BelAir Farmers Market

good eating at the farmers' market

The eating is good at the farmers' market this time of year. Some summer favorites are beginning to appear--corn, peaches, cherries, tomatoes, beans...to name a few. And each week, I come home with something new to add to my garden. Last week it was a beautiful mandevilla vine, that I'll keep in a container but allow to wind it's way around a garden fence for the summer.

If you're like most people, your weekend plans will include firing up the grill. There are plenty of good local foods to add to your fare or cook up on the grill. Here's an easy recipe for grilling corn, and a wealth of recipes for the sweet cherries you'll find at the market. My favorite being the cherry dump cobbler.

And remember, be sure to check the sidebar on our blog, for an up-to-date shopping list.

Wishing you a happy, safe Independence Day full of local eating!

See you at the Market!

strawberries' slow goodbye and a favorite pea

Strawberry season is quickly coming to a close. And I find myself racing around to be sure I've made all my strawberry favorites--shortcake, a pie, a batch of jam. They've even become a regular part of my breakfast--on top of cereal, in yogurt or just plain. I'm sure my children will mourn the passing of strawberry season, especially the youngest in my crew, who eats them by the chubby fist-full.

So today, for me, it's one more batch of jam--to be sure I have enough to make it through the winter months, with a little extra to pass around to friends.

You will still be able to find strawberries at the market this weekend, but I recommend you get there early to guarantee yourself a box before they are gone.

You'll also be able to find sugar snap peas at the market this weekend, too. Here's a great little article that talks about the snap pea--a cross between English peas and snow peas. My favorite part about the snap pea is that the whole thing is edible and can be popped into your mouth for a sweet, crisp, healthy snack.

Here are two new recipes that just might entice you to pick up a bunch of the snap peas at the market this weekend:
Sugar Snap Peas with Toasted Almonds
Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame

And remember, be sure to check out the sidebar on our blog for a complete list of what you'll find in season now at the market!

See you there!!

strawberries are HERE

It's one of my favorite times of year--strawberry season at the farmers' market! Here are a few recipes to inspire you for this sweet season:

Strawberry Galette
Cheesecake filled strawberries
Rhubarb and Strawberry Ice Cream
Strawberry Hand Pies
Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Tart
Strawberry Jam

And here's the recipe for Lattice Topped Strawberry Rhubarb Pie from one of our market vendors, Beckie, of Calvert's Gift Farm:

CRUST
3 cups all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
10 tablespoons (about) ice water

FILLING
3 ½ cups 1/2-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb
1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3 1/2 cups)
½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

FOR CRUST: Combine flour, sugar and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms. Blend in enough ice water 2 tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; cut in half. Flatten each half into a disk. Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about I hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.)

FOR FILLING: Preheat oven to 400°f.   Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend.

Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhang.
Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13 inch round.  Cut into 14 ½ inch wide strips.  Spoon filling into crust.  Arrange 7 dough strips atop filling, spacing evenly.  Form lattice by placing remaining dough strips in opposite direction atop filling.  Trim ends of dough strips even with overhang of bottom crust.  Fold strip ends and overhang under, pressing to seal. 

Brush glaze over crust.  Transfer pie to baking sheet.  Bake 20 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350.  Bake pie until golden and filling thickens, about 1 hour 25 minutes.  Transfer to pie rack and cool completely.

Be sure to check out the sidebar on the farmers' market blog, for the latest seasonal market shopping list. Wishing you a sweet strawberry season...

See you at the market!!

Need advice? Ask the grower.

**a note to email subscribers: if you are one of the people that receive our blog updates in your inbox, you may notice that there has been quite a bit of lag time between when a post is written, and when you actually receive an email letting you know that we've updated the site. I'm sorry about this, and I'm working on figuring out why this is happening. Hopefully, things will start to catch up soon.**

I hope by now many of you have had a chance to visit the market as we begin a new season. I was there on opening day, doing my usual thing--taking pictures of lettuce, closeups of radishes or the tangled roots of spring onions, and jotting down shopping lists and notes in my notebook. As I wandered around from stand to stand I was struck by what a personal experience it is to shop locally and to buy your food from the person who grew it or prepared it. Many times I stood in the background and listened to the advice:

"Make sure you bring your hanging basket in if the temperature drops below 40..."

"I love to sautée those in a pan with some olive oil and garlic...Add it to rice or white beans..."

"If it's a stronger tasting green, combine it with a starch...."

"Cut the ends of those one more time when you get home. They'll last longer..."

It is a good reminder to not be afraid to ask the vendors questions:
What is this?
How does it taste?
What do you do with it?
How do you cook it?
How does it grow?
What should I look for when I pick one?

The farmers' market provides such a unique opportunity to interact directly with the people who are providing the food that you put on your table. It's an experience you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else in our retail community. I hope you'll take advantage of it.

Be sure to check out the sidebar on our blog for a list of what's in season right now at the farmers' market. Make your shopping list and we'll see you at there!!

We're Back! Hello, 2008 Season!

The farmers' market begins its new season this Saturday, April 12th. While your garden may be bare, many of our vendors have been working hard to prepare for opening day. Check back later in the week for a complete shopping list for the kickoff of the 2008 market.

Here's to a great season of doing something good for our community, our farmers and our environment by EATING LOCAL! See you Saturday!

The market is located in the Mary Risteau courthouse parking lot on the corner of Thomas and South Bond Street, in downtown Bel Air. Check out our sidebar for a link to a detailed map and driving directions. There is convenient, close parking all around the market grounds.

Saturday's market is open from 7am - 11am.

eating local--when the season is over

Even though the market season has officially ended there are still ways to find fresh, local produce year round. Several of our market vendors have produce and products available in local stores and farms stands and there are valuable online resources as well. This post will help you keep it local as much as possible, even when frost is on the ground!

Market Vendors Available Elsewhere:
BROGUE HYDROPONICS

• available year-round at The New Eastern Market, 201 Memory Lane, York, PA
• they carry a line of organic produce at their stand
• contact them at: 717-927-9216 with any questions

BROOM'S BLOOM DAIRY

• located on Rt. 543 carries cheese, pork, ice cream, and Woolsey Farm lamb after the market is closed.

QUIGLEY FARM MARKET

• located on Line Road, 1/4 mile off MD Rt 136 in Whiteford, MD
• offers fall wreaths of bittersweet and corn foliage by order through Thanksgiving
• they will also be open on Saturday, December 1st with country Christmas wreaths made of fresh mixed
• greens and berries. wreaths may be ordered as well
• firewood and deer corn also available by order
• square bales of hay (1st and 2nd cutting) and straw available anytime
• For orders, call: 717-456-5521, Amy: 410-459-3748, or Todd: 443-807-9594

CYBEE'S HONEY:

• available at Broom's Bloom Dairy and at both Kefauver Lumber locations; also taking orders for beeswax items: holiday candles, advent candles, etc,.

HICKORY CHANCE BEEF:

• available at Wilson's Farm Market year round
• Customers can call the farm at 410-836-9442 with questions and pick up arrangements

WILSON'S FARM MARKET:

• Market farm stand located on Rt. 1 three miles north of Hickory. Open daily from 9-6.
• farm stand carries their apples, Hickory Chance Beef, Keyes Creamery Cheese and Ice Cream, local free range eggs, McCutcheon's preserves and condiments, handmade goat milk soap, raw local honey. They also bake pies and cookies daily.

FLOWERS BY DENE:

• offers dried and silk flowers throughout the entire year including the winter off season. We also do weddings, parties and any floral even year round.
• Contact via email: flwrsbydene(at) aol (dot)com, or 410-456-5830

RICHARDSON FARM:

• farm stand located at 5826 Ebenezer road, white marsh, MD 21126
• open 7 days a week from 8am-6pm Monday-Saturday; Sundays 8am-4pm
• the farm stand carries all their fresh produce until they stop picking for the year.

DEER CREEK BEEF:

• available at The Mill of Bel Air, located at 424 N. Main Street
• for any information or orders contact NancyAnn Sayre: 410-322-2314 or deercreekbeef (at)gmail(dot)com

OTHER RESOURCES

There is a list of market vendor websites in our right side bar. Check them out for more specific information from each provider.
The Mill of Bel Air also carries local apples and Darlington lamb.

ONLINE RESOURCES:
Local Harvest
Food Routes
Eat Local Challenge
Slow Food Movement

And don't forget!! Come back here in mid-March for new announcements about the 2008 Market Season.

Thanks for a great year and thanks for supporting your local agricultural community. It's eating you can feel good about.

Changing Seasons at the Market

There's something about the changing seasons that always draws me to the farmers' market. Slowly saying goodbye to some of summer's favorites like peaches and tomatoes, but gladly welcoming something new--mums, pumpkins, apples, gourds, winter squash...
I don't know what it was about last week's market, but I couldn't stop admiring all the color that the market had to offer. When I came home to download my pictures, I had to double check the settings on my digital camera to be sure I hadn't accidentally over-tweaked the images. The colors were beautiful and vibrant--deep reds and purples, oranges, yellows and greens. It was stunning. Somehow the gray skies and light drizzle provided a perfect, subtle background for the beauty of the market.

I came home with my arms full. This time a chubby yellow mum, an elegant swan-shaped gourd and two big bags of apples. The mum sits happily on my front porch and reminds me, especially today, that cool weather is on its way. The gourd is tucked in gently beside the mum and the apples--they are long gone. We made lots of applesauce. And it is too good and too easy not try making some for yourself.

Here's what I did:

Peel, core and slice 8-12 apples. (this time, I used MacIntosh)
Place apples in a large pot and add a small amount of water.
Bring to a boil and then turn back to low and simmer until apples are soft.
Mash with a potato-masher, until they reach your desired consistency.
Add a small amount of sugar and cinnamon to taste.

Serve warm (yum.) or chill until ready to eat.

Several times this week, I've walked into my kitchen to find the refrigerator door standing wide open, and a spoon-wielding toddler ducked behind it, making light work of the bowl of applesauce. It's that good.

And with the extra apple, we did a few of these:

And if that's not enough to get you to the market this week, don't forget it's Doggy Dress-up Day, Deer Creek Beef will be firing up their grills for a tasting, and you can get the latest market shopping list, right here.

See YOU at the market!

coming to the market ::: saturday sept. 29

Market Shopping List :: Week of September 15th

The temperatures are getting cooler, the days a little shorter, but the market tables are still overflowing with goodness as the seasons begin to change:

Market Shopping List Week of September 15th:
Winter Squash (several different kinds)
Pumpkins
Gourds
Tomatoes
Grape Tomatoes
Kale
Collards
Spinach
Cucumbers
Okra
Eggplant
Sweet Aruba Peppers
Cantaloupes
Watermelon
Cabbage
Beans
Potatoes
Summer Squash
Sweet and Hot Peppers
Chard
Garlic
Green Beans
Peaches
Apples
Heirloom Tomatoes
Sweet Corn
Baked Goods (breads and cookies)
Fall Scones (pear almond and apple cinnamon)
Cakes (chocolate decadence and lemon yogurt)
Cut flowers
Fall flower arrangements in pumpkins
Fresh eggs
Honey
Cheese
Select cuts of Lamb
Beef
Ice Cream
Herbs
Potted Plants and Succulents

A vendor from the farmers' market sent me this link from "The Osgood File" a progrm on the CBS Radio Network. The short radio clip talks about Bon Appetit--a company that serves corporate cafeterias all over the country like at Yahoo, Adidas, and even the college I attended.
They have decided to make an effort towards serving locally produced and grown foods. It is a short clip, which you can listen to below. But the point that struck me most was that when you decide to eat locally, you must think of food preparation differently. Instead of thinking about what you are going eat, and then going to find the ingredients, start with the ingredients, and then decide what you want to prepare.

That's the beauty of our farmers' market. As I said in my last post, it is full of inspiration. Visit the market with an open-mind. See what catches your eye (or your stomach, for that matter) and start there.

Download osgood_06252007_825.mp3