Snap peas and leafy greens
Thanks for a great Opening Day - and another on the way!
Thank you for a great Opening Day at Perkasie Farmers Market
It was such a treat to see new and returning faces this last weekend at Perkasie Farmers Market. Thank you for coming out to enjoy the weather and get to know so many of this season’s vendors!
This week we can also be found at Horsham Farmers Market on Sunday 6.12 from 10a-1p. We very much enjoyed our time at the Preview Market back in May and are looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday’s this summer!
Spring Essentials
As much as we’d like to extend their season, strawberries set their own pace and this will be our last weekend with our berries. Filling in for them are our sugar snap peas which have begun to hit their stride. Enjoy these sweet, crisp treats fresh with your favorite hummus or give them a whirl in a simple summer pasta.
We are delighted to have our first picking of garlic scapes this week as well. Each fall, we plant our garlic, mulch it with straw and wait somewhat patiently for spring. Once the garlic really gets growing in the spring, we keep an eye out for scapes - these are the flowering stems of the garlic plant - which we then snap off to ensure the plant focuses energy on growing great cloves. Scapes are popular for grilling, whipping into pesto, and simply sauteing. Give them a try in a flavorful compound butter for topping grilled meat or giving pasta a garlic boost.
And the greens!
Our favorite trio of dark leafy greens returns this week! Give red russian kale a try in a fresh salad with goat cheese or give tuscan kale a turn for more crunch. Use rainbow swiss chard anywhere you’d enjoy its cousin, spinach - quickly sauteed for an omelet, cooked into a quiche or braised with a bit of bacon. If you keep finding yourself with wilty greens after a long walk around the Farmers Market in the summer heat, have a look at our 2020 Post about rescuing wilted greens - it’s a quick fix for a common issue.
As far as salad greens, we’re supplying lettuce blend and head lettuce along with a selection of our favorite microgreens. Back again this week is our floral mix microgreens which feature edible petals mixed in with the tender greens of amaranth, borage, shungiku and celosia - many of the same flowers you’ll find us growing for blooms, too. This mellow mix is a fun choice for topping salads with plenty of color. With a little more bite, radish microgreens are a great sandwich choice if you’re looking for a little crunch. On the mellower side is earthy kale blend which is a popular option for smoothies. Rounding out this weeks lineup is cilantro microgreens which are perfect for any dish in which you’d usually use fresh cilantro - only in this case there’s no need for stemming or chopping ahead of time!
Getting to the root
Back again this week are kohlrabi and hakurei turnips, as well as young tender fennel. Bring out the sweetness of hakurei turnips with a simple roast or some time on the grill. If you keep hearing about kohlrabi but are looking for some recipe guidance, have a look through this mini collection to get your bearings to enjoy this crisp spring classic. Our fennel is tender enough that there isn’t much need to core these smaller bulbs before slicing them for salad which makes dinner prep that much simpler.
Herbs and Flowers, too!
Our herbs this week are bright and beautiful, ready to add their vibrant touch to any dish. Whether you’re slicing them for stir-fry or freshly-charred from the grill, scallions are a favorite summer allium. Our evergreen suggestion for parsley remains a quick chimichurri for topping anything and everything off the grill. Try out dill as a salad green this week with a popular salad kit copycat recipe. Fans of fresh cilantro should take a look through this new recipe collection to dream up their next dish.
We are between the seasons of spring blooms and summer flowers, so our fresh cut bouquets will be in limited supply this week - stay tuned for the upcoming sunflower flood.
Thank you so much for joining us this season - can’t wait to see you all at Market!
Thank you for joining us this season!
Stay well.
Regards,
Rosemary + Pete