's meats, and he asked me to buy some zucchini and squash. After dad left, I picked up the veggies from Jubilee Organic Farm, and also got apricots and peaches from Scenic View.
Dinner yesterday was a feast. I took pictures, which I'll add to my post when I get them. First, there were kebabs. Dad had marinated the meat overnight in Soy Vay Teriyaki, which is hands down my favorite teriyaki. The veggies were marinated in oil and vinegar. Dad had also gotten ahold of some peppers and onions. We had corn on the cob, and a waldorf cole slaw that I made from a recipe on a bag of cabbage. Then there was multigrain bread. And fresh peaches that I blanched (to remove the skins) and sliced.
After all of the grilled food was on the table, Dad piled a bunch of it on his plate, and then just stood and looked at it and said. "Oh my God." I looked over from my station in the kitchen where I was still prepping food, a little worried, and he said "Dinner looks so good. You know I've been starving myself all day for this." My mom replied, "except for the pancakes and sausage and eggs you had for breakfast." I should note that my Dad is not a heavy man. He grew up on a dairy farm in Frederick and has kept himself active all of these years by doing things like managing the forest on my parents' "gentleman's farm" and taking his recycling to the dump. Dad LOVES summer food, made simple and fresh, with lots of veggies. Where my mother would grow flowers, Dad would grow food, buckets and buckets of it every summer. We always had fresh veggies in the summer, and always too much of them, and that's what summer is for me. Too much of a good thing. And then you can it to make it go away and it keeps coming back long after you're sick of it. But in July, the food is just starting to pour in, and that is the best time.
Dad sat down at the table and started eating as I was still cutting peaches in the kitchen and mom was broiling toast. "I blessed the food already," he said. "Yeah, I can tell," I told him.
Can I just say that was the tenderest sirloin I have ever eaten? And the veggies the height of freshness? I asked Dad, "want me to tell Danny Rohrer how good the meat was?" And he said, "no, don't tell him. It will go to his head."
At one point Dad said, "I'm sorry Shannon, but I just can't do justice to this cole slaw," and he put his back in the serving bowl. There were too many extra helpings of veggies standing in its way and just kept getting pushed back in the queue. It was a good slaw though-make a regular cole slaw and add apples, craisins, walnuts, and celery. Awesome.
The peaches were sweet and tart and very "peachy". Dad teased me, "did you spray these with peachiness?" In fact, everything was sprayed with peachiness.
Shannon
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Back from the market and feeling good
I had a great time volunteering at the Cakes for Cause booth today at the farmer's market. As always, the scones were a huge hit. We had coconut (new), ginger lemon (my fave), cheddar chive, and sour cherry. The volunteers were Jeanine, Yeon, Klu, Dan and myself. Yeon and I also made artisanal flatbread (aka crackers) and sold 10 of the 12 packages we had made. Since Elin the baker mastermind was out of town, we didn't have the croissants, cinnamon rolls, or oatmeal bread they normally have at the booth. This was the subject of great consternation by the booth's regular patrons. Have no fear, Elin will be back next week! She will appreciate hearing the rabid following she has gotten, especially for the cinnamon rolls, which she always makes the morning of the farmer's market.
I did not keep good track of my money, but here is what I got today:
- Cup of lemonade, coconut scone, bread crumbs, and a pack of flatbread from Cakes for Cause. (the bread crumbs are great for breaded fish fillets, stuffed tomatoes, crab cake filler, and zucchini au gratin casserole);
- Bunches of red sorrel and red celery, plus three dog biscuits and two jalapeño peppers from Chesapeake's Choice;
- A pound of bacon and a baked ham sandwich from Rohrer's (I started eating it before I even finished paying for it);
- Jalapeño cheddar cheese from Caprikorn farms (I made mini pizzas with this on the flatbread this evening);
- A quart of fingerling potatoes from Summer Creek Farm (I also got on Rick's mailing list for his CSA so I can share what he has fresh each week);
- A pint of apricots (if you read this blog, you know I am addicted) and a pint of red raspberries from Scenic View.
- I ate some Glade Link Farm blueberries from Jeanine's bag because I didn't get enough of them picking last weekend.
Shannon
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Granola with berries and yogurt
This is what I have been eating this week for breakfast.
- Granola from CakesForCause (whole oats, rye flakes, almonds, honey, maple syrup and spices)
- Blueberries picked from Glade-Link Farm
- Raspberries from Scenic View Orchard
- Blackberries from Jubilee Organic Farm
- Plain yogurt
Yeon
Saturday, July 5, 2008
4th of July and Farmer's Market
This weekend is a big one for local produce!
First, I had the 4th of July party yesterday at my new place. The crowd was a good mix; old friends, family, and new neighbor friends. A lot of the food was standard holiday favorites like devilled eggs and potato salad, hamburgers and hot dogs. There were also a few new standouts:
- Caprese salad:
Fresh-sliced tomatoes with fresh mozzarella (the kind that comes packed in water) and basil leaves, with balsamic vinegar glaze and olive oil drizzled on top with a little salt. This dish highlights the tomatoes, so it's best to make when the local ones are really fresh. I had one brandywine from my garden and a few hothouse ones from Scenic View. The basil was from a little stand at the Thursday farmer's market in Everedy Square on East Street. I picked up the mozzarella (homemade by my friend Juliet), balsamic glaze, and olive oil at Juliet's (also known as Vignola's Italian Market, on Church Street). You could just as easily use regular balsamic vinegar, but the glaze keeps its shape nicely. You can also make a glaze by reducing balsamic vinegar over medium low heat until it's syrupy. - Grilled vegetables:
This is also super-easy. Slice your vegetables (I used squash and zucchini from Chesapeake's Choice, garlic scapes from the West Frederick Farmer's market, plus some eggplant and multicolor peppers from the store.) Toss with a dressing of your choice and make sure there is enough oil that your veggies will not stick to the grill. I tossed in a little canola oil with salt and then threw in some ginger and sesame teriyaki marinade. People kept asking me about the marinade, and look, I got it from a bottle. It's easy to make it though if you have some soy/tamari sauce and pineapple juice with fresh grated ginger and a little sesame seed oil. Note that grilled veggies are also great rolled up around a little wad of lemon-flavored ricotta. - Lime & peanut coleslaw:
I used this recipe from 101 Cookbooks but modified it to include roasted almond slivers instead of peanuts. I also threw in a few of Yeon's tomatillos. Big hit. I made a huge bowl (double recipe) and there was nothing left. I also used cilantro from our gardens. Isn't that nice? I was planning to use my cherry tomatoes but the rain the night before split them. (Yeon reminds me that this salad has a strong lime and cilantro flavor that not everyone likes. The people who do like it are rabid about it.)
And a note about the devilled eggs: I made them once for a picnic using my mother's recipe and my friends scarfed them. Both Elin and Yeon requested them again. My mother made four dozen for the Fourth. FOUR DOZEN. There were none left. I'll post a recipe here soon. Use local eggs but use older ones- they are easier to peel.At the farmer's market today, I was in kind of a haze. I have so much leftover food and beer in my refrigerator that I did not spend my normal $40. I spent about $15 and got:
- Cranberry-orange scone, chocolate croissant, and apricot cookie from Cakes for Cause
- 1 cup of yogurt and a container of cheddar-horseradish cream cheese from South Mountain Creamery (ate some of the cream cheese on ciabatta toasts this afternoon- delicious).
- Three dog cookies from Chesapeake's choice
- a pint of apricots from Scenic View. I am obsessively in love with apricots.
The market is bursting with produce now. Don't miss it! And when you buy stuff, think of the poor people like myself whose refrigerators are full to bursting and can't enjoy any more goodness.
Shannon
Saturday, June 28, 2008
What $40 can get you from the farmer's market
Every week (unless I am in a working gulag at the old house) I go to the farmer's market on Baughman's lane with $40. I generally spend it down to almost nothing. Here is what I got today:
- Ham salad sandwich from the Rohrers (aka Meat Man) which I promptly ate
- Half gallon milk from the South Mountain Creamery (aka Milk Man, cost me a quarter after returning three deposit bottles)
- a cup of fresh lemonade, 4 lemon-ginger scones (ate one), 2 cheddar-chive scones, and a chocolate croissant from Cakes for Cause
- 1 bunch chard, three doggie biscuits (Lucy the dog ate two), and a patty pan squash from Chesapeake's Choice
- 1 pint of organic yellow potatoes from Summer Creek Farm (and some water for Lucy)
- a pint of cherries from the Scenic View Orchard
- a pint of blueberries from Glade Link Farm (ate a few, FANTASTIC)
- brought back $2.25.
Side note: I harvested some cherry tomatoes from the backyard last night. About five of them. I ate a few of the uglier ones with splits and left three on Edna's porch rail. I expect that her fresh produce radar has already found them...
Shannon
