farmersmarket365

The sun, heat and humidity is doing its job to bring to market some of the best fruits and vegetables.  The rain and cold in May and June has slowed progress so you might be seeing veggies and fruit a bit later but make no mistake it is coming in now.

Hard to find: peas, spinach, arugula and other early crop greens.  These are cool weather plants; the greens especially get bitter in the heat so farmers won’t plant until fall. This isn’t necessarily the case for head lettuce. Garlic scapes will be harder to find; they are the stem and bud of the plant and left too long will flower.    A good alternative is to look for green garlic, this is just garlic that has been harvested before it grows into the mature bulb.  A bit milder than the bulb but will be great with any stir fry.  It is surprising that broccoli is really a cooler weather plant, I find this time of year it becomes bitter and will wait until fall to buy again, but this is a personal preference. One note, pea shoots, microgreens etc. are usually grown in controlled environments so will be wonderful additions throughout the summer.

Still with us: Beets, spring onions, scallions, lettuce, carrots and radishes will continue to be on the shelf.  I might suggest you ask to taste the carrots as they were most likely planted early spring; which can mean that they are not as sweet as the later carrots that have time to store their sugar.  Cabbage, zucchini, summer squash and cucumbers are also coming on strong- it might be good to look for specials.

What’s new: You might see potatoes, they will be small and are often known as new potatoes– not a variety but rather the first potatoes picked.  In my garden I pick these by just reaching my hand under the plant and feeling around for the small orbs; the method then allows the plant to continue to grow and produce the larger potatoes.  They usually won’t last long because farmers want to harvest the larger potatoes.  Stringed beans are also coming to market- the first picked are usually small and sweet, a definite buy and worth getting extra for the freezer.  Peppers are just now coming in, the sweet and hot alike will be available though not as plentiful as they will be in another week or so, I buy these now for my weekly consumption and wait to get extras for the freezer later on.  Tomatoes ..Yes we have been waiting for the real thing (as opposed to the pink plastic orbs we might pick up from the store in the winter)…cherry tomatoes are usually first off the vine followed by some of the early girl.  As much as I am tempted to purchase a lot of tomatoes, I force myself to hold off as the sweeter, riper ones will be a few weeks away.

Let’s not forget the fruit that will replace the strawberries.  While most of the apples and stone fruit, except the cherries, are still maturing, the softer fruit, blueberries, raspberries and black berries are ready for market.  With the string of hot days that we have had lately they will be perfect, if we have some rainy days be careful as the fruit will be likely to get moldy faster if it was picked wet.  It is always good to buy extra for the freezer especially the blue berries.  My method for this is to contact the farmer and order a flat; when I get them home I spread them out on a cookie sheet, after they are frozen I fill freezer bags and use by the handful as needed.  If by chance you don’t eat the fruit fast enough and it becomes soft don’t throw it away, smash it and use in salad dressing or add to a smoothie. I have also been known to add some over-ripe raspberries to maple syrup for waffles.

Menu ideas: Everything purchased at the farmer’s market:

*chicken, broccoli, sautéed mushrooms and onions: *white fish tacos, slaw (made with cabbage and kohlrabi), sliced tomatoes: * pork chops, raspberry and honey sauce, roasted zucchini and summer squash * stir fry with bok choi, cipollini onions, kale, peppers and cabbage. *beet and potato hash with fried egg.

Squirreling it away: I am always looking for ways to store this goodness for the long winter.  Here is just some of what I might do this week: cabbage- sauerkraut, cucumbers-freeze to use in my water or to add to soups later, make pickles, beets– pickle, cipollini onions- roast and freeze, broccoli- blanch and freeze one more batch.