March 25th, 2010
Just a short note to say that I am re-dedicating myself to this site. Now that a new addition has made his arrival, I have completed a class on websites, and our impending move is planned and just needs to be executed, and I have joined a blogger forum, I am feeling empowered and ready to create and improve upon this basic start of a site.
Farmers’ market season is also about to begin! This is always an exciting time of year for me, both for work and personal reasons. Spring teases with warm weather one day and a nip in the air the next, reminding us that despite any amount of wishful thinking it may be several weeks before those flip flops will be in regular use.
So welcome spring, daylight savings, and a return to writing!
Tags: farmers' markets, Spring, writing
Posted in Spring | No Comments »
September 18th, 2009
As Labor Day meant the bell tolling for the end of summer, now is the time to take advantage of what warmer weather produce is still at market, including juicy fresh fruits. In case you can’t find any more ripe berries at market this recipe also works well with frozen ones. If you can still get your hands on a bunch of berries, by all means get extra and make some space in that freezer! Just put the blueberries on a tray first, and then after they have frozen gently roll them into a bag for the long haul. You’ll be thrilled in winter when a few of those blue morsels bring back the taste of summer sunshine.
end of summer berries
Blueberries are a fickle fruit – they like very acidic soil, need lots of sunshine, can take 3 years to bear good fruit and can take up to 6 years to bear a full and luscious crop. They are also beloved by birds, so plant protection can also be an important factor. Shallow-rooted and in need of sustained moisture, these little orbs are a challenge to grow so either preserving or enjoying them while they last are great ways to appreciate what might be the last of summer’s gifts for the year.
blueberries ready
Blueberry Muffins
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
Dry ingredients:
2 c. all purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
Wet ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 c. whole milk yogurt
2/3 c. granulated sugar
1 t. vanilla
6 T. butter, melted
1 ½ – 2 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Preheat the oven to 400˚F Grease 2 muffin tins (makes 18 -24 muffins depending on size) or line with muffin cups.
In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Gently stir in the dry ingredients, until the mixture just barely comes together. Fold in the blueberries, breaking as few as possible (unless you like all-blue muffins!).
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until cooked through and just browned on top.
Tags: blueberry, muffin
Posted in Breakfast, Fruit, Summer | No Comments »
July 20th, 2009
A few weeks ago, I went to a market in a small town where I saw something that saddened me – farmers re-selling products from warmer-climate states (i.e. Florida, Georgia, California) “because people want their” fill-in-the-not-in-season-yet blank. Out-of-state tomatoes, peaches, blueberries, squash, beans, and potatoes were all for sale by local farmers who displayed these produce interlopers side-by-side with their own grown zucchinis, shelled peas, onions, ‘creamer’ potatoes, and asparagus.
local & non
This on a day where the sky threatened and eventually opened to pour rain yet again, making this one of the wettest planting and early harvesting seasons on record. A spring season which left flooded fields and Maryland crops like sweet strawberries swollen and succulent beets anemic in its wake.
Perhaps the weather was overwhelming me, but the fact still remains: we as consumers are not asking farmers the right questions. Read the rest of this entry »
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June 25th, 2009
Just about every year, in late May or early June, I indulge in a guilty pleasure – one that I can’t help myself from committing, unable to resist the siren call of those delicate orbs blushing golden and calling to me with their perfectly ripe sweetness. Even though they come from the other side of the country and sell for what seems to be an exorbitantly indulgent price, I can never resist: Rainier cherries.
bag o' Rainier cherries
One of a slew of sweet cherry cultivars, Rainier cherries were developed at Washington State University and thusly named for that noble mountain which dominates the Evergreen State’s Cascade Range. A cross between Bing and Van, these cherries are golden inside with a tinge of red on the outside, and are as delicate as they are sweet. Susceptible to rain (which causes the fruit to split), wind (which can lead to bruising when the fruit bumps against others close-by), and temperature (the hotter the temperature the shorter the ripeness window) these are the princesses of the cherry crop and bring princely prices along with them.
So after eating a whole bag of Rainiers over the course of a few days in May – and after ‘accidentally’ forgetting to tell anyone in my house that they were in the refrigerator – you can only imagine my glee to see our East Coast equivalent appear at markets this week. Queen Anne has arrived!
sweet Queen Annes
While Washington State dominates in overall cherry production, with the USDA predicting a crop that will outpace California by 125,000 tons this year, there are some orchards in the mid-Atlantic region that grow beautiful varieties. There are the sour Montmorencys for pies and tarts, sweet ruby red Bings for eating out of hand or enjoying with ice cream, and last but not least the leading lady for snacking: Queen Annes. Often destined for the maraschino jar, this cultivar is considered to be one of the older varieties and has been subject to various names since the 1800’s including Napoleon, White Napoleon, and Royal Ann. Some even posit that this cultivar spawned the most-popular and most-selling Bing cherry.
Queen Anne cherries
Regardless of its jumbled history, the names all capture the singular quality of the fruit: that it is worthy of nobility. Fortunately for us common-folk, our farmers bring us this distinct treat every June to savor and celebrate. So go enjoy these luscious sweet treats with their crisp skins and enticing tenderness – and eat like a queen today!
Queens feast
Posted in Fruit, Summer | No Comments »
June 19th, 2009
What to do when confronted with a slew of spotted strawberries?
strawberry muffins
Recently the market opened with one sole customer willing to brave the morning downpour, no doubt propelled by her vegetable needs for brunch taking place in a few hours. The rain’s dampening of customers and our clothing was eventually overcome by warming temps and drying sunshine, but not before droplets doused the most fragrant crop of the day – strawberries.
market berry crop
When rain lands on berries – or any porous, pockety fruit for that matter – it is quickly absorbed, leading to swollen segments. While still on the plant protection and rescue occurs, in the form of leaf umbrellas and root plumbing piping away water prior to berries bursting. But without their leafy sidekicks strawberries are no longer impervious to water, implode from water spots, and quickly decompose.
In order to avert wasted berry tragedy, one of the farmers and I made a deal that I’d take the two flats of spotted strawberries that remained after filling pints with undamaged goods.
the goods
With the market breakdown behind me, a light lunch of spinach quiche (thanks be to bakers) in my belly, and some restful reading accomplished, I was ready to face the flats.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Fruit, strawberry
Posted in Dessert, Fruit, Spring | No Comments »