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!

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!

Week 5--summer's here and a vacation

Summer must be here--I can't believe how hot it's been! Usually we don't turn on the AC until later in June, but we've had it on for a few weeks now. The pool is up and the kids are getting good use from it when it isn't raining. So far, its been a pretty good summer activity-wise.

If you braved the rain last week, you may have noticed that Bill and I were both not at the market. We haven't taken a typical 2 week summer vacation since we've started farming, but will try to take the kids somewhere warm in the winter months. We had the opportunity to attend a weekend away in St. Louis put on by Bill's employer. It never is easy and Bill got up early on Friday to get everything picked and ready for our substitutes. On the way down, we got caught in a horrible thunderstorm and crawled on the interstate! The rain was incredible and we were amazed at how much water was in creeks, ditches and fields. We were thankful that we haven't had that much rain.

We had some free time on Saturday, so we went to some farmer's markets! Big surprise! The first market we stopped at was the Tower Grove Farmer's Market in Tower Grove park. This market is just starting its 3 year and already has a strong customer base. Since it is still fairly early in the season and many farmers in the area are struggling with weather, there weren't as many vendors at the market as we thought there would be. It's exciting to go somewhere else to see what might be different, but Tower Grove Market isn't much different than ones here in Illinois. The setting is in a small lot in a beautiful city park. There was live music, coffee (!), and tai chi nearby. We made a circuit quickly and got in line for strawberries. Who could pass that up? I chatted with some folks in line and got a cantaloupe smoothie recipe that I'll be sharing later this summer.

Our next stop was Soulard Market. The Soulard Market was established in 1779 and bills itself as the oldest public market west of the Mississippi. The market has a permenant building in the shape of an H with open areas on the legs of the H and year round stores inside the short part. Just about anything goes here; it's quite different than any other market you might find. In this area of St. Louis, there isn't a convenient grocery store near, so the market provides produce that is not locally or producer grown. The purpose of this market is a little different than what we are trying to accomplish in Bloomington or Normal and there are vendors that do grow their own items. Additionally, you can buy knock-off purses, wallets, T-shirts, pictures and other items that may not have any link to food. It's sort of a flea market vibe in one section. There are several meat vendors, flower vendors, one stall with homemade pasta and a pet shop. The highlight is the mini donut stall. The donut maker is set low enough that you can watch your baby donuts make their trip down the oil-way to be dusted in powdered sugar or drizzled with chocolate. There is usually some street entertainment around and people watching is prime.

If your summer plans include St. Louis, besides going to the zoo, arch or ballgame, try to visit one of these markets. More information on both is at www.tgmarket.org and http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/soulardmarket/index.html.

Back home in IL: what will the Mitchell's have this week?

• Head lettuce
• Leaf lettuce
• Red & white radishes
• Green Onions
• Japanese turnips
• Beets
• Zucchini & summer squash

This heat has not been kind to our leafy crops! We've had to say goodbye to the spinach already. These cool weather leafy greens do not like the heat and are starting to go to seed. We will have a little bit of zucchini and summer squash this Saturday, which is very exciting! Squashes are the beginning of the summer items, so this means that tomatoes (salmonella-free!), melons, eggplant and corn aren't very far behind. I didn't ask Bill, but we should be getting some green beans and sugar snap peas very soon as well. I'm sure I'm forgetting other crops, so stop by and see what we have!

I joke about the tomato problems that have been in the national news this week, but really, do you need anymore incentive to eat locally and in season?

As always, we will be at the corner of Main & Jefferson streets, ready when the market opens at 7:30 am! Bring those great re-usable canvas bags and fill them up. Also, leave me a comment--I wonder sometimes if anyone reads this!

Picnic, parties & BBQ, oh my!

Rain, rain--go away! Not a good way to start week 2 of the market season, but Saturday is supposed to be very nice. Don't stay away; come down to the market! Sorry this update is late; Allie & I were cheering Normal West's Girls Soccer team at their sectional game last night! Allie is very into soccer and has been playing travel soccer for the past year. She and her U9 buddies were on the sidelines cheering on the "big" girls and watching some very good soccer and hopefully learning by watching. It won't be too long before they will be the "big" girls.

This is the kickoff for the summer and most people have picnics, parties and barbecues to attend, often several over the weekend. What will you take as your "dish to pass"? Why not come to the market, get some inspiration from the wonderful produce and take a dish made from local ingredients?

It's been a quiet week on the farm. Bill's dad is in WI for his annual fishing trip, so Bill has to pick up the slack with some of the little daily chores, like turning water off & on, monitoring growth progress and dog feeding. Scoot & Sam are Dad's dogs and they are full time farm dogs. Both are bigger (and stronger!) than Skipper and stay in their dog runs while we work. Boy, when we let them out--get out of the way! Skipper tries to keep up with them and they all tear off into the fields to do whatever it is that dogs do. We don't seem to have much of a problem with varmints like rabbits or deer--wonder why!

Bill reports that all the crops are coming along; albeit slowly with the cool temps. Beets, turnips, squash and peas are just on the verge of a growth spurt and we should be seeing more veggies in the coming weeks.

This week, the farm is providing us with:

• Red Sails loose head lettuce-this is the most popular lettuce we have, great taste and very pretty!
• Red Oak Leaf lettuce--we had this last year for the first time. It has a very distinctive oak-like leaf and deep burgundy color. It is a perfect counterpoint in a green salad. Nice nutty taste.
• Green Oak Leaf lettuce--just like the Red Oak, but with green leaves.
  
• Endive--new this year. We had several customers ask for endive (or ON-dive, if you prefer!).
  
• Buttercrunch head lettuce--a variety of the Bibb-style lettuce, this is also a very popular lettuce. Very soft velvety texture and great taste. One head makes a lot of salad!
• Giant Caesar romaine--this is a variety of romaine that you won't find in the store. The head is a little more open and the leaves are more tender and soft, but will still hold up well to a Caesar salad!
  
• Xena--another wonderful loose head lettuce. Xena is showy with very ruffled edges.
  
• Bok choi--one of my new favorite greens! I like it added to a salad, stems and all, or cooked down, Southern-style.
  
• Napa cabbage--this isn't your round Irish cabbage! Mild cabbage taste and smell, you can add it easily to a salad.
• Red radishes & white radishes--we have two types of red radishes this year: Cherry Belles and French Breakfast. The Cherry Belles are the round red radish that you are familiar with. French Breakfast radishes are oblong, mostly red but fading into a white tip. Yes, I've eaten radishes for breakfast. No, I don't think that's strange!
• Green onions--You can't beat fresh green onions. Perfect for eating alone or in a salad.
  
• Spinach--You all are some spinach loving folks out there! Once it warms up, the spinach will go to seed, so enjoy it while it is in season.
• Leaf Lettuce--the perfect lettuce for a spring salad--small leaves, soft and tender. Like the spinach, leaf lettuce doesn't like hot weather, so it will only be around a few more weeks.

I don't have many good ideas for using lettuces or greens, other than salads. What is easier than some fresh leaf lettuce and a little olive oil/balsamic vinegar or a milk dressing! I remember as a child the dressing my mom would make for leaf lettuce. I'm sure it has a proper name and actual measurements, but I've never run across it in any of my cook books--and I even have a cookbook that is ALL salad dressings! Combine about 1/4 cup mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip--it will not work!) with enough milk, thinning it, but not runny. Add about 1 tsp sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves. Add vinegar (cider vinegar works best) to taste--I like it pretty sharp, so I add about 1 TBS or more. TASTE AS YOU GO! You can add more milk or mayo to achieve your desired consistency. Gently mix with leaf lettuce and enjoy!

Start the first official holiday weekend of the summer right by coming to the market! See you there!

Ready, Set, Go!

Are you ready for the first market of 2008? We are! So much is starting and we just can't wait to get going.

If you got hail in the storm Tuesday night--raise your hand! We did, several times! Allie and I just got in from soccer practice, got the rental car put away (long story there!) and the hail started coming down! Now, I've lived in Illinois all my life and have only occasionally seen hail and then it has only been pea-sized. We got quite a bit that was nickel sized! Fortunately, we didn't even get rain at the farm and I hope that any of our farmer friends here locally didn't get any damage. The kids thought it was pretty cool and Carson actually ran out in it. He came right in after he realized how much hail hurts! Good thing it wasn't golf ball sized!

Bill has been working hard getting plants into the ground and doing the spring clean up that we always seem to be doing. This has been a long and difficult spring, farm-wise and we just got through a week of work/personal stress when Bill got a call from his dad: our 100 year old greenhouse/former chicken house burned to the ground. Our farm is one of the oldest farmsteads in Tazewell County and while cleaning the greenhouse out this spring, I found dates etched into the concrete foundation: 1908. We are the 3rd family to occupy this farm and the first family, the Weyrich's erected the chicken house 100 years ago. The house is a few years older.
So, after moving everything out of the greenhouse and sweeping the accumulated leaves and dirt out AND moving everything back in (by myself) and organizing it (the men in my family are NOT organized), we had a great space to start out the year. The greenhouse is where most of the plants live until they go into the field. It gets toasty warm and the plants really take off! This time of year, we do have propane heaters running-----you can see what happened. So, we have a mess and less space to put plants. Fortunately, we do have two other buildings that we use, they just are small. On the bright side, the house didn't burn and we will be installing a much needed storage shed on the site and a new green house in a better location.












Greenhouse after 5 hours of cleaning--see the boxes? Yeah, they burn for a long time when they are full of plastic bags. Bring your canvas bags!













What a mess! Old wood burns fast!

But, enough about us, what about the market? What in the world will be ready?

PLENTY!

This Saturday, we will have:

• Bok choi
• Napa cabbage
• Simpson elite loose head lettuce
• Red Sails loose head lettuce
• Green Oak Leaf loose head lettuce
• Leaf lettuce mix
• Buttercrunch loose head lettuce
• Red & white radishes
• Green onions
• Spinach

Everything else is still growing and really wants some sun and heat. In the following weeks, we'll have beets, French Breakfast radishes, kohlrabi, turnips and more lettuce.

Some items of note for this year:

The market is starting LATER and staying open LATER. The starting bell will ring at 7:30 am and the market will be open until 12:00 noon. The time change should allow more people to get down to the market and to allow everyone to get a few more minutes of sleep!

BYOB! I'll copy-cat Mercy of Blue Schoolhouse and encourage everyone to bring their own bags, boxes or wagons to the market to carry their loot home! It is truly amazing how many cases of bags we plow through in a season and we appreciate everyone that brings a canvas bag for their produce. The canvas is much gentler on produce and easier to carry. As an incentive, the Bloomington Market is going to give away bags at the first market, so get down early and get one! We have Mitchell Farms Produce canvas totes for our CSA members--see below how to get one.

We have a few openings for our CSA--if you are interested or know someone that is looking for a CSA, go to our website, www.mitchellproduce.com, for all the information! There will be items for CSA that won't make it to the market. CSA is a fantastic way to eat better, guarantee a steady supply of fresh, LOCAL produce and get a super durable canvas tote to show off to everyone at the market. Concerned that you might have too many veggies? We do have a few half shares available as well.

I can't wait to see all our farmer's market friends this weekend. We will be doing a give away for a Mitchell Farms tote bag and a Mitchell Farms t-shirt. Stop by, get some salad fixin's and put your name in the drawing!

See you Saturday!