Friday, June 17, 2016

Bloomingdale Farmers Market: First cherries, come early

From: Robin Shuster
Sent: Friday, June 17, 2016 3:17 PM



Begin forwarded message:
From: "Markets & More"
Subject: First cherries, come early
Date: June 16, 2016 at 6:55:15 PM EDT

Hi BFM Fans,

Happy Father’s Day on Sunday and please treat the men in your life to a market brunch!  And if you do not feel like doing much cooking, we have Whisked quiches, Cucina Al Volo Pastas  and sauces (ready in 4 minutes), strawberries and pies or cookies for dessert.  And think about grilled kimcheese sandwiches…served with pickles.


Yes, Reid and Truck Patch will have their tiny, sweet, earliglow strawberries  But this week I want to rave about SUGAR SNAP PEAS, the curvy, crispy, round-podded cousins of the flat snowpeas. Their official category is edible pea pod— I prefer their old-fashioned names: sugar peas or butter peas and what I love about them is that their pods are as sweet as their peas. No shelling needed. You should cook them very quickly to keep them at their best: sweet and crunchy. A quick dip in boiling salted water or a flash stirfry with ginger and garlic is all they need if you want fast food they way it should be.

Like all peas, they enjoy the company of mint and here's a nice little trick for them with lettuce:
http://hogsbackfarm.com/recipes/?p=393. Or try this one with ricotta and mint. 

Early birds will also get the first field tomatoes at Garner but they will go quickly too.  Probably the last week for Spring strawberries but the everbearing variety continues in small quantities all season.  So, if you have not jammed or ice creamed or syruped,  grab them this week.  Blueberries start next week.


MUSIC:  Olivia Mancini is back by popular demand.

This Week at the stands:

WHISKED:  Strawberry Lemon and Strawberry Rhubarb, Simply Rhubarb, Apple, Salted Caramel Apple, Sea Salt Chocolate Chess. Quiches for brunch: Asparagus and Goat Cheese, Bacon, Cheddar and Onion, Spinach, Basil and Sundried Tomatoes. Spring Greens and Feta.  Lots of cookies which also make lovely dinner gifts.

NUMBER 1 SONS:  Pickle brine to add to your gin and tonic? The bartender at Left Door told us about that last night.  Pickle brine to marinade some pork?  New York style pickles, kimchi, krauts, curtidos, salsa so verde and a dozen other fermented vegetables.  Great on rice, great with grilled meats or vegetables. And Garner is growing a lot of those cukes for them.

MOUNTAIN VIEW: Certified Organic Carrots, garlic scapes, sugar snap peas, sweet Charlie strawberries, lots of head lettuce ( butterhead romaine and summer crisp) kales, lots of collards, beets and greens,  lavender, mint, oregano, scallions, bok choi, mustards greens, summer squash and nasturtium flowers

GARNER:  Field tomatoes have just started. Zucchini, yellow squash, Bonita, Golden Zucchini, Patty Pan, Cucumbers. Candy Onion bunches, Swiss Chard, beets and greens, lettuce mix, Sugar Snap Peas, Sweet peas, Kales, Green beans, White sweet Japanese turnips and greens, Kohlrabi, Cabbages, Carrots.  And I saw skinny little yellow wax beans at their stand at 14&U last week.  Just like French haricots verts -- except they are yellow.

CUCINA AL VOLO: Matteo, Daniele (and Rolando) create Florence in DC: fresh pastas and fresh filled pastas, authentic sauces and soups.
The pastas cook in less than 4 minutes and they are gorgeous.  Smoked paprika orange fettucine, deep purple beet fusili, ravioli stuffed with homemade burrata.....Pasta and a salad make a light, elegant lunch or dinner.  In about 4 minutes. Perfect for a hot day.

PANORAMA: French bakers from Brittany bake us baguettes, croissants, sourdoughs, whole wheat, whole grains, breakfast pastries and a huge tent of baked goodies.

TRUCK PATCH: Famous for their pastured pork (get that bacon) and earliglow strawberries and greens.  Spinach, chard, mesclun, arugula. Beets. Asparagus.  Sausages and chops for the grill too.

REID: Strawberries — they were wonderful last week.  Sugar Snap Peas.

KESWICK CREAMERY:  If you have not tried their brand new Cider Hill Cheese, run to the stand.  It is the best new cheese I have tasted in a long time.  Serve it at room temperature.  They crafted it to go with artisanal ciders.  Yogurt for the strawberries, Wallaby and Vermeer or spicy Dragons Breath for the grilled foods or kimcheese sandwiches. Feta to go with Garner’s first field tomatoes and cucumbers and mint. Quark for spreading on Pano toast — what cream cheese wishes it could be. 

See you Sunday

Robin, Ted and Ted


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