Bacon…and Greens
Jim Gaffigan is one of my favorite comedians. He is famous for being super pale, a little pudgy, and adorably devoted to his family. For many of his fans, myself included, he really put the nail in the coffin for Hot Pockets, and we will forever be in his debt for that. The real Gaffigan gold, however, is not in his hilarious take on hand-held microwaveable meat sandwiches. Nay nay – his best stuff is about bacon.
Bacon, the great Gaffigan tells us, is the fairy dust of food. You can sprinkle it on anything and it makes it the best thing you have ever eaten. How true it is. You can add bacon to a salad, a hamburger, and even a chocolate cupcake, and it is instantly yummier. This is an important truth to take with you when you are experimenting with new and unfamiliar vegetables.
When I met the world’s largest bag of Swiss chard at last week’s LFM – that’s Saturdays, 9-2, by the way, in case you wanted to come out this weekend and snag some yourself – I was a little intimidated. But the vendor said, “cook it in a little bacon fat and…” well I couldn’t hear the rest, because she said bacon.
I handed her my money, took the giant bag of unfamiliar greens and raced home. If there is one thing I can do, it’s add bacon to things.
I washed the greens, chopped it up, sauteed it with onion and in a wee bit of bacon fat, which I happened to have since I had conveniently just fried some bacon, and enjoyed a sizable portion with my dinner. It was delicious.
Gaffigan was right. Bacon is the fairy dust of food. It tricked me into eating a bunch of super healthy greens, and that is what we will call a win-win scenario. My mouth got bacon, and my body got greens. We were all so happy.
Introduce your bacon to the Swiss chard at the Linton Farmers’ Market this weekend, and you can be happy too.
–Amy Lore, Linton Farmers’ Market Steering Committee
Top Ten Ways to Support Your Linton Farmers’ Market
The Linton Farmers’ Market Steering Committee has created a list – in no particular order – of ways you can be an LFM number one fan.
Despite being a little too old to stay up for late night television, I personally still enjoy a good top ten list. Here, for your reading pleasure, the Linton Farmers’ Market Steering Committee has created a list – in no particular order – of ways you can be an LFM number one fan.
10. Attend the market regularly. That’s right, kids, get out to the park on Saturdays from 9-2 and buy all the fresh produce, preserves, and pie you can hold. What’s that? You can’t hold very much? Well, we have an idea to help solve that…
9. Bring a friend! Walk to the market and get some exercise. Plan to meet there and enjoy an al fresco coffee date. After all, there is plenty of coffee and homemade cinnamon rolls and cookies to enjoy while you chat and listen to live music in the background. Plus, if you have a friend with you, that will make a total of four arms to hold watermelon, green beans, sweet corn, and organic lettuce. Or, if you are super cool, you can use all four of your shoulders because you brought your…
8. Linton Farmers’ Market tote bag! Because you are smart and have been following the good advice mentioned in numbers 10 and 9, you have at least one of these gorgeous white totes with the simple yet elegant green LFM logo. But wait, you say you don’t have one of these stylish must-haves? That means you have overlooked…
7. The Linton Farmers’ Market frequent customer punch card – your ticket to tote-land. With five punches, you get a FREE tote (see number 8). If you fill one up, no worries, you can easily secure a second card and join the elite upper echelon of farmers’ market fan-dom with twin totes. You can do it. And once you have, you can complete your enviable look with…
6. A Linton Farmers’ Market t-shirt. Everyone loves a well-executed look, especially when the handbag matches the ensemble. We dare you to sport your two totes while wearing your new LFM t-shirt. It’s possible that you could be featured as a super fan on…
5. Facebook. Linton Farmers’ Market is burning up ye olde social media, and we want you to visit our page and like, like, like! (Also share, share, share…) We also want our facebook friends to post their own pics of the market, rave about the amazing things you find – make sure to tag us! We also post amazing recipes and tips about healthy eating and vendor information as well as updates about the market. But if you want real scoop, you should also sign up for…
4. The LFM Newsletter. This little gem of targeted mass communication will bring you all sorts of details about vendors and market news. You will want to know about weeks when the market has a break – as it did to accommodate freedom festival…festivities…so be in the know, and sign up for the newsletter. And when you get it, forward it to your friends. If the newsletter still leaves you hungry for more…
3. Visit the website – you’ll find plenty of info there about what it takes to be one of our amazing vendors (by the way we had 13 last week – breaking records left and right!), or dig into the suggested reading list and become a true connoisseur of all things local, fresh, and edible. If you’ve gone that far, you might want to consider…
2. Volunteering – we are always eager to see local musicians join our stalwart (and sometimes sweaty and tired and needing a break already) band. If that’s not your style, then we invite you to…
1. Just basically spread the word! Go at it the old fashioned way and just talk about the Linton Farmers’ Market. Or get creative and find a new and energetic way to get the word out. After all, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a good sandwich board…speaking of sandwiches, I wonder what the Daily Dish will be serving at this week’s market…I’d better plan to be there, and bring a friend, and get my card punched, so I can use my tote…and, well, you get the idea.
See you at the market!!
–Amy Lore, Linton Farmers’ Market Steering Committee
Cabbage to Sauerkraut
I picked up a gorgeous head of cabbage this week from the Linton Farmers’ Market. Outside of coleslaw, most people are not familiar with the many ways cabbage can contribute its nutritional goodness to our tables.
By far, my favorite way to eat cabbage is fermented. That’s right. I’m talking about homemade sauerkraut. This may seem like an unattainable goal, but I assure you, nothing could be simpler than making this probiotic power food in your own kitchen.
I use Sally Fallon’s excellent guide to fermenting vegetables, from her cookbook, Nourishing Traditions. Using either red or green cabbage, the fermentation process is easy to jumpstart. Fallon recommends using whey, obtained by draining plain yogurt, or substituting lemon juice for those who cannot tolerate dairy.
The fun part is using a wooden mallet or meat cleaver to smash the cabbage (plus caraway seed, whey, and salt) to get the natural juices out of the cabbage. Not only is it cathartic, it builds some serious arm muscle. This concoction then stays sealed, on the counter for two days before moving to the back of the fridge, where it should stay for a good week before tasting. I prefer to give it a bit more time than that, but it all depends on how much flavor you like.
Fermentation is extremely beneficial for digestion, but it is also an excellent way to preserve the bounty of summer. Sauerkraut will keep in the fridge for many months.
Think about trying this yourself, and if you are interested in learning more about home fermentation and its many benefits, check out Donna Schwenk’s Cultured Food Life at www.culturedfoodlife.com. Everything you need to get started is available at the Linton Farmers’ Market!
–Amy Lore, Linton Farmers’ Market Steering Committee
What to do with Carrot Greens
As accustomed as most of us are to the cello-bagged carrots in the grocery store, it might come as quite a shock to see organically grown carrots in their mostly green glory at the Linton Farmers’ Market (LFM). These natural, orange wonders attracted a lot of attention at the Ancestry Farms (Bloomfield) booth last Saturday.
“But what do you do with all the greens?” I overheard a customer ask. Truly, the tiny carrots looked delicious, but there was no question that we would be taking home mostly greens. No one wants to throw away that much food. But is it food? Can you eat carrot greens?
According to the vendor, Nikki Taylor, yes you can eat them! They make a great addition to salads, with a somewhat bitter flavor. Plus they add flavor and nutrients to bone broths and stocks, and of course, no carrot stew would be complete without them.
Of course, I wanted to find something different to do with the carrot greens. They peeked out of the top of my new LFM tote – free thanks to the five punches I put into my frequent customer card! – and had me pondering what to do with them all the way home.
I landed on pesto. That’s right, carrot green pesto. Traditional pesto is a delicious mix of fresh basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, and olive oil. There are a million recipes and variations for this mix, but it is impossible to go wrong with your tongue as your guide. Add a few handfuls of carrot greens, throw it all in the food processor, add the olive oil through the feed tube, and you will have the perfect summer compliment for grilled meat or veggies. (Tip: Freeze leftovers and add to bone broths for a nutrient-dense finisher!)
Carrot green pesto is even better paired with a helping of grilled carrots. Toss those tiny, natural carrots in olive oil, salt and pepper and grill in a foil pouch until tender. This was so delicious, we forgot to take pictures. You will just have to visit the LFM this Saturday and try it yourself!
–Amy Lore, Linton Farmers’ Market Steering Committee
