FRESH RASPBERRIES
(and other surprises, too)
... were available last Sat, which took me by surprise since it's a little early.There were plenty of lovely strawberries last week, too. So seldom the two berries are available at the same time. I also bought some delicious blackberries, which my husband just loved.
Also good salad-making stuff: sure, fresh lettuce...but also fresh radishes. Their bright red color, and gentle, tangy taste add color and crunch to a salad. Plus additional greens: spinach and kale, and perhaps some Swiss chard and collard greens. If you're a newbie to greens, start slow. Although a bag of spinach looks like a HUGE amount, the bag actually cooks down to about two servings. Don't let the size of the bag intimidate you!
To put in salads: add some spinach leaves to your iceberg lettuce and you'll enjoy the taste, and before too long will be eating the salad without the iceberg lettuce at all.
To cook the spinach: put some oil in your non-stick pan, heat to medium heat, put in a handful of spinach leaves, stir a few times until the leaves are wilted. Then add more leaves and repeat the process. It's surprising how many leaves you can put in the pan to get a single serving!
Kale tips: Try beating it up before adding to salads or cooking. Seriously! After washing the leaves, and before using them, take a leaf in hand, roll it, punch it, pound it until the leaves soften, and are pliable. You'll see a BIG DIFFERENCE in the kale leaves, and this process helps release the nutrients, and makes the kale easy to work with.
TIPS for shopping at the HFM:
ASK THE VENDOR: how to handle the item, how to store it, how to cook it, and for recipes. Not all vendors will have recipes, so check the HFM Bulletin Board. I try to put up new recipes each week.
ASK THE VENDOR: whether the item is locally grown (hint: the limes and lemons are not :) ), ask if the item is organic. They will happily answer any question you have!
Remember: It's always sunny in the Holt Farmers' Market!
No comments:
Post a Comment