My Market Year(s)

Yesterday was a good day at the market.  The season is moving on and more farmers now have goods to sell.  I had a great conversation with Michael and Jean of Jones Valley Farms.  They are one of my favorite farms.  The Isthmus Daily Page has a good write up on their stand.  They grow a lot of old world vegetables including beautiful Red Russian Kale that is small and tender.  I think I talked Michael into growing shelling beans for the market this year.

Fresh shelling beans are really wonderful to cook with.  Chef Derek Rowe, at Harvest Restaurant, served them at a market dinner last year.  He cooked them up in a lobster broth and served them as a warm salad if I remember correctly.

I picked up tomatoes and really beautiful asparagus that I used for a Market Party Dinner (post will be up Sunday).   I bought more ricotta salata – a dry salted ricotta cheese from Butler Farms.  They make marvelous sheep’s milks cheese.  When we hit peak of Summer and the squash blossoms are on, I race to their booth to see if they have fresh ricotta.

I stopped by Fountain Prairie Farms’ booth to see if they had more tenderloin tips but alas they were out.   John Priske – the owner – did have some tenderloin fillets that were ends and bits that he offered me at a great price.  So I bought them and look forward to using them in something fun this week.

All these wonderful foods that are just starting to come on are a great sign of Spring.  The onions are getting bigger.  New greens appear every week.   In another month, we will start to see the berries appear and then you know that Summer is really here.

Good conversations with “my farmers” who know me after all these years of coming to their booths make the day great.  The fact that Michael is willing to put in shelling beans based on my whining makes the market wonderful.  Go to the market.  Meet the farmers.  Makes some friends.  Get great food.  What could be a better way to start a Saturday morning.