Last Week for Strawberries!

One of the sweetest and most delicious signs of spring is strawberries. The small, fresh berries were plentiful at the grand opening of the East Nashville Farmers Market this past Wednesday. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for a stroll around the market with my husband and the dog. After trying (and failing) to get the dog interested in some petting zoo animals, I nabbed some of those delicious strawberries as well as a sage plant for the garden.

Currently its spring and that means time to indulge in some of the first fresh fruits and vegetables. For strawberries, when they are at their peak season it’s best to let their own intense flavor shine. For my pint of berries I decided to riff on strawberry shortcake. I sliced the strawberries and sandwiched them in a biscuit with a dollop of whipped cream to hold it all together.

These delicious little treats can be as easy or intricate to make as you want. I chose to make my own biscuits and whipped cream. However, since the main event is the strawberries using a biscuit mix and ready-made whipped cream would result in a treat just as delicious. Though homemade whipped cream is dead easy to make and really interesting (turn liquid into a solid!). For about a cup of cream, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and any flavoring you like. I used vanilla; other options would be crème de menthe, rose water, grand marnier, or even cocoa powder. Simply add cream, sugar and flavoring to a bowl and using a mixer, whip into soft peaks.

The biscuit provides a crunchy, buttery contrast to the soft, sweetness of the berries. Just a hint of saltiness from the biscuit balances the sweet for those who love the combination of sweet and salty. I found that biting down into one of these sandwiches caused everything to squish out. So every bite must be taken carefully and savored, which is really how these are best eaten. These would be great for mother’s day, a brunch among friends, or perhaps nibbling some leftovers for a midnight snack.

Enjoy!

-Amanda Harvey, Guest Blogger

Slocal: Yes, It's Local and So Much More

by Jas Faulkner 

The Slow Food Movement might be new to you, but it has been around since the late eighties, first as a grassroots effort to move away from the increasing presence of fast food in the diets of working Italians and eventually in the US, where prominent localtarian proponents such as Michael Pollan and Alice Waters took up the cause of promoting a way of eating that was smarter and gentler on us and the planet.  

Slow Food promotes the idea that local, sustainably grown and homemade are always the best choices.  If Nashville Master Gardeners Jami Anderson and Russell Kirchner have their way, it could be the approach we all take towards filling our plates and pantries.

Educating themselves about the true nature of mainstream corporate food production in this country inspired them to start producing their own food five years ago.  As they learned how much of the value of real food is lost in the process, they began see the importance of local food production.

"Learning from many illuminating documentaries about the food industry (and reading enormous amounts about it as well) reinforced our desire to grow healthy fruits and vegetables that are pesticide-free, fresh, and have as much of their full complement of original nutrients as possible. Likewise, learning about the triggers of a fast-food diet to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease piqued our dedication to the slow-food movement. The continuing depletion of fossil fuels and air quality due to the transportation of food from far-off places to the table made us even more aware of the importance of growing food that is local."

This was also the inspiration for the name and mission of their company. Slocal Foods is more than just a pretty herb stand situated among the vendors at the East Nashville Farmers Market.  Of course you can get basil that will make your kitchen (not to mention your pesto,) smell like a little bit of culinary Nirvana and move on to the rest of your visit. Before you do, take a few minutes and look around.  You'll see herbs you might not recognize.  You'll see plants that, if you let them, will help turn your home into a greener and maybe tastier sanctuary. All that from a fresh sprig or a live plant?  Really?  

For you salt and pepper cooks, Anderson will attest that expanding your taste vocabulary can be daunting. 

 "...cooking with herbs can be intimidating to people who aren't chefs and may not have even heard of some of them. That's why we offer free recipes with the purchase of any herb that uses that herb as a main ingredient, fresh, dried, or live at our Farmers Market booth.". 

Still need some convincing?  Take a look at one of the many recipes you'll find this season at Slocal:

 Rosemary Ginger Chicken

2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

3 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground red pepper

1 tsp chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 tsp grated lemon rind

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

4 chicken breast halves

Combine all ingredients well. Rub over chicken pieces. Let marinate for at least 2 hours or more. 

Place chicken pieces on the rack of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Add water to pan to a depth of ¼ inch. 

Bake at 425 degrees until done for 30 - 40 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces and whether they are bone-in or boneless.

Aside from their interesting history and the sensory delight herbs offer, Anderson went on to explain why she and Kirchner focused on herbs as part of their life work as teachers and activists for Slow Food: "Farmers markets are great resources for fruits and vegetables that are local but we noticed a gap in the supply of fresh herbs. You can buy some herbs at chain groceries but often they come in plastic (yuck) clamshells and sell for around $3 for just a few (often moldy) sprigs. Neither freshness nor quality is guaranteed in most instances. Selection is also limited to a few mainstream herbs as well. Our herbs are raised organically from seed in rich, composted soil right in our own backyard and we offer many herbs you won't find for sale in a store. (For our fresh-cut herb inventory, see below.)"

FRESH:
basils (sweet, lemon, lime) • borage • catnip • catmint • garlic chives • cilantro • dill • fennel • feverfew • lavender • lemon balm • lemon grass • marjoram • mints (chocolate, spearmint) • nasturtiums • oreganos (spicy, regular) • curly parsley • italian parsley • rosemary • sage • savory (summer, winter) • sorrel • stevia • tarragon • thyme 

DRIED:
catnip • dill • fennel • lavender • lemon balm • oregano • rosemary • sage • thyme

PLANTS:
aloe vera • catnip • cilantro • dill • fennel • mint • oregano • peppers • purple heart • pumpkin • rosemary • sage • thyme • tomatoes • mixed pots (4-5 herbs apiece)

With that, I'll leave you with the details:

You can find Slocal Foods at the east Nashville Farmers Market on Wednesdays. See what we are offering each week athttp://slocalfoods.com. Call Slocal at 615-480-5347 for restaurant herb supply accounts.

and give Jami the final word:

"We are all about fresh, organically grown herbs raised with love and a little help from our chickens."  

                                                                                                                               -Jami Anderson

Blue Skies and Seafood Pies on Opening Day

by Jas Faulkner 

Neither flood nor heat nor a horde of mighty cicadas could derail the previous opening days at the market. So what was in store for anyone coming to this year's opening day?  Sunshine, mild temperatures, and a stately armada of white clouds that set a course across the cerulean blue afternoon sky, all of which provided a backdrop for a lively, lovely time for everyone involved.

For anyone familiar with East Nashville Farmers Market, it was like a mashup of everything there is to love about this little corner of organic heaven that appears every Wednesday afternoon from now until October.  People milled about and chatted while looking at the vendors' tables.  Families spread blankets on the green expanse in the middle of the park, listening to the live music as their children danced and played.  True to the saying that East Nashville is the kind of place where everyone knows your dog's name, there were plenty of four-legged friends and their staff, noses and ears engaged as they made what would be the first of many rounds to check out tables, other dogs and the occasional curious child.

Jennifer Starks, who is here for a fifth year as a rep for her family's company, Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese, was ebullient when describing her feelings about the market's opening:

"I love this neighborhood! There are so many kids. There's kids and strollers and dogs and everybody looks forward to this.  On Wednesdays it's this awesome community gathering. I gush about it all the time.  I just love it.  I'm looking at all these kids and I'm seeing how they've grown over the years since I saw them in October.  There are mamas who have new babies. It just makes for a lively atmosphere. It's just so cool.  Regular customers tell me they have waited all winter for us."

Among the familiar sights and sounds and favorite vendors were some new people waiting to be discovered by Nashville's savviest green consumers.  Michael "Doc" Braden was all smiles as curious visitors stopped by to get a better look at his seafood pies.  Across the park, Ric Ousley of Ousley Ouch Foods used almost nonstop comic banter to entice people to try the salsa he developed with his wife. SloCal's herbs made their own statement, offering a  fresh, beautiful, and delightfully fragrant alternative to your mama's Durkee packets.

These new faces will become part of something that, as many have mentioned is a tradition that is continually evolving. Amy Delvin of Delvin Farms is  the director of the market sees the continual growth and refinement of the character of the market as her mission.  she has worked with the market since its beginnings at the original site next to The Turnip Truck. So what was her take on Opening Day 2012?

"We had a big kick-off   This is a bit bigger this year because everyone is excited now that the market is back.  We can eat locally again . You can pick up anything you need for your dinner: your milk, bread, vegetables, cheese and meat. It's all here along with plants and beautiful handmade items." 

When invited the media to cover the event, she was pleasantly surprised to find they were receptive to giving the market coverage.  "I sent out press releases and we have seen Channels 4, 5, and 17 out here.  Fox did a great piece on ENFM this morning, so the word is getting out."

This sort of publicity helps the market reach a wider audience and spread the message that good, local food is not only better, it is better for everyone.  What's next?

I would like to see this market be certified organic.  We're giving vendors an incentive to go organic with a ten percent discount on their fees if they become certified.  A lot of people who shop the market assume that everything is organic and we do have some conventional farmers here.  You need to talk to your farmer and learn how your food is grown. 

If you were there, welcome (back!).  If you haven't dropped by just yet, you should.  For three hours every Wednesday, it's the freshest, greenest spot in Nashville.

NEXT WEEK:  Q and A with the good people who run SloCal.  Time to get all herbal, man!

 (Authors note: Sincere thanks to everyone who agreed to be interviewed.  There were some problems with the audio files and unfortunately not all of them could be saved.  From here on out I will be working with a different program that records directly to my computer.  Once again, thanks and if your quote didn't make it into the article, it wasn't because your thoughts were not appreciated.)

Strawberry Season

 It's strawberry season and with the unseasonably warm weather we're having lately, the strawberries are juicy and sweet! We'll have strawberries at the grand opening of the market on May 9th. Until then, you can find fresh strawberries at some of the other markets such the Franklin Farmers market and the West Nashville farmers market.

Just a reminder that now is the time in which CSA farms begin taking applications for their CSA programs: CSA is the principle of pairing local consumers who want fresh organic produce with local growers who want a stable and appreciative market for their produce. A "community" of consumers supports a local farm by purchasing, in advance, shares of that farm's next season's harvest. The farmer grows organic produce and divides the harvest among the shareholders.

Farmers at the East Nashville market who offer CSA's are: Delvin Farms, Flying S Farms, and a meat CSA, Peaceful Pastures.  CSA's are a wonderful way to get to know the farmer who grows your food. Not only are you supporting your local economy and a local family farm, but you are also eating seasonally. Produce in local CSA's are hours, not days, old and the nutritional benefits in freshly harvested produce are plentiful! Get to know who grows your food- join a CSA!

 

The East Nashville Market will have it's grand opening on May 9th. Loving Touch petting zoo will be there, along with live music, foodtrucks, freshly harvested strawberries and more! Join us every Wednesday 3:30-6:30 May 9-Oct 31st. See you all soon!

-Amy

 

CSA at the East Nashville Farmers Market

It's the end of February and farmers are seeding in their greenhouses, working on projects they neglected during the busy summer months, and getting their fields ready for spring plantings. February is also a time in which CSA farms begin taking applications for their CSA programs: CSA is the principle of pairing local consumers who want fresh organic produce with local growers who want a stable and appreciative market for their produce. A "community" of consumers supports a local farm by purchasing, in advance, shares of that farm's next season's harvest. The farmer grows organic produce and divides the harvest among the shareholders.

Farmers at the East Nashville market who offer CSA's are: Delvin Farms, Flying S Farms, and a meat CSA, Peaceful Pastures.  CSA's are a wonderful way to get to know the farmer who grows your food. Not only are you supporting your local economy and a local family farm, but you are also eating seasonally. Produce in local CSA's are hours, not days, old and the nutritional benefits in freshly harvested produce are plentiful! Get to know who grows your food- join a CSA!

 

The East Nashville Market will have it's grand opening on May 9th. Loving Touch petting zoo will be there, along with live music, foodtrucks, freshly harvested strawberries and more! Join us every Wednesday 3:30-6:30 May 9-Oct 31st. See you all soon!

-Amy

 

Collard Greens with Poblano Chiles & Chorizo

From the Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern Cookbook
Serves: 4
Time: 5 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking

2 tsp peanut or canola oil

8 ounces fresh chorizo, casings removed, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces; or 4 ounces cured chorizo, kielbasa or other smoked sausage, finely diced

3 poblano chiles, seeded and sliced into thin 2-to-3 inch strips (about 3 cups)

2 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 1/2 pounds collard greens (about 1 bunch), ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced (1 packed quart)

1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1. Pour the oil into a 12-inch skillet set over high heat, and when it shimmers, add the chorizo. Cook, chopping up the (fresh) sausage with the back of a spoon, until the sausage has rendered most of its fat, about 2 minutes. Add the poblanos, and continue to cook until they have softened slightly and the chorizo is cooked through, about 4 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, half the collards, the salt, and 2 Tbsp water to the skillet. Cook, turning the collards with tongs and adding more greens as those in the pan wilt, until all the collards are in the skillet. Continue to cook until the collards have softened and become dark green, about 6 minutes. Add the vinegar and continue to cook the collards, turning them occasionally, until the vinegar has completely evaporated and the pan is dry, about 3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, if necessary, and divide the collards, poblanos and chorizo among 4 warm serving plates. Serve immediately. Enjoy!