Athens Farmers Market

Toyota Farm To Table Tour a Success!

2009-09-23T08:52:00.007-04:00

The Toyota Farm to Table Tour was a huge success! Our chefs did an amazing job preparing food! Zoe, Salaam, China Fortune, Casa Nueva, Tigers and Strawberries, Jana's Soul Food Cafe and many more (please comment on those folks I didn't mention!) It was awesome to see all of our chefs dressed up and preparing food for our community. They looked hot!

I feel so much pride to have seen everyone's menus made with products from our local producers and farmers from the market! So many creative ideas from rabbit to pork belly to lamb, combined with fresh tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and herbs. GO ATHENS COUNTY CHEFS AND PRODUCERS! You made us all so proud!

Seems like our customers had a great time, too; I have never seen our market so packed. Folks got to have free samples of all the amazing food, test drive Toyota hybrid vehicles, get really cool cutting boards, buy all the local produce they could carry and have a generally good time at the market. The weather was perfect and sunny and everyone was in great spirits. We hope to see all of you at many more future farmer's markets. Thanks again for all of your support!

Squash It! was a smash....

2009-09-21T10:47:00.006-04:00

20 entries! And over 150 shoppers sampling lots of delicious foods!
Thank you to the Squash It! participants who donated the ingredients and volunteered their time and talents preparing their dish, transporting it and serving it! Your efforts brought a lot of happy smiles to shopper's faces and several locals who were hosting out of town guests were especially proud to show off the hospitality all of you provided!

Thank you to our judges for the great job they did! We had five for our final competition of the year:
Chris Daw Chef, Fur Peace Ranch
Dixie Cantrell and Brenda Shaikh Vendors at the Farmers Market
Sue and Alan Boyd Members of the Friends of AFM

Thank you to the members of the Friends of the Athens Farmers Market who helped - some for 1 hour, some for 3 hours! It takes a lot of organization and willing hands to make our Cooking Contests happen! You know who you are! Know that you are appreciated!

Finally, our congratulations to the winners! Because there were so many entries including 3 soups, the judges awarded a best soup prize in addition to those given in Sweet and Savory categories. They also had 2 ties.

Best Soup
Autumn Squash Cheddar Soup w/ Sizzled Sage Olivia Chambers

Savory
1st Spaghetti Squash Bake Terry Vest
2nd Summer Squash Casserole Karen Hart
2nd Squash Casserole Carol Schloss
3rd Beef and Squash Constentine Faller

Sweet
1st Pecan Pie in Pumpkin Shells Patricia Black
2nd New England Squash Pie Mary Christy
2nd Pumpkin Pie from the Book of Buck-skinning Tom Winland - ---- (Thank you Neil Cherry for bringing
3rd Pumpkin Cake with Carmel and Candied Nuts Josie Grace your neighbor's entry from Morgan County!)

Mark you calendar for October 17th, the 3rd Saturday in October, for Stone Soup! We've got 2 chefs (Portable Kitchen Certified.) They'll have the big pots fired up and we'll be making soup on the spot! We'll need Friends to buy ingredients on the spot, help chop, stir and partake!!! Hope to have soup for all around noon. This is our thank you to the Vendors for a great season!

See you t the Farmers Market!
Lynda and Joe Berman

Something to Tide You Over

2009-09-15T16:28:00.004-04:00

Usually, I write about the beautiful array of produce found at the AFM.

And I took lots of photos this weekend during Saturday market featuring said produce and the Toyota Farm to Table Tour.

BUT, I am at home, with dial-up (I know, right?), and desperate to post SOMETHING to tide you over! There is an amazing product that is not sprouted from the ground to be found at our market.

If you will, observe to our left the most incredible glazed confection I

have found there yet. A homemade doughnut from Zook's Baked Goods. You can get them one at a time or half-dozen on a plate (I don't know if I can post prices here, so I won't, but whatever it is, they are WORTH it!).

These are not just any doughnuts... they are homemade (as in, scratch) by Amanda. And these doughnuts are NOT for shoving into the face. You can take a huge bite if you like, but you absolutely must savor the glorious, glazed, melt-in-your mouth goodness that these doughnuts are.

What an experience. I'll never eat a doughnut from anyone else.

Upcoming Events!

2009-09-05T16:44:00.005-04:00

Summer is winding down, humid hot days replaced with crisp nights and foggy mornings and days filled with cool breezes and sunshine-filled blue skies. And with the wane of the summer comes the wane of summer produce. Here and there at market these past two weeks, I've heard farmers tell of the "last of"s. The last of the plums and peaches, the last of the patty pan squash and blackberries.

But never fear! The end of summer is only the beginning of fall (my FAVES!). I hear more and more "til frost"s. There will be eggplant until first frost, and peppers. And coming on? Winter squash of every variety (butternut, acorn, crookneck), beautiful multi-colored corn, pawpaws, pumpkins, funny lookin' gourds, ground cherries, and still, tomatoes and peppers until you're drowning in salsa and sauce! Ah, we are blessed.

I wanted to let y'all know about the fun that is coming up at the farmer's market this month!

First of all, the Athens Farmer's Market is kickin' it every Wednesday and Saturday from 10am-1pm. It is so good to see you all there!

Second, come check out the market next Saturday, September 12 for the Toyota Hybrid Farm to Table Tour. There will be up to 12 chefs from all of your favorite restaurants (Casa Nueva included!) that are paired up with farmers (and their products) from our wonderful market doing cooking demonstrations and giving out free samples of delicious foods! This is a great opportunity to experience the endless possibilities of recipes that can be concocted from foods that you can buy seasonally and locally from our market. You can also meet the chefs and the vendors and learn all about their products. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to test drive Toyota's third generation Prius or 2010 Highlander Hybrid; really, it doesn't get more fun. This tour has been to markets all over the country, and we are happy to have been selected and we welcome them!

The next fun event on our market plate is on Saturday, September 19. The Friends of the Athens Farmer's Market will be putting on the "Squash It!" cooking contest. Wanna enter the contest? You can make a sweet or savory dish with any type of farmer's market squash you can find. For more details, visit the Friends table at the market! Last year's contest was a real smash...

And finally, this is not a market event, but some info and a shout out! One of our vendors, Integration Acres, is a major sponsor of the Ohio Pawpaw Festival. This event will be on September 19-20 at Lake Snowden; as a result, Casa Nueva will not be vending at the farmer's market on Saturday, September 19. Stop on by after the Squash It! cooking contest! Casa will also not be at market on Wednesday, September 23, as we will be debuting our Autumn menu. Come celebrate the autumnal equinox that day after 5:00pm to experience some delicious new menu items that include products from Shew's Orchard, Cherry Orchards, Integration Acres, King Family Farm, Green Edge Gardens, The Herbal Sage, Shade River Farm and more!

Coming soon... pics of autumn harvest! As the leaves turn shades of bright orange, yellow and crimson, we look forward to seeing you every Wednesday and Saturday at the Athens Farmer's Market!

Jr. Chef School #3!!!

2009-08-15T16:08:00.003-04:00

Jr. Chef School #3 is coming up this Wednesday, August 19 from 10am-12noon. The theme is Super Pasta, the guest chef is Chelsea Hindenach from the Village Bakery, and this event is FULL! I know Chelsea has plans to teach the kids to make some delicious food using as many ingredients as possible from the Athens Farmer's Market; so if you're at market this Wednesday, you'll be sure to pick up on the yummy scents of summer food and see kids having a great time learning how to prepare it.

I'm gonna take this moment to recap on the last two Jr. Chef Schools that occurred this year. The first one was with guest chef Jennifer Baldwin from the Village Bakery and she had a blast teaching the kids how to mix up some great tasting Berry Pancakes using local berries from some of our farmers. The kids got to go shopping and learn where their food comes from and how it's grown.

Some of the same kids had such a great time, they signed up for Jr. Chef School #2 with guest chef, ME! I also had a blast making Breakfast Burritos with my group. We visited several growers of produce and bought all kinds of fun veggies, as well as eggs, cheese, salsa and tortillas.

These kids were already so skilled or extremely helpful in the kitchen! They learned how to or helped to wash the produce, chop veggies, saute veggies and whisk and scramble eggs. Then they learned how to wrap all the ingredients up in a tortilla for a delicious breakfast burrito, and they did SO well. I was so impressed; I mean, it took me a good 6 months to learn how to roll a nice tight burrito. Way to go, Jr. Chefs!

There were 10 kids in each class, and they all got their own aprons, bandanas and cookbooks. If they didn't like cooking before, I bet they do now! I heard from many of their parents that they'd never seen their kid each such-and-such veggie; now they like it and know they can get it at the AFM!

And as a matter of fact, I know one of my Jr. Chef students made the 3RD place prize for his delicious souffle in the "3 or More" Cooking Contest put on by the Friends of The AFM on Saturday, July 18!

It was a really good time for all, and I feel fortunate that we were able to do this at our farmer's market. Thanks to Bob Fedyski and Sarah Conley-- I borrowed your pics from the Ohio Foodshed website for this post. See you at Wednesday market!

A Verified Grower's Valley of Green

2009-08-07T18:59:00.011-04:00

A few weeks ago, Green Edge Organic Gardens, an AFM Verified Local Grower, hosted their 3rd annual Open Farm Day. After all these years of buying food for our home from them at the farmer's market, to casual conversations with Becky Rondy, one of the farm's proprietors, to working with Becky and her husband Kip to procure their delicious organic produce for our restaurant, my partner Andy and I realized we'd never been to see their farm! Andy made some amazing cole slaw for the potluck and we headed out to Amesville to see where our food was coming from.

The meal was great-- one thing I can always be sure of when going to a potluck in Athens County is that the food is going to be incredible. There were many creative dishes with fresh, local ingredients in them, including ours, which had cabbage from Cowdery Farm and carrots from Rich Organic Gardens.

Then came the awesome tours! I was so amazed after we hiked up to the microgreen house to learn that the sprouts that I eat on my salads come from soil that has been recycled for 10 years! Kip showed us thick sunflower, and delicate radish and buckwheat sprouts, all of which are healthy and delish. The soil they use is full of earthworms, eating up the roots of the sprouts that have been cut to sell, pooping all along the way, thereby fertilizing the soil and replenishing it for the next batch of seeds it will receive and nourish.

Rob then took us to the mushroom house, where they're growing shiitake, and yellow, white and blue oyster mushrooms. The environment in the mushroom house is carefully controlled-- temperatures must be cool and the humidity just right to grow the succulent fungi, but no other molds or fungus. Rob had the task of mopping the floors with bleach water after we left to keep contaminants at bay. It was cool to learn that Green Edge obtains even the spores for the yellow oyster mushrooms from folks down the road from them.

Next, we went down to the valley to check out the gardens. Green Edge is home of the Athens Hills CSA. Community Supported Agriculture is a great way to eat fresh, local food while providing wealth to your local economy and getting to know the farmer and the farm that your food comes from.

Cale and Dan, the farm's manager, showed us fields of potatoes growing, bushy with tiny white flowers.

We walked by the greenhouses full of shiny tomatoes and thick, glossy basil to the other garden, where we saw raised beds popping feathery dill and bright salad greens. The new concrete walls are an attempt to help protect the crops from flooding, which this farm struggles with yearly in their valley.

We ended with long, wide rows of deep purple eggplant in striking contrast to the light, wide leaves of summer squash, introducing blossoms. This place is enormous to me; I can't wrap my brain around this five acres of food. If I was trapped on that farm with everyone there, we'd have plenty of veggies for years to come. I deeply feel the absolute dedication that was put into developing the land for a beautiful, prosperous farm here. Years and years of hard work and vision made this possible. I think about it every time I eat their greens and microgreens. Check out their stall at the AFM on the east side of the main aisle for flavorful salad mix, mushrooms, eggplant, microgreens and more!

Some of My Favorite People pt. 2

2009-08-03T16:00:00.004-04:00

Late summer and it's time for lots of beautiful fruit at the Athens Farmer's Market! There are many folks doing fruit well here, and one of them happens to be Cherry Orchards.

My restaurant has been working with Cherry for years. The owner, Neil, is one of the sweetest, kindest, most gentle people I have ever met and he has a beautiful passion for fruit. I love all the different varieties of everything that he grows, and he is so knowledgeable and ready to give out samples! Gary and Tina, who work for him, are also some of the nicest people around. I always have admired how they vend, rain or shine, with NO TENT! They'll be standing in the rain selling apples and peaches, and always with smiles on their faces. For years, Casa has gotten beautiful fruit baskets from Cherry, overflowing with bunches of grapes, plums, peaches and apples, and they are admired by everyone who comes to our stall. Their fruit is incredibly delicious! You can find them at the end of the east side of the market near the Market on State sign, across from Harmony Hollow (and his TOKENS HERE sign!).

Some of my other favorite fruit people are Pete and Marjie Shew of Shew's Orchard. Again, Casa has been working with the Shew's for many years; we get a whole slew of different varieties of apples from them, as well as apple cider vinegar, apple butter and lamb cuts. And again, some of the nicest folks I've ever met. Sometimes Marjie brings wool from her lambs to spin into yarn (that she then sells), which is very cool to watch! Pete is in the Back Porch Swing Band, and occasionally they play at Casa, which is a huge treat. Bruno and I are happy to call Shew's Orchard our neighbors at the market because it's not so far to haul bushels of apples when we're picking up for the restaurant, and they are great company. You can find them at the east corner of the T on the main aisle. Additionally, Marjie makes tasty jams and mustards, and if you love cherries like I do, you MUST try her cherry jam!

I'm gonna take this paragraph to inform you all that unfortunately, Casa's high aspirations to be at the Farmer's Market this Wednesday, August 5 and Saturday, August 8 are in vain. We are getting new flooring in our kitchens and prep areas and it looks like it will be impossible for us to be in there to bring you anything. So please accept our apology and look for us on Saturday, August 15! We look forward to seeing you then!

Music at the Athens Farmers Market

2009-08-02T15:05:00.002-04:00

Flyaway Saturn showed up to play at the Aug 1, 2009 market...

No Casa Nueva at Market on What Days??

2009-07-29T17:46:00.003-04:00

I always forget to write certain things in my posts. Especially those things that are somewhat important to you, as our faithful or potential customers. This is info you want to know!

Casa Nueva will not be attending the Athens Farmer's Market this coming Saturday, August 1 or Wednesday, August 12.

This Saturday, Bruno has a family obligation and I have a long day of inventory to get through, so we won't be able to make it. From August 5-13, our restaurant is closed for renovations, so we won't have much to bring with us, but we WILL be at market Saturday, August 8 with a very limited supply for y'all to purchase (albeit not the 12th).

Thanks again for your continued patronage! See you on the 5th!

A Midsummer Market's Dream

2009-07-29T16:12:00.031-04:00

So much fruit! Many different types of peach covered with soft down, blushing deep orange and pink on yellow skin, begging to be bitten. Shiny yellow and purple plums full of sweet, juicy flesh.

Fat blackberries full of flavor and delicate pink and yellow raspberries ready to dazzle your tongue as the ultimate sweet-tart. A lone strawberry struts her stuff, making her presence known in this late summer month.

Knobby, craggy canteloupe and bright green striped watermelon engorged with refreshing summer juice. Is your mouth watering yet?

Sweet growing things are not the season's only focus. The bounty is upon us in the height of summer and is overwhelming with intense color and fresh flavor that can only come from these local vegetables found at the farmer's market. So many varieties of gorgeous red, orange, yellow, green and purple tomatoes! If not for this market bringing together the farmers that grow these essential morsels, our community would surely be malnourished.

Multicolored bell peppers crisp with sweet flavor, crinkly hot peppers that set your mouth ablaze and my personal favorite, the forest green shine of poblano peppers, with their earthy, spicy heat! I get these from Cowdery Farm, and they call them anchos. Technically, anchos are what poblanos are called when they're dried, but I'm not picky about what they're calling them. They are delicious and I highly recommend them!

Come check out the market soon. I took these pictures at today's Wednesday market and though it poured rain and was gray and cool outside, the bright colors of the wide array of produce kept the customers coming with their own rays of light emanating from their smiles.

What you missed (or not!)

2009-07-28T17:24:00.004-04:00

I finally snapped a photo of the delicious wineberries I bought at last Wednesday's market. I had my birthday this past Sunday and got to enjoy the berries with my sisters for a birthday breakfast after a birthday sleepover (yeah, I'm now 30, and no, you're never to old to have a sleepover!).

As you can see, wineberries are very similar to raspberries, albeit smaller and a bit more stout. Although they have a slightly dark rosy color, the berries had been in the fridge for a few days, so they darkened a bit more, and they're shiny like blackberries. They are juicy and soft with a very mild sweetness, but not really a distinctive flavor. Wineberry seeds were more easily crunched than those of raspberry, so they didn't stick in my teeth as much! Of course, personal perception is always subjective...

I learned from the Proffits that this berry is an exotic brought from Asia in the 1700-1800s to be cultivated as a garden fruit. As exotics will do, they escaped into the wild. The Proffits found some growing wild on their land some years back and took cuttings for personal cultivation. Now we get these delicate little treats for but a short time in the month of July.

I'd heard a rumor that they were good with vanilla ice cream. It's true, all that they say; I did try some with ice cream. But their flavor and sweetness are so subtle that I preferred to eat them sans accoutrements. Perhaps you can try some, too, next July!

Video: Musicians, Shoppers, Winners

2009-07-19T07:38:00.002-04:00

Easiest Ice Cream... EVER.

2009-07-18T18:59:00.004-04:00

That's right! I completely forgot to leave my favorite, easiest ice cream recipe EVER for you! I started off making this ice cream with strawberries, but since cherries are in season and they are my favorite July fruit, I make it with cherries and sometimes little pieces of dark chocolate. Are you ready for the Easiest Ice Cream Recipe Ever? Here it is!

EASIEST ICE CREAM RECIPE... EVER!

1 1/2 # Cherries from Gillogly Orchard (whatever variety you like-- pitted!)
1 1/2 C Milk from Snowville Creamery
3 C Heavy Cream from Snowville Creamery
3/4 C Sugar
1/3 C Maple Syrup from Shew's Orchard
2 Tbs Vanilla
***1/4 C Triple Sec from Lucky Dog ;)
Dash Sea Salt

Now you can throw the cherries and some milk into a blender or food processor and blend, then whisk all the rest of the ingredients together. OR, you can put all of the ingredients in a pitcher and blend with an immersion (stick) blender (my favorite method!).

Then, pour into your ice cream maker and let 'er rip until you have some killer ice cream (make sure you share with your loved ones... me, for instance). If you want to add chocolate bits, make sure you process your ice cream until it looks like firm soft serve, then pour the chocolate bits in and let the motor (or hand crank it) run for another minute to distribute. If you add the bits in the beginning, they'll all be at the bottom of the canister.

Enjoy!

***Editor's Note from MishFish: The use of triple sec in this recipe is two-fold. It creates a mild orange note. But most importantly, alcohol lowers the freezing temperature of your mix; it gets between layers of ice and makes your ice cream smooth and scoopable instead of hard as a rock. And the amount is so insignificant that it will NOT get you drunk! You can use as little as 2 teaspoons if you like.***

The Season of Plenty

2009-07-18T18:29:00.003-04:00

So, here's a quick reminder about how summer is the season of plenty! See those tarts? You can get them at Casa's table. They are full of berries and rhubarb from Art Gish of Dutch Creek Community Farm, Rick Vest of Vest Berries and Bonnie Witten of Witten Farm. You know why they're blurry? 'Cause it's hot out (well, it SHOULD be hot out) and you're getting all dreamy and woozy when you think of how good they are!

Blackberries, peaches and cherries are in full swing, and I don't know about you, but I love to get me some of the different varieties of cherries that John Gillogly has at his stall (Gillogly Orchard). My favorite summer fruit! I also had the chance to try wineberries from Proffitt's Farm; they look like raspberries, but have a mild, sweet flavor of their own. I'll get a pic next time I have the camera.

Seriously, summer is the time of plenty for produce, but never forget those delicious meats available: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, buffalo, oh my! Harmony Hollow has the bacon that people fight tooth and nail for (don't let that deter you from trying that sweet, smoky maple-y goodness). I got some ground buffalo today from Dixon's Elk Run Buffalo Farm (low in fat for those of you who care, and DELISH), and ground beef from Shew's Orchard. Remember that when you're at King Family Farm's stand buying turkey brats, and Charlene's sweet smile is making you blush, ask JB about the many different varieties of Swissland's cheese that they bring. Talk about a market and season of plenty. We are so blessed!

BOY, have I missed this blog! It's been a minute, I know. Things just get so busy at a restaurant sometimes... it's no fun to go this long without sharing some pictures and recipes and fun farmer's market info, though! It is my favorite "shift" of the week. Please look forward to pictures and news from the Jr. Chef School front (this past Wednesday we made breakfast burritos with yours truly as the guest chef and it was a smashing success!), as well as the "Three or More Cooking Contest" hosted by the Friends of the Athens Farmer's Market. And recipes!

Invitation to Open Farm Day!

2009-07-03T11:28:00.003-04:00

GREEN EDGE ORGANIC GARDENS
INVITES YOU TO OUR

OPEN FARM DAY
SUNDAY JULY 19TH, 2009
2 PM TO 6PM

WHO: YOU, YOUR FRIENDS & RELATIVES

WHAT: COME FOR A FARM TOUR, HAY RIDE, POTLUCK FEAST WITH
YOUR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS & PERHAPS SOME GOOD
MUSIC FROM OUR TALENTED COMMUNITY.

WHERE: GREEN EDGE ORGANIC GARDENS
16232 HENRY ROAD
AMESVILLE, OHIO 45711

WHY: WE WOULD LIKE TO MEET YOU & SHOW YOU WHAT WE DO
AROUND THE FARM.

PLEASE BRING: A DISH TO SHARE
PLATES & UTENSILS (DRINKS & CUPS PROVIDED)
QUESTIONS FOR US, YOUR FARMERS
(NO PETS PLEASE)

QUESTIONS: PLEASE CONTACT US AT (740) 448-4021 OR AT
greenedgegardens@verizon.net

WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE!

AFM among the top 5 best Markets in US!

2009-06-26T10:46:00.002-04:00

Okay friends of the bloggisphere - I'm counting on you.....
We're participating in the localharvest.org/care2 Favorite Farmers Market contest, which relies on VOTES from happy Market customers from around the country. PLEASE take a moment to vote for Athens Farmers Market, and then tell 25 of your friends to vote too. We currently have 247 votes *which rocks* but we need a lot more - Durham FM has over 800!

We can do this, people!!

VOTE TODAY.

Our very own honey bee....

2009-06-22T09:48:00.004-04:00

I couldn't resist posting a link to the feature story in last week's Athens News. Jenaye Antinuccio wrote a fantastic piece about Jack Cantrell, our famous beekeeper (and AFM treasurer) that gave the reader a true glimpse into Jack's unique world tending hives. He is a truly remarkable person, and a great guy to have around.
Check out the story online.

Berry Delicious Bake - Off!

2009-06-22T09:42:00.004-04:00

Saturday was the first cooking contest this season - the Berry Bake-Off. We had some fabulous entries and happy samplers. The Friends of AFM pulled it off again, making Market a bit sweeter with each and every bite.

Here's our first place winner, Autumn Wallace, with her scrumptious Summer Berry Buckle with Blackberry Sauce, Vanilla Sauce and Cantrell Honey Ice Cream.

Late Notice

2009-06-10T08:49:00.003-04:00

Good morning to y'all with RSS! Just sending y'all a message to let you know that it's Wednesday and again, there is a huge-massive storm headed towards Athens. When it rains, we must obey our budget, which means Casa Nueva won't be at the Farmer's Market.

Incidentally, our baker was very ill last night so she couldn't bake our usual variety of delicious baked goods.

It's also graduation week here at OU! So our restaurant is a bit taxed and we don't have very much to bring with us. But we will for sure see you on Saturday. Until then, guacamole dreams and biscuit wishes!

Some of My Favorite People (Part 1)

2009-06-03T09:25:00.008-04:00

These folks are some of my favorite market people. Assistant manager Kip and Market manager Sarah are faithfully at market with the rest of the vendors every time we have a market. I'll have to get a pic of Joe soon!

Sarah is usually around on Saturdays, making sure everyone has what they need, answering questions, dealing with any problems that arise and being a source of upbeat, positive energy. Plus, she's one of my best friends and she loves our guacamole.

Kip is usually around on Wednesdays and is so helpful and friendly. He helps us set up and I enjoy chatting with him and watching him eat our brownies.

Larry is the Cowdery of Cowdery Farm, and they are where we get all of our jalapeno, poblano, cayenne, habanero and Hungarian wax chilies from that go into our salsas, seasonal dressings and other dishes at the restaurant. They have the most gorgeous set-up at market come the height of the season! Imagine all the colors of the produce rainbow from the deep reds, oranges and yellows of tomatoes and bell, sweet and hot peppers to the greens of, well, greens and summer squashes, the blue hue of fresh broccoli and the deep purple of savory eggplant and more peppers! Amazing!

Thanks to you, some of my favorite market people! You make our experience so positive!

I am writing this as Wednesday market is going on. Unfortunately, Bruno feels under the weather today and we are not up for a potentially very rainy day. But we will see you all on Saturday! Until then, dream of tartlettes packed with local fruit...

Is it Summer already??

2009-05-27T15:10:00.017-04:00

I think it may be summer. Ok, so technically, it doesn't begin for another month and a half. But what's up with the weather here lately? It's been in the 80's (although it's not the 90's yet!), humid, sticky, random afternoon thundershowers. And the beautiful, bright colors of summer lighting up our lives at this Wednesday's Farmer's Market.

Oh, the seductive scent of strawberries lingered in the air this morning while the humidity rose. We were parked next to Vest Berries today and across from Witten Farm, so how could we miss it? Strawberries make me want a lassi. Let's make one! Here's a lovely Casa lassi recipe!

Casa Nueva's Strawberry Lassi (for parties!)

1 1/2 C Filtered Water
3 quarts Plain Yogurt
1/2 C Honey (try some from Cantrell's!)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
Juice of 1 Lemon
3 C Strawberries (check out berries from Vest Berries, Witten Farm, Cowdery Farm, Yankee Street Farm, and the list goes on...)

Put all of these ingredients into a gallon-sized pitcher. Use an immersion blender to blend thoroughly, and then pour into tall glasses. Stick straws in the glasses. Garnish the tops of the glasses with a couple of slices of strawberry, and then drink deeply for good health.

Cowdery Farm had a beautiful display of crisp green beans, luscious cucumbers, colorful basils and gorgeous red and yellow tomatoes! I happily bought some of their green beans and snapped a few pics of their mouthwatering produce.

There were so many photo ops today, what with all the amazing things everyone was offering. I bought deep green heads of broccoli from Vest Berries and itty bitty baby zucchini from Proffitt's Farm. The owner told me that the very first zucchinis that pop up on his plants don't get pollinated, so he cuts them off, rather than let the fruit rot. After he does this, the plants seem to really flourish! And then he gets to bring these babies to market to sell to folks for dipping in some ranch dressing (or Casa Nueva's Creamy Garlic salad dressing!), or for cutting in half and stir-frying. That's what I'm doing for dinner tonight!

The torrential rain didn't dampen my spirits today. There were many vendors with a variety of products today! Wednesdays are a great day for zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, apples, strawberries, honey, eggs, pork, angus beef, peas, green beans, breads, sweet treats, jams, jellies, cheeses, herbs and greens! Oh my!

And salsas! Did I forget to mention salsas? Come visit Casa Nueva's table and get yer fresh, locally made salsas! We use Ohio tomatoes and delicious peppers from Cowdery Farm and Shade River Farm. See you this coming Saturday!

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

2009-05-15T13:37:00.003-04:00

Casa Nueva won't be at the Athens Farmer's Market this Saturday! You can find us vending at the Nelsonville Music Festival! So stop on over at the market and then head out to the festival for some great local music and more local food.

But don't worry. We'll be back this coming Wednesday, May 20.

Until then, salsa dreams and tortilla wishes!

Wednesdays=Kids Day!

2009-05-09T16:00:00.008-04:00

WOW. I forgot that sometimes Wednesdays are kids days at the Athens Farmer's Market! We heard a rumor that there were some 2nd graders coming to visit us for a field trip last Wednesday. Then, suddenly, there were four busloads of them! And they were ecstatic to be at the market.
Sorry to the parents and teachers who had to deal with potential sugar highs due to excessive brownie consumption (hey, at least most of them split them in half!), honey sticks from Cantrell's or delicious fruit popsicles, but your kids had a total blast! I think the moms of these kids were very pleased, too, when their children brought home lots of beautiful flowering plants from Mitch's Produce and Greenhouse or Cherry Orchard as Mother's Day presents. Those sweet littles! Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there!

This past Wednesday was kind of like a Saturday in terms of business and vendors. It was our third week and every week we see more people coming to vend and more customers coming to buy. Last Wednesday, we were lucky enough to be next to Cherry Orchard and all of their beautiful green and purple basils, cilantro and dill. The colors and scents were so vivid on that gray day!

I bought some long, slender stalks of purple and green asparagus from Gillogly Orchard, as well as some gorgeous, plump, hot pink stalks of rhubarb (I was informed that the more pink they are, the sweeter they are!). Beautiful, shiny, bright zucchini from Cowdery Farm and crisp, dark green spinach from Sassafrass Farm completed my Wednesday shopping.

This morning at Saturday market, we were blessed with another windy day, but it did feel great outside. Bruno and I shared some Garlic and Cheese stuffed Fougasse from Avalanche's stand and some refreshing Vanilla Chai tea from The Herbal Sage Tea Company.

When I wasn't ladling salsas, I was staring at all the cool tomato, basil, sage and parsley starts that Yankee Street Farm has, or listening to all the funny things that Will Dewees from Appalachian Flowers was shouting out ("Best deer repellent ever! It's like a six-legged dog in a bottle!"). The musicians next to Shew's Orchard were playing some great tunes on the guitar and my friend told me about the delicious looking ribs he just bought from King Family Farm.

How can one not do cartwheels down the aisle with all the choices products you can find at the Athens Farmer's Market? Find out this coming Wednesday!

Strawberries and Asparagus!!!

2009-05-06T14:15:00.002-04:00

Ah, spring is here and the sweet, early fruits and vegetables of area farmer’s labors are starting to crop up at our local Farmer’s Market. This is a fantastic time to head out to the Market. Grab the kids and make an event out of it. At the Cantrell Honey and Candle booth, Mr. Cantrell gives each child a honey stick. At the Avalanche Pizza booth, as well as many others, there are little bits of treats to taste. Last week Emma and I made sure that we arrived at the Market just in time for the bell to ring and the vendor’s to open for business. We usually go straight to Harmony Hollow for that delicious bacon, but our priorities this time were strawberries and asparagus! We quickly located Cowdery Farms booth and joined in the rapidly filling up line for the first strawberries of the season. As we waited in line I watched the strawberries selling out right before my eyes - luckily, there was one container left when it was our turn. $3.00 is a small price to pay for those first sweet strawberries of the season. After we purchased them I felt slightly guilty as the line behind me dispersed in sadness. It will not be long now before strawberries are a common occurrence at the Market. A local U-Pick farm, Vest Berries, will soon provide enough berries for all. I considered including ideas on how best to use those berries in a recipe, but I have to say that eating them straight out of the basket while you are still at the Market is the best way to enjoy them. Emma’s berry-stained face and dress was a beautiful sight to see……
Our next priority was finding fresh asparagus. I know what you are thinking – eww, asparagus? Let me tell you a secret I have learned about this short-lived treat – fresh-picked asparagus is the ONLY way to eat it. Asparagus has a short season – only a few weeks. In ideal growing conditions it can grow 10 inches in 24 hours! Asparagus is highly nutritious and contains no fat or cholesterol. I located fresh asparagus at the booth of Rich Gardens Organic Farm. I bought a large bunch, anticipating sharing it with family and friends. Much to my dismay the BBQ was cancelled and I found myself with a large amount of asparagus to eat all by myself. I was concerned about it going to waste – but the good news is that it was so delicious I only have a couple of stalks left! Below is a super simple recipe to prepare fresh asparagus, although raw asparagus is also very good. Once I tasted how delicious it was I wished that I would have made some pasta to go with it – next time!
Ingredients:
Asparagus
Olive oil
Butter (the butter is for extra flavor, optional)
Salt
Pepper
Pour about a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a skillet, add about a tablespoon or so of butter and heat on medium high. Once the oil is hot and the butter melted, throw in the asparagus. Sautee for just a few minutes until it is warmed through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Did you know that the EBT card is accepted at the Farmer’s Market? Check in with Harmony Hollow Farm booth and Rich will get you set up with the tokens accepted at most of the booths. What a fantastic way to have access to fresh, locally-grown, healthy products!

The proof is in the produce.....

2009-05-06T11:57:00.002-04:00

As many of you might have suspected.....it can be more affordable to shop at your local farmers market after all.

Check out this recent article.