As the seasons change, so do the ingredients. Let’s walk through the farmers market, check out what looks good and talk about how to prepare them with Farm2ChefsTable recipes.
Fall Farmers Market Finds
The crisp cool days of autumn bring on the hardy more robust vegetables. When I think of autumn vegetables, I think of a comfort food. Almost, if I may, autumn vegetables are like a warm fleece blanket, they’re cozy. The beautiful thing of autumn vegetables is that they mimic the colors of their environment, such as the leaves change colors, the vegetables change colors. They’re typically longer cooking vegetables that pack a full depth of flavor.
Autumn Market Finds:
Artichokes, Arugula, Beets, Endive, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery Root, Chard, Chicories, Chiles, Eggplant, Garlic, Herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme, Horseradish, Sunchokes, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Okra, Onions, Parsnips, Pumpkins, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Shelling Beans, Radicchio, Radish, Rutabaga, Shallots, Turnips, Spinach, Foraged Mushrooms, Winter Squash such as butternut, acorn, delicata, honeynut, hubbard, and kabocha.
Summer Market Finds
Summer vegetables bring bright fresh vibrant colors to the farmers market. As you stroll through the summer farmers markets, you can’t help but get inspired for dinner. Cuisine of the sun! Pops of red from tomatoes, green of beans, purples of eggplants, orange of cantaloupes! So dive into the rainbow of colors the summer farmers market provides and start cooking!
Summer Market Finds:
Apricots, Fresh Herbs, Peppers of all sizes, shapes, and heat levels, Beets, Blackberries, Strawberries, Currants, Gooseberries, Ground Cherries, Grapes, Blueberries, Raspberries, Cherries, Plums, Pluots, Peaches, Cantaloupes, Carrots, Swiss Chard, Collard Greens, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Fennel, Figs, Garlic, Pole Beans, Shelling Beans, Green Onions, Shallots, Onions, Huckleberries, Lettuce, Melons, Mullberry, Nectarines, New Potatoes, Okra, Peas, Bok Choy, Radicchio, Radish, Rhubarb, Spinach, Artichokes, Tomatoes, Summer Squash
Chanterelles from the forest of the Hudson Valley are looking good this week
Peppers…colorful, mild, spicy. We can all admit that peppers are pretty tasty
Summer Squash.…Squash comes from the Narragansett-Native American word askutasquash, which means “eaten raw or uncooked”
Eggplant…Skinny, large, tiny, fat, round, long, squat, purple, green, white, orange — Yep, we’re talking about eggplant.
Tomatoes…Is a tomato a fruit or vegetable? Lets find out!
Herbs…Sometimes we take herbs for granted, but we can’t deny that they are flavor boosters.
Spring Market Finds
Spring has sprung! After months of hardy root vegetables, it’s time to lighten things up a bit. Spring vegetables are somewhat of a rebirth of the bounties to come. Pops of colors burst from the farmers markets. Morels, ramps, and fiddleheads emerge from the forest floors. Crisps lettuces, bok choys, and kales begin making their way to our dinner plates more and more. Swaffs of herbaceousness spark our interest as we see our favorite herbs come back for spring.
Spring Farmer Market Finds:
Artichokes, Arugula, Asparagus, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli Rabe, Cardoons, Carrots, Celery, Chicory, Collard Greens, Endive, Fava Beans, Fennel, Fiddlehead Ferns, Green Garlic, Garlic Mustard, Herbs, Kale, Leeks, Morels, Onions, Peas, Swiss Chard, Sugar Snap Peas, Potatoes, Radishes, Ramps, Rhubarb, Salad Greens, Scallions, Shallots, Spinach, Stinging Nettles, Sorrel
Beets….“What did the carrot say to the wheat? Lettuce rest, I’m feeling beet.” -Shel Silverstein
Rhubarb…Rhubarb…is it a fruit…is it a vegetable?
Winter Market Finds
Parsnips, closely related to carrots, parsley and dill are beautiful this time of year.
Pears, one of the oldest fruits have a wonderful history.
Carrots were looking beautiful this week at the farmers market.
Last week brussel sprouts...were the star of the show at the farmers market
sweet potato…are a great addition to any Farm2ChefsTable!
Winter is thought to have a lack of fresh produce, but the truth is that despite the shadowy days and frigid temperatures, winter hosts plenty of seasonal bounty. Usually, with Farm2ChefsTable, I only talk about ingredients from my backyard. But I’m a sucker for tart citrus found outside the Hudson Valley, like blood orange, grapefruit and Meyer lemons that brighten up all manner of cold-weather dishes. Horseradish gives a punch to hearty roasts and heavy sauces.
The smell of baked apples fills the kitchen with enticement. Sweet potato, butternut and winter squash bring a colorful ray of sunshine to the plate during winter. Carrots, beets and other root vegetables become sweeter while frost is on the ground. Here’s a list of “Farmers Market Finds” to get your creative cooking juices flowing. Each week, I’ll post a few tidbits on everything you need to know about these seasonal ingredients when buying, storing and preparing a Farm2ChefsTable recipe.
Winter Farmers Market Finds:
Kales (all the way from curly to Red Russian to Lacinato Kale), Cabbage, Fennel, Radishes (in all shapes, sizes and colors), Radicchio, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Spinach, Carrots, Brussels Sprouts, Sweet potatoes, Potatoes, Winter squash like: butternut, carnival and acorn; Beets of various colors and sizes; Leeks, Swiss chard, Endive, Lettuces, Chicory, Onions, Garlic, Herbs, Turnips, Rutabaga, Kohlrabi, Citrus (technically not found in local markets but they’re at their prime and very hard to pass up), Horseradish, Celery, Cardoons, Celery root (celeriac), Escarole, Curly endive (frisée), Sunchokes (Jerusalem artichoke), Persimmon, Quince, Apples and Pears.
Farm2Chef'sTable 