Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Look Who is Coming: June 19th

We will have fresh blueberries at market this week!
Each week we want to help you make your shopping list.  Here is this week's list of  "Who is Coming to Market."

* = a vendor's first day this year

Fruit,Veggie and Meat Vendors

D Lovejoy Farms ~ June bearing strawberries
Debbie Crafton Farms ~ fresh produce, spinach, onions, carrots
Harris Farms ~ eggs and produce
Bautista Farms ~ produce, dried beans, fruits, onions, garlic
Castaneda Farms ~ local fruit and veggies, aprons
Rawley and Hawkins (Fresh Picks Washington) ~ Fruits, ciders, jam
Albertin's Orchard ~ Rhubarb, berries, cherries
Schreiber and Sons ~ certified organic produce
*Berry Blue Farms ~ blueberries
My Garden Overfloweth~ Fresh flowers, strawberries and more
Neiffer Triangle 4 Ranch ~ grass fed beef, sausages
Aichele Farms ~ Raspberries
Hermiston Melon Company ~ cherries and other produce

Prepared Food Vendors

Great Harvest Bread Co. ~ desserts and pastries
Two Sisters Honey and Brewery ~ honeys and soaps
Cornerstone Wholesome Bakery ~ breads and cookies
 A Little Fudgy ~ handcrafted flavored fudge
Red Hot Chili Mamas ~ Gourmet salsas
Ron's Kettle Korn ~ kettle and caramel corn, great flavored lemonades
Three Rivers Gourmet ~ flavored balsamic vinegar
Borghese's ~ Panini's, lattes and coffees
Touch of Paradise ~ meat rubs, seasonings, salsa
Fat Daddy's ~ roasted peppers, roasted corn
Tina's Tasty Treats ~ Gluten Free baked goods
*Strom Coffee ~ lattes, hand brews, smoothies, cold brews,
 a new coffee experience.




Hand Crafted Items

Sagegold Soaps ~ Soaps and Beauty items
Red Mountain Artisans ~ Hand crafted jewelry, and veggies too!
 
Three Pine Ranch ~ Goat milk soaps and beauty items, laundry soap
Antler Pantry ~ Antler dog chews, antler jewelry, hand crocheted items
Twist'n Angels ~amazing balloon art!
*ARTSy PARTyS ~ face painting for the kids

Special Guests

The Bookmobile
WIC 




See you at the Market  4-8pm!!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Salad and Muffins

I love to cook.  I should probably clarify; Julie loves to cook. Since I am the blog writer, this is why I say that I love to cook.... ( I am sure that Chera enjoys it too, I am not sure that she would say that she loves it though.....) One of the coolest things about my job at the Southridge Farmer's Market is that I get to cook with some of the freshest ingredients around. The bonus is that then I can share my ideas and recipes with you!

Anyway..........now that you know I live the secret life of a foodie.... let's get to the FOOD!


Looks good doesn't it?

My Spinach Salad is a variation of a salad I once had as a taste test in Trader Joe's. This week, I made the salad with Crafton Farms II spinach. You should try to get to market early and get some of Debbie's spinach.  I don't know what they do to it, but it is the buttery-est spinach I have ever had the pleasure of putting in my mouth.

Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola, Candied Pecans & Balsamic Vinaigrette
Serves 6

1 bag of Crafton Farms Spinach
1/2 cup of Gorgonzola Cheese
1/2 to 2/3 cup of chopped candied pecans
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Tear the spinach into pieces and arrange on a salad plate. Top each salad with some Gorgonzola Cheese, and chopped pecans. Drizzle with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette.

I typically make my own dressing, but if you haven't stopped by Three Rivers Gourmet yet, he has some amazing balsamic dressings to choose from!

Cheddar Jalapeno Muffins (gluten free!)
Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups Almond Flour
2 eggs (Harris Farms)
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/3 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Fat Daddy's Roasted Jalapeno Peppers (chopped)
4 teaspoons salted butter (melted)
1 clove garlic (minced)

Mix almond flour, eggs, baking powder, and sour cream together in a bowl. (The baking powder will activate and mixture will become very fluffy) Add in cheese, peppers, butter and garlic, mixing with each addition.
In a well sprayed or greased muffin pan, place 2 Tablespoons of muffin mixture in each well. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.  You want them to be golden brown. Run a butter knife around the edge of each muffin before popping them out of the pan.

Variations: 
~Substitute peperocini peppers for the jalepenos.  (this is the version my kids like best)
~Leave out the garlic, cheese, and peppers for a great gluten free "cornbread" alternative.


We paired the salad with steak and grilled zucchini and asparagus.  The balsamic vinegar holds its own against the steak very nicely.

We had the muffins with applewood smoked sausage and wilted swiss chard skillet. We have been known to enjoy them with chili and even with breakfast!

I would love to hear how you are cooking with your market finds. If you find a great recipe to share, email me at southridgefarmersmarket(at)gmail(dot)com and I will test it out and share it here!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Look Who is Coming: June 12

To help you make your shopping list, here is a list of this week's vendors.
First week vendors have an * by their name.

Fruit,Veggie and Meat Vendors

D Lovejoy Farms ~ June bearing strawberries
Debbie Crafton Farms ~ fresh produce
Harris Farms ~ eggs and produce
Bautista Farms ~ produce, dried beans, fruits
Castaneda Farms ~ local fruit and veggies, aprons
Rawley and Hawkins (Fresh Picks Washington) ~ Fruits, ciders, jam
Albertin's Orchard ~ Rhubarb, berries, cherries
Schreiber and Sons ~ certified organic produce
My Garden Overfloweth~ Fresh flowers, strawberries and more
Neiffer Triangle 4 Ranch ~ grass fed beef, sausages
*Aichele Farms ~ Raspberries
*Hermiston Melon Company ~ cherries and other produce

Prepared Food Vendors

Great Harvest Bread Co. ~ desserts and pastries
Two Sisters Honey and Brewery ~ honeys and soaps
Cornerstone Wholesome Bakery ~ breads and cookies
*Red Hot Chili Mamas ~ Gourmet salsas
Ron's Kettle Korn ~ kettle and caramel corn, great flavored lemonades
Three Rivers Gourmet ~ flavored balsamic vinegar
Touch of Paradise ~ meat rubs, seasonings, salsa
Fat Daddy's ~ roasted peppers, roasted corn
*Tina's Tasty Treats ~ Gluten Free baked goods


Hand Crafted Items

Sagegold Soaps ~ Soaps and Beauty items
Red Mountain Artisans ~ Hand crafted jewelry, and veggies too!
Three Pine Ranch ~ Goat milk soaps and beauty items, laundry soap
Antler Pantry ~ Antler dog chews, antler jewelry, hand crocheted items
Twist'n Angels ~amazing balloon art!
*ARTSy PARTyS ~ face painting for the kids

Special Guests

Trios Health
WIC 


The musical talents of: VIBE



See you at the Market  4-8pm!!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Fresh is best

I don't know about you guys but I have LOVED having fresh local grown produce in my house this week!! It seems that all week long I have been taking first bites of meals, only to be saying, "Man, that tastes GOOD!" I can't be the only one that has been happening too.

I thought I would share with you some of the things I bought last week and how we used them at our house.

  • Soaps ~ from Sagegold Soaps
You simply must stop and smell the soaps that Kerry makes at Sagegold Soaps. We are currently enjoying the Cucumber Lime scent in our house. We love how they last longer and don't dry out our skin like "regular" bar soap does. My husband is a mechanic and he says it is the best bar soap he has used for getting his hands clean. We tend to buy in bulk through the summer months so we are stocked up through the winter.
  • Green and Red Lettuce, Swiss Chard ~ from Crafton Farms.
Debbie Crafton does a great job with her veggies. You can find her next to the red food truck near the entrance of the market.  Stop and chat awhile with her, she is a great lady! 
Not only did we eat the obvious salads with our lettuce, we used the lettuce as wraps for our sausages, and hamburger patties. I sauteed up the Swiss Chard with Basque Chorizo and onions for a quick Sunday skillet meal.
  • Onions, snap peas, asparagus, cilantro, apples, and garlic ~ from Bautista Farms.
Isela is a busy lady. Her farm is in Sunnyside and I am pretty convinced she never sleeps. If you stop by her booth, when it isn't too busy, she is wonderful to chat with. I always get some garlic while she has it fresh.  I cut the green tops off, and use the stalks like you might use green onion.  It has a very sweet mild garlic flavor too it that compliments everything I have used it in. I save the garlic bulbs in the cupboard to use as needed.  As long as they are in a cool dry place they will last a very long time; well into the fall and winter months. 
We roasted the asparagus with garlic and olive oil.  The apples and peas were great snacks for the boys, and the onion has been added in to many dishes. 
  • Applewood Cheese Sausages and Ground Sirloin ~ from Neiffer Triangle 4 Ranch.
If you haven't met Duane, you haven't lived. He is the coolest cattle rancher I have ever met.  He loves to talk to  his customers and pass out samples of their great products.  This week we turned the Ground Sirloin into burgers, because it is summer, and grilling.... it just must be done! Our patties needed a bit of a binder (because the meat is so wonderfully lean) so I used a farm fresh egg to help them stick together. I added some finely chopped onion to the patty mix .... and they were wonderful.

but....  

The star of that dinner was the sausages. They are made with a combination of pork and beef, all raised at Neiffer Ranch. Let me just say, the smoke ring on those babies was perfection. The sausage was sweet from the wood smoke and savory from the cheese. These will definitely be something we will make a staple menu item. 
  • (gifted) Honey Wheat Bread ~ from Great Harvest Bread Co.
Sometimes being the assistant has its perks. Claire from Great Harvest was sweet to pop over to the market booth and gift a loaf of bread to Chera and me. I have had this bread before.  It is a slightly sweet whole wheat bread that just makes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches sing. My boys have been in sandwich heaven this week!
  • Roasted Corn on the Cob, Roasted Anaheim Peppers ~ from Fat Daddys.
The mother-son team, are a new addition to our market family. Stop by, introduce yourself and welcome them! 
What started as an impulse buy, will become a staple menu item for us. I intended for us to eat the corn at the market as a snack, but my boys were too busy playing all evening, that we ended up enjoying it when we got home.  It was still warm and delicious. Adam's roasted peppers are..... well, just amazing. I love roasted peppers. I just don't love roasting them. I have to usually broil them and watch them like a hawk.... then I have to peel them and... well, it is just time consuming. Fat Daddys peppers were well priced and perfectly roasted. When I got them home I ran them under some cool water and the skin rinsed right down the drain. I air dried them for a bit and I have just pulled them out of the fridge to use in eggs or on salads all week. They have been a great time saver and flavor boost for our meals.

That is how our Market Meals worked out this week...  How did you enjoy all the great stuff you brought home? What should I make sure I buy this week?

Maybe next week, I will remember to take pictures...

Thursday, June 5, 2014

It is Opening Day!


The time has come. Today is the day. It is opening day!!

To help you make your shopping list, here are the vendors we expect to be here today:


Fruit,Veggie and Meat Vendors

D Lovejoy Farms
Debbie Crafton Farms
Bautista Farms
Castaneda Farms
Rawley and Hawkins (Fresh Picks Washington)
Albertin's Orchard
Schrieber and Sons

Prepared Food Vendors

Great Harvest Bread Co. ~ desserts and pastries
Two Sisters Honey and Brewery ~ honeys and soaps
Cornerstone Wholesome Bakery ~ breads and cookies
Borghese's Paninis ~ sandwiches and beverages
Ron's Kettle Korn
Three Rivers Gourmet ~ flavored vinegars
Touch of Paradise ~ meat rubs and seasonings
Fat Daddy's ~ roasted peppers
A Little Fudgy ~ flavored fudge

Hand Crafted Items


Special Guests

The Bookmobile
WIC 




SEE YOU AT THE MARKET!!  
4-8 pm