Restaurant Widow

CSA & Market Report for June 30th

Happy Birthday Dad!!

What a lovely day today.  Just for the record, it's interesting to note that this week last year was also lovely.  Thanks to the rain we got this week, we had a much-needed boost in growing.  The market is in full swing, a few old favorites were back for the first time, and we're off to a great start for the summer growing season.  I am ashamed to say I didn't do anything very exciting with last week's CSA.  I don't know if it was the heat or what, but I was very lazy with cooking this week.  Shame on me! 

First of all, an open letter to would-be line cutters: I know you think I'm so nice and polite and everything, but just because I stand quietly in line awaiting my turn like I was taught in kindergarten doesn't mean you can get in front of me (that means you, middle aged woman with the fanny pack who I learned later works in the church down the road).  The next time I am cut in line, you will get a lesson in stringing together a 45 second, profanity laden insult so blue it might actually take physical shape and follow you around for the next week.  I've been in the restaurant business for years, and I've learned a thing or two about how to bring out the shame.  I'm tired of it.  Grow up.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Okay!  Now, on with this week's shopping!

Today's CSA included zucchini, eggs, salad greens, a head of cauliflower, and some garlic.

Also from the North Market, I picked up my requisite week's worth of shitake mushrooms from Toby Run.  I was pleased to see that Quiver Full farm was back this year; they mill their own cornmeal and a variety of wheats.  It can be difficult to get locally grown & milled grains, so I always like to support them.  They also had a delicious popcorn blend (pictured above), and I bought 2 bags.  Husband and I are popcorn fiends, and it seems we are always running out.  I also bought my weekly bags of squash blossoms from Comb's Farms; this past week Husband made dinner and simply sauteed 2 zucchini and then added the squash blossoms to the saute at the last minute.  It was beautiful and very tasty.  You might not think, at first, that the blossoms would add anything, but they do give it this je ne sais quois - it might just be that they're so pretty they make everything taste delicious, and if that's the case well then, so be it.  They also provided some arugula.

From H-W Organics, I picked up some nice fat red onions, brown onions, new potatoes, and some sweet peas.

I love to buy things I've never tried before.  This week, that was two varieties of microgreens - fennel (above) and arugula (below).  I love microgreens, and for those of you who haven't tried them yet, then what are you waiting for?  The fennel greens, with the seeds still attached, are intensely fennel-y.  The arugula micros are delightfully hot and would make an amazing addition to a roast beef sandwich.  I'll have to remember that this week.  I'll have to combine them with some of the full-grown arugula and then we can have arugula two ways.  I also picked up some tender young collards.

I swung through the interior of the Market to pick up Husband's croissant from Omega, and for some nice thick cut bacon from Blues Creek.  Have to have something to cook up with those collards!  And some cornbread with the cornmeal from Quiver Full!  I'm so glad we have a few days off this week!

I headed up to the Worthington market, scooping up some of Rohini's hot pepper chutney, the last bag of (shelled!) sweet peas from Cottage Gardens, and loads of cherries from Gillogly Orchards.  This week I bought some bings and some Royal Anne (what Ms. Gillogly referred to as "Ranier wannabes") cherries, just for eating out of hand (above).  Cherries are my favorite fruit for simply eating straight.  Well, they are until nectarine season begins.  By the way, there will be a few peaches and nectarines this year.  Many were lost in the frost, but after speaking with a few farmers, it seems they will have a crop, just a small one.  So get there early.  And I mean early.  By the time I arrived at Gillogly this morning, 1/2 hour after the official opening time of the market, they had already sold out of blueberries!

I bought some ribeyes and short ribs from Up the Lane cattle, some beets from the Golden Beet Farm (where, alas, all of the golden beets were sold to the person in front of me), some zucchini and broccoli from Wenger's Produce, some ground chicken and hot Italian Sausage from Oink Moo Cluck, some purple potatoes (above) and I'm sure something I'm forgetting.

I stopped at Clintonville for a minute because I'd scoured the markets all morning in search of kohlrabi to no avail.  My dogged kohlrabi suppliers, Pop & Judy (who also supply the kitties with catnip sachets and Husband and I with popcorn), have retired for the year.  Fortunately, the Sippels still had loads of kohlrabi, as well as the first baby squash I've seen so far this year.  Alas, I took my out-of-cashedness as a sign it was time to go home, and called it a day.

Then I got home and made this for lunch.  Farm fresh new potatoes and sweet peas, tossed in a little extra virgin olive oil with salt and pepper, topped with leftover brisket from Weiland's, and some of those yummy arugula sprouts (perfect with beef, it's confirmed):

What did you get?

When do the Markets Start?

It's finally time to start talking about hitting the farmer's markets on a regular basis.  This is just a look at the Central Ohio markets I frequent, along with a brief description - as I get more information on start dates, I will update.

If this is your first year as a marketer, or if you are looking for some guidance, you might want to check out my weekly market and CSA reports from last year.  I always find it helpful to look back, so that I have an idea what will be available on a weekly basis, just so I can have some sort of menu in mind.  Here's also a general list of what's growing when, also for menu planning.

• North Market - as I mentioned before, this weekend's Cinco d'Ohio marks the official opening of the North Market's farm market.  The North Market, of course, has a huge indoor market as well as an extensive farmer's market outside.  I love the Market, both parts - you can seriously do all of your shopping for the week and be sure you are buying 90% local products - I love the meat at Blues Creek, and like to hit them before hitting the fruit and veggies to help me round out my shopping.  I was also notified that one can indeed purchase basics such as milk (from Curds & Whey) and paper towels (from the Good Earth).  Here's a secret about the market - don't tell anyone.  Skip the market parking lot!  Unless it's raining, it's a nightmare trying to get in and out.  Instead, opt for street parking (High street meters).  If you don't mind walking a little and you can get to the market early, there is always a lot of metered parking in the Short North, and there is also a free lot (between the Burgundy Room and the Yukon building).  Of course, the earlier you go, the easier it is to park. 
  
  Some of my favorite North Market farmers:  Toby Run Mushrooms - hands down the best shitakes I've ever had.  I have to buy these every week and try to get to the before Husband.  Dearsman Farms - a conventional farm who grows everything - the basics we all need like broccoli and onions, as well as loads of different beans and the like, greens, and of course, sprouts.  Also they sell tons of things for canners, small cucumbers and lots of peppers.  Prices are beyond reasonable.  Quiverfull Farms - locally grown and milled oats, wheat and corn, plus granola.  Toad Hill Organics - can always be counted on for a vast assortment of greens (including lots of interesting Asian greens including my favorite Mizuna) in the Springtime, tomatoes in the summer, and potatoes in the fall.  The variety of potatoes alone is astounding; each has a description.  Just This Farm - garlic and garlic scapes galore.  Wayward Seed Farm - growing unusual and hard-to-find things (salsify, anyone?), especially for foodie types who are looking for that unusual ingredient.  And of course, Elizabeth Telling Farm, my CSA provider - always has lots of good-for-you greens which are picked small and delicious.  Also fabulous eggs which are reserved for the CSA subscribers, alas.
• Clintonville Farmers Market, located just North of North Broadway on High Street at Orchard.  The Clintonville market has a mix of non-produce and produce vendors, food vendors (granola, bread, cookies, etc) as well as the occasional art and jewelry vendors.  The market takes place on Saturdays at 9am and will commence on May 19th. 
  
  Some of my favorite Clintonville vendors: Sippel Family Farm - always have the basics, plus fun things like personal size watermelons.  Magik Granola Company - love the blueberry.
• Worthington Farmers Market takes place at the just south of the intersection of High Street and route 161, in picturesque Olde Worthington.  Like the North Market, this can be a crowded market and it pays to get there early.  Parking is more readily available, however, as there are lots of free public lots around.  The Worthington Market is probably the largest, most spacious in the Central Ohio area, and it's my favorite for strolling (something I rarely have time to do).  Vendors sell everything from produce and meat to preserves, sweets and dog treats.  The Worthington Farmer's Market will kick of on Saturday, May 12th with the annual plant sale. 
  
  Some favorites at the Worthington Market: Zemnicki farms sells lots of basics, can be counted on for onions, peppers, leeks and things.  Pop & Judy's farm sells kohlrabi and red popcorn - two favorites of mine, as well as great catnip sachets, which the cats love.  Sundog Organics grows giant flowers to brighten your house.  Gillogly Orchards keeps in me in nectarines all summer long, and Garden Patch Produce sells really great tomatoes and tomato plants.
• Westerville Farmer's Market will begin Wednesday, May 9th - another good weekday option for those of you who can't make it through the week.  The market is located in charming uptown Westerville at the intersection of Home and State Streets from 3pm - 6pm.
• Another weekday option is the Pearl Alley market, downtown on Tuesdays and Fridays, 10:30 - 2pm beginning June 1.  The Market is located on Pearl between Gay and Broad streets.  Park on Gay at meters - bring lots and lots of change, a nickel buys you one minute and the meter maids are vigilant, to say the least - or in lots on Long Street.  Or walk over from your office.  Farmer attendence can be spotty, but I always find lots of strawberries in June.  The other bonus is being right next to El Arepazo, my favorite lunch spot. 

April 21st Market Report

This morning dawned warm, sunny and beautiful.  It seemed wise to get outside as early as possible and enjoy it before I had to go to work.  Perhaps for this reason I awoke at 7:30 and couldn't go back to sleep.  This gave me a chance to get to the North Market early and enjoy some coffee in the sunshine before I purchased some arugula and mache from Combs herb farm, some "mizspoona," a green similar to mizuna, but with a broader leaf (pictured above) from Toad Hill Organics, and a potted chive plant from Somerset Herbs.  I'm going to have to get some planting done soon!

Because it was still early, I decided to check out an event I recommended this week, the CCAD Spring student art sale.  I bought some Japanese style ink drawings (India Ink on rice paper) by Sara Richard. I love the juxtaposition of the creepy crawlies painted so delicately:

You can see more works by the artist here.  It was interesting to walk around and see all of the students; some are quite prolific and make some great things. 

First Market Report

Guess what?  There were a few brave souls at the North Market this morning!  I bought some great (greenhouse) carrots, spinach and eggs from Just This Farm, and some catnip and radicchio from Combs fresh herbs. 

With winter greens this delicious, you need only drizzle them with some very good extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt.  It made the perfect salad to go with my roasted chicken.

Think About Community Supported Agriculture

Yesterday we talked about planting; today let's talk about having someone else plant for you.  I've been getting a few requests for CSA suggestions, and I thought it would be good to discuss choosing a CSA.  It might be too late to sign up for some of these, I have not contacted them to see if they are full or not, and some of this information might be out of date; the best thing to do is contact them for yourself.

So, what is a CSA?  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  Basically, you pay a farmer at the beginning of the season, and they grow a variety of foods for you, called a "share."  You will be picking up your share weekly, sometimes at a Farmer's Market or a local Co-op.  Pictured above is one of my boxes from Elizabeth Telling Farm, taken in mid August last year.  If memory serves, I also had tomatoes which came in a separate bag.

What should I expect from my share?  Different farmers provide different things.  You should discuss this with potential farmers.  If the farmer sells at a farmer's market, you can also get a good idea of what they will offer in the CSA by seeing what they sell at the market.  Keep in mind, however, that many farmers keep their best products for their CSA subscribers, and may frequently grow things just for their subscribers.  This is true of my CSA; you can only get eggs from the farm as a CSA subscriber. 

How many will the share feed?  This is another thing to discuss with your farmer, and it is very important to consider before paying in to the farm; you don't want things to go to waste.  I have found from my experiences and those of my friends that there is rarely too little.  There is almost always some amount of waste or sharing with friends.  I found halfway through that I had a coworker who would take any of my uneaten salad greens.  I like my CSA because it is perfectly geared towards my living situation: adventurous eating small families.  There is about the perfect amount of veggies for 2 people who don't cook at home every day.  The boxes feature small amounts of various items; some CSAs have loads and loads of things like green beans and kale; suitable for bigger families, or for really dutiful canner/freezer/cook once a monthers.  You might want to consider going in with a friend on a share, especially if this is your first year or you are single or have a small family.

Be aware that your share might start out small.  If you are unfamiliar with the growing season in Central Ohio, you might be disappointed to find your first few shares; expect a lot of leafy greens and radishes.  Once the growing season is well under way, however, there will probably be no shortage of tomatoes, sweet corn, and other veggies. 

It's nice to plan ahead.  This Central Ohio growing calender is a good tool to use when planning menus, whether based upon your CSA share or the Farmer's Market - or both.  You will probably be surprised to find that things like leafy greens last a lot longer when purchased from a farm than the ones you buy at the supermarket, which traveled here from California.  Last year I had bags of lettuce which lasted 2 weeks with only the slightest sign of browning. 

Here are a few CSAs I am aware of, and any details I could find:

Elizabeth Telling CSA - of which I am a subscriber, designed for smaller families, Sandy knows a lot about vegetables and is particularly fond of greens.  She plants continuously and picks greens when very small.  Superb eggs, 1/2 dozen every week.  Also makes lots of fun things like woodland wreaths and onion garlands, occasionally sells goat's milk soap made by her neighbor and helper.  Shares are $350 and go from Memorial Day to Thanksgiving, roughly, and are picked up at the North Market Farmer's Market Saturday mornings.  Call 740.484.0243

Green Edge Organic Gardens - organic, relatively new, these shares are picked up at the Bexley Natural Foods Co-op on Tuesdays (508 n. Cassidy Ave) Shares are $475 for 20 weeks or $250 for 10 weeks (every other week) Call Becky Ronde 740.448.4021

Kame Farm - Shares can be picked up at farm or at Worthington Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.  Shares are $450 for full or $250 half.  Call Karen Johnson 419.566.4268.

Paiges' Produce - CSA subscription includes plants and flowers as well as produce.  $275 half share or $475 full share. Call Brian Helser 740.477.7291.  Shares can be picked up at numerous local farmer's markets - Athens, Clintonville, Lancaster and the Pearl Alley markets. 

Sippel Family Farm - Shares are $545, and pick up is either Clintonville Farmer's Market or Worthington Methodist Church. Call Ben or Lisa Sippel 419.946.1394.

For more information about eating locally in Ohio, please visit the Local Harvest website, which contains a wealth of information.  If you know of any other CSAs in the Central Ohio area, please e-mail me and I will add it to the list.

Pictorial Meditation for Winter

The snow is melting, it's a seemingly balmy 45 degrees outside, and walking around outside is a battle between the ice and the 3 inches of gray sludge on top of it.  Yes, it is late winter in Central Ohio.  Lest we all begin to fear spring and summer will never come, I thought I might prepare this slide show so we might all remember that it's the cold, gray, foggy, sludgey days which make the summer so much more beautiful.  Click on the thumnail to see the larger picture; don't forget to look at all three pages. . . Here's to summer!  Cheers!

(To get your own cool Flickr sideshow, click the "info" button at the bottom of this post - it's very easy!)

CSA & Market Report for November 4th

The North Market was this week reduced to only a few few vendors - selling mostly apples, apple cider, greens, garlic and potatoes.  I swung through long enough to contemplate buying 7 varieties of potato, but dismissed the thought almost as soon as it hit. 

My CSA box this week included rutabagas! oh, how I love, love rutabagas - one of the most ignored of the cruciferous veggies.  I can't wait to make a little pork chop on roasted rutabagas.  And who doesn't love saying roasted rutabagas?  Along with the rutabagas were carrots, potatoes, garlic, onions, radishes, greens (a good thing since my crisper froze everything last week), scallions and eggs.  I have only 2 weeks left for my box and then my body will still wake up at 7:30 on Saturday mornings and wonder why it isn't getting up and buying produce. 

CSA & Market Report for October 28th

Look!  Thanksgiving dinner!  Anyone who has ever been in my parents' house and seen the giant picture of me, as a 4-year-old, standing next to a live turkey, knows I have a sordid past with live turkeys (how was I supposed to know not all creatures want me to pet them!?).  For that reason, I was a little nervous while sticking my camera lens into the cage to shoot this picture, but I really wanted to feature the extra skin over his beak.  I wonder how one would go about finding the real name of that particular body part...Snood!  Just looked it up at kidzone.com.  Snood!  What nice word.

The markets this week were very thin, of course, and it was cold - really cold.  There were still a few diehards out there selling squash, apples, gourds, greens and cauliflower.  I bought my last box of Toby Run shitake mushrooms for the year, and my last peppers, chiles, sprouts and onions from Dearsmans. 

My CSA box this week included eggs, potatoes, bell peppers, arugula, greens, mixed lettuce, cauliflower, bok choy, scallions and bitter greens, which I used to make this yummy bitter green salad.  There's nothing like it when eaten with or after a rich meal; I highly recommend it.  This was a mix of radicchio and frisee with the bunch of arugula thrown in for good measure.  Wash in several changes of water, spin dry, and dress liberally with olive oil, sprinkle over some nice sherry vinegar, cracked black pepper and a good shower of sea salt:

CSA & Market Report for October 21st

Radish pods - aren't they fun?  A strange mix of sweet, watery crispness with a hot radishy bite at the end, good raw in salads or stir fried - I'll let you know what I find to do with them (these came from the Wayward Seed farm).
My CSA box this week included eggs, lettuce mix, mixed mustard and other greens, potatoes, cilantro (which I donated to another, cilantro-loving member), radishes, green tomatoes, and this cute dumpling squash:

And now, a photo montage of my other purchases, most of which came from the Wayward Seed Farm (of course, I also purchased the week's shitake mushrooms from Toby Run, and onions, peppers and Brussels sprouts from Dearsman farms, but you've seen those all a million times before).

Small purple kohlrabi:

Purple scallions and undeveloped cippolini onions:

And a nice bunch of garlic from Just This Farm, who has a new website and is currently accepting orders for turkeys, one of whom I met Saturday at the Farmer's Market.  Furthermore, they are selling boxes of many of the ingredients needed for Thanksgiving dinner for $48, so you can have a local Thanksgiving.:

CSA & Market Report for October 14th

It's getting cold here, folks.  Saturday morning marked the inaugural wearing of corduroy for this frumpy foodie (I'm a generation Xer: I have always had, and will always have, an affinity for corduroy; although my flannel fixation pretty much died with Kurt Cobain).  The markets were thin this week, both in the farmers and the crowds, and they were both filled with pumpkins, gourds, apples & apple cider, and decorative ears of corn.  I toyed with the idea of making a cold storage area in the old boiler room in my basement (what I like to affectionately refer to as my "wine cellar," although we're lucky to have 25 bottles at any given time), but I haven't done it, and I'm not sure if I will - somehow I don't picture myself lugging 100 pounds of squash onions home just to test out my storage ability, but who knows.

We are in that fleeting time of year when all of the greens and root vegetables, because of the chill in the air, are remarkably sweet and delicious.  Not to mention lovely to gaze upon.  Witness this radish:

My CSA box this week included radishes (pictured above), baby greens, lettuce mix, tiny heads of red cabbage, bok choy, eggs, scallions, mixed gourds, garlic, and a pumpkin!  I still have four weeks of my CSA left and only now am I finally to the point where I am putting everything to good use, even if it all goes into the pasta bowl (I did another one of those today, but I'll spare you another garbage-bowl pasta redux).  I am planning to subscribe to the Elizabeth Telling CSA again next year, and I would recommend it to those of you who have been a little disappointed by the lack of variety in some other CSAs.  Not that I am knocking any other farmers, of course, but I think Elizabeth Telling is perfect for adventurous but small families - there won't be pounds and pounds of beans or anything, just about enough to feed one or two people, but there's always a nice variety.  Enough preaching.  On with the slim pickins of the rest of the market (pictured below is my lovely gourd selection):

From Wayward Seed farm at the North Market I bought a little more salsify, since I know I probably won't be seeing it again until this time next year.  It's actually quite tasty raw.  Husband cooked it into beef stew last week and I didn't document it, but I will try to cook some up this week to give an idea of how to use it.  I also bought these lovely, fat little carrots whose name I've forgotten.  They look like little tops.  We discussed the sweetness of carrots due to the cold, and I have been very happy with my carrot purchases from numerous farmers over the past few weeks, so I'll note it for next year: carrots are best in late September through October.  I might even have a little carrot-salsify saute for dinner, who knows.

That was about all for the markets.  I swung through the Worthington market with the express purpose of picking up my weekly dose of Honeycrisps - another thing to get better with the cold are these sweet and juicy apples - one a day keeps me a healthy girl!  I also stopped by Wishwell farms for a jar of their great hot sweet pepper relish and a few pounds of redskin potatoes, now that Arbor Hill Organics has packed it up for the season.  It's hard to believe that something like a potato could taste so differently when purchased from a farmer, but this past week Husband bought a bag of potatoes from a (reputable) grocery store and we both agreed they tasted strangely like dirt, and not in a good way. I am going to miss the pounds of wonderful potatoes I've purchase all year from my farmers.  Maybe I should think about that cold storage area after all . . .