Saturday Vienna Farmers Market

Vienna Farmers Market Reopens on May 2nd at 8 a.m.

2009-04-13T17:28:00.001-07:00

May 2---the day is fast approaching which means only one thing, it's almost market time!

The very real tastes, sights and smells of the season's first strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus, spring peas, chard, spinach, and yummy beets are only days away! Add to that the thought of buying apples, potatoes, fresh dairy, made to order kettle corn, delicious bakery products, and a sausage biscuit well your mind goes to wandering doesn't it? Think about dips and rubs and sauce mixes for soups and such—oh my! Think on honey and nectars for all that lovely fresh baked bread! And how about some fresh cut flowers for your table? Or herbs, annuals, perennials and small shrubs for the garden to keep up with your grass growing yeah high. Our theme for the market this year is "Back to the Basics."

Our vendors our honing in on those important things that the consumers have asked for and want and we as your market managers hope to be offering you what you've asked for at the market as well. Likewise because you are cutting back as well, we hope that you'll remember that our market is part of every family's plan to be economical yet feasible—we offer a community experience for the entire family (come and meet and chat with your neighbor) while offering wholesome and economical healthy food for toddler to mom and pop. See you on the corner of Church and Mill and Dominion on Saturday May 2 between 8 a.m. and noon!

So Long See You on May 2, 2009

2008-11-23T15:01:00.001-08:00

The market is officially over for 2008. We are missing the market and like you if you are reading this blog, are back to the boredom of shopping at supermarkets and although the cashiers are friendly, we miss the fresh local produce. By the way, Sarah Jane and I made an interesting observation, during the spring/summer and fall we really never had the time to go to the grocery store to shop other than to pick up water, some tofu on occasion and dog food on others. But we did fine because we purchased what we needed every week at the market. It wasn't what we planned to do but it turned out to be a healthier way to live and looking over our expenses our food budget was actually lower than what we normally spent in a grocery store plus we actually ate healthier.

It is food for thought. We'd also like to say at this special time of year when we all have so much to be thankful for that we appreciate everyone's help and patronage and we look forward to next year's market when it starts on May 2, 2009 in the caboose parking lot. So once again thanks to everyone, we'll see you soon.

Sarah Jane and Uncle Dave/Volunteer Market Masters

Vienna Farmers Market Update -- There are Four (4) More Markets Left In 2008 (last one is Saturday November 1st)

2008-10-10T07:31:00.001-07:00

Vienna Farmers Market Update -- October 9th 2008

Someone once said that you don't know what you got until it is gone -- and last weekend we couldn't have the Vienna Farmers Market due to the Oktoberfest Event. Although the Oktoberfest Event last Saturday was a success. Sarah Jane and I missed the Vienna Farmers Market! Luckily it is not gone. So we hope to see you there this Saturday and the following Saturdays through November 1st.

What Can You Start Looking Forward To for This Saturday (October 11th)? Here are a couple of Highlights

McCLEAFS ORCHARD:

Kiwi Berries, first for the season. They are the cousin of the fuzzy New Zealand Kiwi. They contain over 20 vital nutrients per 6 oz serving 130 calories; 30g carbs: and 25g of dietary fiber. <SWEET FINGER FOOD>!
The LAST of the white peaches. <VERY LIMITED>!

KUHN ORCHARD:

All pumpkins are half price the last hour of market
We will feature around 15 different varieties of apples on Saturday, including the FIRST of the Fuji!
Folks should stock up on heirloom tomatoes for that final taste of summer. Supply will be limited after this weekend due to our first frost on Monday.

Come to the Vienna Farmers Market on Saturday to Discover Even More ....

Dave and Sarah Jane

Volunteer Vienna Farmers Market Masters, Optimist Club of Greater Vienna http://viennafarmersmarket.com/

Our Vienna Farmers Market Website Recipe Contest has concluded and we have a Winner!

2008-09-26T16:02:00.001-07:00

Tina McElhatton is the winner. Please join us in congratulating her. She has won $50 redeemable in vendor foods at the Vienna Farmers Market.

Grandma McElhatton's Fried Tomatoes (serves 2)

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (Old Pioneer Kitchen)
4 slices toast (Becky's Pastries – cheddar bread or bun bread)
3 -4 tblsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped (Lois's Produce, McLeaf's, Kuhn's, Friendly Hall, or Westmoreland)
1 tea chopped garlic (Westmoreland, McLeaf, Kuhn's, Friendly Hall, or Lois's Produce)
4 large very ripe tomatoes (McLeaf's, Kuhn's, Westmoreland, or Friendly Hall)
Flour – about 1 cup
Salt and pepper to taste
½ to 1 cup (South Mountain Creamery) milk

Preparation

Slice tomatoes and dredge in flour.
Heat olive oil in large skillet.
Add tomatoes and onions and sauté over medium heat, turning and breaking up tomatoes.
Add more tomatoes as they break up, along with chopped garlic.
Sauté about 5 minutes, until tomatoes are chunky and soft.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add milk, a little at a time, and continue to cook till thickened.

To serve, toast bread, top with crumbled bacon, and pour fried tomatoes over.

This recipe was passed down and is from the 1950s! It is Tina's husband's grandmother's recipe. Easy to make it passed all tests by our judges—easy to make, great taste, and includes wonderful products from multiple Vienna Farmers Market Vendors.

Stay tuned next year for the same contest! Try this recipe out. It is delish! Yum.

Fall Harvest Time!

2008-09-16T10:28:00.001-07:00

It's that perfect time of year at the market when there is a blend of summertime and the promise of fall, the taste of fresh peaches and the promise of canned. The essence of honey and preserves, jams and jellies not to mention the idea of a free range Thanksgiving Turkey! Concord Grapes fresh off the vine, Beets, Salad Greens, Broccoli, Lima Beans, Black Eyed Peas all make you water at the mouth when you think of going home and cooking up a meal blending them with staple market onions, new potatoes, and tomatoes.

We've talked about freezing in weeks past, I just spent several days with the judges for the recipe contest making up and tasting the best of the recipes for the market contest, yum…only problem is I think I've gained 7 pounds! Yikes! Still yum. Look for the winner to be announced later this week.

Also froze about 3 quarts of blackberries, made up two quarts of tomato sauce and canned it—am getting ready for the winter and followed Friendly Halls advice and am freezing corn on the husk. But how will I ever be able to match the taste of their jams and jellies—its pure nirvana…other half sits down and eats it like dessert! Oh well.

This week our nonprofit is the OPTIMIST CLUB and we are talking about our upcoming WALK FOR GROWING HOPE on OCTOBER 4. The market will also be closed on October 4 BTW for Oktoberfest. The Walk for Growing Hope raises money for children with cancer, it's a great cause stop by the booth right by the caboose this weekend.

The weekend after that, Ayr Hill Garden Club will be selling bulbs (spring) and its going to be a fantastic sale! Come one and come all. A wonderful selection of bulbs will be available for sale (I know I've opened up my piggy bank for the sale already!).

See you at the market.

Farmer SJ

Blackberries, innocent sweet morsel like berries or brave cancer fighting agents? You decide but no matter what enjoy these last bits of summer now and again in the winter, here’s how…

2008-09-12T05:40:00.001-07:00

Good news and bad news the recipe contest has been extended by a few days—September 18 to be exact due to last week's washout. Hope contestants don't mind the delay, we think it's only fair.

Blackberries will soon be out of season, so stock up now and stick them in your freezer. Even when iced, they're bursting with protective nutrients.

In fact, frozen blackberries have almost as much antioxidant strength as the fresh kind. Which is a
lot -- enough to help thwart colon, prostate, breast, and oral cancer cells in studies. This is all according to the Real Age Blog! I can attest that frozen blackberries do very well. Raspberries tend to turn to mush (don't plan on using them for anything other than smoothies) but the blackberries hold up nicely!

It's always fun to go to the market but why not make it a healthful adventure too? Take along of a list of healthy foods in season that you plan to buy and maybe one or two items that you'd buy as a splurge now and then (crepes, donuts, peanut brittle).

Among my other half's favorite healthy foods at the market are the following…

A Farmers Market Healthy Shopping List! Or part of one at least!

Items Suitable For Canning
Olives
Tomatoes (to sun-dry, make into tomato sauce, crush, dice and eat whole).
Condiments and Spices
Honey
Red pepper seasoning mixes and curry powder mixes from Gypsy Hill
All kinds of jams and jellies
Refrigerated Items
Eggs
Cheeses--low-fat including cottage cheese
Milk
Orange or grapefruit juice (100%) with pulp
Yogurt
Sour cream, low-fat
Poultry/Pork/Beef
Chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless
Chicken thighs, skinless
Pork meat, sliced and skinless (not processed cold cuts) Beef assorted
Fruits and Vegetables
Stock up on plenty of fresh fruits and veggies from each color group, but don't buy more than you'll be able to eat in a week. Fruits and vegetables lose their nutrient goodness when they sit around.
Blue/Purple:
Blueberries, blackberries, plums, eggplant
Orange/Yellow:
Carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, mangoes, peaches, nectarines
Red:
Tomatoes, cherries, cranberries, red peppers, red apples
Yellow/Green:
broccoli, spinach, peppers
White/Green:
Garlic and onions, etc! (Supplement with beans, fish, additional condiments, grains and health foods)

See you at the market!

Vienna Farmers Market: To Preserve or Can the Peaches - that is the Question

2008-08-28T18:46:00.001-07:00

To Preserve or Can the Peaches that is the Question

Well Mcleaf's and Kuhn's Orchards tells us that sadly we're getting near the end of peach, nectarine and plum season—yes I know I know—it seems like it just started! Since their Orchards are located in Southern Pennsylvania there is about a month left to the season give or take. So if you are like my other half you might want to start pondering what to do when the season ends—buy Californian fruit again (no never, nope!)
or perhaps we need to stockpile now for colder weather.

Preserves

Have you ever wanted to make plum, nectarine or peach preserves but thought it was too hard? Well if the other half can do it, so can you! Here are some simple easy lessons.

Peel the fruit, remove the pit, and add an equal amount of sugar to fruit to a pot of boiling water.
Then add pectin (hard to find these days but try Whole Foods or a health food store for a how sugar pectin—healthier). Pour into jars and voila!

Recipe…the best recipes for preserves and jams are those you make up yourself and the internet and cookbooks are full of choices if you are not daring…but the basics according to my wife's dearly departed grandmother are:

1 pound of fruit to every cup of sugar (maybe a bit less to taste) with a bit of lemon juice thrown in as a chaser—if you start there you'll never go wrong!

Flash Frozen Fruit (works on many solid fruits like nectarines, plums, peaches)

Peel fruit and cut into slices
Sprinkle lemon juice over them and
Place on flat tray in subzero freezer
After 2 to 3 hours remove from tray and put in Ziploc freezer bags. When needed thaw out and you can put in yogurt or smoothies -- bake a pie with them or just eat them—yum!

Canning

Fill pot with water and put in rinsed jars (1/2 way up). Bring water to boil and turn off.
Skin fruit and slice or cut it up, make a simple syrup by adding water to sugar (4 cups water to ½ cup sugar).
Put fruit in jars tight and tamp down. Pour simple syrup over fruit and leave ½ to 1/3 inch of room at top of jar.
Wipe rims. Place lids on and tighten.
For 45 minutes to an hour put jars in water just above their height (giving them a bath as it were) in boiling water.
Take jars out and let cool. Lids will snap as the jars cool down thus forming a vacuum (that's why you left the ½ to 1/3 inch gap that forms a seal). Fruit will be good for up to a year.

Another Idea

Speaking of all of this how about trying one of Friendly Hall Farms favorite tips for corn—take an ear of corn and don't husk it, instead carefully wrap it in aluminum foil and put in freezer. Come December you can shuck the corn and put it in a pot of boiling water (or microwave) and voila have the taste of corn on the cob in the winter. Yum it's sure worth trying. Thanks Cathy!

Vienna Farmers Market Recipe Challenge

2008-08-15T16:05:00.001-07:00

Submit Your Recipe Electronically or Give to the Market Masters (Sarah Jane or Dave)

Everybody's been talking about the Vienna Farmers Market this year -- how exciting it is and how they love all the vendors, and how it has found the right variety balance. People are buying pickles and olives and salsa and dips and rubs and butters to go with their veggies and fruits and meats and dairy!

So we decided a contest was in order. The Vienna Farmers Market Masters are issuing a challenge…send in your recipe to the Vienna Farmers Market website ViennaFarmersMarket.com and the best recipe will win a $50 gift certificate (consisting of five (5)-$10 receipts redeemable with the various Vienna Farmers Market Vendors.

Sound good? Well get cracking, contest starts now and ends Thursday September 18^th 2008.

Send your recipes to Info@viennafarmersmarket.com. The winner will be notified by e-mail or telephone (entrants must indicate their preference). The winner's name will be posted on the whiteboard at the entrance of the Vienna Farmers Market if the winner chooses this designation. The winner will be chosen by the Saturday September 20^th market.

Best recipe wins. The contest will be judged by 5 impartial judges. They will evaluate the recipes and select the top 5 most intriguing to cook and taste. The winner will be notified by e-mail and the winner's (name) will be posted at the market or e-mail (choice) will be posted at the Saturday September 20^th Vienna Farmers Market.

Rules:
Recipe must be received by Thurday September 18^th. The recipe(s) submitted should include at least 2 to 3 ingredients from vendors at the market and at least one of those products must be from a vendor that is not a fruit and vegetable vendor (and name the vendor in the recipe by their ingredient). Any entries received after Thursday the 18^th of September will not be considered. The $10 receipts are redeemable only at the Vienna Farmers Market and cannot be exchanged for cash. Enter as many recipes as you like. Note that the recipes already on the ViennaFarmersMarket.com web site or on this blog site
cannot be submitted under this challenge.

Apple Feta Chicken Breasts

2008-08-08T18:01:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

4 large (about 1 ½ lbs.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium green cooking apple, cored and cut into 8 wedges
1 medium red cooking apple, cored and cut into 8 wedges
4 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
1 Tbsp. apple juice
¼ tsp. seasoned pepper
¼ tsp. dried thyme

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a 2-quart oblong glass baking dish, arrange chicken breasts in a single layer. Sprinkle with seasoned pepper and dried thyme. Scatter apple wedges and feta cheese over top of chicken. Drizzle with apple juice. Cover with foil.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until juices of chicken run clear when pierced with a fork and apples are tender.
Uncover for last 10 minutes

Vienna Farmers Market Apple Cake

2008-08-08T17:46:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

For Cake:

1 1/2 C. vegetable oil
2 C. sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 C. chopped apples
1 C. chopped nuts
3 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt

For topping:

4 TBSP. butter
1 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. milk

Ingredients

Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.
Sift dry ingredients together.
Beat oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Add dry mixture to wet ingredients. Beat in apples and nuts. Pour into baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour.
Just before cake is done bring topping ingredients to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Remove cake from oven and stab top of cake with fork tines. Pour boiled topping over cake while cake is still hot.

Peaches and Plums and Nectarines Yum Yum! Send your favorites in and be featured here!

2008-08-07T11:42:00.001-07:00

Well it's about mid season for peaches and plums and nectarines yeah yeah yum yum.

But have these fruits ever been more mouth watering and delectable or am I just getting older, hey! I tried some white nectarines at Kuhn's (Arctic Pride) last week that could have melted in your mouth and SJ and a friend sampled peaches at McLeaf's that were so good that they ran all down their shirts! Talk about delicious.

The variety is stupendous at the market and the prices are good. Some people like freestone's and loring's but my favorite peach is the white peach and it's been outstanding this year although the market has been selling out at both our venues—McLeaf's and Kuhn's
so you better come early.

We are going to be saying goodbye to the blackberries soon according to the sources in the know at Kuhn's orchard. So sad. We had some blueberries last week. What a treat and how luscious. Still for me and the other half it's all about the peaches, plums and nectarines right now and talking about that it's a great time of year to start thinking about stocking up for the winter-freezing, canning and/or preserve making.

My significant other is doing all of those in her free time, when she's not out making a living. C'mon down to the market and try some of these luscious fruits in season and hey ask for your market master, tell them Uncle Dave sent you!

Remember the downtown Vienna Farmers Market is open Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon until November 1 (except for October 4).

Come on down and visit us it's not your mother's market anymore!

DEPT OF AGRICULTURE ISSUES CHALLENGE: EAT LOCAL FOR ADAY

2008-07-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) challenges all Virginians to Eat Local for a Day during Virginia Farmers Market Week, August 3 – 9.

Local products, (especially those from the Vienna Farmers Market) harvested at the peak of freshness, ensure great taste and maximum nutrition. Eating local gives you a chance to know the people who produce your food and reduces energy costs by saving shipping miles. Buying Virginia Grown or Virginia’s Finest products supports Virginia’s number one industry, agriculture, and helps ensure that working farmland remains in production.

And now there’s one more reason. If you Eat Local for a Day and submit a video of your experience, you will be eligible for a full-to-bursting prize basket of Virginia foods, beverages, a Virginia Grown polo shirt, a logo cap or tote bag, and a host of other Virginia items.

Here’s the challenge: pick a day during Farmers Market Week and eat only Virginia products for breakfast, lunch, dinner and all those in-between snacks. Make a video of what you ate, where you bought it (at the Vienna Farmers Market) and how much you enjoyed it. Send it to EatLocalVa@vdacs.virginia.gov by September 2, 2008 for a chance to win that Virginia prize pack and to see your video featured on VDACS’ Web site and YouTube.

Look for complete details at www.virginiagrown.com, where you will also find locations to purchase or pick-your-own Virginia Grown fruits and vegetables, a produce availability chart, great recipes and much more. Find a listing of Virginia processed foods at www.vdacs.virginia.gov/food&beverage/index.shtml.

Choose Virginia Grown, Virginia made, Virginia processed and Virginia produced products. Take your pick from the delicious array of Virginia Grown and locally made foods and beverages available at grocery and specialty stores, farmers markets, roadside stands and pick-your-own farms. The list includes everything from Virginia fruits, vegetables, wine, candies, cheeses, condiments, pasta, poultry, seafood, snacks, honey, herbs, meats, jams, eggs, dairy products, baked goods and more.

“Now, more than ever, eating local makes a lot of sense,” said Todd P. Haymore, VDACS Commissioner, “and I encourage all ages to accept our challenge. Start by eating local for a day and submitting your video, but don’t stop there. Make delicious Virginia products a part of every meal, all year long.”

IN SEASON! -- Watermelons, Cantaloupes, Peaches and Nectarines, Summer Squash and Zucchini

2008-07-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

Watermelons, Cantaloupes, Peaches and Nectarines, Summer Squash and Zucchini -- Also celebrate the last of the blueberries and blackberries. Tasty! Come to the Vienna Farmers Market each Saturday morning from 8am until Noon through November 1st.

Cooking Methods—Baking, Sautéing, Grilling, Steaming, Deep Frying (suggesting), Broiling and Poaching (good for fruit), Microwaving, Steaming. Wow the possibilities are endless!

And while we are talking Fruits and Vegetables this recent blog from Dr.Mirkin.com answered quite a few questions…

"Are raw vegetables better than cooked ones? The answer not necessarily but fresh always is! Many people believe that fresh fruits and vegetables always contain more nutrients than cooked ones, but cooked carrots have higher levels of antioxidants than fresh carrots. Cooking carrots in the presence of a small amount of oil or butter increases the amount of two antioxidants called beta carotene and phenolic acid. Cooking also increases the amount of lycopene you get from tomatoes. Cooking breaks the plant cells open to increase the absorption of these antioxidants and other beneficial plant chemicals. Adding a little oil or butter increases absorption of fat soluble chemicals. Some vitamins are affected by cooking, but you'll still get plenty. The enzymes in food that are destroyed by heat are of no use to you; your body makes the enzymes you need to digest your food. Most of the nutrients in food (minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates) are not destroyed by heat, and many common foods are unpalatable or unsafe if they are not cooked. I recommend eating the widest possible variety of fruits and vegetables, raw or cooked, and fresh, frozen, canned or dried. For more on food enzymes see:" http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/1451.html
Reprinted with permission

My mind is turning to cherries and red red raspberries

2008-06-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

Bought some lovely cherries last weekend and enjoyed the pleasure of sitting on my porch and letting the juice just run down my chin as I ate these delectable treats.

Wow talk about flavor popping out all over the place! And our farmers also have those wonderful fragile delectable raspberries that just melt in your mouth. You know the ones you buy and think you’ll cook or bake a pie with? Somehow I don’t think so, these darlings probably won’t even make it home.

As we start to bid goodbye to strawberries and asparagus, we are saying hello to our first ears of corn and rich rich tomatoes! Yes I said tomatoes. It’s time to address everything you’ve been hearing on the news. Salmonella-yes it’s a dirty word in more ways than one. And yes it can kill people. But where is it happening. Not on small farms in Virginia and Maryland that’s for sure. In fact Virginia and Maryland were two of the first states to pass the FDA inspection! The nationwide salmonella outbreak causing a nationwide frenzy over tomatoes seems to apply to crops grown in Florida and Mexico for commercial use. Ironically, in the case of tomatoes it may pay more than ever to buy from a Farmers’ Market because you know where the tomatoes have come from and you know the quality that you are going to get. Husband and I enjoyed tomatoes two weekends ago from Friendly Hill Farms and this week from Westmoreland. Nothing to fear.

Gypsy Hill Dips and Rubs—what impeccable quality, what great people, what quality!

2008-06-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Walking around the Vienna Farmers Market people talk about the need for fresh and new ... and nowhere else can you find that fresh and new taste than at Gypsy Hill where the proprietors go out of their way to supply what’s needed and what's new to their customers.

Need mango, raspberry or pineapple salsa? Need an easy to make recipe that just needs a can of tomatoes tonight and allows you to pack it up/bring it home from a picnic (talk about potable!) and make another serving the next day. Wow! The dips and rubs are numerous and flavorful…need something for a meat dish, how about a dip for that dinner party or a special something that would spice up that stir fry? You’ll never find a friendlier or more helpful couple than Margaret and Patrick at the market every Saturday morning and ready to chat and offer helpful tips to you and yours. Shoot they’ll make you feel part of the family. They’ve been at Viva Vienna and at some other local markets but their items sell out quickly. This means don’t dally. If you see something you want—know that it has the freshest quality ingredients and buy it today.

The proprietors make up their own labels, stuff the bags with the dips and spices themselves, this is real quality control folks. Its impressive. And the quality control shows up in the taste as well. Yummy is the theme this season and it goes to the taste of these dips…all you have to do is add love….

Next up…my husband’s ongoing love affair with dairy…products from South Mountain Creamery that is.

I’ve been thinking a lot about squash

2008-06-27T03:47:00.000-07:00

I’ve been thinking a lot about squash the simple delicious taste of squash. Years ago before I started going to farmers markets, I used to invent all kinds of fussy casseroles that included squash because my other half just loves squash. He loves beets too but that’s for another blog. This last weekend, I came home from the market with an assortment of squash and a beautiful yellow onion. Sautéed the squash and the onion and added some black pepper. It was a simple as that. The aroma was intoxicating. The taste was vine fresh and delicious. Couldn’t drag the other half away from the skillet to put it on the plate!

Talked to my girlfriend Kathy at the market and her plans last weekend were to go home and make ratatouille. What a fun idea. The market makes it that easy and that delicious. You can go on a Saturday morning and invent your weeks meal plan right then and there and its healthy too!

The reports from the media are in! Prices for produce in grocery stores are going up due to the floods in “America’s heartland,” the unpredictable weather and the rising fuel prices for truckers. All of this points to the fact that farmers markets are the place to be this summer to buy produce from vendors who grow their own fruits and vegetables near your own home (1 ½ hours away max). It’s also a congenial atmosphere, you never know who’ll you meet, and its more than likely that the prices will be cheaper than what you’d pay at the supermarket too!

Uncle Dave’s Vienna Farmers Market Recipes #2

2008-05-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

Uncle Dave’s Squash Surprise (UD-SS)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb yellow squash, cut into slices (from Lois’ or Westmoreland Produce)
1 lb zucchini, cut into slices (from Lois’s or Westmoreland Produce)
1 Minced onion to taste (Lois’s or Westmoreland’s Produce) Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ tsp fresh basil (from Friendly Hall Farms)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese or mozzarella (from South Mountain Creamery)

Preparation:

Warm oil in pan and add vegetables.
Cook over medium heat until tender.
Add salt and pepper along with basil.
At end top off with cheese of your choice.
Serve in attractive serving dish.

Uncle Dave’s Sweet Potato Candy/Yammies Candy (UD-SPC)

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated brown sugar
½ cup evaporated milk
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sweet potatoes (mashed/cooked) (from Lois’s ,Westmoreland, Friendly Hall Farms Produce)
½ cup pecans or walnut pieces
1 tbsp margarine or butter (from South Mountain Creamery)

Preparation:

Mix sugar, milk butter and salt in a pot and cook over medium heat in a pot. Let get to candy (soft ball stage).
Remove from heat let cool. Add sweet potatoes and beat until mixture loses its gloss. Add pecans and mix well. Pour into pan (that has margarine spread into it).
Once cool cut into squares. Note you can omit nuts if allergic. Also if mix hardens up at any time, you can put mix into food processor to smooth it out much like fudge! Secret tip.

Uncle Dave’s Vienna Farmers Market Recipes #1

2008-05-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Uncle Dave’s Peas, Cheese and Herbs (UD-PCH):

Ingredients:

16 ounces (2 cups) of fresh shelled peas or peas that don’t need shelling from Lois’s Produce, Westmoreland or Friendly Hall Farms Produce
1/3 cup crumbled South Mountain Creamery cheese (your choice and taste preference)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or tarragon

Preparation:

In a sauce pan, about 3 inches of water to boil and steam the peas in a basket until tender for 3 to 5 minutes. You can microwave the dish instead by placing the peas in a safe dish with water and microwaving on high until the peas are tender (also 3 to 5 minutes).
Drain the peas and toss with the cheese and mint or tarragon.
Optional- season with salt and pepper and other seasonings!

Uncle Dave’s Limey Gus (fast, easy and surprisingly good! (UD-LG):

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus from Lois, Westmoreland or Friendly Hall Farms Produce
2 to 3 limes
1/3 cup butter from South Mountain Creamery butter (leave out to soften)

Preparation:

Thoroughly wash asparagus, spray a roasting or baking pan with olive oil cooking spray
Punch several holes in limes and put in microwave for 15 seconds on high. Remove from microwave and squeeze juice thoroughly over asparagus.
After butter has softened place it in dollops on the asparagus (4 or 5 dollops)
Put mixture into the oven or broiler. If in the oven, bake at 375 for approximately 20 minutes, check once and turn midway through.
If you put asparagus into broiler watch closely turning several times. Mixture should be done in less than 5 minutes and will get nice and roasted.
Variations to this dish include adding roasted red peppers and olives such as those you can buy from In a Pickle, yum. Great side dish, great main dish for veggies. Recipe can be easily doubled/great for company!

Uncle Dave’s Delight! AKA Rhubarb Jam (UD-RJ):

Ingredients:

5 cups rhubarb (just bought from Kuhn’s Orchards), finely diced
4 cups sugar or sugar substitute
6 ounces gelatin (raspberry, strawberry or strawberry/banana for a real kick!)

Preparation:

Mix rhubarb and sugar, let sit overnight. Then cook mixture until rhubarb is soft.
Remove mix from heat and add in gelatin, stirring until dissolved. Jar and seal. Enjoy Later.

Uncle Dave’s Strawberry Spinach Salad (UD-S3):

Ingredients:

Two bunches of Spinach purchased from Lois, Westmoreland or Friendly Hall Farms
One container of Strawberries also purchased from above
Two/three apples to taste from Kuhn’s Orchard
¼ to ½ cups of almonds or pecans (roasted or candied)
4 Tbsp of bottled lime juice
4 tbsp of honey (Kuhn or Friendly Hall Farms is best)
4 tbsp of olive oil
½ poppy seed
½ tsp ginger (gd)
8 strips of Old Pioneer Kitchen’s Bacon (Yum, Unkie Dave’s go to ingredient) – this optional for vegetarians!)

Preparation:

Wash raw ingredients. Cut strawberries, core apple and cut both into pieces along with tearing spinach into smaller leaves.
Make dressing from lime, honey, oil and ginger. Sometimes Uncle Dave adds some dried cranberries to the mix and/or some blue cheese especially if it’s from South Mountain Creamery!
Last step is to lay the luscious cooked bacon strips over the salad or crumble over salad mixture. Serve immediately. What a delight for the spring! Enjoy!

Yummy Sunday

2008-05-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning after the Vienna Farmers Market. All night I dreamed of using the wonderful local produce I purchased from the Farmers Market to make breakfast for my other half AKA Uncle Dave. I awoke at 9:30 and went outside to plant my new annuals and hang the hanging baskets I'd purchased at the market. How pretty. Verbena's, Geraniums, Begonia, and Shasta and Gerber Daisies from Westmoreland, Friendly Hall Farms and Lois's Produce--gorgeous!

Went inside and started breakfast. The dog was hounding me because I'd bought her dog biscuits on Saturday from junior girl scout troop 6161 who were collecting funds for homeless animals. They'd baked goodies for dogs and cats and collected over $200. Wow. I should have bought more biscuits though, Katrina the dog is relentless!

Sliced 4 pieces of Becky's Portuguese White Bread the one with the wonderful poppy seeds in the middle, yum! Slathered it with South South Mountain Creamery butter. Broke open 4 eggs and whisked together and omelet with cheese, milk and (eggs) all purchased from South Mountain Creamery. Added some Swiss chard that I'd precooked and wilted that I'd purchased from Friendly Hall Farm. Have to admit that i was totally amazed at the smell of these fresh ingredients they smelled so different from store bought! My sinuses usually clogged at this time of year due to allergies were awaking wow! The smells from the kitchen were awakening Mr. Uncle Dave...oops better get a move on and plate the food.

As I'm washing the strawberries I'm noting what others at the market have been saying for two weeks now! The berries are clean and not sandy at all. Furthermore, the stems just pull right out...no cutting necessary. What's going on these aren't like grocery store strawberries? Other half comes down pops a berry in his mouth and says WOW that is a whole lot of taste. I taste a berry. Omelet starts to overcook as we stand at sink taking eating and savoring berries. We compare the taste---melt in your mouth, succulent, sweet, burst of flavor. No wonder people come in droves to the market to buy these. Now we get it!

We laugh about standing at the sink eating strawberries but then isn't this what life is all about? Savoring these special moments? Other half suggests plan to immediately bogart the berries for himself rationalizing that I've never really enjoyed strawberries after all. Sensing a disagreement brewing and seeing that his omelet is ready, I cave in and serve his breakfast. Hopefully there will be strawberries at the market next Saturday.

Omelet is excellent--eggs fresh and luscious! Bread is moist and well Yummy! My dog Katrina still is hounding me for more biscuits! Should have purchased more, oh well.
Its a great start to the day--its a Yummy Sunday. See you at the market next Saturday. Our guest nonprofit will be promoting their Walk for Cystic Fibrosis. A very worthy cause.