Saturday May 23rd 2009 - Green Market Update

Saturdays are really becoming a challenge at the market. With the construction and the hordes of people it's almost unpleasant. Almost being the key word, as this is the market with the most vendors and best selection, everything it would seem is a trade off.

In no particular order:

The first sighting of fresh local Morel mushrooms, they were $49.99 a half pound and they were pretty much gone by noon.

Ramps and Fiddle head ferns are over, I was hoping for some fiddle heads to make pickles with, but I guess I waited too long. So I'll just have to make asparagus pickles.

Speaking of Asparagus, there is tons of it, Mostly $4 a pound some more and one stand has it two for $6 (needless to say that's where I get mine).

Second sighting of strawberries, also from a NJ farm, but not in my opinion as good as the ones from Wednesday.

Rhubarb is still going strong and seems to be $4 a pound across the boards. I bought mine from the Gorzynski Ornery Farm, the beyond organic people who I love.

In searching for information on farmers I was on the Council for the Environment's web site and discovered that they had a download-able PDF that tells you all of the names and locations of farmer stands on any given day at the market, made me happy.

Today I'm making an experimental bread from 10 grain blend cereal from Wild Hive farm.
It's all whole grains, in order to eat it they suggest you soak it for about 2 hours in three cups water to one cup grains. Then spend another hour cooking it. I added some salt and when it's cooked and cooled I'm going to add some yeast and let it sit over night. I'm in search of a high fiber whole grain bread that isn't too heavy. More on this later.

Finally in a totally unrelated to the market topic, today is our 22nd anniversary. To think Neil and I were 28 when we met and this year both of us will turn 50. Given how many perished in those early years to AIDS I feel luckily that we survived and doubly so that we have managed to stick it out and bare witness to each others lives. In the end there is nothing better then a dependable dinner companion.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend everyone.