Before I begin this week’s blog, I need to give a shout out to Goats R Us.  They are right across from us at the South of the James Farmer’s Market.  She has goat cheese spreads that are so tasty!  My very favorite thing she has is her Feta Cheese!  Last week I featured an Arugula, Watermelon and Feta Salad from “The Barefoot Contessa” on the Food Network.  The feta cheese I got from Goats R Us was the best feta I have EVER had!  So if you want to make this recipe and get our Arugula, I suggest you step across the way and get some Goats R Us feta.

With that being said, why should you buy from the local farmer’s market when you can go to Wegmans, Whole Foods, or Fresh Market?  It is simple,  our food is grown within 20 miles of market.  It is all harvested the Friday before market which ensures the freshest and most nutritious food.  You simply can’t get food picked at the peak of freshness from a store.  You can also meet the farmer, Matt Powell.  He is happy to talk to you about his growing practices and he is a great one to give you gardening tips!  I have to say, eating with the seasons is truly the best way to eat.  Buying from local farmers also helps them support their families and their dreams.

This week, Matt is bringing the very best radishes!  They are called Easter Egg Radishes  and are beautiful, fresh, and awesome!  They come in red, purple and white.

I have several favorite ways to use these.  The simplest is to slice them thin and put them in Matt’s Field Greens.  I toss the salad with a simple, fresh, dressing.  1/4 cup of orange juice, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of chopped red onion, 1 tablespoon of honey, and a dash of salt and pepper.  I always make it in a mason jar and give it a shake.  Nothing beats fresh dressings, and they are so easy to make!  My friend Gina shared a recipe with me, Pesto, Radish, and Sea Salt Crostini.  We have plenty of basil coming to market and making the pesto for this is so easy (15 minutes and done)!  I had a customer tell me that one of her favorite things to do with them is to roast the radishes!  Just toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them at 350 for 30 minutes.

Squash is in full season and are so delicious!  Matt’s squash is outstanding.  I have eaten squash in every way for several weeks now.  I am not tired of them yet.

Matt is growing these awesome zephyr squash along with yellow and green zucchinis. I love these roasted.  Just like everything I roast, you only need to toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper, and a red onion.  Roast for 30 minutes on 350 and it is outstanding.  I have  also used them to make a pizza !  It is a fun summer squash pizza with goat cheese and walnuts.  Matt loves to grill them, slice them long and brush them with olive oil and give them a little salt and pepper.  The charring makes them wonderful!  I have used them for various kabobs on the grill, just add whatever meat you desire!

Summer is on and so is the harvest!  So, what’s coming to market this week?

• Salad and Arugula
• Swiss Chard
• Kale Galore
• Squash
• Onions
• Fennel
• Leeks
• Turnips
• Kohlrabi
• Cabbage
• Purple and Orange Carrots (the purples sell out fast)
• Tatsoi
• Bok Choi
• Radishes
• Beets
• Honey
• Eggs

See you at market this Saturday!  We will be there from 8:00-12:00.  Come early to get the best treats!

Many folks ask how Matt got started farming.  Matt began farming as a hobby when he was 19 years old.  He would watch “Square Foot Gardening” on PBS with Mel Bartholomew on PBS in the 1980’s.  He read all of his books and practiced and practiced his techniques.   Every mistake he made was an opportunity to learn and grow!  In 2008, our son was born, his birth changed our lives in so many positive ways.  Matt began growing even more food because he knew that it was no longer just for us and wanted to make sure his child had the best food available.  He produced so much food that year, as a family, we decided it was time  for him to quit his 9 to 5 job and turn his passion and talent in to his career.  In 2009, you could find us as at the South of the James Farmer’s Market.  We were so proud to be able to provide the folks of Richmond the same quality food Matt produced for his family.  You can still find us there every Saturday from 8:00-12:00!

From this picture, you can tell Matt has come a long way from his small scale garden.  The techniques he honed in on as he first began growing has blossomed into the most beautiful field I have ever walked.  I walk this field daily, rain or shine, and marvel at my husband’s work.  My very favorite day of the week is Sunday mornings, when Matt and I shop the field for the upcoming week.

I don’t grow the food, but I do help harvest it and help Matt at market.  At market, I meet the very best home chefs.  I listen to them as they describe how they will serve our food.  It makes me so happy and through the years, I have collected their ideas.  This year, I decided to share them here.

My very favorite thing Matt grows is arugula. One of our customers told me that in the summer, they love arugula and watermelon salad!  Here is a very simple recipe that Britt Wilcox uploaded to Vimeo.  So simple and truly tasty!

watermelon arugula salad from Britt Wilcox on Vimeo.

Ina Garten on the Food Network has another awesome Arugula, Watermelon, and Feta salad.  You can never go wrong with the combination of feta and watermelon!  It is super good and so refreshing in the summer!  Both of these recipes are so EASY and extremely delicious.

Another delight we have coming is purple carrots.

You can’t go wrong with these!  You can eat them raw, put them in salads, dip them, and roast them.  My favorite recipe comes from one of my favorite sites, Skinny Taste.  It is called Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Ginger.  It is so fresh and the ginger is just right!

Summer is on and so is the harvest!  So, what’s coming to market this week?

• Salad and Arugula
• Swiss Chard
• Kale Galore
• Squash
• Fennel
• Turnips
• Kohlrabi
• Cabbage
• Purple Carrots
• Tatsoi
• Bok Choi
• Radishes
• Beets
• Fingerling Potatoes
• Honey
• Eggs

See you at market!  We will be there from 8:00-12:00.  Come early to get the best treats!

 

We are so blessed to have such great customers!  The picture up here was taken by one of our dearest customers and shared with me.  She was delighted by the beautiful vegetables she bought at market last week.  Her picture looks so scrumptious, I just had to brag on the fact that my husband grew that!!!

This is an exciting week for market because bok choy is in!  We are bringing baby bok choy this week because they are true beauties!
Cute and tiny and pure perfection!  When I have super fresh bok choy, my favorite way to make it is in a salad!  About six years ago, one of our customers shared this recipe with me and just thinking about it makes my mouth water!  It is so easy!  First throw a chicken breast on the grill.  I break up a bag of ramen noodles (yep the ones we lived off of in college) and toast them.  I then chop up the bok choy (be sure to use the stems), chop up some peanuts, drain a can of mandarin oranges and throw them in along with the toasted ramen noodles and toss.  I slice up the chicken breast and serve on right on top of the salad.  I make an awesome fresh ginger dressing to keep the Asian flair.  I always use our garlic and honey in it.  I am also sure to use Castlemonte Farm’s fresh ginger when it is in season.  It is the very best ginger and it is used in the Hardywood Gingerbread Stout! You can visit them at market, they are right across from us at the South of the James!  You are sure to be delighted by this recipe.  You can also sauté the bok choy in olive oil and garlic and serve them as a side, they are great that way as well.

This year, Matt’ swiss chard has really put on a beautiful show!  Did you know they are in the beet family and offer awesome health benefits?

Swiss chard is not only one of the most popular vegetables along the Mediterranean but it is one of the most nutritious vegetables around and ranks second only to spinach. My favorite way to serve this is in a stir fry!  This shrimp and swiss chard sauté is super quick and easy and is a healthy week night supper!

So, what’s coming to market this week?

• Salad and Arugula
• Swiss Chard
• Kale
• Fresh Garlic and Garlic Scopes
• Squash
• Leeks
• Bok Choy
• Honey
• Eggs
• Baby Romaine and Butter Crunch Lettuces

We will see you from 8:00-12:00 this Saturday at the South of the James Farmer’s Market!  Remember, market is always best in the rain!