Egg recall is a plus for farmers’ markets

Wed, 1 Sep 2010 07:00:47 -0500

This past Saturday, KXAN - Austin News, had a story about how the recent egg recall has created an increase of people shopping at farmers’ markets all across the country. It seems people appreciate being able to talk directly to the farmers and talk about where their food comes from.

To link to the video + story: http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/your-food%3A-where-does-it-come-from%3F

Know your “egg-lady”

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 07:00:01 -0500

It’s been all over the news this past week, about eggs being recalled that originated from two large Iowa egg farms. This egg recall was sparked due to a link to salmonella. The cause of the outbreaks are so far still unknown, but has caused the recall of at least half a billion eggs.

It’s when you hear news like this that makes you feel even better when you regularly buy eggs from local farmers. Buying eggs locally not only gives you a chance to directly know your source, but to also ask questions of the farmer: “what are they fed?”, “where do the roam?”, and especially “are they happy chickens?”.

Don’t blow your lid

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:00:08 -0500

Last week, Sherry Williams did a pressure canning demo at our market. She took the mystery out of pressure canning fruit and vegetables that have little or no acid content. It was a perfect opportunity to relearn pressure canning from a pro and to motivate you to start preserving some of your farmers market purchases.

Here’s a brief summary from Sherry’s demo:

Pressure canning is the only safe method for preserving most vegetable and some fruits.

Jars of food are placed in 2 to 3 inches of water in a special pressure cooker which is heated to a temperature of at least 240º F. This temperature can only be reached using the pressure method.

Foods that are low acid or have a pH of more then 4.6 must be prepared in a pressure canner.

Some people are intimidated by the pressure method, mostly because they grew up back when pressure cookers were unstable and apt to “blow” their lids.

To reach Sherry directly, you can email her at: sherry.y.williams@gmail.com

Great blog mention for our market!

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:00:12 -0500

We just recently had a mention in the blog world after a visit to our market. You can take a look at the blog here: roaming the hills.

This is written about ‘life and adventure in the Texas hill country‘ written by Karin, who is a native Texan.
She also has a map on her blog that shows all the spots in the Hill Country she’s explored to date.

Nutritional benefits

Wed, 4 Aug 2010 07:00:05 -0500

Often, when people think of farmers markets, what comes to mind are all the fresh veggies & fruits. There are other artisans that are also a very essential element to farmers markets. Their dedication to what they raise & bring to market is much the same as that of farmers.

At our market, we have beef, goat cheese & lamb artisans. All of their products are great sources of protein, which is commonly known. Here are some of the nutritional benefits that you might not be as aware of, that can come from
non-produce farmers market purchases:

Goat Cheeses - CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) & Calcium
Grass-fed Beef - CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
Grass-fed Llamb - Iron, Niacin (B3), Protein, Selenium, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6 & Zinc - also low in cholesterol

Picture courtesy of Isabelle Marie Helene Lauziere

America’s best farmers’ markets -- for travelers

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:30:00 -0500

For those of you traveling this summer, here’s a list of some great farmers’ markets to visit, from a CNN article.

1. Santa Monica Farmers’ Market - Santa Monica, CA
2. Ferry Plaza Farmers Market - San Francisco, CA
3. Green City Market - Chicago, IL
4. Portland Farmers Market - Portland, OR
5. The Union Square Greenmarket - New York, NY
6. Santa Fe Farmers Market - Santa Fe, NM
7. Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market - Washington, DC
8. Alemany Farmers’ Market - San Francisco, CA
9. Columbia City Farmers Market - Seattle, WA
10. Flint Farmers’ Market - Flint, MI

For the entire article written by Marianna Nash, click here

Photo courtesy Allison Jones/Portland Farmers Market

Baked Summer Tomato Recipe

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:23:46 -0500

Baked Summer Tomatoes serves 2
2 c cubed ciabatta bread (1/2" cubes) 1 c packed arugula 6 eggs, beaten together salt and pepper, to taste 1 large tomato, sliced small handful basil leaves, sliced thin 1 c crumbled feta cheese 2 T olive oil 3 medium shallots, sliced thin
Preheat oven to 400F. Separate bread cubes between two small (4”-6”) oven-proof dishes. Top each with 1/2 c arugula and half the beaten eggs. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Top each dish with half the tomato slices, basil, and 1/2 c feta cheese. Transfer dishes to oven and cook 15-18 minutes, until eggs are set and cheese begins to brown.  While casserole is baking, make the fried shallots. Heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy.  Remove dishes from oven, and top with crispy shallots. Season to taste with salt, pepper and additional basil, if desired.
Recipe + photo courtesy of www.fresh365online.com

SuperFoods

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:00:59 -0500

SuperFoods are healthy ingredients, rich in nutrients + antioxidants.

Following are SuperFoods, some of which can be sourced at farmers’ markets:

apples
avocado
beans
blueberries
broccoli
cinnamon
garlic
honey
nuts
oats
olive oil
onions
oranges
pomegranate
salmon
soy
spinach
tea
tomatoes
turkey
yogurt

Peach combos

Wed, 7 Jul 2010 07:16:04 -0500

Did you know that in the following list there are great food combinations with peaches?

The next time you’re cooking with peaches, try adding one or two of these ingredients to tweak that tried and true recipe to be a bit tastier!

blackberries
blueberries
cranberries
raspberries
almonds
brazil nuts
hazelnuts
pecans
pine nuts
pistachios
walnuts
apricots
lemons
limes
nectarines
oranges
dark chocolate
milk chocolate
white chocolate

Chef Showcase

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:02:22 -0500

Since last year, we have a Chef Showcase at our market each week, which is very popular with our customers. There are a handful of local restaurants that are generous with sharing their time and chefs with us at the market. The chefs at times, cook right at the market what they’re sampling and at times they bring the prepared food from their kitchens already made.

This week Chef Ross Burtwell of Cabernet Grill will be bringing some melon gazpacho to our market for all to taste. He was out at Engel Farms just on Monday, walking the fields with John Engel. He was inspired by all the different melons that he saw, especially the Christmas melon. John generously supplied Chef Ross with the melons and the jalapenos he’d need to make the soup. Part of what we foster from our market is making this connection with restauranteurs and farmers/artisans.

Pictured above (left to right): Tommy Newman - market co-ordinator for Chef Showcase, John Engel & Chef Ross Burtwell.