To Market with Mo: I wanna thank you....

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Even in a trying year, as 2009 has been, there are so many things to be thankful for. And, related to the farmers markets I have alot to be thankful for.

I am thankful....

....to live in a city that supports and gives us access to produce that has been grown/raised within a few hours drive, via the farmers markets.

...to the staff and volunteers, at all of the farmer's markets, who because of their passion for the markets, give their time to make sure each market day goes smoothly and is an enjoyable experience.

...to all the farmers (and food purveyors) who work tirelessly to grow, harvest, and get their crops (food products) to market, at the peak of flavor and in pristine condition. Not too mention that they rose in the middle of the nite to get their produce to market. Yes, we market 'early birds' REALLY appreciate their effort. That includes you Todd Nichols ;)

...to the Bensidoun family for bringing Chicago it's first year round indoor market: The Chicago French Market.

...to all of the city neighborhoods who feel strongly about bringing a farmers market to their neighbors. A special shout out here to the Andersonville Farmer's Market's first season, and an extremely successful one at that.

...to be able to experience produce and artisan-crafted food products at their peak, and in season.

...for midwestern weather. Seriously. With all it's extreme ups and downs, it plays a huge roll in making the tastiest tomatoes and peaches on the planet.

...to all the markets that are working to make their markets accessible to everyone, not just the few. A special recognition to the 61st Street Market for being one of the first markets to accept food stamps.

...to all of the area chefs that are making a point of supporting the local markets and farmers, and letting their customers know where their meal is coming from.

...for the diversity of the people of this city, and their insistence that their own foods (culturally speaking) are represented at the markets.

...for Terra Brockman and her beautiful book, "The Season's on Henry's Farm", that chronicles a year on her brothers farm. Not only showing us all that sustainable farming is good for us and our planet, but giving us an even greater appreciation for those that grow our food.

...for all of you that share my enthusiasm for the markets, the farmers, the food purveyors and artisans, and to those of you that tolerate said enthusiasm, even if you don't share the same enthusiasm. Don't worry, I'll convert you in 2010.

...and for you my readers, for reading and following my market wanders.

A very happy holiday to all of you and here's to the coming year at the markets.

Moira

moira@efete.net

Labels: 61st St Market, Andersonville Farmers Market, Chicago Farmers Markets, Chicago French Market, Green City Market, Henry's Farm, Nichols Farm, Terra Brockman

To Market with Mo: tap that root

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

I cannot believe I have not hailed the nutritious and delicious carrot until now. After all, it is one of the first veg I see at the Farmer's markets in the Spring, in a tiny and tender form just crying to be paired with mint. Then throughout the summer, hinting to be transformed not by cooking but simply shredded into a salad, or added to a crudite platter. And now in the Fall, one of the last veg to find, and so wanting to be part of a mirepoix to start a favorite soup or stew, or as a quick saute with a favorite partner: maple syrup.

Packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, especially beta-carotene and vitamin A. Now, vitamin A and beta-carotene are both great for eyesight, but how good might have been a wee bit exaggerated thanks to some WWII RAF gunners who claimed their nighttime marksmanship skills were due to copious carrot consumption and not new technology (aka radar). Hey, that's one way to fool the enemy. But if it led to more British children (who I am sure recall, "Dr. Carrot, the children's best friend" wartime slogan) and Germans eating more carrots, well, it sure beats the 'Flaming Hot Cheeto' orange food option, right?

And in a flu and cold season that has everyone coughing, I am thinking more doctors should be prescribing this flavorful root veg. Yeah, not only good for the eyes, but fantastic for the lungs, especially those that are inflamed.

I have not quite seen all of the over 100 varieties available, but trust me, you will find more than the standard orange and faux baby carrot (Yeah, you read me right, faux. Grocery store 'baby' carrots are actually mature carrots chiseled down to the uniform 2" 'baby') you find at the supermarket. Beautiful orange, red, purple, yellow, white carrots, and all with their own unique fragrant sweetness, can be found at the Farmer's markets.

Look for smooth, firm carrots with vibrant color. Avoid those that are limp, rubbery, cracked, or have wilted tops. Store, this cousin of the parsley, in a plastic bag or wrapped in paper towel, in the coolest part of the fridge, where they can keep for up to two weeks. Oh, and store away from apples, potatoes, or pears elst you can wind up with rather bitter tasting carrots.

Here is a simple and seasonal way to enjoy carrots now and in a few weeks, as a Thanksgiving side...

Maple Glazed Carrots

1 1/2 lb carrots, scrubbed clean and cut into 3 " long strips (or 1/4" coins if you prefer)

1/2 cup water

3 T butter

2 T maple syrup (try Burton's Maplewood Farm, found at Green City Market, yum)

1 T brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, over medium high heat, bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for approximately 8 minutes.

Uncover skillet and continue to cook until all liquid is reduced to a glaze consistency, about 5 minutes).

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

FYI - to all you last minute shoppers, Green City Market will be open Wed., Nov. 25th, the day before Thanksgiving. Can't get fresher than that!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I would love to hear about your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. Send me your recipies to moira@efete.net

Labels: Burton's Maplewood Farm, carrots, Chicago Farmers Markets, Green Acres, Green City Market, maple syrup, Nichols Farm, seasonal organic produce

To Market with Mo: Beets Me

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

I am counting down the hours until "Julie & Julia" opens at movie theaters this Friday. I am so excited to see Meryl Streep bring to life one of my idols, Julia Child. Surprising, right? Not sure how Julia feels about beets but I have had a very mixed relationship with them thru the years.

As a kid and thru my early 30's I absolutely detested beets. Blech! Just the thought of them made me shudder. Yeah? Well you grow up with them being cooked into oblivion for cold beet borscht and you tell me how much the smell of that will make you want to gobble that up? NOT. That aversion extended into the commercial pickled and canned varieties as well. Nothing worse than a grown woman having a fit in a restaurant because a pickled beet was touching her salad greens, oh so becoming.

All this 'digging in my heels' against beets ended at the Farmers Market. Week after week for years I would be drawn to the beautiful array of beets displayed at the market, deep ruby red, to the candy cane stripe of the chiogga to the orange, golden and super sweet white beets. But still I resisted.

Well, I have Lloyd Nichols, of Nichols Farm to thank for finally giving me the kick I needed to just 'suck it up', buy some beets, roast or grill them up and give them another chance. What can I say but 'thank you Lloyd', I am among the converted. What a different animal a farm fresh beet is, sweet, sweet, sweet, like candy. Just a rough chop (don't even waste your time peeling, the skins are tender enough when this fresh, and who needs the red stained fingers anywho?), a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme, throw into the oven for an hour (at 350 degrees) or on the grill and voila, a tasty, sweet dose of fiber, folate, potassium, iron, vitamin C, and only 74 calories per cup.

I have now converted quite a number of folks. Perhaps I can even convert our Commander-in-Chief (known to have quite the beet aversion) as well? I will start him off like Lloyd started with me, slowly easing in, starting with roasted beets, then move onto a homemade pickled beet, and then to really enjoy at their purest (this one even I did not move toward until this year, credit food writer Mark Bittman for moving me in this direction), a raw beet salad.

Raw Beet Salad

(as inspired by NY Times article 101 Salads by Mark Bittman)

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?scp=2&sq=bittman%20salads&st=cse

2 cups grated beets (I like orange or golden beets for this recipe)

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese or soft goat cheese

1T sherry vinegar (no sherry vinegar? cheat and use a splash of real sherry combined with some white wine vinegar)

2T extra virgin olive oil

squeeze of lemon

salt & pepper to taste

Arugula

Arrange arugula on a platter. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl and then serve on top of the arugula.

moira@efete.net

Labels: Beets, Chicago Farmers Market, Nichols Farm, seasonal organic produce

To Market with Mo: Turnips Take Their Turn

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Turnips. Oh, I can just see your faces, all scrunched in distaste at the mere mention of the word 'turnip.'  Now don't be hatin', what did the poor turnip ever do to you?  Always getting a bad wrap...well time for the turnip to get a 'redo.'

Admittedly, the turnip hasn't exactly been my 'go to' veg of choice.  Periodic appearances in soups and, and well, not much else (assuming this stems from bad memories of eating severely overcooked over-cellared turnips). But with the appearance of the beautiful baby turnips at the Farmers Markets this spring all that is a changin'.

This humble root veggie, and member of the cabbage family, is not only tasty but is a pow-pow-powerhouse of health: the root is low in calories, high in fiber and vitamin C and the leafy green tops are packed with vitamins A, C, K, folate, calcium and lutein (a big preventer of cataracts and cardiovascular disease).  Tender with a nice crunch (the older and larger versions tend to have a spongy texture) the baby turnips are sweeter with a less pungent bite.  I would liken more to a radish and mild enough to enjoy raw in salads or as part of a crudite platter.  And the greens, long a favorite in Southern kitchens, are similar to mustards, they bite you in their raw state but mellow when cooked.

In the Fall turnips are large and recognizable by their purple topped white root. This Spring look for baby turnips that are no larger than 3 inches in diameter, smooth skinned, firm and in an array of colors: white, yellow, orange, pink and red. This past week I found both white and pink baby turnips with perfectly unblemished tender green tops, a plus since I wanted to cook both the root and the greens.  I did not expect a big taste difference but you should definitely taste the different varieties -- the white was mellow and sweet and the pink had a radishy bite.

I played around with a number of preparations and found the tiny spring turnips to be quite versatile:

-raw as a crudite (yummy paired with sliced fennel),

-sauteed in butter alone or with sugar snap peas, carrots and radishes,

-as a simple salad - paper thin slices of turnips tossed with warm rice wine vinegar, a bit of honey, pinch of salt and a dash of red pepper,

-roasted with olive oil, butter and some red wine vinegar,

-pureed with milk, butter and thyme.

And since the weather is still feeling more March/April than June, I opted for comfort sides to my roasted chicken last nite: turnips mashed with potatoes and greens sauteed with bacon.

Smashed Turnips & Potatoes

1 lb baby turnips, greens removed, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces (I used butterball variety from Nichols Farm, yum)

3 T butter

2 T sour cream or yoghurt

1 c. chicken broth or cooking water

salt & pepper to taste

Cook the potatoes and turnips in a large pot of water until tender. Drain the vegetables, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water (if you are not opting to use chicken broth). Put the drained vegetables back into the cooking pot. Add butter, sour cream, broth (or water) and start mashing to your likeness -- some of us prefer chunky mash and others a smoother mash -- your cooking so it is your call.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Labels: Chicago Farmers Market, cooking w/herbs, mustard greens, Nichols Farm, seasonal organic produce, turnips