News from the Green Room

Hello Market Friends:

In the photo above you’ll see most, but not all, of our cracker-jack team. Some members weren’t present, and the brilliant sunshine caused me to crop a couple more out of our group photo, taken at our weekly mini-meeting before the pickers, packers, runners, delivery team and captains all swing into focused action. Love this crew!

On Thursdays we are surrounded by a skill-testing maze of greens: three kinds of red lettuce, three of green, several types and sizes of salad mix, spinach, bok choy, green sprouts, green garlic, wild greens….It’s very green indeed on our side of the fence!

Aldergrove is back, though, and in addition to green, they’ve got us thinking PINK! Time to load up on (what’s that rumbling sound?) R-R-R-Rhubarb!! Glynis and Fraser decided to try forcing their rhubarb this year, and the experiment paid off. In case you are wondering what ‘forced’ means, they haven’t been out in the patch berating the rhubarb into growing. They covered it so that it grows pale and extra-early in darkness, which yields an abundance of lovely tender, sweeter stalks. No rhubarb was insulted during the production of this crop.

We have more gardening goodies than you can shake a rake at! Kooner Farms have added lots more to their list of seedlings, Urban Harvest has tubers to grow stunning Dahlias as well as seed potatoes and seeds for a wide range of plants, and Thorpe’s has worm castings to help everything along. You should still protect heat loving seedlings like peppers, basil and tomatoes, but it will be warm enough for them soon.

Canadian Organic Seed Company will be back next time.

We are so glad to report that our dear friends Bobby and Mary of Kawartha Broom Co. are back in production! They finally managed to get Bobby’s father’s massively heavy broom-making tool shipped from Pennsylvania after many misadventures, and to find the belts needed to operate it. Mary says,”a tornado could take our shop but the machines would still be standing.” There’s a nice selection of brooms available this week.

So what have you been doing with your market haul? A couple of Happy Eaters’ reports:

From Mary Lou Harrison of St. Anne’s: “The opportunity to buy wild leeks from the market a couple of weeks ago inspired me to make this delicious soup!”

Wild Leek & Lemon Soup

2 bunches of wild leeks from Green Florin

6 cloves of garlic, mined

2 tbsp butter

4-5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (miso broth also works well)

1/4 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

2 lemons, zested and juiced

salt and pepper to taste

Greek yogurt or kefir, additional lemon zest & freshly ground pepper, as garnish if desired

Wash the leeks well and chop them finely – all of them. No need to compost any part!

Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat until foaming.

Add chopped wild leeks and minced garlic. Cook until softened, stirring often.

Add the broth and wine or vermouth. Use less broth for a thicker soup with more intense flavour and more both for a lighter soup.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until everything is very soft.

Puree with an immersion blender. Stir in lemon juice and zest. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a sprinkling of lemon zest, and a twist of freshly ground black pepper.

And from another of our regular supporters, Ellen Lai:

“I used the apples I bought from your farmers to donate to the Roncesvalles United Church staff and volunteers. They are coming to pick them up tonight….I ordered 13 lbs twice in the past, and they are all gone. Now, it seems I need to buy more next week because they love them. The apples are dipped in either white or dark chocolate and coated with edible gold flakes and vodka.”

WOW, how do you like them apples?

Whatever you get from the market this week, we hope you will add your own golden touch to it!

Anne & the Market Crew

P. S. This event is on again!