Category — Produce

Saturday morning my husband and I enjoyed visiting two local farmers’ markets. Usually I have at least a mental list, if not an actual one, of what I need, but this time we just browsed and bought what looked good. It ALL looked good! By the time we got home, we had kale, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini and squash, garlic, peppers, peaches, and sweet corn, along with milk, eggs, and yogurt all fresh from the creamery (their peach yogurt has become my Saturday morning post-run treat!).

When we got home I just had to place a bunch of the colorful veggies out on the counter and take some photos, partly because they were so pretty and partly because I just love playing with the new camera my mother-in-law loaned us. I am still no pro, but I am having a blast with it!

Now I just have to be sure to use up all of this beautiful produce! I’ve already decided I’ll probably make a vegetable tian tomorrow night with some of the veggies, but hope to select at least one or two recipes from my Cooking from the Farmers’ Market Cookbook from Williams-Sonoma (available on Amazon!) This awesome book profiles tons of different vegetables and fruits, suggesting how to select them, store them, and cook with them.

Speaking of selection, that’s something that for me goes beyond just how firm, colorful, or large a fruit or veggie is. I’ve gotten in the habit of chatting with the farmers at the farmers’ markets I visit, and have found that most are more than happy to share with you their growing and pest management techniques. I’ve gone back and forth a lot in my own mind on whether local or organic is the more important feature when selecting produce. On the one hand, fruits and vegetables are most nutritious when they are fresh, so even that organic vegetable that has been trucked in from California may not be all that nutritious. Then again, if the berries were picked yesterday just down the road, but they were sprayed with pesticides, well, that doesn’t seem so healthy to me. So I definitely get caught sometimes in a tennis match in my head about this!

Where I think I’ve landed is that while both local and organic sounds ideal to me, it’s not always realistic. So now what’s most important is that I feel comfortable with the origin of my food. For me that means that if I can talk to the farmer, and they explain that they are not certified organic, but they use the most natural pest management techniques possible and do not spray pesticides or herbicides, that’s fantastic.

Sometimes, though, they explain that they did spray the crops, but never the actual produce, or they say they did have to spray. Sometimes I know the item I am considering buying is on the “dirty dozen” list, but sometimes it’s something that I only use the inside of, but never the peel, so those considerations play into my decision.

Based on these conversations with the farmers, I make the call that feels best to me at the time. I’ve been disappointed how many times a local farmer has told me they have sprayed their produce, and sometimes I hate asking the question and seeming judgmental, but it’s worth the conversation just to gather the information, and the farmers are always super nice. Now I’ve gotten to know which farmers use which methods and I tend to revisit the same favorite farmers each week, knowing they will remember me, will often recommend what’s “extra good” that week, and sometimes (especially when it’s not too crowded yet) will even recommend a great new recipe to try!

Of course my very favorite farmer is still my dad, whose plentiful backyard green beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers I will happily continue to make staples in my kitchen until the very last harvest is done!

Whatever your method for choosing your source and your produce, I hope you all have the opportunity to visit local farmers’ markets at least a few times before the summer ends. Choosing local and seasonal foods just feels right, and knowing where the food on your table came from is a great feeling.

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Today I tried a new green for the first time: chard. I was looking for Swiss chard, but none of the greens at the store said Swiss chard. This chard’s label said it was green chard from Pennsylvania (local-ish!) so I decided it would have to do. After extensive research online this afternoon, I have come to the conclusion that if it wasn’t the same thing, it was close enough!

I was hunting for Swiss chard for two reasons…first, I recently listened to a lecture about Ayurvedic practices, and one of the principles is eating seasonally, and it mentioned Swiss chard specifically for summer. When I heard that, it occurred to me that it was the only green on the list from Cameron that I never got around to trying! Second, on Saturday at the farmer’s market one of my favorite farmers talked me into buying some grass-fed lamb, and suggested cooking it on the stove with squash and serving over steamed Swiss chard. So that’s (basically) what I did for dinner tonight!

I took just under half a pound of the ground lamb and sauteed it in a pan with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and chopped onion, garlic, and zucchini. While I cooked that, I steamed the chard and some fresh green beans from my father’s garden. The green beans were, of course, the “old friend” green veggie that ended up on our dinner plates.

The chard didn’t have a distinct flavor, maybe because I served the other things on top of it, but it did hold up better than steamed spinach without being quite as tough as the texture of kale, which I love but my husband still isn’t a huge fan of. He actually thought the chard was spinach, and still liked it even when I told him it wasn’t!

What new “friend” have you made lately on your dinner plate? What old friends do you find yourself coming back to time and again?

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My first bucket of berries

Today I took a solo field trip to Mackintosh Fruit Farm, about an hour from my house. I was supposed to go with a good friend and her two sons yesterday, but she hasn’t been feeling well this week and couldn’t make it yesterday or today. Since today was the last day this week I could possibly go, and the strawberry season is ending and a holiday weekend is coming up, I knew today might be my last chance this year to pick my own berries, so I decided to have a solo adventure on the farm.

I am so glad I did! It would have been more fun to have others to share the experience with, but it was fun in a different way to explore on my own.

Driving out to Berryville, Va, I was just awestruck by how beautiful it was. Growing up in Virginia, I have seen plenty of farmland and views of the mountains, and we are definitely at that time of year when sunny days make everything look more green and thriving, but I guess I just hadn’t been noticing it enough lately. Driving toward the Blue Ridge Mountains, I make sure to take notice of the beauty in the rolling hills, farmhouses and barns, and the mountains in the distance.

Time to check out

I got to the farm just before lunchtime, grabbed a bucket, and got to work. The girl who explained the process to me told me to look for bright red berries (strawberries will not continue to ripen once you pick them) and to be sure to look in close to the plant, because the berries like to grow in the shade. She said they were pretty worked over this weekend and it might take me a while to find enough, but I didn’t have any trouble. I filled one bucket, and then went back for another and filled it up, too!

By the time I was done, which was only about an hour later, I had 14 lbs of strawberries. They cost $1.90 per pound–a much better price than I can find for those California-grown-and-trucked-across-country-berries at the local store!

Glorious greens!

Next I headed to the patch of greens to pick my own kale, lettuce, and other salad greens. I am embarrassed to admit that I am not sure what everything I “picked” (you actually cut it with scissors they give you) was, but I got one big bag of kale and one big bag of other mixed greens. It was so cool to cut my own bunches just like I usually get from the grocery store! Each bag was $3.00 and I could fill them as full as I wanted.

Next I decided it was lunchtime. They make food items from scratch using ingredients from the farm, so I knew it would be delicious. I had a piece of zucchini quiche and a salad with strawberries in it. I got to talk to the chef, and she explained how she is somewhat limited by using only ingredients in season, but has been able to supplement with crops from last year that she froze, such as the zucchini, which is not yet in season. Sounds like a smart plan to me!

After lunch I took a walk on the hiking trail through the farm. It went past trees that I assume will bear the apples and peaches later in the year, and lots of other crops that I couldn’t identify. I’ll have to go back on a weekend when they have more staff around and ask for a guided tour! The trail goes through the woods at the edge of the farm, and it was lovely. It was more of a “walk” than a “hike” but it was pretty darn long so I decided it counted as exercise…and when I got back to the farm, I just had to try a piece of their homemade cheesecake with strawberries on top. Yep, it was worth every calorie.

The ride home

Finally I loaded my produce into the car and headed home. I loved knowing that the 52-mile car ride with me was literally the entire distance these berries would travel from plant to dinner table!

When I got home, I got to work hulling and washing most of the berries. I set a lot of them out on cookie sheets and put them in the freezer. Once frozen separately, I’ll combine them in freezer bags and have berries to last me for quite a while!

Of course, I didn’t freeze all of my berries…I saved some for strawberry vinaigrette for tonight’s dinner salads (and salads across the next several days), and used some in banana-strawberry smoothies for an afternoon treat for my husband and his business partner!

I’m already looking forward to my next trip to the farm. In just a few weeks, they anticipate blackberries will be ready, soon followed by blueberries and lots of great summer vegetables like tomatoes and zucchini. I might need a bigger freezer…

My homemade vinaigrette...in the super cute beaker I got on super sale from Anthropologie last week. Isn't it fun?!

Strawberry Vinaigrette

I hunted down a few recipes online and then took bits and pieces from all of them to make my own salad dressing. I have discovered recently just how easy making your own salad dressings can be, and after being afraid of full-fat dressings my whole life, have enjoyed the liberation that came with the knowledge that your body literally can’t absorb all of the important nutrients in greens like spinach without some fat. In fact, salad dressings are likely one of the many condiments that was originally created not to alter the taste of food, but to help our bodies digest and benefit properly from every meal. But that’s a topic for another day…

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and washed
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar (if you only have one or two types of vinegar, don’t let that stop you–just adjust accordingly and keep the ratio of vinegar to oil roughly the same)
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 2/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of Stevia or 1/8 tsp. sugar

Directions:

1. If possible, chop berries in a food processor or blender, then add all other ingredients gradually.
2. If mixing by hand, just chop berries very small and use a whisk for mixing all together.
3. Add additional salt and pepper and/or other herbs–don’t be afraid to experiment!

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These days the concept of eating organic food has gotten pretty popular, almost to the point of feeling like a fad. There are a lot of people who swear by the importance of choosing organic foods (and health products), and this week a study linking pesticide exposure to ADHD in children has been all over the news, and will no doubt be pushing more people toward seeking out organics. But there seem to be just as many people who feel it’s just a gimmick, and that spending more on organics is not worth it. Many people can’t even agree on exactly what “organic” even means!

What Is “Organic?”

At the most simple level, the word organic means “characteristic of, pertaining to, or derived from living organisms.” Now, of course, it’s come to mean more than that. When it comes to food, organic indicates that it was grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, or hormones.

It’s good to be aware the the USDA standards for organic certification are not as stringent as some feel they should be, but another way to think about it is that foods from conventional sources ARE being grown and raised using man-made chemical processes, which results in a depletion of the minerals and nutrients in the food and an increase in the pollutants and agrochemicals present in the food. So no, foods labeled as organic may still not be perfect, but they are an improvement over conventional.

When Organic Matters Most

Even assuming you are sold on the benefits of choosing organic foods, you may not feel like you can make the switch entirely, or your local stores may not carry organic options in all fruits and vegetables. One rule of thumb is that the most important fruits and vegetables to buy organic are those that are consumed whole. If you eat the peel/skin, go organic. If you don’t, it may not be as essential. So for instance, if you plan to juice lemons for lemonade, and toss the peel, you can probably go conventional. However, if you plan to use the peel as lemon zest in a recipe, grab organic for that.

Another popular way that some people decide which fruits and vegetables to buy organic is to use the produce ranking developed by Environmental Working Group. They tested for pesticide residues and ranked the produce.
Here are the items that have been dubbed the “Dirtiest Dozen”:

In contrast, here are the “Clean Fifteen” (safest to buy conventional):

For a PDF version of this list that you can keep in your wallet for quick reference while shopping, visit FoodNews.org.

Another tip I recently learned will help you identify the organic versus conventional produce in the grocery store. If you look at the sticker on the produce, you’ll see the “price look-up number,” or PLU. Conventionally-grown produce will have 4-digit numbers starting with 3 or 4. Organically-grown produce will have 5-digit PLUs beginning with a 9. Genetically modified fruits and vegetables (steer clear!) also have 5 digits, but they begin with an 8.

If you are fortunate enough to have a farmer’s market nearby, and you shop there for your produce, finding out if the produce is organically-grown is as easy as asking the farmer! Many small farms can’t afford the USDA certification, but you can simply ask them if they use organic processes and grow non-GMO crops, or if they use pesticides and/or grow their produce from genetically-modified seeds. The ideal combo is organic and local, but ask questions and learn as much as you can about the food the farmers are selling. Knowing more about the food we consume is a huge step toward healthier choices and healthier living!

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