Archives for April 2007
Dane County Farmers’ Market
Here in Madison we have several very good Farmers’ Markets. I usually go to the West Side Community Market held in the shadow of the DOT building. But Madison is known for its large Dane County Farmers’ Market held on the Capital Square in Madison. This market is so bizarre that I’ve always had a difficult time making myself go. The vendors line the sidewalks around the Capital and everyone in Madison shows up to walk, zombie like, clockwise counter-clockwise around the square. Whenever baked goods are encountered the crowd bunches up, forward momentum ceases…it is just ridiculous! Our first visit was frustrating because we didn’t know about the counter-clockwise rule…we were like innocent fishies swimming upstream against the current, oblivious to the status quo.
But because I’m looking for rabbit (so I can make the Conejo Colorado that Homesick Texan blogged about last week) we went downtown to the Capital Square Market. I did see some fresh ramps that looked good and I bought a rack of lamb from Sylvan Meadows Farm and an ostrich tenderloin from Golden Dreams Ostrich Farm. But no rabbit. My favorite moment was when a quartet of musicians played Springtime For Hitler.
Tonight we had a spinach salad with smoked pork jowl lardons, eggs, and grilled ramps. I dressed the salad with a black currant dressing that balances a sweet fruitiness with a tart top-note from the white wine vinegar. Due to my extreme laziness I refused to chop herbs and shallots so instead I added some Sunny Paris seasoning blend from Penzeys. It’s a lovely blend of purple shallots, chives, green peppercorns, French basil, French tarragon, chervil, bay leaf, and dill. here’s the recipe:
Black & White Dressing
2 tablespoons black currant jam
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon Sunny Paris seasoning blend
salt
Throw all of this in the blender and pulse until well blended. Enjoy.
Admire my arugala, lust for my lettuce
Vermont Valley CSA’s Spring Share is better than christmas. After a long, cold winter with very few fresh greens it is a true embarrassment of riches today. We’re site host for Vermont Valley and although we only have a few Spring Share subscribers I thought I would begin a weekly feature of What’s In The Box. I’ll share photos, descriptions, recipes, and meal ideas for the veggie delights that our CSA box offers us weekly.
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Saute Mix is a mix of spicy, savory baby greens like Red Giant Mustard, three other types of mustard greens, Mizuna, and something called Green Wave (?). We’ll eat this raw for snacks, dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar for salad, and as a bed for grilled or sauteed meat or fish. It is really versatile with a sharp flavor but a tender bite.
Bok Choy is always great stir fried with some onions and mushrooms. This head is compact and heavy and I’m looking forward to using this as a side dish with some chicken.
Dream Farm fresh eggs…these always have huge bright yolks and firm whites. I love them for omelets, baking, salads, etc..
Spinach will be used with a couple of those eggs hardboiled and some Willow Creek Farm bacon or smoked jowl to form a delicious spinach salad.
French Fingerling Potatoes I’ll gently steam these and then toss them with some nigella, black mustard, cumin, fenugreek, and fennel seeds that have been toasted and sauted in oil. They’ll be a perfect combo of spicy and creamy.
Salad Mix was delicious and we always eat it on Thursday evening because it has the shortest life expectancy. Simple is best with this ultra fresh and flavorful mix…a dash of olive oil, red wine vinegar, sea salt, pepper, and a grate or two of Parmesan.
Radishes would be lovely with some fresh butter and sea salt…unfortunately they never last long enough for me to get that together. But they are so crunchy and good.
Ramps I love these in soft and creamy scrambled eggs and I’ll be be adding some wilted ramps to the spinach salad.
Arugala with its peppery kick this bunch will find its way into the spinach salad to add some zest and tang.
We also got a head of Oscarde red oakleaf lettuce that I’ll use to top sandwiches or burgers that I’ll be making for dinner tomorrow night.
Storage of these tender vittles is always important. If they need an extra wash, like head lettuce, I”ll soak them in a sink of water and spin them dry. Sometime I’ll also wrap them up in cotton towels to absorb any excess water. Once they’re dry I place them in ziploc bags, gently remove any excess air, and seal them up. I write what they are on the label (I reuse these bags as long as possible) and I store them in the produce drawer with the heaviest items on the bottom. Last but not least I make a list of the items and stick it on the refrigerator so I don’t forget what I have…crossing off items as I use them. This way we’ll eat everything by next week and the order that we eat the items is determined by their storage potential. For the rest of the spring and summer our meals are determined by what comes in the box or is available at the Farmers’ Market. Hallelujah!!!
Dave and Barb Perkins grew all these vegetables in their hoop house. They, along with the Vermont Valley workers, take care of these plant like they’re babies…we appreciate it.
Naturally fizzy, fuzzy, Izze
A few years ago GH and the boys were hooked on sodas like Coca Cola. Gradually it became obvious to GH that the high fructose corn syrup sweetener in the Coke was giving him an upset stomach. So GH cut back and then stopped drinking Coke and he felt much better. Alex was drinking at least two Cokes a day, the boy was seriously addicted, then he saw Morgan Spurlock’s movie Super Size Me and he gave up Cokes. Dexter was never hooked on Coke…he was a Jones Soda man. While it’s good that Jones in made with cane sugar it’s also true that its made with ALOT (it’s usually between 30-40g per 12 oz…but I can’t find the nutritional data on their website) of cane sugar. Dex didn’t give that up on his own…I’ve just refused to buy it. Our refrigerator is always well stocked with both still and fizzy waters and good orange juice in glass bottles that the milkman delivers every week. So they have lots of choices.
When I was at Willy Street Co-op yesterday I saw a drink that I’ve never noticed before. Izze is a sparkling water, fruit juice blend and it is just tasty. I really like it because it has the fizzy, fuzzy sparkle that I like but with a fruity flavor that isn’t fake and not to heavy. Dexter likes it too. So it seems as though I’ve found an alternative to sweetened drinks. Here’s a comparison of the nutritional data for fresh blueberries, Izze, Coca Cola, and orange juice:
The healthiest choice would be to eat the blueberries and drink a fizzy water with it. But if you’re looking for a healthy, flavorful alternative to soda then Izze is a good choice.
Is there a way to make an Izze-like drink so it could be more local? I can get Wisconsin fizzy water but how would I flavor it? Wisconsin isn’t really known for it’s fruit and juices. Okay dear readers, I know you’re an intelligent group…any suggestions on how to make a local fizzy juice drink? Also, what is your favorite beverage? Leave me a comment with your thoughts and ideas.
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