On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 15:24:52 -0400, Christine Dabney
wrote:

Christine, advocate of eating seasonally

What's the name of that thing we found that resembles an artichoke? I
had no idea what I was looking at until you told me.... then I saw it
growing wild in England and took a picture of it. Will find it later
to post or send.

--
See return address to reply by email

sf wrote

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 15:24:52 -0400, Christine Dabney
wrote:

Christine, advocate of eating seasonally

What's the name of that thing we found that resembles an artichoke? I
had no idea what I was looking at until you told me.... then I saw it
growing wild in England and took a picture of it. Will find it later
to post or send.

Cardoon?

nancy

In article ,
Skyhooks wrote:

More than likely, nearly everyone on RFC has access to a local farmers'
market where they can shop for seasonal items. What is your favorite
item(s) from a farmers' market and what draws you there?

Haven't seen it in a few years, but one of the strawberry vendors would
bring a cooler with these little frozen cups. They weren't ice cream,
and I think they had no dairy in them. They tasted just like fresh
strawberries, except frozen. I guess they would be called a strawberry
ice.

ObMarket: We're going in a few minutes. It's only on Saturday
afternoons during the summer. This will be my first visit this year,
although the kids went last weekend.

In article , artisan2
@ix.netcom.com says...
That doesn't sound like the type of farmers market that Sky is talking
about. There, you wouldn't have the juxtaposition of vegetables that
out of season, along with seasonal things.

Surely there must be a real farmers market in your area?


It's too bad, some "farmers' markets" are just another location for
people to sell produce from California, Florida, Chile, etc. Our market
(Carrboro, NC, which has gained some fame nationally) is successful in
part because they have strict regulations that everything sold has to be
grown or raised within a 100 mile radius (or some such distance).



--
Peter Aitken

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 13:31:48 -0700, sf wrote:

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 15:24:52 -0400, Christine Dabney
wrote:

Christine, advocate of eating seasonally

What's the name of that thing we found that resembles an artichoke? I
had no idea what I was looking at until you told me.... then I saw it
growing wild in England and took a picture of it. Will find it later
to post or send.

Cardoons. Nancy can tell you all about them..

Christine

On Jun 16, 8:30 am, Skyhooks wrote:
More than likely, nearly everyone on RFC has access to a local farmers'
market where they can shop for seasonal items. What is your favorite
item(s) from a farmers' market and what draws you there?

I always look forward to the local sweet corn coming in. The corn is
always picked the evening before, so it can't really get fresher than
that (unless one has their very own corn field g). The vendor brings
a large farm truck with its flat-bed full of green corn on the cobs and
parks it at the Market. Customers then select the ears of corn they
want straight from the truck. The cost is usually around $1 per 6 ears
of corn. Don't know the current price yet for this season.

In addition to corn, I like the fresh fruits like strawberries, peaches,
and raspberries. There's also a vendor for local honey, so I buy a bit
from him every year. And one lady vendor at the market makes wonderful
apples pies, luckily the small ones too

One reason I like shopping at local farmers' market is because I like to
support local and regional businesses, especially the small family
businesses. Plus, it's nice to know the true source of the foods,
whether produce, dairy, meat, and other merchandise.

Another fun feature is the entertainment factor. There are always a few
musicians who play during Market hours. Some of them are school kids
practicing and trying to make a buck at the same time, where others are
more full of character (think Dick Van Dyke's character in Marry
Poppins). Anything from classical to blue grass to funky.

Not to mention, there's usually some group or another affiliated with
some political or non-political movement requesting signatures for
petitions. Other various non-profit and profit organzations have
information 'canopies' where brochures and mailing lists are available.

Farmers' Markets are always fun. Visiting them is often a good way to
learn information about local goings-on.

Sky, who's off to the Market g

By far here in Portland, OR it's the better quality cultivated
mushrooms and herbs: Shiitake, Maitake, basil, lemongrass, Oyster,
mint. Of course, having some from my own garden is marginally better,
but not by much. And I haven't been able to get maitake to grow for me
yet. Oh, and fresh strawberries, marionberries (kind of like thornless
blackberries), peaches, apples, blueberries, huckleberries,
whortleberries, blackberries (almost the season!), and even
salmonberries sometimes. Chef Greg Higgins of Higgins Restaurant
really made something worthwhile from this first Farmer's Market in
the US. And the quality has expanded. You can sometimes even get fresh-
cooked Dungeness crab, although almost no one uses Oregon myrtle in
the water, like I enjoy.

I usually go to the downtown market on Wednesday. Many organic farmers/
sellers available.

Daniel B. Wheeler

on Sat, Jun 16, 2007. AtM (Skyhooks)asked:
More than likely, nearly everyone on RFC has access to
a local farmers' market where they can shop for seasonal
items. What is your favorite item(s) from a farmers' market
and what draws you there?
------------------------------------------------------
We have a small family own farm couple miles or so from where I live
where I buy most of my seasonal flowers plus their fruit/veggie stand.

The prices are higher than the city own farmers market which is only
opened on weekends till 3 pm making this just too hard for the weekend
working folks crowd, but this small farm has the prettiest
blueberries/strawberries/watermelons/corn on the cob & cubes it's worth
the extra $$$ plus at Halloween the largest crop of home grown pumpkins
& the designer scarecrows they sell made by the family children's.

Always look forward going here even though I come out spending more
money than I had planned.

BUY AMERICAN

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 16:38:59 -0400, "Nancy Young"
wrote:


sf wrote

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 15:24:52 -0400, Christine Dabney
wrote:

Christine, advocate of eating seasonally

What's the name of that thing we found that resembles an artichoke? I
had no idea what I was looking at until you told me.... then I saw it
growing wild in England and took a picture of it. Will find it later
to post or send.

Cardoon?

Yes and she mentioned your name.... what on earth do you do with a
cardoon?

--
See return address to reply by email

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 14:43:35 -0500, "jmcquown"
wrote:

In the summer there is more watermelon than you can shake a stick at and I
don't like the taste of watermelon. Don't care for cantaloupe or others,
either.

do you like *any* melon?

--
See return address to reply by email

sf wrote

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 16:38:59 -0400, "Nancy Young"
wrote:

sf wrote

What's the name of that thing we found that resembles an artichoke? I
had no idea what I was looking at until you told me.... then I saw it
growing wild in England and took a picture of it. Will find it later
to post or send.

Cardoon?

Yes and she mentioned your name.... what on earth do you do with a
cardoon?

I hardly know. My ex's grandmother would pick them growing wild
by a bridge. I mean a city bridge, not a little bridge over a brook
somewhere. She would smash the living heck out of them until they
looked like wads of dry grass, then she'd give them an egg wash and
fry them up.

I know. This sounds just horrible. They were out of this world and I
craved them for a long time. Goes to show how that little mean old
lady from Italy could cook anything.

nancy

In article ,
Skyhooks wrote:

What is your favorite
item(s) from a farmers' market and what draws you there?

Alas, there is no farmers' market nearby. But where I used to live, we
had a great farmers' market that was heavy on the organic side. My
favorite items included purple "green beans", baby bok choy, pea geens,
& Russian kale. Now I grow my own peas (& greens), kale & beans. We
started picking tomatoes this week.

Emma
--
"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross." Sinclair Lewis

In article , sf wrote:

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 14:43:35 -0500, "jmcquown"
wrote:

In the summer there is more watermelon than you can shake a stick at and I
don't like the taste of watermelon. Don't care for cantaloupe or others,
either.

do you like *any* melon?

I think that comes under the category of "others".

Skyhooks wrote:
More than likely, nearly everyone on RFC has access to a local farmers'
market where they can shop for seasonal items. What is your favorite
item(s) from a farmers' market and what draws you there?

It would have to be the fruit. Strawberries are usually great.

At one of our farmer's market locations there is a fabulous bakery that
comes. They have the longest line of any vendor. Each week they seem to
have something different using fresh fruit. One of the tastiest things
we found was their garlic bread, but I have since figured out how to
make something similar, not that it was super difficult.

My son wants to go as there is usually a balloon clown or person there.

--
Queenie

*** Be the change you wish to see in the world ***

In article ,
Skyhooks wrote:

More than likely, nearly everyone on RFC has access to a local farmers'
market where they can shop for seasonal items. What is your favorite
item(s) from a farmers' market and what draws you there?

I always look forward to the local sweet corn coming in. The corn is
always picked the evening before, so it can't really get fresher than
that (unless one has their very own corn field g). The vendor brings
a large farm truck with its flat-bed full of green corn on the cobs and
parks it at the Market. Customers then select the ears of corn they
want straight from the truck. The cost is usually around $1 per 6 ears
of corn. Don't know the current price yet for this season.

Fresh cucumbers, water mellon, and tomatoes are my three favorite items
from a farmer's market.

In article ,
Skyhooks wrote:

More than likely, nearly everyone on RFC has access to a local farmers'
market where they can shop for seasonal items. What is your favorite
item(s) from a farmers' market and what draws you there?

I look for the vegetables my mom grew when I was a kid: new potatoes,
green beans, tomatoes, sweet corn, radishes, cukes -- ordinary stuff.
What draws me there? Good food.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com
http:/http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/amytaylor/