Monday, September 26, 2011

getting reacquainted with the oven


Long summer days go hand in hand with hours spent grilling outside. Now that the sun is setting quite earlier and cooler weather is setting in, it is time to get reacquainted with our ovens.

Apples from Tony Fetters that would be perfect for your roast chicken


Luckily, we can still acquire all that is necessary for a nice fall roasted chicken at the market. Here is a delicious recipe, provided by Sunnyside Farm.

What you need:
1 Whole Chicken (approx. 3.5lbs) - available at Sunnyside Farm
2 Onions Chunked - available at Zahradka Farm
2 Apples, unpeeled and chunked - available at Tony Fetters Farm
2 stalks of Celery, chopped - available at Zahradka Farm

Fill the cavity of the chicken with the onions, apples, and celery.
Place in a deep roasting pan.

Then you'll need (hopefully these are in your pantry, but if you need some amazing honey, Sunnyside Farm can provide you with some delicious honey):
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
1/4 Teaspoon Paprika
Salt

Mix the ingredients in a saucepan until the honey is melted.
Rub all over the chicken. Continue applying sauce to the chicken 3-4 times during the cooking, or until it is nicely browned.

Bake in the oven at 360 degree Fahrenheit for 1 hour (plus 15-30 min. depending on the size of the chicken)

Upon taking out of the oven, cover tightly with tin foil and let stand for 15-20min. before serving. Enjoy!

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The garden patch at the market a few weeks ago, just imagine what it looks like now? Come check it out.



Also, for those of you who may have been confused as to why the market last week was lacking on the vegetable and fresh produce front, I just wanted to remind everyone that farms are still experiencing great losses and difficulties from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

They will hopefully all return to the market soon. In the mean time, Sunnyside Farm and Liberty Delights can provide you with fresh poultry and meat products. Our on-site garden, courtesy of Hamilton Crop Circle, will also be providing us with fresh greens! So don't worry there are still plenty of fresh goods for you to enjoy. In the meantime, just remember that it isn't easy being a farmer.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Autumn has swept in


With the overnight arrival of Autumn has come an array of cooler weather goods for you to enjoy at the market.

APPLES! Personally, I could not be happier that apple season has arrived, and this will not be the last mention of these lovely fruits. Come stop by Tony Fetters Fruit Farm and sample an apple slice or sip of apple cider. How can you resist?




Izzy's Chocolate has finally arrived at the market! Now that the hot weather has broken, she is able to provide us with delicious and unique chocolates. Among the flavors that she brought last week were apricot, coconut, and plum. Come satisfy your chocolate craving at the market tomorrow.




While the weather has changed, it is still beautiful weather to dine al fresco. After wandering around the market for a little while, why not grab a glass of wine or seasonal cocktail at The Chameleon Cafe, located right across the street. With a farm-to-table focus, you will also find an array of delicious appetizers filled with all your favorite seasonal flavors.



With all these exciting cool weather market happenings, come stop by and see for yourself!

Monday, September 12, 2011

late and last summer vegetables


As there is currently no massive rain storms, flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, or tornados on the forecast for tomorrow... don't forget to come stop by the market and pick up those late summer vegetables that will soon be replaced with mountains of apples, winter squash, and pumpkins.

Peppers and Eggplants from Zahradka Family Farm


There seems to be a never ending supply of eggplants in my kitchen this summer. Believe me, I am by no means complaining! Ratatouille (No, not the adorable rat-chef movie), Baba Ganoush, Eggplant Parmesan, Roasted Eggplant, Grilled Eggplant, Eggplant Pizza (both as a topping and as a crust substitute), Eggplant salads, the list is never ending for the amount of eggplant dishes I have eaten and prepared this summer.

Recently, I came across a Roasted Eggplant Soup recipe. I have yet to try it, but it is on my list to create this week after I gather up even more eggplants from the market. What a great way to ease into fall with a hearty eggplant soup.

[WARNING: I may have just been attracted to the beautiful photographs in the roasted eggplant soup recipe. I'll let you know how it actually turns out!]

What are some of your favorite eggplant recipes?

A recent eggplant ratatouille concoction from my large collection of eggplant dishes


For those of you who may not know, this week (September 12th-16th) is Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week! So make sure that your kids have their fair share of fresh, local, and healthy goods from none other, but the market. Also to take note - Maryland is the ONLY state in the country that has 100% participation from all of its public school systems! Continue to keep your kids well feed through the school year by visiting your farmers market.

A great group of people, of all ages, enjoying the offerings of the market


Also, look at what people are saying about the Tuesday Market:
"Fresh, local, friendly. No pressure, just a great place to spend the evening"

Come stop by and see what they are talking about.




Tuesday, September 6, 2011

MARKET CANCELLED FOR TODAY

Due to the large rain clouds that show no signs of letting up, we will be cancelling the Tuesday Market in Lauraville for TODAY, SEPTEMBER 6th 2011!

We will be back in service next week! Have a wonderful rainy day!

Monday, September 5, 2011

the ending of summer


Where has the summer gone? In a swirl of hot weather and farmers markets it seems to have flown by.

If you haven't gotten enough of peaches, corn, watermelon, and tomatoes, now is the time to stock up, because they will be gone before we know it!


Now is also a very important time to be supporting your farmers due to the damage that was caused by Hurricane Irene.

While you may have been struggling with electrical outages and small issues such as having to throw away food from an temporarily disabled refrigerator, farmers were having much bigger issues. Field and crop flooding, lack of electricity for their poultry and cattle, and thousands of dollars in property damage are just the tip of the problems faced by many of farmers last weekend.

So when you see some beet greens that might not be as darkly colored as normal or some slightly yellowed parsley, don't make a big deal, but rather savor the unique storm battered product that you are getting and the thank the farmer that you are supporting.



Also, can you believe it? Only 8 more weeks of the Tuesday Market! We hope that you have been enjoying it and would really like your feedback, good and bad. We have created a survey that you can participate in here and hope that you give us your honest opinions so that we can help make the market better. Thanks in advance!


*All photographs by Delancey Nelson*