My Eating Locally Project 2015: February 0
Well, life kinda got in the way this month with illness and travel playing rather large parts. So, my shopping month was a bit more truncated than I would’ve liked. But, one must roll with the (figurative) punches.
I really stayed with three places in February: Springdale Farm, Boggy Creek Farm, and SFC Downtown Farmers Market.
There wasn’t a whole lot new this month. The winter produce is still coming in: root vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, dark greens, lettuces, and citrus. I’m certainly not complaining; I love my winter produce. But, I will say, I am looking forward to what the spring will be bringing.
I did expand a bit beyond just produce and bought some amazing meats and eggs. The meats were definitely splurge items. But, given the flavor and quality, the occasional outlay is worth it.
Wed., Feb 4.
For my first forays into the new month, I decided on two old familiars, Boggy Creek and Springdale Farms. I not only love both these places for the obvious reasons – fresh organic produce, fresh eggs & dairy, locally made products, homemade treats – but also for the quiet they offer in a city growing way too fast.
My first stop was Boggy Creek Farm. Along with the produce, I stretched myself this time and splurged on some excellent lamb chops and eggs.
My haul from Boggy Creek: Eggs from Coyote Creek Farm, Lamb Chops from Loncito Cartwright, Maria’s Brassica Salad, Baby Lettuce Mix, Romanesco (Italian cauliflower)
Nothing like farm-fresh eggs. It said “large” on the carton. But, I swear some were jumbos.
Personally, I think Romanesco is one of the most beautiful vegetables .
More Romanesco. It grows thick and fast this time of year.
The broccoli and cabbage table.
Jeweled carrots.
Boggy Creek’s salad mixes.
Collards and Kale.
FYI
Spring trying to sneak in.
Lettuces in the one of the fields at Boggy Creek.
My next destination was Springdale Farm. I didn’t buy quite as much there. They did have garlic chives again, though. Yea!
Even if I don’t buy much, I love to simply go to the farm and look around. It’s a great place to simply look at the farm, the chickens, and the yard art and meditate a little.
My haul from Springdale Farm: Beets, Savoy Cabbage, Garlic Chives
Radishes, Savoy Cabbage, Frisee, Turnips, and flowers in jars.
Carrots galore.
Some of the fields and yard art at the farm.
Rows of dill.
baby broccoli in the field.
Looking to the back of the farm stand.
One of the other delights at Springdale is Eden East Restaurant. It’s a reservation-only, weekend-only restaurant. They use only locally sourced ingredients in their dishes. As a result, no menu is the same week-to-week.
Admittedly, I haven’t eaten there yet. I’ve promised myself that I’ll make reservations for Husband & me soon. I know people who have eaten there and they all say the same thing – it’s an incredible experience.
By the way, it’s BYOB.
The kitchen and seating at Eden East.
Love the stove.
Sat., Feb. 14
In anticipation of Husband Steve coming home from a business trip, I headed out to the Downtown Farmers Market to stock up on a few groceries for the weekend.
It was still chilly, but certainly warmer than my last visit in January. At least none of the vendors looked like they were going to freeze.
Chicken from Smith & Smith Farms. I hit a week where they didn’t have fresh chickens available. Still, this one was no more than a few days from the yard,
Phoenix Farms. I bought some gorgeous Brussels Sprouts here. Their produce was lovely.
Beautiful Brussels Sprouts. They comprised part of Saturday Night’s dinner.
The broccoli, cauliflower, and Romanesco at Phoenix Farms.
Red Lettuce at Phoenix Farms.
Kitchen Pride Mushrooms. A brand many of us are familiar with.
Criminis. Always good.
One of my favorite stands – Johnson’s Backyard Garden.
My haul from JBG: Collard Greens, Radishes, Sweet Potatoes, Rutabaga, Celery Root. I was so happy; I rarely see celery root.
White and Gold Cauliflower. JBG.
Rainbow of beets. JBG.
Wall of radishes. Try them roasted. JBG.
Rutabagas and Celery Root. Very underappreciated and underutilized vegetables. JBG.
Collards and sweet potatoes. A symbiotic relationship. JBG.
This is quickly becoming another one of my favorite vendors – Countryside Farm. They specialize in pork and poultry and have some amazing artisan products.
Countryside Farm’s stand. Beautiful artisan products. They’re definitely a splurge.
Cheddar & Jalapeno Sausage. Countryside Farm. It was delicious.
Fresh Lard. Just because. Countryside Farm.
Breakfast at Tamale Addiction.
Pork Pastor with Pineapple Tamales. They were delicious. And big. Two was more than enough.
And, dinner that night…
Valentine’s Dinner, if you will: Roast Chicken; Roasted Radishes, Rutabaga, Celery Root, and Brussels Sprouts; Simple White Rice
Wed., Feb, 25
For my final shopping trip, I went back to the old reliables, Boggy Creek and Springdale. A lovely day, weather-wise, it was not. Every time I stepped out of the car it seemed to be colder.
My first stop this time was Springdale. They were bringing everything back into the farm stand from under a tent in the yard. I guess they just finished a cooking demo or a photo shoot.
Spring is trying to make an appearance. I promise, those flowers are purple.
Rose in the foreground, kale in the garden.
Fennel, lettuce, oranges, carrots, beets
Green Garlic. I never used it before. I bought some anyway.
A big bin of green onions.
Some very pretty posies. Paula said what farm they were from, but I forgot the name. I think she said the farm would be selling this vendor’s flowers come spring. So, there’s that.
One of Springdale Farm’s chickens. The speckled hen is lovely in her own way.
Some new additions to the hen house. Paula told me these chicks are 2 weeks old. She had them in a warm room next to the coop.
As Paula and I were talking about the chickens, I told her that I could watch them for hours. She replied, “We have them for three reasons: eggs, fertilizer, and as the entertainment committee.”
Excellent.
My Springdale haul: Green Garlic, Garlic Chives, Grapefruit, Chard, Baby Lettuce Mix
After Springdale, I headed the roughly half mile over the Boggy Creek. While I didn’t take any photos in the farm stand that day, I did do some wandering around the grounds and took some there.
Red Lettuce growing next to the parking lot. I have to say, Carol Ann & Larry have a lot of faith in their customers not driving into the field.
Green puffs of frisee in a row.
Some lovely red lettuce. Ignore the hose.
One of my favorite spots at Boggy Creek. The bench looking at the fields. When the vines are flowering, it’s gorgeous.
Fields of broccoli (I think)
Some of Boggy Creek’s always busy chickens.
Boggy Creek haul, part one: Dino Kale, Brassica Salad, Sweet Potatoes
Boggy Creek haul, part two: New York Strip from Deer Run Longhorns and ground lamb from Loncinto’s Lamb
Cocao Hull Cocoa Powder from Organicare Farms. I’ve never used this before, so I’m interested to see how it works and tastes. It smells divine, just like good chocolate should.
And, so… On to March.
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As promised in January, here are two recipes using ingredients that I bought at the markets and stands this month.
Shrimp, cauliflower, ginger, garlic, and lime all have a natural flavor affinity with each other. So, I came up with this dish. If you don’t have garlic chives, just substitute 2 – 3 cloves of minced garlic and add it to the skillet when you saute the ginger and shallot.
Apologies for the lack of pictures with this recipe. The taking of photos was pretty much an afterthought that night. Not sure why.
Shrimp & Romanesco
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 head Romanesco, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 c. water or broth
1 tbsp. ginger, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 lb. large shrimp, peeled & deveined
2 tbsp. garlic chives
Lime juice to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, saute the Romanesco for 5 minutes. Add the water or broth, cover the skillet, lower the heat to medium, and steam the Romanesco until it is slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
2. Take the cover off the skillet and continue cooking until the Romanesco has started to brown in spots. Take it out of the skillet and set aside.
Cooking the Romanesco
3. Turn the heat back up to medium-high, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil to the skillet and heat. Saute the ginger and shallot until the shallot is soft, 2 – 3 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are opaque and pink, about 7 – 10 minutes.
Cooking the shrimp. Be sure not to let it overcook.
Add back in the Romanesco, chives, lime juice, and salt & pepper. Cook another 2 – 3 minutes. taste for seasoning.
Everything back in the skillet.
Serve with white or brown rice.
Dinner is served.
This is a recipe that is a nod to my German half.
Again, looking at flavor affinities, apples, carrots, and cabbage all work well together. The anise of the caraway and tang of the vinegar are what gives this dish its German pedigree.
Plus, this slaw is great with pork. Very German.
Warm Cabbage & Apple Slaw
The Ingredients
4 tbsp. butter or grapeseed oil
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
1 small Savoy cabbage, about 1 lb., shredded (in this example, I have 2 heads. They were very small and added up to 1 lb. together)
The shredded cabbage. It’s easy to do: just cut the cabbage in half, and, with the cut side down, thinly slice the cabbage. Instant shreds.
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4’s, and sliced into 1/4″ thick slices
1 lg. carrot, grated
Apples and cabbage ready for the skillet.
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, or to taste
salt & pepper to taste
1. In a large skillet, either melt the butter or heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the caraway seeds and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Cooking the caraway seeds in the butter.
2. Add the cabbage, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook until the cabbage is slightly wilted, about 7 – 10 minutes.
Cooking down the cabbage. I like to use Savoy cabbage in this recipe because it cooks down fairly quickly and has a lighter flavor than regular green cabbage. I love green cabbage, but not for this dish. I find it a little too bitter. I’ve not tried Napa Cabbage.
3. Add the apples, carrot, apple cider vinegar, and a good pinch of pepper. Cook until the cabbage and apples are soft but still has some bite. Taste for seasoning.
Everything in the skillet. This is after about 10 minutes of cooking. The apples and cabbage are soft, but still with some bite.
I served this with the Cheddar & Jalapeno Sausage from Countryside Farms. Husband Steve was a very happy man.
