August 12th CSA & Market Report

What a perfect day for the market!  It was cool and breezy and full of sunshine.  The heirloom tomatoes are almost out in full swing, sweet corn is almost over for the year, and I fear we are perilously close to pumpkin season.  And I still haven't canned anything!  I am really going to have to get on that, as my dear mother gave me a canner for an early birthday present and I promised her at least one canned good for Christmas...

My CSA box this week included the last of the sweet onions for the year, a small and perfumey muskmelon, lots of colorful chard, potatoes, eggs, more baby sweet corn, some hot peppers, and of course, something I'm sure to have forgotten.

This week I got up early and hit the Worthington Market first - it seemed a little thin this week, perhaps because I was there too early - there was no line for nectarines or the biggest blackberries I've ever seen at Gillogly orchard.  I bought some lovely heirloom tomatoes - Black Prince, Red and Pink Germans, Sungolds, Hungarian Hearts and Great Whites (display of heirlooms pictured right, sadly I can't remember exactly which farm this is).  I bought some poblanos which I will be stuffing, I bought some Ratta fingerling potatoes from those wonderful people at Arbor Hill Organics - they've been away for 2 weeks, so I was glad they're back.  The Red Thumbs are through for the year, so I'm sorry if you've missed them, you'll have to wait until next year.  And, because I am completely driven by aesthetics and whimsy, I was powerless to resist buying tiny squash with the blossoms still attached (pictured above) at Mead Farms.  I snatched 2 boxes right up - I'll tell you all about what I did with them tomorrow.  I also bought some Italian Sausage from Oink!Moo!Cluck! farm.

I bought a Poulet Fermier chicken from Speckled Hen Farm, along with some quail eggs, which are a project of the farmer's son, so if you buy them, you are helping to ensure there will be a future for small farms.  And they make the cutest deviled eggs.

At the North Market, I thought I'd stop by Wayward Seed Farm to see if they had the new sweet tomatillos they had e-mailed me about.  Seeing a box of what appeared to be tiny little tomatillos, I inquired about them - no, I was told, they were Ground Cherries (aka Cape Gooseberries).  Oh!  I said, I think these grow all around my neighborhood on trees (and yes, I realize I shouldn't have said that, as the word "ground" should have been a clue they don't grow on trees, but my neighborhood is filled with these "paper lantern" trees and they look very similar!)  Well, I'll tell you one thing about those people at the Wayward Seed Farm - they are kind enough to quickly correct your ignorance!  I'll just say this: Tomatillos and Ground Cherries are in the same Genus, so it wasn't a completely uneducated guess to suggest they might be the sweet tomatillos of which you spoke, but weren't selling.  I bought some of them anyway, because they were tasty.  Husband didn't like them, but I'm thinking of planting my very own plant next year, as HeirloomSeeds.com says they are very prolific.

Also from the North Market I picked up some edamame and shallots from Scioto Gardens - one of the only shallot growers I've seen.  And, one of the only farmers to shell beans for you and still only charge $2.50 for a pint box.  She also plucks the edamame pods from the stems, and had kidney beans, but I was too late for those.  I also bought some shitake mushrooms, of course, from Toby Run Growers, shitake mushroom grower extraordonaire.

My CSA farmer, Sandy from Elizabeth Telling, was also selling these wonderful decorative braids of yellow onions - a loop for hanging has been thoughtfully braided in.  She told me they were a little tedious to make but thought they were so pretty she kept making them.  They were 3 for $5, which seemed reasonable considering the work that went into them, and she kindly educated me that they were cooking onions, and the onions I received in my box were sweet onions - not for cooking but for eating in salads.  She is very nice; I am hoping to go out and work on her farm, which she described to me as "very rustic;" (Does that mean muddy? I asked)  I'll tell you all about it.

I was very inspired by the market this week.  All of the wonderful things growing right now made me wish I could take a few nights off work and just cook up a storm and maybe do some canning, finally.  Alas, if I do that I won't be able to afford all these nice things, so I'll just have to fit it in when I am able.  If you missed any of the weekend markets, you will be happy (as I am) to know that the weekday markets at Pearl Alley have been busy these last few weeks.  Fridays are especially nice; this past week Mitchell's Steakhouse and Due Amici even had stands set up as well as about 12 farmers selling everything from onions and peppers to sweet corn, peaches and tomatoes galore.  I encourage you to get out there and see what our fair city has to offer.