News

Comin’ Round the Mountain

Posted on by Anne Freeman

Anybody know a good spring song? I feel like adapting ‘She’ll be comin’ round the Mountain’, because winter felt so big to get past this year. I keep reminding everybody how fortunate we are to have farmers that feed us all year long. This season has started off with more than its share of challenges, and it takes a lot of determination and courage to keep going when you don’t know what the weather is going to do next.

Everdale is coming into town with a load of carrots, rutabaga, storage turnips, fresh radish bunches, arugula, salad mix, spinach, and probably fresh salad turnips bunches too! GO WOLF!

Plan B has been bringing in their excellent green garlic for the past couple of weeks, and there’s plenty more. This is how garlic looks before it forms a fat bulb on the bottom, in case you’ve never seen it before. Here’s a delicious and simple recipe featuring it, from their very own Farm to Table Calendar for 2018:

Kale & Roasted Potato Salad with Green Garlic Pesto

Serves 4-6. Prep & Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients For the Salad

  • 5 large potatoes, preferably red, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
  • 3 green onions
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • s & p
  • 1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped

Ingredients For the Pesto

  • 3 green garlic stems, chopped
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
  • Toss potatoes with oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
  • Heat oil in a 10 inch cast iron or other oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add green garlic and sauté until softened, 1-2 minutes, then add potatoes and roast 20-25 minutes until golden and soft. Blend all items for pesto in a food processor until smooth.
  • Place kale in a large bowl with warm potatoes, toss with pesto, and serve.
Vasile Florin will be back this week. He’ll treat you to samples of his tasty wares:  dried cherries and other fruits, in chocolate or plain, walnuts, sunflower oil, and (new this week!) walnut oil. Everything he sells is naturally grown in Moldova, and it’s very good.
We have another baker visiting. Allen Lum of Sweet Seduction uses 95% organic ingredients in his baking; only the natural, grass-fed lard he uses in his flaky pastry is not certified organic. He has savoury and vegan options, too. Tell us what you think!
We’re also looking forward to seeing Mark Skinner with Windswept Cider. Raise a glass to farmers, and one to spring!
See you at the market!
Anne Freeman
This Week’s Vendors:
Ali Harris: beverages, fritters, roti and more
Bees Universe: honey, eggs, knife sharpening
ChocoSol: chocolate, coffee, cookies
Country Meadows: olives, oil, eggs, cheeses
DeFloured: gluten-free baking
Dufferin Park Bakers: wood-fired oven breads, salads, snacks
Everdale: organic produce
Forbes Wild Foods: nuts, maple syrup, mushrooms & other wild foods
Kind Organics: sprouts, salad mixes, teas
Marvellous Edibles: pastured poultry, meats, organic vegetables
Monforte Dairy: many varieties of cheese
Plan B: organic produce
Spade & Spoon: pickles, jams, maple syrup, soup
Sweet Seduction: pies, sweet and savoury baking (visiting vendor)
Urban Harvest: seeds, body care, soil amendments
Vasile Florin: nuts, dried fruits, sunflower oil, walnut oil