farmersmarket365

For 30+ years now my teaching has involved empowering students to be in charge of their own learning.  Primarily, this has meant showing them how to maximize what they study but recently I have begun to help them understand how they learn; hoping this will lead to understanding and enjoyment for learning.  You might say that I teach study skills, and I do, but what became very clear to me even as a student was that study skills classes are only good if the skills are practiced and reinforced in class. And so I made it a mission of mine that a portion of every class I teach integrates learning skills as part of the curriculum.

Almost none of what I do is my invention, I just continue to learn from others and add the ideas to the mixing bowl; what I serve up is a collection of those ideas and I am continually changing and adding ideas to the pantry.  Recently I have been asked to share my ideas with other teachers both on line and at workshops.  I thought to myself that maybe I should put the ideas on paper, ok on electronic paper as a blog—And so the Intentional Learner was created.

My intention is to present information both for teachers and students on topics like exam prep, test taking, focusing in class, time management.  I hope that you enjoy the read and please- as I want to continue to learn- add your comments and ideas.

Headed out for the market this Saturday and got there early, good thing to as the variety is dropping and there are still a lot of people buying. I made a bee line for Mark, my hydroponic guru and bought some mixed greens and arugula; even after 10 min. his inventory was waning.  Next I made my way to the other vegetable vendors and apples to get what I needed for the week.  This was the last day for one of the farms and so I did purchase some extra parsnips and celery roots as they are hard to find.  I have started using the celery root in place of celery; I like the texture and lighter flavor.  I was glad I could still get beets, potatoes and a few apples along with cider.

This week I chose to try to make Scalloped Oysters, it is a recipe out of my Betty Groff book. (http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20079904,00.html This is a People magazine article well worth the read.) Fred and I visited her restaurant some time ago while on a visit to Lancaster Pa. While there I purchased two of her books that now are marked with notes and stained with ingredients. Now back to the oysters-  The recipe called for 2 cups of oysters but I wasn’t sure how many to get and despite asking for advise I can tell you that 16 oysters will only give you ½ c.; ok maybe ¾ c.  No matter I just reduced the recipe and it was yummy-perfect for a winter’s night.  I served it along with some roasted chicken and a mixture of lentils and spinach; both found in my freezer.  So what is the real ratio? Doing some research I realized that I have to consider the size of the oyster but the size of the shell may not indicate how “fat” the oyster is inside.  So my thought is that when the actual amount is important I should buy shucked oysters.  I found the following web site which I will use again when I need oyster advise.  http://www.oysters.us/fresh.html  In terms of the shucked oyster I learned that they would still be considered fresh even when shucked because the processing is minimal.  The up side to this is that I learned something, made do with what I had and had practice shucking oysters.

While getting potatoes yesterday my favorite farmer said she had some onions that were going soft and that I could have them if I wanted; and of course I jumped right on it coming away with a bag of semi soft but perfectly good onions.  They wouldn’t be good for more than another day so today I set to cooking them up and in the process also used up some of my freezer inventory.  At the end I had onion soup for dinner tonight and caramelized onion-tomato jam- info to follow.

You can find the recipe here (http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/kelsey-nixon/ratatouille-tart-with-caramelized-onion-tomato-jam-recipe/index.html) or just read what I did and wing it.  I haven’t made it the same twice. Slice onions and then cook for about 10 min in a skillet (olive oil added), covered over med heat.  You want them to really get soft.  Then take the cover off and cook for another 20 min. to caramelize.  Add some chopped garlic, and the tomatoes; here is where I added a pint package of chopped tomatoes and one of roasted tomatoes both from this summer’s harvest. when the tomatoes have had a chance to blend, ass molasses, brown sugar, all spice, cinnamon, and instead of cider vinegar this time I added a combination of balsamic vinegar and cranberry balsamic vinegar from The Narragansett Bay Olive Oil Company (www.nboliveoil.com)  The recipe calls for chipotle powder which I forgot I had, so I added the end of a jar of chipotle salsa- it worked fine.  After some simmering time to thicken I put it in jars for the fridge.  I’ll use it later this week in an egg-plant casserole and another night to enhance my pasta sauce.

The other half of sliced onions went into a pan to sweat and caramelize with mushrooms.  After a nice caramel formed I added hot chicken stock, again from my freezer (any stock will do).  To this I added a bit of apple cider (1/4 cup), soy sauce and simmered for about 10 min.  This is dinner tonight; trust me there will be nothing left over.

Take home information

• Oysters are tricky; if you need a very specific amount buy the ones already shucked.
• The fresh vegetables are waning, get to market early and plan to use what is in your freezer.
• There are still bargains at the market. Look for end of season goodies.

Here it is January 1 2013 and the gardens are asleep.  With the cover of white snow, the only evidence that they put forth food are brown brittle stalks hanging with an occasional dried leaf or fruit but in the middle of my garden stands, as green as ever, the kale that loves the cold.  The frost and cold of the last two weeks makes me hopeful that some of the eggs of troublesome insects will not make it, giving those green shoots a fighting chance.  The Farmer’s Market is still in full swing.  There seem to be more to choose from at this time of year which indicates that there was a good harvest of root vegetables and that perhaps more farmers are using the tunnels.  The temptation is to continue to buy but I have to remember that my freezers are packed full and food is ready to eat.

I am still finding apples and apple cider.  The Honey Crisps are beginning to wane and many have some extra spots on them, but no problem as they are easily cut away.  I have found a new love for Fuji apples.  First, they are on the small side and I think they are cute.  Second, they are easy to eat, sweet but not as much as the Honey Crisp, third, it is just something different.  The apples and cider will come to an end most likely in the middle of January, but I will continue to enjoy the apple taste as I have put up apple sauce and apple butter.  I use them both for cooking, added to yogurt or oatmeal and well just to eat.  I have also frozen a number of ½ gallons of cider.  This should last until around March and then we will just wait until the middle or late summer when the new crops are in.  One word about freezing cider, I usually pour out a little bit as it will expand, but also the cider is so wonderful when it is half thawed and you get the cider with ice crystals in it.  One of my other favorite things to do with it is to dilute it a bit with water, heat it and then add a chai tea bag.  It is wonderful on those cold winter days.

So with strict rules in place to only purchase what I will use in the week, I head to the market.  My weekly shopping bag will usually consist of potatoes, onions, coffee, apples and cider, eggs, bread and then a few root vegetables like beets, celery root, parsnips, carrots, and brussel sprouts.  Now that we have had some frosts, the sprouts are excellent.  And here is a lesson in pricing. Brussel sprouts can be found either lose or on the stalk.  When they are on the stalk do not buy them if they are priced by the pound the stalk is the bulk of the weight so you are paying for something you have to compost.  I know the sprouts on the stalk look cool and trendy but the farmer knows this.  See my insert for what I discovered.

Winter is not a time for lots of greens; any you buy will be grown inside and might be more expensive; though I eat salad in the winter it just feels like a summer veggie.  However I have begun to experiment with mezuna, arugula and tatsoi all grown hydroponically.  My hydro farmer is Mark who owns Absalona Greenhouse and the variety he has is wonderful.  (check out his web site: http://absalonagreenhouse.com/about/) I use the greens with eggs, in soups and just a finish to a stew or fish dinner.  Realize that with hydroponics the farmer may not have the same inventory each week.  This makes it fun to just not plan and see what he has.

Take home information:

• I worked hard this summer, time to use what has been processed
• Be careful of pricing and don’t be afraid to let the vendor know. Either by saying something or just not buying.
• Greens this time of year can be different and be adventuresome with something you haven’t tried.