August

My, my, my....where did the summer go? August is just around the corner and I'm still waiting for the lazy, hazy days of summer. Football (go Cougars!) and soccer (go Fusion!) practices start in the next few weeks, school registrations are due tomorrow (and still on the counter), school starts in 21 days....August has always been a busy month for us even before we started farming!

Usually the trend at the markets has been for business to drop off dramatically about the 2nd week of August. Hopefully, this year, we won't see that trend happen; with the great crowds we've been experiencing at ALL our markets, I hope that all of you have found that eating locally, seasonally and more healthy is more than just something "cool" to do. It is a lifestyle choice--committing to eating better. Plus, your food dollars go further at the market! The food you buy is fresh and won't spoil as quickly as store-bought. The variety of different foods available at the market: tomatoes, eggplant, onions, peppers, potatoes--all are significantly better tasting--because they are fresh (and grown by really great people!).

August has been our month at the market to focus on eating locally and preparing meals using all or mostly locally obtained ingredients. It is easy for our family to eat locally, because we've usually got something in the garage that we've just brought back to the house. Now, we've sold TONS of veggies in the last few weeks: what have you folks done with it? I know that a lot of you shop on Saturday AM with the intention of having friends over that night--what did you have for dinner? Was the entire meal local or just one dish? Did you use anything from your own garden (you get bonus points for that!)? Tell me! Leave a comment about the fabulous meals that you have been fixing using your bounty from the market! Super-volunteer Caroline Fox wrote in the Market blog about her 1st meal back from vacation using her Mitchell Farms CSA share for that week. So, comment away! Tell me about one of your local meals/dish that you have made this summer!

August is the beginning of the end, too. Plants and flowers have mostly reached their peak and will start winding down, preparing for winter and spreading seeds. Usually by this time, the lawns are dry and brown. Not this year! Now, you may enjoy a verdant, green lawn that all this rain has brought us. We, on the other hand, sincerely wish it would stop raining for about 3 more months! All the frequent rains have wreaked havoc on our zucchini, squash and cucumber crops and we are experiencing massive crop failure. Too much rain means rot and fungus and that translates into no squash or cucumber goodies for you! At this point, many of these crops are too far gone to recover, so the availability of these will be limited. Much more moisture will also have an impact on our fall crops, too. Such are the pitfalls of farming.

Changing gears....what hasn't failed?

• Watermelon! We will have red seedless watermelon this Saturday from the small personal sized ones to some big, feed a crowd melons. Yellow melons will also be there--these are just as good as a red watermelon, but think with a hint of peach or plum. So very sweet and juicy and good for you!
  
• Cantaloupe--The early crop is just now coming into its own. There were a few last week, but will will be loaded down this week. We are still picking the Early Queens and will be transitioning over to the larger varieties as the season continues.
• Sweet corn--Our signature crop--we will have plenty of corn this week. Now is the time to put some up for winter. How wonderful at a winter dinner party or Thanksgiving to pull some summery goodness out of the freezer?! Or maybe a nice hot bowl of corn chowder or veggie soup? Grab an extra dozen and freeze it. I promise it won't take more than an hour to put up 12 ears for the freezer!
• Tomatoes--vine ripened, juicy, tasty, some are just flat out ugly! I firmly believe that God intended for tomatoes to taste good, not look good. Their beauty is on the inside! As a former tomato-avoider (I should start a club!), resistance was futile and I assimilated into the club of enjoying summer tomatoes. I still can't just cut one, but as a topping for bruchetta or in gazpacho--I'm there. We have some very, very good hybrids and our heriloom tomatoes are outstanding! Bill has outdone himself this year, as heirloom plants & fruits need a little more TLC. The result is some stellar tomatoes!
• San Marzano Italian tomatoes-these torpedo shaped tomatoes are in the Roma tomato classification and are used for making tomato sauce, paste or any dish where not a lot of juice is desirable. I've used these to make sauce with fabulous results--it cans very well. A quick fresh sauce recipe: rough chop one heirloom tomato and 2-3 San Marzano tomatoes, one medium or half a large sweet onion chopped medium, 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced, salt & pepper, fresh oregano. Put tomatoes, onion and garlic into sauce pan over medium heat. Cook until tomatoes have broken down. Add salt & pepper to taste. Add finely chopped oregano. Serve over pasta, sauteed or grilled veggies or on toast!
  
• Eggplant--one of the more underutilized veggies-we'll have the regular purple aubergine, striped Antiguas, a whole pile of Asian varieties and some white eggplants.
• Sweet Onions
• Maybe, maybe some zucchini, cucumbers & squash
• Bell Peppers
• Giant Marconi grilling peppers
• Sweet banana peppers
• Hot peppers: jalepeno, hot Hungarian and others
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Carrots--something new at the Mitchell Ranch--we think we've figured out how to grow these guys finally!
  
• Potatoes--Think potatoes are just the medium for eating butter & sour cream? Fresh potatoes have so much more flavor and texture. You won't be able to go back to store bought (which by the way can sometimes be quite old before they get to the store).

Dave Berchtold is our musical entertainment Saturday. He is a superb performer with a smooth voice and great musical style. Plan on hanging around and listening for a while, have some coffee and a bakery treat and enjoy yourself!

For the Skipper fans, he thanks you for your interest and wonders, indeed, why I don't write about him more often!

Trifecta

Today, we complete our trifecta: sweet corn, cantaloupe and watermelon! However, there is no gamble in getting cantaloupe or watermelon from us: they are ripe and ready to eat. Also, no jostling around on a semi or sitting in a warehouse....straight from the farm to you! I didn't ask Bill which variety of seedless red watermelon there are, but they are so good! As a service to all our customers, we test and test how our produce tastes before it comes to you! Ah, the sacrifice!

Thanks to everyone that got the cantaloupe-gram and came by to get one or two (or five)! In produce farming, we expect a certain amount of waste either with produce that hasn't sold or doesn't meet our quality standards. One of the quirks about cantaloupe is when they are ripe, you need to have a plan for what to do with them. Bill was puttering around at the farm Sunday and decided to check out the patch of early melons. He ended up bringing home about 100 cantaloupe with no place for them until Tuesday! Needless to say, the plants keep producing and we have about 150 MORE for Tuesday, plus Sunday's bounty.

This is where our e-mail list and our fantastic customers come in. I sent out a "Help! Drowning in cantaloupe" e-mail and several of you came to our rescue. If it didn't work out for you, I know ALL of you would have come by if you could have. I don't know if there will be an other opportunity like this in the future, but you can bet that I will let you know!

Like I said, it's watermelon time. I much prefer watermelon to cantaloupe and don't mind hefting the large orbs in and out of trailers. It makes setting up for a market a little more challenging since we can't toss the watermelon like we do the cantaloupes. Market goers on Saturday got a treat--we needed to put more cantaloupe on the table and the fastest way was for Bill to "toss" them to me over about 12'-14' distance. We usually employ a gentle toss with some height to allow the catcher time to get in position. Not on Saturday. This was major league, 90 mph fast ball throwing. Did I mention that most of these melons were in the 5-7 lb range? Bill threw blind because he was looking down at the next melon to determine if it was still good or if it had crossed the line into yucky (happens fast in this hot weather). I caught every single one, and they were coming fast. The show gets better when we start tossing our BIG melons that top out at 10-12 lbs.

Now is the time where your canvas bags really come in handy! Bags don't like being left in the car or at home (they've told me this !) and just love coming to the market to be filled with all kinds of good food. We do have official Mitchell Farms Produce canvas bags for sale. I haven't had them out at Normal due to more veggies than table space. If you are interested, let me know since I usually have them in the truck. They are $20 and are a heavy duty canvas with the MFP logo embroidered on one side. They also make great gifts! (end shameless plug!).

What will be going into your bags today?

• Red, seedless watermelon--first of the season, sweet and juicy
• Cantaloupe--there will be a pile of these--no need to have them "ripen" on the counter--ready to eat, cut up a few and have a healthy snack for the rest of the week
• Sweet corn--If you haven't had any yet, what are you waiting for?
• Zucchini--I have a recipe for zucchini cobbler--desert that is good for you!
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Asian eggplant
• Leeks
• Carrots--this is the first time we've successfully grown carrots. Allie is very proud of them! She weeded the entire patch by herself a few weeks ago and has been very concerned about their progress. She harvested the carrots and leeks by herself last night while Bill was busy with the melons.
• Sweet onions--these make the best onion rings
• Sweet banana peppers
• Hot Hungarian peppers & jalepeno peppers

The market starts at 3:30 and runs until 6 pm. Old Time Jam will be entertaining us this afternoon, so plan on staying to hear a few tunes!

Rain or no rain: place your bets

If we sold umbrellas, would more people come to the market? Just a thought......actually, the turnout was outstanding despite the almost constant rain. Thank you, thank you Bloomington-Normal market supporters for showing all the farmers how important fresh, seasonal and LOCAL produce is to you. For your support, we'll keep our end of the bargain and continue to bring fabulous food to you in the months and years to come.

Tip: When it rains, don't stand under the edge of the tents--water will unexpectedly dump down your back! I think I got more wet from that than the actual rain.

An idea that was born back in February/March as an off-shoot of the Sustainable Living & Wellness Expo (you should go!--its great!) was to some how, some way, get locally grown foods into area grocery stores. Would it work? Who would grow the produce? How far away is local? Would produce managers even talk to us? Two members volunteered to investigate possibilities and report back. We thought then that it may be a year or two before we saw something concrete.

Well, concrete happens this Saturday. Barely six months after this concept was discussed, the Local Food Committee and Schnucks will partner to showcase local farmers and their produce. Guess what Mitchell Farms Produce will have there......sweet corn. I know, big surprise.

To kick this off right, Schnucks on Empire St will be hosting a mini-market with a "Meet The Farmer" twist. The Schnucks market will be from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm on Saturday, July 26. Bill will be there from 3:30 to 4:30, so if you've ever wanted to chat with him, now is you chance. He'll be less distracted than at the Downtown market, so stop by and say hi!

We also could use volunteers to help out at this market as well--to assist with Chef Sally Davis preparing samples and also local food advocates to be on hand to talk to other customers about the benefits of local food and knowing the farmer. If you would like to help (you don't have to commit to the entire time), please drop Elaine a line at bloomington_farmersmarket@yahoo.com or stop by the Market tent Saturday morning downtown. Or come see me.

I won't be a the Schnucks market--we're having a birthday party for Allie. For those who know her, Allie has been helping us at the market for the last few years. As her math skills increase, she has been more of an asset and willingly gets up at 5:45 am for the market. She turned 9 this Wednesday and eight of those years, we've been farming, so she hasn't know life without lots of fresh produce and farmer's markets. Allie has always been eager to help out on the farm; even as as tiny 3 year old, she insisted on helping us move cantaloupe. She's a great girl--so stop by and wish her a happy birthday!

Since we're having a cook out Saturday night (after the kid party and two markets!), I know what I'm fixing--what will you have?

• Sweet corn--The best around! Tell your neighbors & friends all about our corn--sweet, tender and creamy. Let us know if you want a large quantity (more than 6 dozen) to freeze for the winter.
• Tomatoes--We should have a good quantity of tomatoes this week. Some of our best have been the heirlooms: Pink Brandywine & Purple Cherokee are two fantastic varieties. Both have amazing flavor and are solid tomato--not watery!
• Cantaloupe--There have been a few here & there this week and we'll have a bunch Saturday. These are an early variety (Early Queen) and they are just fantastic. Very sweet and flavorful. Melon lovers--rejoice!
• Green beans
• Green peppers
• Sweet Banana peppers
• Variety of hot peppers--hot Hungarian, jalapeno, and some others--can't remember!
• Eggplant-purple & striped
• Asian eggplant--these skinny fruits are perfect for stir fry. No need to peel--perfect if you haven't tried eggplant before.
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Summer Squash
• Sweet onions--perfect for onion rings!
• Garlic--fresh garlic CANNOT be missed!
  
• Cherry & grape tomatoes
• anything else that's growing that I missed!

Get your canvas bags out of the car, bring them to the market and get something good for dinner this weekend. August is just around the corner and we'll be starting our eat local campaign again. This would be a good week to practice making a local meal or a dish featuring local ingredients. Send me a picture and I'll feature your local meal!

Banana Pepper appetizer

This is a recipe that shows up all summer at our house. It is crazy easy to make and guest ohh & ahh every time. I received this from a young market attendee a few years ago and misplaced the recipe card that she gave me with her name. I remember that she was a remarkable young lady and was home schooled--if you gave this recipe to me, let me know so you get the credit!

Other than the panko bread crumbs (in the international section of most grocery stores) cream/goat cheese (goat cheese may be showing up yet this fall!), ALL items are available at the Bloomington Downtown Farmer's Market.

Stuffed Banana Peppers

8-10 banana peppers

8 oz cream cheese or goat cheese

2-3 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled

1/4 c sweet onion, chopped finely

1/4 c Cheddar cheese, grated

Panko Bread crumbs

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Wash peppers. Lay pepper on its side and remove the top 1/3, leaving on the stem. Carefully remove the seed pod and white membrane. Use gloves if necessary.

Combine cream cheese, bacon, onion, cheddar cheese, salt & pepper. Spoon cheese mixture into pepper shells, mounding up cheese.

Place panko bread crumbs on a plate. Turn peppers upside down in the panko crumbs and place on a baking sheet.

Bake in oven at 350° for 7-8 minutes. Turn broiler on for the last minute to brown the panko crumbs if necessary.

Trailside market this Tuesday

Continuing another week with fantastic produce and steady support from customers, I'm ready for another Super Tuesday in Uptown Normal!

Last week, we had the only locally grown sweet corn at the market--remember to ALWAYS ask the vendor if they grew the produce they are selling. Is it really fresh if it came from a wholesale warehouse? Know your grower; know their produce. I love that many of my long time, repeat customers are knowledgeable about what produce grows in Illinois and when it is in season. I also like customers that ask questions about how we grow our produce and our farm operation in general. So, remember, if you have a question--ask the grower! There is no silly question except the one you don't ask.

On another note, sadly, Bill didn't feel that there were enough ripe tomatoes to justify bringing any, plus, he could see tonight's storm brewing and he wanted to get the help and himself out of the fields. So, they concentrated on more important things like-----CANTALOUPE!
Yes, you read correctly-cantaloupe. These are Early Queens and they are delicious! We cut one for ourselves tonight (eh, it's one of the perks of farming!) and boy, was it good! So, Cantaloupe Fans, rejoice and come to the market early because there aren't too many of these this week. Come stand in like its an iPhone!

What will we have?

• Sweet corn--fresh, sweet and local--just the thing for dinner tonight
• Cantaloupe-first of the season!
• zucchini
• yellow summer squash
• eggplant--regular and asian
• green beans
• green peppers
• sweet banana peppers
• onions
• garlic
• shallots
• leeks
• cucumbers
• burpless cucumbers
• mini salad cucumbers

Whew! That's quite a list! Come down to the market on Tuesday between 3:30 and 6:00 pm--bring your canvas bags! I don't have my list of who the musical talent will be tomorrow, but there has been some great local musicians providing music for the market.

If you would like a large quantity (more than 6 dozen) of sweet corn for freezing or canning, please let us know in advance! Send me an e-mail at pattm1966@comcast.net if you have questions or wish to order some corn to save for the winter.

See you tomorrow afternoon!

Welcome to the Jungle

It's hot where you are. Not just hot; humid, stifling, thick. Looking forward, left and right, all you can see is green growth, thick, impossible to move through. Even though you aren't moving, sweat is running in a river down your back; your shoes are soaked with water and caked with mud. It's barely 8 am and already the sun is unbearable.

Welcome to picking sweet corn in Illinois!

Sweet corn picking is hot, wet, messy work--see how we do it!

This is the view of most of the corn that is shoulder high. We'll be picking over on the right hand side of the picture.The rows to be picked are 6 on the right of the truck and 6 more to the left of the truck. Can you see the end of the row? Way, way, waaaaaaay down on the horizon. It's about 1/4 of a mile.

First, grab about 4 or 5 burlap bags. Hold onto one and tuck the rest into your waist band or pockets. It will look like a very itchy skirt. Important safety tip: wearing a black shirt isn't recommended. Light colors work best. Dana and Jason were VERY hot by the end of the morning.


This is your row. Notice the lack of visibility. There is only about 18" between rows. To really experience how hot the corn field is, go into your bathroom, turn on the shower with the hottest water and hang out for 20 minutes or so. Think hot, wet, sticky.


Everyone wave to Carson! He is only about 4 rows away from me. He picked about 13 bags on Friday. There are 5-6 dozen in each bag and they get heavy. Carson is asking me why I am still on the trailer taking pictures. I had to put down the camera after this and pick corn myself.

I couldn't take pictures and pick corn at the same time. This shot is about two hours later as we are picking up the full bags. As we pick down the rows, we carry our bags to the nearest lane. When Bill decides that we have enough bags, we drive down the rows and put the bags in the truck bed and trailer.You can kind of see LeAnn, Brenda and Brandi and the bags of corn. Several of us walk alongside the truck and hand them the bags. The truck kept moving, not stopping. The irrigation had gone through the field in the night, so the field was extra muddy and we were worried about the truck getting stuck with all the weight of the corn. Each bag weighs between 50 & 70 pounds, depending on who filled it.This was my view for most of this exercise. Bill can't really see me and is more concerned with getting stuck or knocking one of the kids off the back of the truck. Running over your wife? Not really a big deal.


This is our fantastic crew: Karen, Dana, Bill, Carson, LeAnn, Emily (she picked 4 bags by herself), and Brenda. Hiding in the back are Brandi and Jason. We simply cannot run our operation without the help of these great workers. Notice that most are girls! Our corn is a very tender variety that must be picked by hand. Using machinery would damage the ears so much that they would be unfit for sale. We could grow a lesser variety, but we will not compromise the taste or tenderness of our corn, just to save a little time.

Produce farming is very physical demanding work in all conditions: hot, cold, rainy, extreme heat. We have a dedicated crew that takes pride helping us bring you the best produce that we can grow.

Eggplant 101

As promised, here is the first cooking tutorial! I'm starting with eggplant, since we get so many questions from folks that have never had it before. This process is straightforward and pretty basic--no fancy equipment required!

You will need an eggplant (from Mitchell Farms, of course!), kosher salt, one egg, milk, fish breading (we like Andy's), paper towels and oil.

First, wash the eggplant, peel and slice into rounds about 3/8" thick. The eggplant will start to turn brown (oxidize), but this is ok.
Place on cooling rack over a bowl or the sink. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and let sit about 15 minutes. This helps draw out moisture or so I'm told. Rinse well and pat dry with a cloth towel--paper towels leave lint fuzzies--not good for eating.

Put a heavy skillet over medium high heat and add oil The amount depends, buy you want the oil no more than half way up the thickness of the eggplant slice. Full disclosure: I put too much oil in the skillet--oops!
Take the egg and about 1/2 cup of milk and mix in a shallow bowl. Put the breading in a shallow bowl or plate. Taking a eggplant slice, dip into the egg/milk mix then into the breading. Place in hot oil. Cook until brown then flip to cook the other side. When done, place on paper towels to drain.Serve with ranch dressing, ketchup, fresh, chopped tomatoes or the topping of your own choice!

Sweet Corn!

It's that time that so many of you have patiently waited for--the first sweet corn of the season! We will have a truck load at the Bloomington Market (and also in Springfield & Decatur), so bring your big canvas bag and come on down!

For those of you who are new to our sweet corn: it is like no other corn you have ever eaten. You don't have to rush home and eat it quickly like some varieties and it stays sweet and crisp for days. We grow a gourmet variety that has been developed to be very sweet, but tender at the same time.

Cooking tip: due to the extreme tenderness, you DO NOT NEED TO BOIL THE CORN LONGER THAN 2-3 minutes. Boil your water first (very important), then put your corn in. Modern sweet corn varieties do not need to be cooked to death like the sweet corns of 30 & 40 years ago. When you get home, shuck all your corn at one time (one mess!). Put the corn you aren't going to use immediately in a zip top bag in the fridge. Keeping it in the husk pulls moisture away from the cob. Also, if one of those nasty corn bore worms are in there--they'll eat the entire ear!

Also, don't worry about the corn going bad if you buy too much! It is so simple to process an ear or two at a time when you are fixing corn for dinner. We understand why some folks don't want a full dozen. Continuing on from the above cooking process, only have the corn in the water about 2 minutes. Immediately put the hot corn in ice cold water. This stops the cooking process (aka blanching). When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut off the kernels with a serrated knife, put in a freezer bag (food saver systems are fabulous for this, too!) and enjoy this winter! We have had customers tell us that they have had good success in freezing the corn directly on the cob. We've experimented with it, but don't really care for the taste. Give it a try--you may not notice any taste difference (we are a little picky about corn tastes--kind of like wine snobs). It's very easy to cook an ear and pop it in the fridge.

Talking about putting up corn brings me to another topic: preservation of foods and seasonal eating. Mercy from Blueschool House touched on this topic in her blog discussing Victory Gardens during WWII. Within 2 generations, Americans have become out of touch with the seasonality of their food and most have no idea how to preserve food for winter or hard times.

Many of us remember canning times: hot, steamy kitchens; cranky grandmas and aunts; the scary squeal of the pressure canner! Unless you are very motivated, you don't need to put up 100 quarts of green beans or tomato sauce. Canning can be a very quick way to preserve the bounty of summer and retain much of the integrity of the food product. I am tossing around the idea of hosting a small canning class for newbies a little later this summer. Interested? Wanted to learn to can, but find it intimidating? Drop me a note in the comments if you might be interested. I didn't learn to can until I got roped into chopping tomatoes for my mother in law--it is much more comfortable to learn while watching!

Anyhoo--running out of time--gotta go pick sweet corn for y'all and I haven't taken Bill any coffee yet.

What will you find at our stand tomorrow?

• Sweet corn, sweet corn, sweet corn!
  
• Tomatoes-the full size ones!
• cherry & grape tomatoes
  
• zucchini
• summer squash
• cucumbers
• eggplant-regular & Asian
• leeks
• onions
• beets
• possibly greens: collard, swiss chard, arugula
• garlic
• shallots
• green beans
• green peppers
• sweet banana peppers--I'll have a recipe on the blog soon!
• hot Hungarian peppers
  

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, so plan on stopping by. Don't forget your canvas bags!! It's time to go get the corn!

• 
  

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

It's Sweet Corn time! Finally! I've got a trailer full for the Tuesday market. This has probably been the latest we've started picking corn, but now it's here and ready for you.

The arrival of the corn means that we are running at full speed--almost all the crops are ready for harvest, some have run their seasonal course (lettuce, radishes, green onions) and some are just getting planted (fall squash, pumpkins). There isn't much time for weeding or general work that needs to be done. In fact, remember the picture of Allison & Emily weeding a few weeks ago? That row is weeded in again and the weeds are up to my waist. I think most of you would rather we pick veggies than worry about the weeds.

Sunday was a working day for us to get the fall squashes planted, garlic & shallots harvested and some much needed mowing. We've had plenty of rain lately (4" Fri-Sat) and the grass & weeds have been growing great. While Bill planted the fancy pumpkins, I harvested the garlic & shallots. If you haven't had fresh garlic, you are in for a treat! Garlic shouldn't be refrigerated which alters the flavor. Fresh garlic isn't harsh or sharp and it does keep.

What will we have on Tuesday besides corn?

• Sweet corn-if you haven't had our corn before, we grow a gourmet variety--sweeter & tender than any other corn!
• zucchini
• summer squash
• cucumbers
• tomatoes! we have some regular sized tomatoes as well as the grape & cherry ones
• green beans
• sweet onions
• garlic
• shallots
• eggplant
• beets
• green peppers
• sweet banana peppers

The market starts at 3:30 and is open until 6. Bring your canvas bags and I'll see you tomorrow. Right now, I need to eat my supper: sweet corn!

Eating locally

Interesting article in the New York Times primarily about CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and more Americans deciding to eat locally--just like you!

read article

Waiting...........

Waiting. Sometimes, it seems like a good portion of a farmer's time is spent waiting. Waiting to get in the field. Waiting for rain/the rain to stop. Waiting for a tractor part. Waiting for your crops to mature. You can't rush Mother Nature; you just need to be patient, because she's in charge.

We are still waiting on the sweet corn to mature. Bill keeps hoping that maybe, just maybe, on Friday it will magically be ready. But probably not. Keep checking with us! Right now, it looks like next Tuesday will be the soonest. So, we'll just all wait together.

If you don't get the Downtown Bloomington Farmer's market newsletter--why not? You can sign up on line, too. Caroline Fox, number 1 volunteer, writes about going to a "foreign" farmer's market and how good B-N folks have it here! I haven't figured out the link yet, but I will.

Not much changes at the farm. Bill did plant the fall hard squashes: butternut, acorn, and a few pumpkins. We have several varieties of pumpkin this year--not just the orange jack o' lanterns, either! More on those later. We will be pulling first garlic of the season this Sunday, but it will be a week or so before you start seeing it at the market. Garlic needs to dry & cure for a while after being in the ground. If you never have had fresh garlic, you are in for a treat!

The eggplant is finally starting to make an appearance. We will have several varieties over the summer; the oblong ones you see everywhere; long, skinny Asian varieties ranging from dark purple to lavender; round white ones; pale lavender and purple & white striped ones. We have yet to meet an eggplant that we don't like!

Eggplant are so misunderstood and feared for some reason. I don't know if some people they are too "exotic" and require extensive preparation or if they had poorly cooked eggplant and the memory has never left them. I fall into the "had it as a child and didn't like it" camp. Eggplant lasagne--ick. Taste change and now I think I would probably like it. I've started a series of posts on some veggie preparation basics, based on questions we get weekly at the market. My goal is to have our verbal instructions written out with pictures. I've done eggplant; just need to get the pictures in order and posted.

This is the thick of summer: post-July 4 and we are hitting the ground running! We currently have 3 mid-week markets and one on Saturday; by next week, we will be upping the total to 5 mid-week markets and two Saturday ones. If you are unable to hit your regular market day, we're out there somewhere with your veggies. We are very fortunate in B-N to have built up such quality farmer's markets.

What will be ready this week?

• Cucumbers--regular and mini salad size
• Zucchini
• Summer squash
• Sugar snap peas
• Green beans
• Cherry & grape tomatoes (we've picked 3 regular tomatoes--they're coming soon!)
• Beets
• Eggplant
• Peppers-bell & sweet banana; hot ones take a little longer
• Sweet onions
• Leeks

I'll have most of this at State Farm market on Thursday (2-6 pm, SF Park), too. The weather should be lovely for the rest of this week, so put the market on your weekend to-do list. Bring your canvas bags, tell your friends (or just put them in the car and make them come) and join us in all the downtown fun!

See you Saturday!

"How do I fix..........?"

"How do you fix eggplant?" That is one of the most frequent questions that we get right after "When's the corn going to be here?" ( July 15 this year).

It just dawned on me that I have the perfect forum to list how-to guides for preparing vegetables and recipe ideas. So often at a market, someone will ask how to prepare something. Bill and both love to cook and are always looking for more ways to prepare the veggies that we sell and we really enjoy sharing with our customers.

However, a busy Saturday isn't the best time to have your customers memorize multi-step recipes for foods that they have never prepared before! A few years ago, we decided to print recipe cards to have on the tables. Having recipes available has bolstered many a new cook's confidence level! I try to have fairly simple, quick recipes for the produce we have available at the time. The markets have been so popular this year, we can't seem to keep recipes in stock! It really is a good problem to have.

Something that Bill and I educate market goers over and over again is the basic, simple preparation of many veggies. Many people never learned to cook or didn't have the need to learn, but for a variety of reasons (health, economics, sustainability) have decided to start preparing local, fresh foods. When we first started selling produce, we never thought that quite a bit of what we do at each market would be educating folks about produce. I'm just glad that people are curious enough to ask and are willing to learn and that we have answers to their questions.

So, as I get around to it, I'll post basic preparation steps for some of our more popular veggies. If I think about when I'm actually cooking, I'll even take step by step pictures! I'm just going to ask for a few things from you: if you have a favorite recipe for something, send to to me! If you think it's good, others will also; plus, YOU get all the credit. If you know someone who is struggling with learning to cook, send them the link to this site. Finally, if there is a veggie that I haven't covered or you have a question about preparing it--ask away! Leave your questions/queries in the comments or e-mail me directly at pattm1966@comcast.net.

Tuesday Trailside Market

Every week, Bill and I are overwhelmed at the growing popularity of our local markets! It makes our hard work so worth it hearing you ohh and ahh over our produce. Usually, July4th is a slow market day--it's the first real holiday of the summer and most families take that week to start their vacation. We were blown away by the crowd this Saturday and hope that more people make the commitment to using fresh, local produce to feed their families.

Real summer weather is upon us: hot, humid, chance for thunderstorms. The thunder kept me up last night! This weather is just what the sweet corn needs. The ears is in the blister stage and just need to fill out. This usually takes about a week and high temps really help this process. We'll keep you posted!

What will be waiting for you Tuesday?

• Green Beans--these almost caused a riot Saturday--come early if you want some!
• Arugula
• Zucchini
• Summer squash
• Eggplant--regular and Asian varieties
• Yellow grape tomatoes
• Red cherry tomatoes
• Sugar snap peas
• Sweet onions

As always, the Trailside market begins at 3:30 pm in the Parkinson parking lot behind Wild Country and is open until 6 pm. The Old Men Boys will be keeping us entertained this week, so come down (with your canvas bags!!) and hang out for awhile!

Saturday at the Market....

What a wonderful day! Thanks everyone who took the time to come out!

Late Breaking Veggie News!

Bill just got back from the farm and has a few things that we didn't plan on when I updated on Wednesday. First up, GREEN PEPPERS! This the earliest we have ever picked any type of pepper. They love the hot weather, so we are kind of surprised that they were big enough to pick.





Next up--KOHLRABI. What is it, you say? Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family which gives kohlrabi a nice, mild cabbage taste. It is also versatile good either raw or cooked.

Kolhrabi is an excellent, crunchy addition to a veggie tray, cubed on a salad or shredded into coleslaw. It can also be boiled & mashed or cubed and baked with cheese.





Last, but not least, are GREEN BEANS. These long, straight, green beans are the first that we've brought to the market. This is a new variety that we are trying this year and I think we've hit a home run with them. Long and straight and skinny: all the qualities that you look for in a green bean. These will go fast, so come down early.






I hope everyone has a safe and fun Fourth of July--we're celebrating by having brats and watching the Cardinals play the Cubs! See you on Saturday.

Hoopty-Doo

Bill and I get asked all kinds of questions at the markets: "How do you do this?; Where do you find the time?; How do I cook this?; What does eggplant taste like?" Most of the answers are fairly easy and can be quickly answered. One question that I find difficult to answer without taking up someone's entire Saturday morning is "How did you get started growing everything?"

Bill's answer is easy: he grew up on a farm and growing vegetables was just part of what they did. It's second nature for him. I, however, am a town kid, but had a special person in my life that has inspired me every day that I work with produce.

My brother and I had a special name for him: Hoopty. He loved to play with us kids, especially roughhousing and general goofing around. When we were small punks, he would let us ride on his back, cowboy-style, and try to buck us off. He always made a "hoop-hoop" sound while discharging us to the floor; hence the name "Hoopty".

Actually, my grandfather was just a very large kid and usually the one to think up things to get us a good scolding from my grandmother and aunts. He would encourage us to play loudly inside, then chuckle when we were unceremoniously put outside or told to play in the basement. He always got a kick out of what ever imaginary game we thought up and usually would lend string, pocket knife or tin can to our game. Looking back, he worked hard all his life and now could, through his grandchildren, be a child.

Besides being a staunch St. Louis Cardinal fan, he loved to garden. His vegetable garden was an amazing place and I could kick myself for never having gotten a photo of any sort. Weeds were afraid to grow. The garden was as wide as the yard in Gridley, probably about 40' or so, with a path of pavers in the center, giving way to a few planks toward the end. The last board was warped and would tip easily. I remember him coming home from working at the post office (he was the Postmaster), changing into "work clothes" and slippers (?) and going out to see

He grew everything in his garden: tomatoes, sweet corn (Illini Super Sweet!), carrots, green beans, cabbage. My memories are of summer dinners that consisted of sliced beefsteak tomatoes (served on a lovely turquoise platter), cottage cheese, sweet corn and baloney sandwiches. Yeah, even as a kid, I ate pretty locally. His garden produced quart after quart after quart of green beans that Grandma canned and put on shelves in the basement. I would spend time with her during the summer, watching TV, drinking Pepsi from a glass (!) bottle and snapping crisper drawer after drawer of beans. I am an expert bean snapper due to my early training!

Strawberries were also put up, thousands at a time, frozen into quart containers to be used throughout the year on ice cream or over shortcake. Grandma and my aunts would be in the house removing the green caps, slicing berries and prepping them for the freezer. Hoopty and us kids (my brother & cousin) would be picking out in the hot sun. He always considered berry picking as "dollar-a-minute work" (the Uncle Remus stories were favorites he shared with us) and would "pay" us a dollar a minute...if we didn't eat the berries. Needless to say, I never made much picking strawberries.

Always looking to find a better way to do something, he would pull you aside to show you his newest way of tackling a problem, always using items he had on hand or re-fashioned. You never knew what you would be lead to see when he approached you uttering the words, "Come here, I want to show you somethin' " and smiling mysteriously, would lead you to the basement, garage or garden to show his new invention. My favorite was the T stool. Hoopty devised a way to comfortably (relatively speaking) pick strawberries without stooping or crawling on your knees.

Taking a length of 2' x 4', he cut two pieces; one about 18" long, the other about 12". The longer piece was placed perpendicularly on top of the shorter one, making a 'T'. He nailed them together and --voila! The T stool was born. To use, place the short end on the ground and place your bottom on the long part of the T. Gently bend forward and pick/eat your strawberries. Simply lift and move to next location. It was corny; but it worked. We got a lot of mileage out of gently razzing him about those stools.

We always got a tour of the garden when we visited; we had to be shown what was new, where the tomatoes were going to be that year, where he found baby bunnies in a nest. The tour started before you even got to the house, it was that important. One summer was very hot and dry and rather than waste water by sprinkling it over the top of his tomatoes and corn, he carefully dug trenches throughout his garden and irrigated everything at the roots. He would love what we do with drip tape.

He has been gone for 16 years today. I miss hearing him say "wait once, wait once" as I impatiently tried to pick something that wasn't quite ripe, seeing the look of surprise on his face when I would find quarters and dollar coins in the box of sweet corn we were shucking, listening to Jack Buck call a Cardinal game and telling me that Mr. Buck was a great man or laughing at the horrible green & fuschia striped "Christmas" shirt he wore every year.

My last visit with him was two weeks before he died. I had been in Chicago at a training seminar and was meeting Bill in our hometown of Pekin. I stopped in Gridley for a bathroom break and to see if I could snag a snack off one of my two grandmother.

My first stop was my mother's parents. This was a slam dunk; Grandma ALWAYS had homemade cookies. No one was home. Forgot, it was Friday and 5:00 pm! Early bird special night. Of course they weren't there. No worries, just a few blocks over to the other grandparents; definitely would be able to get a Pepsi (in a glass bottle!) here. No hope of cookies, but maybe bean salad (sorry, family joke). Hoopty was the only one home (figures-4 grandparents, only one available). He let me have a Pepsi, reminding me to replace the one I took with a warm one or Grandma would let me have it.

We had a great visit. I don't really remember what we talked about. Bill & I had just bought a new house and were planning an open house for right after the Fourth. There was a bare spot in the yard from the previous owner's pool and we planned to put a garden in there. I don't remember any great words of advice or what to plant or not to plant, but I do remember him telling me that I would enjoy every minute of it, but it was also hard work. He was excited for me and had he lived, I know he would have pulled up to our new house, brought out a shovel and spade from the car and gotten right to work spading up our new garden space. That's the kind of guy he was.

Independence Day

Describe summer: lemonade, swimming, Fourth of July are probably on the list. My list would also include watermelon and sweet corn, of course! For most of us, we get a 3 day weekend, with the 4th on Friday. Yes, your ever-dedicated farmers will be at the market on Saturday with plenty of great, fresh produce.

Unfortunately, we won't have corn for the 4th this year. We tried, but Mother Nature must be on a corn-free diet and didn't let the weather cooperate. Keep checking with us at the markets and here on the blog for sweet corn updates.

I came across an interesting article in the NYT Health section about the top 10 foods that people aren't eating. Unless you live under a rock, most people have become more aware of the benefits of healthy eating via the media. Just about every Sunday, there is a feature article somewhere in the paper regarding eating foods that are good for you, that will prevent disease, keep you looking younger, give you more energy. Basically the same information many of us got in health class or home ed (or FACTS or whatever they call it in school now): Eat. Your. Veggies.

Three of the ten items on the list can be found at our local farmers markets: beets, cabbage & swiss chard. Pumpkins won't be available until later in the fall and we've got several different types. Article here.

Really, you can't go wrong by eating fresh, local veggies! Make an Independence Day resolution (yes, it does exist--I just made it up!) by trying something new from the market or making your Saturday night dinner all local. Then, let me know! I love to hear everyone's recipes and stories about something new that you've tried. The comment section is open and ready for business!

What will we have for your Saturday night local feast?

• Zucchini--I've got some great new recipes for zucchini
• Summer squash
• Green beans--first crop-long, straight, sweet & tender!
  
• Sugar snap peas
• Leeks
• Radishes
• Green onions
• Eggplant--first of the season--regular, varigated and Asian
  
• Grape tomatoes
• Collard greens
• Mustard greens
• Arugula
• Slicing cucumbers
• Mini cucumbers--these cuties are where the deli dill pickle come from. Un-pickled, they are great sliced or in a salad.
  

The market starts at 7:30 am and is open until 12:00 noon. It should be a beautiful day, so bring the kids, dogs and some chairs to enjoy the music! Don't forget your canvas bags either! We will debut Chase, so stop by to say hi!