Saturday, June 19, 2021

Bloomingdale Farmers Market: Berry berry good and cheries - oh! Sunday, 06-20-2021

From: Robin
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2021 6:14 PM
Subject: Berry Berry Good and Cherries-Oh!  BFM Sunday 

Blueberries !

Hi BFM Fans,

Even more summer fruits and vegetables this week.  Sweet cherries at Reid, blueberries at Reid and Garner, eggplant and basil and lots of different shapes and colors of squash and squash blossoms and raspberries at Garner. Garner has 4 different green peppers including the long, pale greenish yellow ones I love to sauté with onions and sausages. Next week we will have corn too.

Reid is bringing a lot of their Big Dena tomatoes amd Garner will have Cherokee purples.

All the summer squash are here especially my favorite kousas that are used in the Middle East and Central America. I like to say they muddle rather than puddle because when you cook the, the flavor concentrates rather than get watery.  Cucumbers are out in quantity too. I love to use slices of cucumbers as a base for various toppings: a slather of your own eggplant caviar, whitefish salad, pureed feta cheese.

Create your own own ice cream sandwiches with Whisked cookies. Which flavor do you think will go best with their new creamsicle cookies- sorbet? Never too hot for pie- add a cooling scoup of ice cream to each slice. 

SPECIAL: The Chinese Street Market is celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival this year at the stand wtih DC's Mama Xiaoya's Fujian rice dumplings. These are chilled sticky rice ball desserts that make for a perfect summer treat.

Too hot to cook?  Grill everything outside. Or buy dumplings or pasta: they go from your freezer to your table in less than ten minutes. Fast food the way it SHOULD be.

Notable  this week:

  • Dads love home made brunches.  We have great eggs to start with.
  • Last big week for plants: tomatoes, peppers, herbs at Reid's
  • New Pastries at Pano:  Blueberry Tart, French home dessert fave--Clafoutis, Damien's made with rhubarb and strawberry.
  • Shenandoah has escarole and frisée for Italian and French inspired salads, first cukes and summer squash too.
  • Groff's Content has a huge selection of pastured meats!  Their chicken is really good, says Robin
  • Garner is welcoming summer with eggplant, basil, many summer squash,  sugar snaps, shelled peas, new potatoes, green and yellow beans, bunches of cilantro and parsley. 
  • Number 1 Sons has Super Sours and their rare cucumber kimchi.
  • Have you tried the mixed milk Morbier at Swirly Girl -- and the 21 other cheeses?   Create a cheese platter.
  • King Mushrooms?  Grill or saute them. 

Here is a sample of what we will have at market:

GARNERS PRODUCE: Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, the first 4 varieties of green peppers. 
The beautiful Italian eggplant and the summer squash are begging to be sliced thin and quickly grilled, bunches of basil for Reid's tomatoes, and new potatoes, English peas, sugar snaps. Spring onions go very well with those shelled peas.  Scallions, garlic, carrots, kales, arugula, lettuces, beets, radishes, bok choi, chard, spinach, collards, their own grits, cornmeal, potted herbs and annuals and perennials. 

A nice summer salad is cucumbers, sweet peppers, tomatoes, basil and feta. 


SWIRLY GIRL CREAMERY: 22 cheeses!  
Come check out this spread of cow and goat milk and mixed milk cheeses. Morbier, Goat Cheddar, Onamar, Tomme, Goast Manchego, Tommy Goat, Goat Gouda, Goat Feta, Cow Feta, Curds,Winter Morning, Cowttin, Chevre, Bovre, Marinated Feta, Mira Flores, Farmhouse, Scratch, Garlic Tomme, Brie, Blue Moon, Bhutlah.

Robin tip: grill some young eggplant or some young squash and sprinkled quite a bit of their feta on it. Or heap with pureed feta.  Olive oil, mint.  Could be basil.  

SHENANDOAH SEASONAL:
 Escarole, frisée, cucumbers, squash. The greens and lettuces and herbs are thriving. Dill, parsley, cilantro. Big Romaine heads, spinach and green garlic. Russian Kale, Siberian kale, curly kale, Blue Dazzle Dino kale, collards, Rainbow Chard, Vivid Choi, baby bok choi, purple mizuna. Lettuces (magenta, romaine, lime oakleaf), arugula, zesty salad mix, lettuce mix,  Cherry Bell radish. 

Tip: Terrific greens?  Wash, slice, Toss into simmering salted water and then stirfry briefly with chopped ginger -- or season with Chinese Street Market's chile oils.

KING MUSHROOMS: Grill these mushrooms!  Oyster, King Trumpet, shiitake, portobello, chestnut and maitake this week. Also, tinctures, my favorite Hungarian Mushroom soup ....and marinated mushrooms.  

GROFF'S CONTENT: Chicken and Duck eggs.  Pork and beef and 11 pork sausages and lots and lots of lamb.  Pork shoulder, chops, bacon, pork jowls.Lamb ideas:  Julie's special Leg of Lamb cut for two, Leg steaks for grilling, shoulder roasts, shoulder chops are great in a crockpot.  Have you tried the Denver Ribs -- Lamb spare ribs.  The whole range of steaks and tons of ground beef. Turkey Lasagne and Turkey Pot Pie, Shepherd's Pie, Meatballs in Marinara, Bone Broths, Pork Liver Pate. Ham and White Bean soup. Julie told me everyone needs to try the thinly sliced "Fajita steak"

Best ground meat mixture for meatballs or burgers or loaf: ground beef, lamb and pork.  

CHINESE STREET MARKET: Yes, the dumplings and noodles and the spicy chile oils are back.! Porky and Chinese Celery, Chicken and corn and shiitakes, ,Veggie Medley & Tofu, Eggplant &  Chinese greens. Dandan Noodles. Special: Tsing rice cakes.  Big Steam pork buns, Pork soup dumplings.  Try the stick rice dumplings. 

TIP: keep some packages in your freezer for meals you can put together in 10 minutes.  Perfect to NOT heat up your kitchen.
 

NUMBER 1 SONS:  Super Sours, Crispy Kosher, Half Sours, Sunny Dills, Honey Habs. Ramp kraut, Clean kraut, Snow Miso Kimchi, Radish kimchi, Sons Kimchi, Kicky Kimchi,  Honey Habañero . Masala beets, Golden beets, Giardiniera. Kombuchas (Turmeric Tang, Lavender Fizz, Original Ginger and Many Berry. .

Robin says: pickles are so refreshing. And Super Sours make my New Yorker heart race.

CUCINA AL VOLO:  Don't forget the Pasta Salad!  Pasta Primavera with sliced or diced squash. Pappardelle wtih Arugula, Fettucine with market Shiitakes  Or get a ravioli which cooks in 4 minutes.  I counted 12 different freshly dried pasta choices at their stand last week plus lasagne and eggplant parmesan lasagne.... and all their sauces. 

Freeze them --they go from freezer to simmering water to your plate in 5 minutes.  

WHISKED: Cookies and Pies for every party and picnic and cookout. Try the new "Creamsicles". Make ice cream sandwiches.

Cookies: Chocolate Chip, Salty Oatmeal, Molasses Spice Hazelnut Swirl, Pretzel Cowboy, Snickerdoodle. Vegan: Chocolate Black Out, Lemon Poppyseed, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. Mexican Chocolate has no Gluten ingredients.
Pies: Apple Crumble, Bourbon Pecan, Lemon Coconut, Sea Salt Chocolate Chess, Salted Caramel Apple, Strawberry rhubarb.

PANORAMA: Baguettes, croissants (classic butter, chocolate, rain, almond), sourdoughs, multigrain, whole wheat, Plie, Danish, sticky buns, Breton Kouign Amann, palmier, turnover, quiches, bagels, strudle, bricohes, challah, brioche bun, ciabatta, French boule, French loaf, Foccaccia, Olive seed loaf, pumpernickel, rye, muffins, breakfast loaf, olive oil bun...

Bread Salad:  Buy a little extra bread so that you can make bread salad.  Use bread that is a few days old, tear it into small pieces and mix it with cut up tomatoes that have been salted and oiled. Let those juices mingle with the bread, with basil leaves, sliced cukes and radishes.  And yes, you can add some feta.

REID'S: Tomatoes. Blueberries! Strawberries! Cherries! Big Dena beefsteak tomatoes (greenhouse grown)    Sugar Snaps. Fuji and Golden Deliciious apples. English Garden Peas, summer squash.

Yes, there is Still time to buy and plant those tomatoes, peppers and herbs.

Plus: Apple cider, apple sauce, canned peaches,  apple and fruit butter, various single blossom honeys and maple syrup from neighbors

  • We are welcoming well-behaved doggies on short leashes again.
  • Please continue to mask if you are unvaccinated (or just want to be cautious).
  • Enter and Exit the market at either First and R or R and Florida only
  • Please avoid crowding each other when there are lines at stands

Looking forward to seeing everyone in person.

Robin and Ted
 


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