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August 25, 2008

Market News - August 26, 2008

From the Market Manager
   Our sympathy to Faye Omasta from Hickory Dell Farm whose mom died this past weekend.
   Thanks to Terri and Roger Chapdelaine and Jan and George Cartier who have recently become “Friends of the Farmers’ Market.” We certainly appreciate their support.
   Our support comes from vendors’ fees, the Forest Park Civic Association, Concerned Citizens for Springfield, United Bank, TDBanknorth at the X, and individual contributions. With this money we advertise, have food demonstrations, buy insurance, make a contribution to Trinity Church for our space, pay my stipend, purchase supplies when needed, and as of next week, provide the wireless transfer machine so that we can accept EBT, debit and credit cards. It’s a joint effort to have a successful farmers’ market.
   Congratulations to Red Fire Farm who won several awards in the tomato judging contest in Boston two weeks ago. First in the cherry tomato division, and other awards also.
   I made the recipe that I put in the crate last week for breaded goat cheese served with marinara sauce. My friends did everything but lick their plates. Use the goat cheese with herbs instead of the plain. I also used Faye’s roasted tomato sauce that I made last year and froze. Delicious!

Recipes—all using produce from the market

Vegetable Party Latke (pancake)
1 # shredded peeled baking potatoes
4 oz. shredded peeled sweet potato
4 oz. shredded zucchini
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
½ medium onion, shredded
½ cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 T. olive oil, divided

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Heat 1 T olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add potato mixture. Press mixture into an even layer in bottom of pan; cook 10 minutes or until golden brown. Place a large plate upside down on top of pan and invert onto plate. Add 1 T olive oil to pan. Slide latke, uncooked-side down into pan; wrap skillet handle with foil. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut latke into 8 wedges.
Cooking Light, December 2004

Chilled Cream of Green Tomato Soup
1 ½ cups sliced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T olive oil
1 ¼ #s green tomatoes (about 5) cored and cut into large pieces
a ½ # boiling potato
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. dried thyme
1 cup heavy cream
1/8th tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
Cook the onion and the garlic in the oil over moderately low heat in a pot, stirring occasionally until they are softened. Add the tomatoes, potato, peeled and cut into small pieces, the broth, sugar, thyme and 1 ½ cups water. Bring to a boil. Boil covered, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes. Cool. In a blender puree the mixture in batches, transferring it to a large bowl as it is pureed. Stir in the cream, cayenne and salt to taste. Chill the soup, covered, until it is cold. Makes about 9 cups, serving 6-8.
Gourmet, August 1989
 

Roasted Tomato Tart
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (from a 17 ¼ oz. package)
2# plum tomatoes-about 8 large, halved lengthwise
2 T plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 tsp. Chopped fresh thyme
½ cup Parmesan shavings plus additional for garnish.

Put oven racks in middle and lower third of oven and preheat to 400. Line a large shallow baking pan with foil.
Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 11” square (1/8” thick) Using a plat or pot lid as a guide, cut out a 10” round. Carefully transfer round to an ungreased baking sheet. Chill round on baking sheet until ready to use. Toss tomatoes with 2T olive oil, 2 tsp. thyme, ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper in a bowl until well coated. Roast tomatoes, cut sides up and in 1 layer in foil lined baking pan in middle of oven 1 hour. Brush pastry round with oil then sprinkle with 1 tsp. thyme. After roasting tomatoes 1 hour, move tomatoes in pan to lower third of oven and put pastry on baking sheet on middle rack. Bake pastry and tomatoes until pastry is golden brown and edges of tomatoes are slightly browned but still appear juicy, about 15 minutes. While pastry is still warm, scatter ½ cup cheese shavings evenly over it. Top shavings with warm tomatoes, cut sides down and in 1 layer, then sprinkle evenly with remaining thyme, salt & pepper to taste and additional cheese shavings if desired.
Gourmet, July 2006

This ‘n’ That
   You can freeze peaches easily. Boil a pot of water, put the peaches in for a very short while, remove and place in ice water, then when cool enough to handle, slip the skins off. Then rip or cut apart and freeze either with or without sugar. If you put them into sturdy plastic bags you can freeze them flat. Then you have native peaches to make cobblers, etc. with in the winter.
   Please don’t squeeze the peaches; they’re tender & they bruise easily.
   There should still be blueberries to pick farther north, so check out buylocalfood.com and look up where to go.
   If you have a favorite recipe, please share it and I’ll print it for others to enjoy.
   Our Asian vegetable farmer has lost too much of his crop to continue coming to our market. One of his friends was going to come to us, but so far he doesn’t have enough to bring either. The weather has been harsh for farmers this summer.
   We WILL have the credit/debit/EBT machine in place for next week.
   Take down your tag sale signs please, or rip down ones that have been ignored.
   Don’t hesitate to tell merchants that you want them to clean up their property if it’s messy. Don’t let them take your business for granted.
   Buy local. Local businesses invest in their communities. Patronize locally owned restaurants also. Encourage them to come to the farmers’ market.  
  

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August 22, 2008

Market News - August 19, 2008

From the Market Manager
   Two years ago Caroline and Tim from the Kitchen Garden dried some of their hot peppers and put them in small jars and sold them for $5. When I said, “5 dollars?!” they said that each jar was the equivalent of 2 of their small boxes, so one pint altogether. Well, I bought a jar, which I use fairly frequently and it is still half full. If I use the supermarket red pepper flakes I shake and shake and shake and then get enough hot. With the flakes I bought from Caroline and Tim I can give it two shakes, maybe three and it’s spicy. So, when you see their dried pepper flakes later this season don’t hesitate to buy some. They’d make good gifts for someone who you know likes spicy food.
   This is Farmers’ Market Week in the Commonwealth, so hug a farmer this week.
   Welcome to Tony Diaz our new hot dog vendor. Tony will keep us fed through the end of the season. He has hot dogs and kielbasa.
   I decided to give away many of my cooking magazines so was going through them. Found some terrific recipes, so check the green crate for them. I try not to put difficult recipes in there. Make something different once in awhile.  Life’s too short to always eat the same things. Although I’m not sure anything can improve on fresh corn on the cob with butter and salt.
 
Garlic
   The garlic at this time of the year is fabulous. There is such a difference between locally raised garlic and grocery store garlic much of which now comes from China and Argentina.
   Store garlic in a dry, airy place where it’s not too warm. Ideally, it should be kept in a small basket in a cool, dark place. In the refrigerator it loses much of its flavor.
   Find a recipe for garlic soup; it’s delicious.

Integrated Pest Management
   IPM is a pest control strategy that uses a variety of methods—mechanical and physical devices, genetic, biological, legal, cultural management and chemical management. This management is done in 3 stages—prevention, observation, and intervention. It is an ecological approach with a main goal of significantly reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides.
   When I toured Cold Spring Orchard in Belchertown (UMASS experimental orchard) one day I saw IPM in use-- artificial apples with a sticky coating. Fooled some of the insects. The emphasis of IPM is on control, not eradication.

Shop for a Cause
   Don’t forget to pick up a Shop for a Cause coupon at the market table. They are $5 each. This is a program that Macy’s has all over the country. Each non-profit organization that participates gets to keep all the money that they raise. Take your coupon to any Macy’s on September 20th, and you will qualify for many discounts in the store that day. If we sell all of our coupons, we’ll earn $500.

Curried Vegetable Soup
   2 onions chopped, 2 garlic cloves, chopped, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 3 zucchini (about 1 ½ pounds) sliced, ¾ pound broccoli, stems peeled and cut into 1/3 inch slices and the flowerets separated into small pieces, ¾ pound cauliflower, trimmed and broken into small pieces, 1 ½ tablespoons curry powder, 5 cups chicken broth.
   In a heavy pot cook onions, and garlic in the oil stirring until the onions are softened, add the zucchini, the broccoli and the cauliflower and the curry powder. Cook the mixture stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the broth and 4 cups water. Bring liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture uncovered, stirring occasionally for 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. Let it cool and then puree half of it in a blender or food processor and put it back in the pot. Season with salt and pepper and reheat over moderate heat. About 10 cups, serves 4-6. Gourmet, March 1989.

Hickory Dell Farm-Northampton
   The Omasta family has been farming since 1933. Originally they grew broad leaf tobacco, which is used for cigar wrappers. By the 50s they had moved on to produce.        John (Faye’s husband) was an entrepreneur when he was a teenager, growing pickling cukes which he hired neighborhood teens to harvest. The cukes  were then sold to the Oxford Pickle Co. He    started farming full-time in 1996. They moved from produce to plants and flowers after several houses were built nearby sucking up the water, which meant there was insufficient water to irrigate.   Flowers are more forgiving with their water needs. Faye and John grow their plants and flowers without chemicals, so you could eat them if you wanted to. They mostly grow unusual plants.
   Faye said that John loves making flower arrangements. Since many flowers don’t have any scent, he puts herbs in most of the bunches.
   In addition to the plants, they have 40 acres of hayfields. This has been a tough year for that also as they are just now cutting hay for the second time. This is usually done in July, but if it rains on the hay it leaches out the nutrition and it is virtually worthless. They also have 35 acres of woods that are managed sustainably. The woods have walking trails that you are welcome to enjoy.
   Faye and John married in 1990. She was a social worker for 6 years managing a group home for teenagers and then working in drug rehab. She then went on to earn an MBA and worked in corporate America for 20 years. She still does consulting for Verizon.
   They have one son, Maxx, who is in high school.
   You can visit their farm store and their llamas also at 165 West Farms Road in Florence 10-6 Monday—Friday and 9-5 Saturday and Sunday.  

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August 11, 2008

Market News - August 12, 2008

From the Market Manager    It’s bad enough that farmers have gotten slammed with high prices for fuel, fertilizer and other supplies this year without the extremely difficult weather they’ve had to contend with this summer. I overheard a conversation of two farmers the other day about flowers. One asked the other if his flowers were opening and he told her not very well. I’d given thought over the years about too little or too much rain, but not in terms of the diseases that too much rain brings.

   So, if the prices we have to pay are higher than anticipated, appreciate what the farmers have to contend with, and buy what you want anyhow. Perhaps some of them will become rice farmers this summer.

   Last week Richard Bourdon, owner of Berkshire Mountain Bakery, was the man behind the bread at their stand. I think he may be with us until the end of the season, so if you have compliments, complaints, or suggestions, he is the person to address them to.

   Susan Parks gave me a bar of her soap at the beginning of this market season, and it is just about finished. It has been used every day, so I recommend it highly. It doesn’t leave your face feeling dry and it’s nice and “lathery.”

   The SevenArs Concerts series continues on Sunday, August 17th, the 24th, and the 29th. All at 4 PM at the Academy in Worthington. It’s an easy ride (about one hour), Rte. 20 to Rte. 112 and then you’re there. You can check them out online at www.sevenars.org. Definitely a worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours. 

   I had so much local produce in my ‘fridge that I had to do something with it, so I made soup. I sautéed onions in a little olive oil, added carrots, corn, water spinach, yellow squash, basil, parsley, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Then, when it was almost done, I added some barley to make it a little thicker. Soup is so easy to make and so reasonable. Plus, most of it freezes well. 

   Next week I am going to make my “famous” gazpacho. I only make it in August and September when all of the vegetables are local. Since it isn’t cooked, the flavor of the fresh vegetables really comes through. I put the recipe in the green crate at the market table today, so you can pick up the ingredients here, and make it yourself.

More on Recycling    Two weeks ago I wrote about the end market for plastic from the local recycling facility. Juice cartons, juice boxes, and aseptic containers such as soy milk go to other places. The Paper Tigers Company was the first to develop technologies to extract the long and valuable paper fibers in these containers. The paper is pulped and sold to paper mills who make newsprint, tissue paper, copy paper and paperboard.

   Bales of aluminum soda cans, pie plates, trays, and aluminum foil are sent to United Scrap Metal Recyclers in Illinois. From there they are sent to Alcoa where the aluminum is made into new cans, aluminum siding, and other durable goods. Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely and the process is fast. A soda can that you put into your recycling bin may be made into a new can within 60 days. Steel cans are sent to the Poscor Group in Ontario. From there they are shipped by rail to manufacturers throughout eastern North America where they are melted into new steel. Glass is sent to Container Recycling Alliance in Franklin, MA. There it is sorted by color and crushed into small pieces called cullet. The cullet is sold to manufacturers of glass containers and fiberglass. Paper and cardboard are unique in that they are not baled at the MRF; they are simply loaded into a truck and sent to Newark Mills in Fitchburg, MA. They manufacture board games, boxes, and hardcover book board. The hardcover for the final Harry Potter book was made almost entirely from the paper recycled in the Springfield area last year. It took 36,000 tons of paper to make the hardcover for all of the first edition books and MRF recycled 32,000 tons of paper last year.

   Recyclables have different destinations, but they have one thing in common: high demand. Everything we recycle helps the economy in many ways. Please recycle.

August in the Garden

   Remove over-ripe vegetables from the garden before they attract insects and disease. * Buy some flowering kale both for ornamental use and for harvesting in the fall. * Remove vigorous, upright shoots on fruit trees. * Don’t ignore weeds; keep weeding. * Watch out for yellow jackets and other stinging insects when working outdoors. * Prepare pots of basil, parsley, and other herbs for use indoors this winter.

Blue Moon Coffee Roasters

   If you like coffee, and you haven’t tried any of Dan Higgins’ freshly roasted coffee yet, you’re depriving yourself. Dan has been in the coffee business for about 11 years. Until last December he had a shop on Sumner Avenue, but closed it and now attends farmers’ markets, and takes orders that he personally delivers to your door. Dan carries many fair-traded varieties and roasts all of it locally. He also carries many loose teas as well as other items. Check out his website—bluemooncoffee.com. A new to our market customer emailed me a few weeks ago and told me that she’d just had the best cup of coffee in her life—Dan’s coffee and Trinity Farm’s half and half. Besides having terrific products, he’s a really nice guy. We’re delighted to have him as part of our market.

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August 07, 2008

Market News - August 5, 2008

From the Market Manager

   Two restaurants that I have eaten at recently are using products from some of the farms at our market. I know this because it’s on their menu. 

   Blueberry season at Val’s Berry Farm in East Longmeadow has another 2-3 weeks to go. Blueberries are plentiful, so go get some. 8-12 and 3:30-6:30, every day.

   We FINALLY have everything in place in order to take EBT, debit and credit cards. We have ordered the wireless transfer machine which hopefully will arrive this week. Except for the EBT cards, we will be charging a small fee for the convenience of using a debit or credit card. Probably $1 per transaction. You will receive tokens which you will use as if they were cash. This will keep you from having to go to the ATM when you run out of money here.

Rich Valley Farm 
 

   Susan Parks and her partner Jane Kerstetter moved to their small three-acre hillside property in West Stafford, CT from the Northampton area in 1990. Because they look out over a small valley and because they feel blessed to live there they call it Rich Valley Farm.  Their small goatherd moved with them and they were first housed in a small temporary shelter, which Susan built from an old wooden double waterbed frame! They are still using that small building to store hay. Their goats, meanwhile, moved to a newly built very small barn about six years ago. One of the reasons they chose their particular piece of land was a large outcropping of ledge below the house, which the goats love to play and stand on. The sight of spring kids frolicking on the rock sometimes distracts folks driving up the road. 

   They currently milk three Nubians which are known for the richness of their milk. Susan makes soap from their milk and Jane makes cheese. Because they are not a licensed dairy the cheese cannot be sold. It is the soap that supports them during the season and their goatherd all year long. 

    Susan has been making soap for about eight years. Soap making encompasses many disciplines: chemistry, craftsmanship, art and graphic design, packaging and display.

  The interaction with market customers, and being able to tell them how soap is made, makes farmers’ markets her favorite venue for selling her quality products.

   For 17 years until 1983, she was a faculty member in the Art Department (Ceramics) at UMASS Amherst.  She has a Masters degree in Fine Arts and an undergraduate degree in Zoology from Mt Holyoke College. After teaching she had her own ceramic tile business until she moved to CT. She fabricated and decorated tile for bathrooms, kitchens and anywhere else her customers wanted tile. In those days it was almost impossible to find interesting tile. 

   Rich Valley Farm has a new hillside barn, which is almost finished. There is room for the goats on the lowest level with a garage and hayloft above. This barn will also provide more space for soap making. 

   Susan’s lotions and soaps make lovely gifts. Gift Certificates

   We have certificates that you can buy to give to a friend who has everything. The market manager has them.

Recipe (thanks Mariana Bauman)

Vegetarian Gumbo

This is a Louisiana -style gumbo with a rich roux.  Feel free to substitute any vegetables you have on hand.  Altho it is vegetarian, it works well with  leftover fish added toward the end of cooking time.  (The original includes fish.)  Serves 8.  

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup flour
1 small onion chopped ( 1 cup)
1 small green pepper, chopped (1 cup)
3 ribs of celery, chopped (1 cup)
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups fresh (or frozen) green beans (2 -3“pieces)
3 carrots, sliced (2 cups)
1 parsnip, diced (1 cup)
1 cup fresh (or frozen) okra, sliced
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste

1)  Stir together oil and flour in heavy-bottomed pot until smooth.  Cook over high heat 10 minutes, or until roux turns a dark, caramel color, stirring constantly.
2)  Add onion, bell pepper and celery and cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.  
3)  Stir in all remaining ingredients and 4 cups of water.  Season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to medium -low , cover and cook 40 minutes or until carrots are tender. Serve over rice.

per serving:  216 Cal; 3 G Protein; 14.5 G Total Fat (2 G Sat. Fat) ; 21 G Carb; 0 MG Chol.; 309 MG Sod; 6 G Fiber; 8 G Sugars
From Vegetarian TImes May 2008

Farmers’ Market Week Aug.17-23—Proclamation from the Governor

   Farmers’ markets are essential to the vitality of MA farms and are part of the cultural tradition of the Commonwealth; FM create a festive open air setting which enhances community spirit and civic pride by offering a natural place for community gathering; MA is home to more than 160 FMs; increasing consumer demand for fresh produce, FMs ensure both urban and rural citizens access to a wide variety of high quality nutritious produce that is locally grown using environmentally sound methods; FMs heighten public awareness of agricultural diversity of MA and the benefits of buying local and preserving open space; it is befitting for the citizens of MA to recognize the continued contribution of farmers’ markets to local consumers as well as their positive impact on the economy of the Commonwealth.

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August 02, 2008

Market New - July 29, 2008

From the Market Manager

   I don’t know where I read this, but a chef from a high-end restaurant in a big city said that having local food on the menu is one of the two hottest trends in the restaurant business these days. The other one is bite-sized desserts. (That’s where you get several tiny desserts on one plate.)
   A friend and I ate at Lattitudes Thursday evening. It is located where Caffeine’s was on Memorial Drive in West Springfield just across from the Big E. We got there after 7 and the place was nearly full. That was so nice to see, as it hasn’t been open very long. They’re open for lunch also.
   There were many local items on the menu including zucchini blossoms and vanilla yogurt from our market. I knew that the chef and some of his staff had been at our market a few times already,  and was delighted to see that they are using many things from our market. I know that 3hree uses many local products also. I stopped in last week and Cathie was making a salad with lettuce, green beans, raspberries, feta and chicken. Probably a few other ingredients also. It looked delicious.
   I hope that the trend to use local products in restaurants grows in our area because, frankly, it has been difficult to get chefs to make the extra effort to buy local. It’s popular in Northampton and Amherst, but down here it’s been difficult. Perhaps with all of the publicity “our” independent chef-owners will realize that buying local will benefit their business.

   I love vegetables and am always happy when I find new ones to enjoy. Recently I’ve tried 3 Asian vegetables; pea tendrils, Chinese spinach (amaranthus) and immature Hubbard squash. I cooked the spinach leaves only (not the stems) with garlic and olive oil; it cooks like regular spinach. The pea tendrils I’ve stir-fried and put into soup. The squash I also stir-fried with garlic, onions, and olive oil.

    As I’ve said before, we have varieties of produce at our market that are unusual, so I hope that all of you try something new to you.

Chicoine Family Farm

   Henry Chicoine (Bill’s father) purchased the farm in Easthampton in 1933. He sold ice for ice boxes (early refrigerators for those of you too young to know what they were) from their pond. He came from a farming family in Ware. After his father died, he and his mother moved here. He raised calves from this farm and sold cream. His grandmother sold radishes early in the season also in the 30s. The language spoken on the farm was French as both Henry’s family and his wife Gabby, whom he married in 1944, were both of French Canadian heritage. Gabby was from a farming family in Hardwick. Her family, the Dragons, moved to Easthampton in 1928 and established Dragon’s Dairy. They referred to everyone who wasn’t French Canadian as “Yankees.”
   Gabby at age 93 is again living back at the farm. Susan says that it is fascinating to hear her talk about the old days.  Bill moved back to the area in 1977 and worked the farm with his dad. They were raising (on grass) goats and cattle at that time, currently they only raise cattle. He took ownership of the farm in 1984. Bill and Susan were married in June 2004.

Fast Food Nation
   About a decade ago this book was published and I am just getting around to reading it. It is horrifying. I don’t think it’s going to turn me into a vegetarian, but the one time a year I eat fast food will decrease. It’s not just about the food, it’s about the way large companies treat farmers, etc. Read it and weep.

Friends of the Farmers’ Market
   This market is a joint venture. About half of our income comes from our vendor fees. The rest comes from our sponsor, (CCS), the Forest Park Civic Association, and contributions. Thanks to Robyn Newhouse, United Bank, Chuck and Irene Hayward, Dan Frazier, Susan Joel, and Emma Frazier, Fidele and Bill Malloy, Pat Downes, and to Matt Ryan, manager of TDBanknorth/Forest Park. Also to Trinity Church who are terrific hosts.

More on Recycling
   Do you know what happens to the 45,000 tons of recyclables the Springfield Recycling Facility processes each year? After sorting and baling plastic, glass, and metal containers, and processing paper and cardboard, Waste Management Recycle America, the MRF operator, sells them to manufacturers who use the baled material as feedstock in manufacturing various products. As oil and gas prices continue to rise, recycled materials are in demand as an alternative to more costly and energy consumptive raw materials.
   Water bottles, along with juice and soda bottles, #1 plastic aka PET, is sorted and baled at the MRF and then sent to Plastrec in Ontario. There it is shredded into small pieces about the size and shape of corn flakes. After cleaning and sorting by color, the flake is sold to manufacturers who make fleece clothing, fiberfill, plastic bottles, insulation, and carpets. PET plastic is in high demand’ the MRF receives $300 per ton for this type of plastic.   Plastic milk jugs and laundry detergent bottles are made from high-density polyethylene, aka HDPE, or #2 plastic. Colored HDPE is sorted, baled, and sent to a Canadian company that makes plastic pallets and recycling bins. Opaque plastic, is sent to a company in Alabama that makes a plastic resin that eventually becomes non-food containers, plastic pipe, or automotive parts.

 

 

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