Pretty much the first thing I did after arriving in Colorado, was visit the Crested Butte Farmer's Market. I visited last year, and remember it being pretty great... but what I didn't remember was how this tiny town's market puts all the Maryland Farmer's Markets I've visited to shame. Seriously, Maryland... we need to step it up! Their brutal winters and extremely short growing seasons hasn't limited them... what's our excuse?
I figure those who are in Maryland might be a little miffed at this point... so, don't take my word for it! Here's a picture tour from the market! (Warning - this post is picture heavy! Give it a minute... it's worth it!)
Can't beat the location!
My mom could not have been more excited about these Fava Beans! She's been on the lookout for them earlier in the season in Florida and now here... It's apparently the last week for them, so she loaded up!
Baby squash! So cute!
Circle A had 4 kinds of garlic?? Yes, please! The Spanish Roja was quickly dispatched into spaghetti sauce last night. The cloves had a beautiful red color, and the flavor was amazing!
Fresh apricots! I never did find any at home.
Freshly made crepes... because every farmer's market has that...
They even have the dreaded kohlrabi.
Kids love beets? These kids do!
Not pictured... the bluegrass band, the smoker BBQ station, the massage booth, the jewelry and other art... And all dogs! This area is dog crazy! It's awesome.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go have goat cheese and pumpernickel bread for breakfast.
I'll leave you with the sunset from my first night here.
Loving CSA season already! Yay local Maryland produce! I managed to get through all but the garlic chives and mint last week. I know, I know... those were the easy ones. I don't know what I was thinking picking mint as my herb. I already have two plants taking over... one in the aerogargen and one in a flower bed. So, when I made my strawberry mint jam, I used fresher stuff that I picked from around here.
Fresh onions (2 bulbs) - All gone already! One used when I made bison tacos the other night, and one used while making fried rice tonight.
1 1/2 pounds kale + collards
3/4 pound Swiss chard
1/2 pound bok choy - Destined for the grill!
1 pound turnips (scarlet queen and hakurei) + radishes (pink beauty) - some of each... on accident. And I can't tell them apart now.
1/4 pound lettuce
A few seedlings (same options as this week with the addition of lettuce) - Tomatoes and parsley
1/2 pound carrots or 1/4 pound spinach - Felt like I had enough greens, no?
I bolded my picks.
I recently bought a book that I'm LOVING. . Yes, yes, yes. It's a beautiful book, primarily a cookbook but I hesitate to call it just a cookbook. It has these great profiles of local people involved in producing Maryland foods. Restaurants, farms, wineries, you name it. The list of resources is worth it alone... but the recipes... It's organized by season. By MARYLAND season. Love ya, California, but local cookbooks written by CA authors... well, they don't quite capture the joys and challenges of Maryland seasonal eating.
Last week's kale was used in the Risotto with Fresh Greens and Basil. I used purple basil grown right here inside the house. My arm almost fell off while cooking it... but yum. Plus, it reheats fairly well. Gotta love more than one meal for the price (and effort) of one. Especially when it's a little more effort than usual.
Then, last night... Oh, I'm so proud!! I made a souffle. ON A WORK NIGHT. Yep, loving the new work schedule. So, the recipe is for a Spinach Cheddar Souffle. Well, you might remember how I didn't take the spinach - and even if I did, it wouldn't have been the 1lb called for. And, um, I may have been out of cheddar. So, Kale/Swiss Chard Swiss Souffle it was. Plus, I also substituted the half and half for milk. And didn't measure the butter. And it turned out. Did I mention, it turned out?
Recipe: Kale Swiss Souffle
Summary: Adapted from Dishing Up Maryland by Lucie Snodgrass
Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
1 lb spinach leaves, washed and chopped (Or Kale/Swiss Chard. They mean chopped... in little pieces. Take note.)
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced (I used 2)
4 tbs butter (Probably smart to measure this...)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups half and half (I used whole milk)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper (I used black)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup) (I used smoked swiss)
3 eggs, separated
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
Heat oil in large skillet. Add kale/swiss chard mix and garlic (chopped in SMALL pieces. Trust me.) and cook over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, for around 5 minutes. If you're using kale or swiss chard, you might want to start cooking the stems a couple minutes early. Drain the greens and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375. Butter (or, if you must, spray with cooking spray) a 2 qt souffle dish. Melt the butter with in a medium saucepan over low heat and then whisk in the flour gradually - stirring constantly. Stir until smooth and bubbling.
Gradually add the half and half (or milk), continuing to cook and stir over low heat until the sauce thickens. (Note: if you are using milk, it may not get truly thick. Go for thick-er.)
Stir in salt, nutmeg, pepper and cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat, stir in yolks, and then greens.
Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high. Stir until stiff peaks form.
Add 1/3 of the mixture to the greens/cheese sauce, folding in. Fold in remaining green mixture. Pour mixture into souffle dish and bake for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes clean.
Marvel at your work, and serve immediately.
Diet type: Vegetarian
Number of servings (yield): 6
Meal type: dinner
Culinary tradition: French
Microformatting by .
So, check it out...
Kale/swiss chard from
Eggs from
Milk from
Butter and Swiss Cheese from
I'll say that both recipes were fairly labor intensive, but definitely worth it. I can't wait to try more of the recipes either. As you might expect there are quite a few featuring crab. I'm sure they're awesome... but I'm allergic. Excuse me while I hide so I'm not deported.
Quick check in to update on my progress with all the great CSA goodies...
bunch garlic scallions (young garlic plants that have a strong garlic flavor) - nothing yet
1 1/2 pound combination kale and collards - possibly cooking tonight... with bacon, garlic, olive oil... possibly those garlic scallions?
1 bunch herbs (onion chives, oregano, lemon balm or mint) - Either the strawberry mint jam will get made tonight, or mojitos!
1/4 pound radishes - You can indeed pickle radishes! The jury is still out on how they ended up - I'll share the recipe if it's any good.
3 seedlings (we have a mix of herbs (cilantro), tomatoes, flowers, kohlrabi, and other odds and ends) - It was raining last night, so I didn't plant them. Nor do I really have a place, since all my cold season things are still in the "garden".
1/2 pound combination spicy mix or lettuce OR 1 pint strawberries OR 1/2 pound asparagus- Roasted and enjoyed last night. Yum!
1/2 pound rhubarb - Really... no idea. Possibly a strawberry/rhubarb baked good?
The you-pick strawberries were dispatched last night. Most were destined for the strawberry sorbet I will complete tonight. The rest were sliced and frozen for future use.
All in all, I'd say the lack of ridiculously long commute and lessened work hours is starting to pay off!!
I'm continuing to enjoy a few days between the old job and the new job, and decided to devote a portion of today to strawberry jam. Clagett Farm (my CSA) was offering You-Pick strawberries to members, so I high-tailed it over there! I ended up coming away with about 2 1/2 pints of the freshest strawberries I've ever had. But, the recipe calls for 4 pints. I figured I could hit the farmer's markets this weekend to supplement the rest, but then I remembered - the Amish Market!
They had a nice spread with lots of in-season produce. Kale, rhubarb, spinach... and, oh look! Beautiful strawberries. I did a lap though, because I felt odd about what was about to happen next. Once I got back, I waited until other customers weren't around anymore. I gingerly walked up to the older Amish lady, took a breath, and said:
"I know this is a silly question, but you guys don't use chemicals on your strawberries, right?"
(I'm sorry, but I'm mostly uncomfortable grilling the workers/producers at markets. It's my own issue, but I have trouble with it. And it's the Amish. They're a little scary, and... AMISH.)
And my answer:
"I have no idea what they use on them. They're from California."
Oh, ok. Nevermind then.
Now, I knew they sell produce from other places. (Evidenced by the Dole sticker on the bananas.) But, strawberries are in season! Seriously? Seriously?! At least in a conventional grocery store, I can get certified organic!!
I've been slowly trying to move towards natural laundry products over the past year or so. This hasn't been that hard for me since my oh-so-sensitive skin has never allowed me to use any of the "fun" laundry stuff. Dryer sheets, fabric softener? Not so much. About 6 months ago, I started using vinegar in the fabric softener slot, and I've really been happy with it. No issues with smelling like a salad - at least not that anyone's mentioned to me!
We've still been using an anti-static dyer sheet though (with 5 cats, we need something!), which I don't like at all. Aside from the cost, it makes me nervous that I don't know what's in them. And, yeah, it's another thing to throw out, but the thing that really annoys me is that I find them laying around everywhere. Apparently it's very difficult for boys unnamed household members to pick them up when they're done with their laundry. So this weekend I picked up some . I thought I was buying Nellie's brand, honestly, but hey, it's what I found at the store. I can't speak for the longevity of the product just yet (which was what the Amazon reviews didn't like) but I've been pretty pleased with them so far. I wouldn't say it stopped all of the static, especially on a fuzzy fleece pullover, but it's a pretty good alternative to dryer sheets so far.
In the meantime, I've been trying to focus more on local foods and seasonal flavors. I'm usually pretty terrible at this, my stomach wants what it wants. And it's usually pretty random and unhealthy. Seriously, for a few months, I was obsessed with Pei Wei (a PF Changs - version of take-out chinese) and I could (and did) eat there 3-4 times a week. Switching to local and seasonal foods is a lot like electroshock therapy re-training my stomach. I've started doing this by focusing on high quality ingredients. Last week I ordered an amazing smoked swiss cheese and some freshly cured, thick bacon as part of my weekly milk and eggs delivery from . Last night, I thought about doing a simple cheese, crackers and apple slices dinner, but figured Jay would ask where the real dinner was after we finished. So, I grilled up some a paninis using the swiss, 1 1/2 slices of bacon each, thinly sliced granny smith apples and a teeny, tiny bit of honey. It was out of this world.
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