Restaurant Widow

Market Report::June 5th

 
 Saturday morning was actually a bit cool - kind of refreshing, actually. Of course by the time the day was over, it was swelteringly hot and humid and by the time I was at work I thought there was a very likely chance I might die of heat stroke.

But, on with the market.  This week I failed completely in my effort to take note of the provenance of each item I purchased.  I apologize heartily.

It was a kind of brief trip this week; I was mostly keeping an eye out for things to use for my first cooking podcast! There were lots of strawberries (it certainly hasn't been the greatest year on record for strawberries, what a disappointment) and asparagus. I kept my marketing confined to Clintonville, mostly due to laziness and lack of funds.

I was rather surprised to see so many cherries at this week's market - perhaps it's because it's been so hot so early this year, or maybe I'm just imagining things, but it seemed a little early for cherries.  Nonetheless, I bought a pint each of bings and Ranier (are they still Raniers if they are grown in Ohio?).  Later, I saw some beautiful sour cherries at the Elizabeth Telling stand, but by then I was unfortunately out of money.

I stopped off at Wishwell to buy some broccoli and asparagus:

 
 I was pleased to discover what I think might be a newish farm this year - my attendance at Clintonville was sporadic last year - Swainway Urban Farm.  The people running the booth reminded me of lots of friends of mine - mellow and laid back.  At any rate, I was happy to see they were selling delicious delicious pea shoots! I love those! These were real shoots - no flowers yet.  I also like the tendrils so, Swainway people, if you're listening...tendrils and flowers are delicious too.  Swainway was also selling shiitake mushrooms! Last week, Toby Run didn't have any shiitakes yet, so I was happy to see some at Clintonville:

 
I really think that's about it.  Most of this week's loot went into the stir fry Husband made for himself whilst I was working last night, but it all looked wonderful.

And what did you get this week, Kitties?

Inaugural 2010 Market Report

 

Cue the birdies chirping. I think it's officially Spring.  We might be a few weeks away from our safe planting date, but the trees have leaves, our jardin potager is back with fennel in force, sage, oregano, and mint, and I heard a rumor that the very first local asparagus spears are arriving in restaurant kitchens.

I wasn't really planning on going to the market this week (I've been enjoying sleeping in, I'll admit it), but at work this week Chef shared a plate of this amazing arugula which Tim from Toad Hill Organics had just brought by the restaurant, and after one taste I knew it was time to start heading back to the market.

I braved the drizzle and headed to the North Market.  It was a light wee - just a bag of arugula, a dozen eggs, and a bunch of chives from Toad Hill.

Husband turned the arugula into a simple salad to go with frozen pizza, and I'll be turning the eggs and chives into a pile of creamy scrambled eggs tomorrow.

Nothing crazy, but isn't it nice to get back to the markets?

Did you venture out?  What did you get this week?

Market Report for July 25th

 I just love this time of year. Everywhere you look there are amazing things at the farmer's market - apricots, white peaches and nectarines, blackberries and blueberries, sweet corn, the first of the heirloom tomatoes, sweet onions, zucchini galore, cucumbers, green peppers, cauliflower - it's hard to think when confronted with all of these delights!

I've missed the last few weeks of farmers markets, so I was going to set out early this morning.  When my alarm sounded at 7:30, I lay there, pondering hitting snooze, when a giant clap of thunder sounded; that being a bit of an answer, I snuggled into the covers with a few cats and promptly went right back to sleep.

I love this sort of weather, especially in the middle of the summer.  While the days drag on and on when like this in the wintertime, I love it when it's warm and rainy.  Except for the fact that I don't own an umbrella currently.

Before I get into the market report, here's a funny story.  Frequently on Saturday mornings I go to the drive-through at the bank and then directly across the street to Crimson Cup for my latte (another thing I love about this weather in the summertime - hot coffe).  This morning I went through the drive through, had my money out, and arrived to the pickup window.  Without having stopped at the order window.  I pulled up and handed my money over; the barista had a surprised look on his face and I suddenly realized my error!  I missed the whole ordering part! I said! Clearly I need some coffee!  We both had a good laugh and, after ordering, I was on my way, latte in hand.

Sadly, that's kind of par for the course for me sometimes.

At any rate, I finally rolled into the Worthington around 10am, crossing my fingers for some white necarines, my favorite fruit ever (well, in July and August, anyway). For this reason I headed directly to Gillogly Orchards, where I scooped up not just 2 quarts of white nectarines (top of post) but some apricots as well! It's rare to find good apricots - anywhere, let alone locally - but these seem to be pretty good this year.  The flesh was firm and they are just lovely with their subtle blush:

I stopped by 2 Crows farm, seeing what I thought were black currants; they ended up being garden huckleberries, but I bought them anyway.  I can't say they are necessarily the most delicious berry I've ever eated raw, but after some research it seems they are good when cooked with a good bit of sugar, which I am trying even as I write.

I was happy to see lots of peppers at the market; they are still green this time of year (and with this weather) but I picked up quite a few at Wenger Produce for snacking and maybe pickle-making.  I'm really hoping to make some hot pickle relish this year, so that I can make it exactly to my specifications (lots of cauliflower and carrots, with some hot peppers thrown in for good measure).   From Wenger I also snagged some zucchini and cucumbers.

I bought my first heirloom tomatoes of the year, some Sungold cherry tomatoes from I think Yoder farms. Boy those things are amazingly delicious.

I stopped off at Saum's for some bi-color sweet corn and then grabbed a bouquet of sunflowers from Sundog to take to work with me.

Well, after all that writing about yummy fruits and vegetables, I think I'm ready for some lunch!

So, what did you get this week?

Attention Farmers Who Need Websites

Dear Farmers - if you need a website which is easy for you to update but you don't have the time or energy to do it, I am offering a few farmers my services for free.  I don't create earth-shattering websites, but for a few years now I have been wanting to provide this service. I can take pictures of the vegetables, fruits, and animals you offer, and we can also set up email newsletters if you would like.

I created this very basic mockup to give you an idea of what I could offer you.  If you are interested, please drop me an email to LisaTheWaitressATgmailDOTcom.

Saturday Farm Markets & Hills Market Event

Don't forget to go to the Winter Farm Markets tomorrow!!

Columbus Winter Farm Market.

Worthington Winter Farm Market.

Tomorrow is also Ohio Food Day at the Hills Market!  Lots of stuff to see and taste.

CSA & Farm Market Report for November 15th

What a miserable morning it was yesterday!  As much as I was tempted to stay in bed, it was my week to pick up my Elizabeth Telling CSA, and I figured that if Sandy the farmer was willing to get up in the freezing cold at the crack of dawn to drive all the way here and stand in the cold for 5 hours in the freezing rain, the best I could do was eat my veggies!  Especially since we are winding down for the season.

The market was light, as to be expected, and it was full of apples, greens, and potatoes!  My CSA included tiny little purple kale leaves, eggs, potatoes, a nice fat pumpkin, and cabbage!  I bought some lovely aromatic arugula from Toad Hill Organics, and I stopped by Wishwell Farms too pick up some broccoli and cauliflower, and then to Wayward Seed, where I picked up some wild arugula and these lovely watermelon radishes (aren't they beautiful?):

It's sad to see the ending of the growing season, but it will be nice to sleep in on the odd Saturday.  Don't fret, though, because there are still some chances to eat locally over the winter.  You can stock up now - if you have a dark, cool place, you can store potatoes, root veggies, and squash throughout the winter.  It's also a great time to think about your strategy for eating locally next year.  Maybe you can think about saving up for a CSA, getting a FoodSaver or another sort of preservation device, buying a freezer to store your local goods throughout next winter - there are lots of way you can begin to plan if you didn't get as local this year as you'd like to.

CSA & Market Report for November (?!) 1st

*sigh* so many lasts today.  The last Clintonville market, the last week of my Wayward Seed CSA, last week I'll be up before the sunrise (okay, I'm not too bitter about that one).  I always forget that around this time of year the sun doesn't rise until 8 or later.  It always fools me into thinking I have more time to sleep than I really do.

But the morning was warm and sunny, and I was up so early that when I drove past the Clintonville market this morning, they weren't open yet, so I went on to Target and took advantage of the after-Halloween candy sales (coworkers were bitter I didn't bring any candy to work on Halloween; until then, I wasn't aware that was part of my job description).

I stopped off at the Clintonville market to pick up my Wayward Seed Farm CSA, which included collard greens, lettuce, potatoes, beets, carrots (above), and acorn squash.  I stopped by the Little Farm to pick up a stalk of Brussels sprouts (yum!)

And then I was off to the North Market, where I bought what might be the last of my Toby Run shitakes of the season, and my Elizabeth Telling CSA, which included cabbage, turnips (top of the post), chard, carrots, and potatoes.

And then, I was off to Thurns.  More on that later.

So, what did you get today?

Call for CSA Info/Ratings/Reviews/Desires, etc.

Dear Readers, especially CSA owners and farmers:

You would not believe how many requests I get for CSA information.  This year, I totally slacked on getting together my yearly CSA list together, but now that I know I have lots of readers who own CSAs and use them from various farms, I have a big list from which to pull.

As a group, I would like to compile a list of all of the CSAs available in the Central Ohio area.  I would also like to include what you have received in your CSA - not every single thing, but an overview - how many you think it will feed, how you've used it, what you liked, etc.

If you are a farmer, please let me know if your farm has a CSA and the details as well as website/contact info that you don't mind if I put on my website.

This will be a sort of Zagat-style review format.  I will gather info and update it as we go along.

What is a CSA? You might be asking.  CSA stands for Community Supporte Agriculture.  You invest in a farm in the winter - plan to spend around $500 - and receive produce for the entire growing season.  You will pick up your produce somewhere - usually a farm market, but sometimes at a veg co-op.  Although the initial investment might seem big, it averages out to be pretty reasonable for knowing you will always have fresh produce.

You are also supporting your local food system and economy and giving the farmer a chance to earn money up front to invest in the year's crop. 

So, please email to let me know all about your CSA!

CSA & Farm Market Report for October 18th

Alas, another post with no pictures (yet), so please forgive me.  Here's the excuse: I have a really hard time sleeping when the weather changes.  I am fine for about 4 hours and then I just wake up and lie there, making up recipes, thinking about my upcoming dinner, entertaining a rotating variety of cats, and wishing I could fall back asleep.  All of that to say that I woke up at 9:45 and didn't get to the markets until after 10.  Oh well, you'll have that. 

Here's another pathetic excuse: Typepad spell check isn't working at the moment, so please, forgive any errors.

First up I stopped by the Clintonville market, where I picked up my Wayward Seed Farm CSA - which included eggplant, peppers, lots of cute little potatoes, acorn squash, and leeks.  I also forgot that last week I got lots of sweet potatoes!  YUM.  I stopped by My Little Farm for some tiny white pumpkins and some fresh horseradish - something I've only ever seen in my Elizabeth Telling CSA, so that was pretty exciting.  I also picked up a few more Honeycrisp apples and a few of a new (to me) variety - mutsu - which is a light green apple which apparently is even more delicious than the Honeycrisp.  I'll let you know.

I stopped by Snowville Creamery to chat with my friend Jen - she is working to do some food-related worskshops with Simply Living, stay tuned and I'll provide more updates - and I met Daniel from Petite Boulangerie, who shared with us some butter that he had whipped by hand (freak) from their heavy cream; it was very tasty, epsecially with one of his epi baguettes.  (Confidential to Petite Boulangerie - would you be interested in baking some extra bread for my RW Sunday Supper? I don't have your contact info - or if anyone has it, please send it to me.)

Then I was off to the North Market, where I will now publicly apologize for forgetting that I was supposed to volunteer for Chef Tetzloff's cooking class.  Market Market, please forgive me!!!  And let me know if there are any baked goods which will make it up to you!  please?  I am flakey, I'll admit it right here.  You know I would never knowingly blow you or Chef Tez off!!

I picked up my Elizabeth Telling CSA, which included eggs, a pumpkin, potatoes, braising greens, tomatoes, a pumpkin! and certainly something I'm forgetting.  I'm going to be visiting her farm on Monday!!!  Hooray!  I'll take lots of pictures, some for Sandy and some to share with you.

I bought my mushrooms for the week from Toby Run, and stopped by Toad Hill to see what was going on - he had Jerusalem artichokes!  If you haven't had Jerusalem artichokes, aka "sunchokes," you should really try them some time.  They are delicious.  They have a kind of savory potato flavor, but a crisp texture similar to water chestnuts.  They are kind of a pain to peel, but worth the effort, I think.  I'll try to come up with a recipe sometime this week.

I think that was about all for my Saturday, which started out COLD.  Even with a long-sleeved tee and a hoodie, I was freezing.  And I'm always hot.

So, readers, what did you get this week?  OH, by the way, a reader told me she tried some pumpkin quark at Blue Jacket Creamery!!  Yum!

CSA & Farm Market Report for October 11th

What a nice day today.  Perfect.  Is it just me, or are the trees changing really early this year?  Am I just getting old?  Resistant to the coming Autumn?

Whatever the case, it's still 80 degrees today, so no complaints from me.

I slept in today and only hit the Clintonville market, where I picked up my weekly supply of Gretna Grillin' cheese and cheddar curds from Blue Jacket Creamery.

Global Gallery has taken over the space where the flower shop used to be at High and Orchard, and it's really nice.  If you are looking for fair trade coffee and inexpensive sculptures, textiles, and baskets, it's a great place to stop by.  They were serving coffee outside of the shop today.

I also picked up my Wayward Seed CSA - and I'll post pictures soon.  Today's share included green tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, kale, and a nice big squash I haven't seen before.  I'll have to look into what sort it might be. 

I also bought some kabocha squash today, my favorite for eating and soup making.  Who knows what form it will take this week?

So, what did you get this week?