Come Together on the Rink

I just came back from New York, where I visited the Union Square Farmers’ Market…or at least, part of it. A massive, peaceful march came through the market while we were there, making it hard to spot the pro-turnip signs in the midst of the anti-Trump ones. (Sorry, I can’t even come up with a good joke in this bad situation.) I brought back a few ideas, but I didn’t feel envious. We’ve got a dream team of vendors bringing us their finest right here at home.

One more lovely day on the rink, and then it will be time for a shift, as the flooding for skate season begins next week. The most common response to this news (except from shinny players, who’ve been counting the days for a while now) is an exclamation, eg/ ‘WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? ICE, IN THIS WEATHER?’ Well, ‘they’ are not crazy; the low angle of the November sun makes it easy for the compressors to chill the rink pad, so there will be fine skating very soon. But this week, let’s focus on food!

Kyle from Everdale says: “We’ll be bringing arugula, spinach, chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, parsley, cilantro, leeks, onions, winter squash, our sweet carrots and beets and lots of other roots! We’ve got red radish, green onions, bok choi, mustard greens and salad mix all sizing up in our hoophouses too so keep an eye out for those in the coming weeks.”

Sean of Lovell Springs Trout Farm didn’t realize there would be so many customers eager to buy his fish. He apologizes for running out last week, and promises to bring more this time.

As well as lamb and duck eggs, Jennifer from All Sorts Acres is bringing yarn, felting bats and sheepskins. Think about making your winter warmer, or if you are not the crafty type, have a look at her tea cozys, mittens, shepherd’s bags and other creations.

Some varieties of squash are so wonderful looking at that you can hardly bear to eat them, and some are so funny looking that you might wonder how you could eat them. Shared Harvest grows a heavily ridged Japanese heirloom squash that I think is called ‘futsu’, and Kevin Hamilton has a surprising way of preparing them which his son Grover adores. Cut them in slices, following the lines, and make them into “Futsu French Fries” by frying them in oil. Serve with ketchup if desired. We tried it, and the results were very tasty indeed!

Warmest wishes to Ali Harris and family on the arrival of their new baby! Ali will be back next week.

Spade & Spoon will also be absent, and Angelos Kapelaris (Country Meadows) is away harvesting olives in Greece for another two weeks–at least.

Car trouble kept Pine River away last time, but they’ll be back this week.

As mentioned previously, there is a Public Information and Consultation Meeting on Thursday November 24th to discuss improvements to the rinkhouse and northwest corner of the park. We’d love to see many market supporters attend. The meeting will be held at St Wenceslaus Church, 496 Gladstone, from 7 to 9 pm. To be included on a list for further information, please reply to this email or see me at the market.

Get yourself a Loyal Eaters Card this week and learn about our winter rewards program! We’ll begin stamping cards next week (November 24th). $10 spent anywhere in the market gets you a stamp for that date. Collect stamps on ten dates over the winter, and we’ll thank you for coming with market bucks, greens, and chances to win lots of market goodies!

So many people asked how to make the sensational Gluten-Free Parsnip Cake Leslie prepared for our market birthday, that I’ve included the recipe below the vendor list. Lots of parsnips are available from the farmers.
See you at the market!
Anne Freeman

Vendors we Expect this time:
All Sorts Acre (lamb, wool, felted crafts, duck eggs)
Bees Universe (honey and bee products)
Chocosol (coffee and chocolate, tortillas)
Culture City (fermented condiments, tempeh)
DeFloured (gluten-free baking)
Dufferin Park Bakers (wood-fired oven bread, soups, snacks)
Everdale Farm (organic vegetables)
Forbes Wild Foods (mushrooms, nuts, syrup, preserves)
Kind Organics (sprouts, salad mixes, teas)
Lovell Springs Trout Farm (fresh and smoked trout)
Marvellous Edibles (organic veg, meats, poultry, preserves)
Mike The Knife Guy (sharpening)
Monforte Dairy (cheeses, sausage)
Pine River Organic Farm (organic produce)
Plan B (organic produce)
Shared Harvest (organic vegetables, ferments)
Tapioca Gourmet (gluten-free filled pancakes)
Ted Thorpe (veggies)
Urban Harvest (seeds, garden amendments, body care)
Ying Ying Soy (organic tofus and miso) – LAST WEEK!

 

Gluten-free Parsnip Cake

• 2 cups raw parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• 3/4 cup tinned or home-poached pears, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup of the pear liquid
• 1 1/4 cups organic sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 cups gluten-free flour (Leslie uses a store-bought blend)
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup grapeseed or non gmo (i.e. certified organic) canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• unsalted butter to grease the pans
• maple butter to glaze

Preheat oven to 350. Bake parsnips in a tightly covered dish for 45 minutes to an hour, until very soft, and caramelized on the bottom. Mash and set aside.

Meanwhile, toast and chop pecans and prepare pears. Butter two 9″ round pans or one long cakepan, line with parchment and lightly butter again. In a large bowl, whisk sugars, sift in flour, salt and spices, and blend well.

Lightly beat eggs in another bowl, add oil and vanilla and whisk together until smooth. Pour into dry mixture and stir just until moist, then add parsnips, pears and liquid. Fold in the pecans and coconut last.

Smooth batter in pan(s) and bake in the middle of the oven, 35-45 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the cakes are golden. Can be made a day before eating or wrapped and frozen. Sprinkle the top with a little icing sugar, or go all out like Leslie did, and spread maple butter over the cake as a glaze. You will convert any parsnip-doubters with this one.