May 30, 03 03:05 am — Instead of just letting my Journals pass by without being utilized, I thought I might post some recipes fer y'all so you can take advantage of the great spring produce available at your local Farmers Market.
Almost all cities and towns have local Farmer Markets. The one I work at in Boulder is great in the fact that they only allow farmers and vendors that grow or produce their product themselves. Nothing pisses me off more than when I go to some "Farmers" markets, and see crates of corporate produce that you get down the street at the local chain supermarket.
(WARNING: Spud is now climbing up onto his battered soap box...)
We need to support the family and artisan producer. Many are grown naturally and are heartier, healthier, and better tasting than the big boy corporate farms. Take the time to see what you have locally. We have become too much of a fast food, frozen, and canned food culture. There is some great, fresh spring stuff to be had, you can really tell the difference once you start to utilize the real deal as opposed to what Birds Eye, or that Jolly Green fellow try to pass off. Right now (depending on the climate where you live) is the time for fresh and sweet baby spinach, snap peas, beets, sorrel, mesclun greens, rhubarb, strawberries, arugula, and asparagus
My two 'go-to' sites on the web are Epicurious and Food Network. Epicurious has a fantastic search menu to whittle down to what you really want, and Food Network has more of the current 'contemporary' stylings of chefs like Ming Tsai, Mario Batali, and of course, Emeril Lagasse.
I, ahem, am also available to answer any food, recipe, or prep questions you may have....
PASTA WITH SUGAR SNAP PEAS, ASPARAGUS AND PARMESAN
ASPARAGUS TART
CHILLED BEET AND BUTTERMILK SOUP
BEET, CUCUMBER, AND SWEET ONION SALAD WITH DIJON-HONEY DRESSING
Orzo with Spinach and Pine Nuts
Fresh Asparagus and Lump Crab Salad with a Sauce Ravigote
Hey, I won't lie to you and tell you I buy all fresh, all the time. Hell, Mrs. Spud works for the local large supermarket chain, so I gotta keep the bidness going! Plus, if they have stuff for, like 6 cans of corn for a buck, hey, I gotta feed my family too, and convenience is not to be ignored in this busy world. But now is the time of the season that we can all enjoy fresh, local produce. Why not? It sometimes takes the same, if not less, amount of time to prepare fresh over frozen
I just want to persuade people to go out and enjoy what is available just down the road. It's great that you do go to the local farmer's market, even if its just on occasion. Keep it up!
One of the most memorable dishes I ever had was in France was a simple blanched white asparagus with a subtle vinaigrette. Absolutely sublime, it was so fresh, I swear it winked at me....
thanks for the recipes--i love epicurious too, i've got a whole box full of stuff i want to try there.
Same here. I love when reading the ratings and comments at the bottom of the recipes, someone will give it a very low rating, and as you keep reading they say "I didnt have any carrots, so I substituted bacon fat", or some such stupidity.....
Here in Montreal, the local produces are fairly accesible to all, so it's great and convenient. I taste the difference. I have a few of my recipes I will post as well but I never use mesuring cups or anything so don;t alarmed when I say a good handful of rigatoni or a few sparkles of curry.....
.......a pinch of SARS.............
a few drops of Mad cow disease,freshly squeezed herpes juice. add two genital mushrroms, let it simmer and finish it off with cream of Nile virus et voila the perfect storm of venerial disease a la flambe!
that makes my mouth water
Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy
Turtles all the way down
I never follow a recipe completely, and do most of it by eyball, rather than presice measurement, Unless it's baking (which I kinda suck at).
A few sparkles of curry is a new one to me, though....::grin::
Well...it would probably foam up pretty bad, at the least...
I love food from all regions... and spicy if the plate has to be...I try to vary and whenever I go out to eat I try to recreate the plates that tingle my palette.
As far as baking I can only bake a wicked banana cake ( accident) and a chocolate cake
I tingle my wifes palette from time to time. She likes the Ball Parks the best.
[Comment was edited by Jizzmasterzero on May 30, 2003 at 07:20:49 PM]
Too bad she has to settle for vienna sausages.....
YEAH? SO IT'S SHORT AND GREASY!!!! SO WHAT?!?!?!?
MUHAHAHAHA!!! thank you. I hate processed meat. well, I think I could eat 10 lbs of Deviled Ham if I don't look at the ingredients or the fat and cholesteral content.
Those teeny weenies are so creepy - are they really food? They're little nubbins of evil.
Deviled ham rocks! So does that roast beef spread. I even like canned chicken. Put enough mayo and pickles in it and I'm game.
You know what seriously kicks ass is a small dollup of mayo or equivalent and some shredded pickles and some pickle juice in tuna fish. Spread it all out on some toasted wheat bread and you're as close to heaven as you're gonna get. Mostly because I don't know you, and I'm married.
Ha ha!
Okay - here's how I like the tuna fish: Mayo, shredded sweet pickles, and chopped green olives to give it a salty kick. Definitely on toast - to soak up the tuna juice.
Great minds!
That takes the total to 3. Me, my mom and now you. The only people on the face of the planet that will add stuff to tuna fish. Hell, I don't even know anyone that likes tuna. I can eat it out of the can. In fact I do to supplement my protien intake since I bodybuild. [homersimpsondroolon]mmmmmmmmm tooooooooooooooona fish.[homersimpsondrooloff]
I have to admit (looks around)....I kinda like the ham, chicken and beef myself.
In sammiches, when I am camping.
Isn't dat vierd?
Rexxx
Agreed. I was completely oblivious to the goodness that is fresh produce until I met a woman in Kansas City... She would only use fruits and vegetables from the farmer's market down there, and, as you, would shudder and walk away from any booth that tried to push off Del Monte, Dole, or some other corporate giant product. She bought from the local farmers, and I tell you what, she made some of the best food with those veggies.
I don't get to the farmer's markets as much as I would like, but when I do, I buy everything I can, and hope it doesn't spoil before use. Oddly, you usually get better deals at farmer's markets as well!
Sadly, however, I do buy supermarket produce, canned veggies and frozen veggies sometimes out of convenience... but when I can, I do like the really fresh, somewhat home grown stuff. There just seems to be SO much more flavor to it than the big store stuff...