A Visit to the Brantford Farmers Market

Last weekend we thought we would head off in a direction we rarely go: south. We drove straight down highway 24 into Brantford. One left turn and kink in the road later, we were pulling into the parking lot of the Brantford Farmers Market, on Icomm Drive right opposite the casino.


At first glance, we didn't think it looked very impressive. There weren't a lot of vendors outside.



However, the vendors turned out to be quite interesting. There were quite a few soft fruits available. These were probably the last regular strawberries for the year, from a local farm.



We didn't get there until about 11:00 and a lot of the items listed on this board were just selling out. Nice to see such a good selection of organic produce.



There was also a good selection of tree fruits, including sour cherries.



And all the local seasonal veggies.


I think there must be a number of blueberry farms in the Brantford area. There were blueberries all over the market.


The inside of the market was quite large, and full of vendors and customers. The indoor market runs all year, and is open on both Friday (9 am to 5 pm) and Saturday (7 am to 2 pm.)



In addition to the usual bakeries, butchers, cheesemongers and fruit and veggie sellers there were a number of crafts and jewelry.



When we went home, it was with oak-leaf lettuce, bok choy, peas, eggs, raspberries, bacon, sausage, bluuuueberries and sour cherries. Yumm-o!




Last year at this time, I made Vietnamese Marinated Carrots & Radishes and Currant Catsup.

Stinky Meat

Uh, that would be beef cooked with garlic, soy sauce, Vietnamese style chile-garlic sauce, and did I mention the garlic?

4 servings
20 minutes - 10 minutes prep time


450 grams (1 pound) lean boneless stewing beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 or 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
3 to 6 cloves of garlic- as much as you think you will like
1 to 3 teaspoons Vietnamese chile-garlic sauce

Cook the beef slowly in a large skillet in the oil. After it has browned, add the soy sauce or tamari. While that happens, peel and mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the pan. Continue cooking, for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the pan juices thicken and coat the meat. Stir occasionally. Stir in the Vietnamese chile-garlic sauce about 5 minutes before serving.

Serve over mashed potatoes, barley pilaf or rice. Next time I'm going to try it in a crusty roll as a sandwich. Nice with a bit of lemon juice squeezed over top. A salad with lots of parsley might be a good idea. Also, you can get rid of that infused-with-stale-garlic feeling the next day by means of a little vigorous exercise.



Last year on this date I made Baked Mushroom Meatballs, Roasted Baby Zucchini and Corn & Barley Salad.

Salad with Goat Cheese & Blueberries

We bought 3 quarts of blueberries this week, and mostly I've been rinsing them off and putting them into a bowl before shovelling them into my mouth. I love blueberries, and could eat them plain all day and all night. However, I thought I ought to make an effort to do something more inspired - or at least more elaborate - with them. Since I had a nice big head of red oak-leaf lettuce and some goat cheese, this is what happened.

4 servings
20 minutes prep time


Dressing:
1/4 cup raspberry or other fruit vinegar
1/4 cup walnut or other nut oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
1/2 teaspoon anise seed, crushed
sea salt to taste

As ever, grind the spices and whisk it all together, or shake it up in a jar.

Salad:
1 small to 1/2 large head of leaf lettuce
1 1/2 cups blueberries
100 grams goat cheese (chevre)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds

Wash the lettuce and dry well. Tear it up into bite-sized pieces. Arrange it on separate serving plates, or in a shallow salad bowl.

Wash the blueberries and dry them well. Scatter them evenly over the lettuce. Crumble the cheese and do likewise. Toast the sunflower seeds until lightly browned in a dry skillet, stirring constantly. As soon as they are done enough, turn them out onto a plate to cool. Sprinkle them over the salad. Give the dressing a shake again, and drizzle it over the salad or salads.





Last year at this time, well, last year at this time I obviously had time on my hands. I made Raspberry-Currant Jam, Blueberry-Currant Jam, Cherry-Currant Jam as well as posting about Making Jam in general. And since one has to eat, even if one has spent the day making jam, I also posted about Pesto Chicken Salad and Green & Wax Beans in Honey-Mustard Dressing.

Summer Pasta

In Italy, this might be called "Pasta Primavera". In Ontario, though, it's hard to work up a good selection of vegetables before early summer at best. I've been making a number of variations on this theme lately. Some vegetables go into the pot with the pasta towards the end of the cooking time to cook along with it; others get sautéed with some oil and garlic or chopped green onions. You can use whatever vegetables seem good to you, just decide if they are "boilers" or "sautéers". If I'm adding meat, some sausage or chopped bacon gets cooked in the pan as well. Otherwise, when the pasta is drained and tossed with the contents of the pan, some cheese gets thrown in too. Quick, painless, tasty and not too much time spent hanging over a hot stove. You can spend that time hanging over all the great pasta at Presto Pasta Nights instead.

2 servings
20 minutes - 10 minutes prep time



225 grams (1/2 pound) stubby pasta

2 cups peas
4 cups spinach
1 or 2 green onions
OR 1 or 2 cloves of garlic (or both if you like)
1 medium zucchini
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil (or a tablespoon or 2 fresh minced)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
100 grams feta cheese, cut in dice

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted, boiling water. In the meantime, shell the peas. Add them to the pasta 3 or 4 minutes before it is done. Wash the spinach, and chop it coarsely. Let it drain in the pasta drainer.

Chop the green onion or mince the garlic. Wash and slice the zucchini. When the pasta is about half done, heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the zucchini until it begins to brown, stirring regularly. Add the green onion or garlic, and sauté for a few minutes more. Season with the basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

When the pasta and peas are done, drain them through the spinach. Toss the pasta, peas and spinach with the contents of the skillet, and the feta cheese.

Paprika Sautéed Cauliflower

This is a colourful and flavourful way to serve cauliflower, originally found here. You can cook the cauliflower in advance, or even use leftover cauliflower. Vary the type and quantity of paprika according to your taste. I'm calling for hot smoked paprika, but you can use more sweet paprika or smoked sweet paprika if you prefer it milder, or even a wee bit of cayenne if you don't. (Not a 1/2 teaspoon though...)

2 to 3 servings
25 minutes - 10 minutes prep time


1/2 a head of cauliflower, smallish,
about 3 cups when cut up
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon sunflower seed oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
OR sweet smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika

Wash and trim the cauliflower, and cut it into florets. Boil or steam it until just tender - it should be a hair underdone, for preference. Peel and mince the garlic.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Meanwhile, toss the cauliflower with the salt and paprikas. When the oil is hot, add the cauliflower to the pan. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is hot through and begins to crisp and brown at the edges. Add the garlic to the pan after the cauliflower has cooked for about 2 minutes.




Editted: I keep forgetting to post what I made at this time last year. This time last year, I made Butter-Cooked Peas & Spinach and French Dressing. Don't forget to check them out.

Stuff

"I have too much stuff. Most people in America do. In fact, the poorer people are, the more stuff they seem to have. Hardly anyone is so poor that they can't afford a front yard full of old cars.

It wasn't always this way. Stuff used to be rare and valuable. You can still see evidence of that if you look for it. For example, in my house in Cambridge, which was built in 1876, the bedrooms don't have closets. In those days people's stuff fit in a chest of drawers. Even as recently as a few decades ago there was a lot less stuff. When I look back at photos from the 1970s, I'm surprised how empty houses look. As a kid I had what I thought was a huge fleet of toy cars, but they'd be dwarfed by the number of toys my nephews have. All together my Matchboxes and Corgis took up about a third of the surface of my bed. In my nephews' rooms the bed is the only clear space.

Stuff has gotten a lot cheaper, but our attitudes toward it haven't changed correspondingly. We overvalue stuff.

That was a big problem for me when I had no money. I felt poor, and stuff seemed valuable, so almost instinctively I accumulated it. Friends would leave something behind when they moved, or I'd see something as I was walking down the street on trash night (beware of anything you find yourself describing as "perfectly good"), or I'd find something in almost new condition for a tenth its retail price at a garage sale. And pow, more stuff.

In fact these free or nearly free things weren't bargains, because they were worth even less than they cost. Most of the stuff I accumulated was worthless, because I didn't need it.

What I didn't understand was that the value of some new acquisition wasn't the difference between its retail price and what I paid for it. It was the value I derived from it. Stuff is an extremely illiquid asset. Unless you have some plan for selling that valuable thing you got so cheaply, what difference does it make what it's "worth?" The only way you're ever going to extract any value from it is to use it. And if you don't have any immediate use for it, you probably never will.

Companies that sell stuff have spent huge sums training us to think stuff is still valuable. But it would be closer to the truth to treat stuff as worthless.

In fact, worse than worthless, because once you've accumulated a certain amount of stuff, it starts to own you rather than the other way around. I know of one couple who couldn't retire to the town they preferred because they couldn't afford a place there big enough for all their stuff. Their house isn't theirs; it's their stuff's...



Paul Graham has more to say about Stuff. Check it out.

Faintly Terrifying

What you see in the picture above is a small - a very small - part of the backyard of our new house. Yes, we bought the farm.

Okay, it's not really a farm; it's only about 9 acres. Also, and this is important, it's our first purchase of property that isn't an "income property." By definition then, it's what they call an "outgo property." Hence the faint terror.

We're also wildly excited, of course. We are spending lots of time with cockamamie fantasies about just what we are going to do with All That Land. There was a mighty big veggie garden, that we plan to restore. There are a number of fruit trees, new and old, to be pruned and fussed over, as well as increased in number. There are flower beds to be weeded and expanded. Heck, I could have a garden dedicated completely to shrubs if I wanted, and I might. I am busy researching poultry, particularly geese to be used as weeders. The Sweetie is busy researching windmills. In short, we're absolutely bug-nuts crazy out of our minds. We're also going to move, sometime early in September most likely. If I seem a little distracted this summer, that would be why.

I'm looking forward to blogging about our attempts to grow some really, really local food. I'd rather do that than weed, I know that already.

A Visit to the Preston Neighbourhood Markets

I live in Preston, which is one of three towns joined in a shot-gun menage a trois about 40 years ago into the city of Cambridge. It hasn't turned out to be a completely happy union. Cambridge is a very sprawling city, and car ownership is pretty much required. (Add a few traffic bottlenecks, and you get traffic jams to rival Toronto.) In particular, Preston has exactly one and a half small grocery stores; a Zehrs and a Giant Tiger. Neither of them are particularly good at carrying local produce, in fact I don't think the Giant Tiger has produce of any sort. (Well it's a department store, really.) Consequently, there was a lot of excitement when we heard that the Neighbourhood Markets started in Kitchener last year were expanding into Preston.

The following are key facilitators of these mini-markets: Opportunities Waterloo Region, Region of Waterloo Public Health, Lyle Hallman Foundation, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and Together4Health.



Here's the one in Preston Heights, staffed by volunteers, as they all are. Produce is purchased at the Elmira Produce Auction, then sold at cost.



They had a very decent selection of vegetables, some strawberries and a bit of bread from a local bakery. Everything was squeaky-fresh.



Here's what I got: strawberries, spinach, new potatoes, green onions, peas already shelled, zucchini and some super fresh garlic.



Preston Heights gets less traffic than the mini-market in the park downtown off of King Street. In fact, I heard that the first week they opened, they sold out within one hour. (They are officially open from noon to five.) I got there around 1:30 on their third Friday of business this summer. There was still a good selection of veggies, although they had gone through at least 20 flats of strawberries already, and it looked like they were running low. My impression is that they are bringing more and more every week, but are still having a little difficulty keeping up. It's probably a good idea to get there early. I'm told though, that the Preston Heights market doesn't generally sell out. They close at 4:00 pm, then send their leftovers down to the King Street market, which closes at 5:00 pm.



Some of their stacks of empty boxes.

If you are in Kitchener, look for mini markets at St. Mary's General Hospital, the Mill-Courtland Community Centre and the Centreville-Chicopee Community Centre.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Parfaits

These look quite fancy, but are very easy to make. If you use a cream cheese that is low in fat, they are not even all that decadent. Just don't tell anyone and they will assume they are indulging! These have most of the qualities of cheesecake - especially if you use the graham cracker crumbs - but there too, they are much more easygoing than they seem, and aren't nearly as much work as cheesecake.

Strawberries are the Produce of the Month at An Italian in the US. There should be lots of strawberry based goodies there.

When strawberry season is over, make cream cheese parfaits with raspberries, cherries, apricots, peaches or grapes instead.

4 servings
20 minutes prep time


Cream Cheese Topping:
250 grams (1/2 pound) cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
the finely grated zest of 1/2 orange
1/4 cup orange juice

Mix the sugar and orange zest into the cream cheese. Add the orange juice, a little at a time, stirring between each addition to avoid lumps. Keep the cheese mixture chilled until you are ready to assemble the parfaits.

To Assemble the Parfaits:
1 quart (1 litre) fresh strawberries
1/4 cup fine granola, or graham or other cookie crumbs

Rinse the berriesand drain them well. Hull them, cutting any large ones in half. Divide the berries in half, and put one quarter of the first half into each of 4 parfait glasses. Top with an equal portion (i.e. one-eighth) of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat with the remaining berries, and the remaining cream cheese mixture. Top with a tablespoon of granola or graham cracker crumbs.

Pea & Cauliflower Soup

Oh look! It's Gordon Ramsay's Broccoli Soup again for the third time, and the second time without any actual broccoli. It's such a super technique for a fast, easy and tasty soup. I like this combination particularly (but then I say that about all the soups.) The cauliflower makes it a little less intense in colour than the other versions, but all the flavour is there. And yes, those are my favourite soup bowls, as a matter of fact.

This is one of the advantages of seasonal cooking. You don't necessarily have to know a lot of techniques and recipes; just keep using your favourite ones, but with the ingredients of the season and you won't at all feel like you are eating the same thing all the time. You won't be!

2 servings
15 minutes - 10 minutes prep time


1/2 of a small head of cauliflower
(about 2 cups when broken up, or a little more)
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup shelled peas (twice as much in the pod)
2 tablespoons walnut pieces (or sunflower seeds)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
a teaspoon or two of butter
OR 4 slices of creamy goat cheese (chevre)

Wash and trim the cauliflower, and break it into florets. Shell the peas. Put the cauliflower in the pot with the water and salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes., then add the peas and simmer a further 4 or 5 minutes, until the vegetables are both tender.

Put the walnut pieces into a blender or food processor, and add the vegetables with their cooking water when they are done. Purée well. Season with pepper to taste.

Serve with a dab of butter on top, or a slice or 2 of the goat cheese.

Moroccan Spiced Lamb Patties

These are loosely based on a recipe from Epicurious. They were fine cooked in a skillet, but I imagine they would be even better cooked on a grill. Using garlic scapes for the garlic was a nice touch, but if they aren't in season, substitute for them with a few cloves of garlic.

4 patties
20 minutes



Spice Mixture:
1 dried red chile pepper
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons paprika

Grind the chile, fennel seed, cumin seed and coriander seed together, with the sea salt if it is coarse. Mix in the remaining spices.

Lamb Patties:
4 or 5 fresh garlic scapes
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
450 grams (1 pound) lean ground lamb
1 large egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs or cracker crumbs

Chop the garlic scapes finely, and mince the mint. Mix it with the lamb, the egg, the crumbs and the spice mixture. It is by far the easiest to do this by hand.

Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts, and form into patties. Fry or grill until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, but perhaps a little longer.

Unbaked Strawberry Pie

There is pie, and then there is this pie.

Some people make their unbaked strawberry pie with gelatine, but I don't think it is nearly as good as this way. It is a little soft and goopy, and doesn't tend to serve as prettily, but that will be forgotten the minute the first bit is taken.

Take a look at that ingredient list. There isn't much there, is there? That means that you must be sure to use the best ingredients, in particular the finest of strawberries. I keep harping on this, but it's vital. Your strawberries must be the freshest, the ripest, and the best bred. None of your big fat "shipper" berries. Hear me sneer? Just don't do it. Look for little ones, perhaps a little darker in colour than you expect. If you aren't sure, ask for a sample.

6 servings
1 hour to make the crust
20 minutes to make the filling
2 or 3 hours to chill and garnish





1 recipe single pie pastry

4 cups (1 quart or 1 litre) fresh strawberries
1/4 cup arrowroot or cornstarch, or tapioca starch even
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold water

1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Roll out the pastry on a floured board, and line a 9" pie plate with it. Prick it all over with a for, and bake it at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Set it aside to cool.

Rinse and hull the strawberries. Pick out the ripest, best looking half of them, and arrange them in the pie crust. Mash the remaining half in a heavy-bottomed pot with the starch, sugar and water. Mix well.

Tapioca starch will give a firmer but boingyer (that's a word, i'nnit?) texture than the arrowroot or corn starch will; you must decide which you will prefer. It's not as boingy as gelatine, I'll give you that.

Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce turns clear and thickens. Stir constantly. Do not begin to heat the pan until the starch is thoroughly dissolved, to avoid lumps.

Pour the mixture evenly over the strawberries in the pie crust, and chill until firm. Just before serving, beat the cream until stiff with the sugar and vanilla extract. Pile it on top of the pie, and serve at once.

Doesn't keep well. Doesn't have to.





Last year on this date, I visited the Kitchener Farmers Market, and I made Potato Madeleines and Cauliflower and Celeriac Soup with Cheddar Cheese.