FIRST BITE OF THE SEASON
By: Barbie FloresImagine a kaleidoscope sea, laden with the color of the deepest magenta, purples the color of royal garments and the richest reds screaming for attention? Imagine the colors of velvety forest green, eye-popping yellow, toasty, cognac, and pumpkin-orange hues beaming right at you? Now, layer these colors with textures, shiny, smooth, rugged, coarse, velvety and even frilly? This is the way I see food when I go to a Farmer’s Market this time of year.
I see apples, zucchini, pumpkins, eggplant, beets, chocolate peppers and butternut squash and my mind immediately conjures up the aromas that accompany these foods when cooked. The memory of layers oozing with fragrant shallots, sweating in olive oil, carrots, onions and celery simmering in broth, butternut squash roasting in the oven, cinnamon and apples caramelizing or brown sugar and sweet potatoes baking in those pies we love, comes flooding back to me! Not tough to get your brain and your appetite wrapped around this, right? These are the aromas of Sweet and Savory who come to visit me to visit me in my kitchen during this time of year. They often bring Comforting, Nutty, Creamy, Chunky and Tangy and others with them! When I see the foods at market I also think of quality and freshness.
I have this passion for shopping. It has nothing to do with clothes, shoes, or make-up. I could feel “falling down” tired and if someone says, “Hey Barbie, want to head down to the Farmers’ Market?” I’m signed up for it immediately! There is something quite fascinating to me about the smells, the colors and the textures I see in the food at market but the idea that the product came from the local tierra (earth), the enthusiasm of the growers and of course, the thoughts about the finished meal are also very important. I want to emphasize of course, that no matter what we cook, it’s always economical to use what is in season. Soon I’ll be eating what I’m buying…the freshest foods possible. Inasmuch as the local foods of the season amaze me, they are also comforting but not as the proverbial phrase “comfort food” goes. I like that I know exactly where my food is coming from and that fewer hands have touched it because it is produced locally. With foods at Farmers’ Markets there is no process of packaging or shipping. So we’re not using up a bunch of resources. Believe it or not, buying food sensibly gives us an opportunity to do our part to lessen our Carbon Footprint, on the environment and give back to mother earth.
The opportunity to talk with the growers and vendors is invaluable to me. This is a great time to ask, how best to store or to prepare the food being purchased. We encourage them when we ask questions! With the holidays around the corner, I found it important to get you to the market with me, so that we could explore what good and perfect things are growing in season for our parties and dinners.
Before we do our first tour, allow me to give you a few tips for shopping at Farmer’s Markets. It’s good to start early in the morning. If you wait until later in the day, some of the choicest items may be sold out. There is a theory however, that if you go late in day, you may get the best deals from growers who are packing it up for the day. Bring good walking shoes, a hat for the sun, a nice canvas bag or tote to carry your purchases and plenty of singles (one dollar bills). Being prepared makes it so much easier. The other key thing is to have a plan.
I am the girl whose eyes can be too big for her stomach. My advice is to be sure to get something to eat before you get there, or to make a stop at one of the vendors, for a bite to eat. Your budget will thank you later! Without a plan you could go crazy in the market, buying a hundred things and finding out later, you don’t have the time to cook off everything you just had to have at the market. Be thinking about what is in season and what you like to eat. I always try to have at least two menus in mind and not much more. This is the key to food being used and not thrown out. And it today’s economy it’s also the key to saving money.
Upon arrival, you will begin to smell the sweet roasted fragrance of “tamales”! The tamale vendor (Corn Maiden) is just around the corner and I stop to try one of the spiciest tamales she has. It is filled with chicken and Gruyere cheese, and then spiced up with a wonderful smokey chipotle sauce. I want one now! Ah man, what a combination of sweet and spicy and I never saw the cheese comin’! Wonderful! As we move along the rows and rows of growers, I see gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, in many colors. I am thinking Caprese salad. I pick up a couple of the pineapple heirlooms. At first glance, one might think that their yellow color indicates under ripe or even spoiled. I can tell you, when I cut into these, they were juicy and screamed flavor. I pass by “George”, who is selling Greek olives and cheese. He gives me a sample of handmade Feta. Whoa, never had it like that! Yummy! Full-bodied, great creamy texture! Moving on, I see more cheeses…my Achilles! I sample a chunk of homemade Buffalo Mozzarella. Hmmm, Barbie is still thinking Caprese salad… So, I buy the cheese. It comes packaged in a bag with water inside. Next, I move on to the fresh wild greens gurl. She is friendly and fun, with a head full of bright cranberry colored hair! I have recently fallen in love with Arugula greens. I seem to be topping my pizzas, making lots of salads and filling tacos with them. Arugula greens have this perfect balance of nutty and crispness.
Suddenly a lady motions me to come over and try a sliver of freshly cut Gala apple she is offering. I buy one of these, just to keep up my strength! As I walk through the rows and rows, I am amazed at how many varieties of squash there are and how many colors I have never seen in my life. Where has all this stuff been hiding? The best-stocked grocery store in the world has nothing on the Farmers’ Market. Walking over to the stand with all the bell peppers, I notice some really brown looking peppers. The grower tells me they are “chocolate” peppers. Their flavor profile is much more subtle than those of the green variety but just the same, I want to find out for myself. I have to say, these lovely chocolate peppers were filled, steamed and devoured that very night! Delicious! Along the way, I see gigantic pumpkins (you know the ones that win prizes at county fairs?), beets, and butternut squash in crates, beans, organic fruit, juices, corn, apples, growers, and vendors offering samples. There is Daikon radish the size of a baseball bat. Daikon is an awesome garnishing friend of Sushi and Asian cuisine. There are beautiful shiny eggplants the size of a one-month old baby! There are flowers everywhere…oh my goodness… orchids and wild lavender I want to inhale. Here comes the best part of this adventure, I carried a huge empty canvas bag with me, a twenty dollar bill, left with a full bag of produce and change from my twenty!
I encourage you to get out to the market and enjoy the first bite of the season! Don’t forget to take a look at the recipes I’ve included. I’ll see you next month. Until then, make sure nobody goes hungry.
Want another serving? I thought so… Here are some more interesting facts about California Agriculture and our Farmers’ Markets.
Did you know that California grows about eighty percent of all fruits and vegetables in the United States? We have the best access to the best! For California residents, we have what experts call a National season. Our access to foods is wider and more abundant because we grow so much and in many cases, it’s cultivated all year round. So we are able to provide lots and lots of variety. Los Angeles boasts some ninety-eight or more of the most abundant Certified Farmers Markets (CFM), not including gazillions of others, which are not certified? Certified simply means that they are approved by the government, are regulated and they carry the “guarantee” to sell quality products, right from the farm to your table. Wow, imagine the first bite of the season lasting all year round! For example, if I wanted to make Thanksgiving dinner with the freshest products in April, I could! No matter where you live, being aware of what’s in season all of the time, can help you enjoy the benefits of food coming from the farm directly to your table!
Here’s some funky news. If you are an “Angelino”, I can’t talk about how fabulous the Farmers’ Markets are without mentioning they need our help. I recently read in the Los Angeles Times, that the city of Los Angeles has proposed an ordinance that would have growers paying enormous annual fees to sell their products at the Farmer’s Markets. The costs for blocking off streets, security, traffic; law enforcement personnel and other fees are in weighing in on the budget. Los Angeles City councilman Jose Huizar is trying to help with this. There are helpful measures awaiting a vote, so stay tuned. There’s a lot more happening in the Farmers’ Market than just produce. We want these markets to be around for a very long time. Our families and community needs them.
Another cool thing about shopping farmer’s markets is that we are supporting our community, when we buy from local growers. We boost our own local economy by
keeping the money within it and we employ our community! Gotta love that! The idea that local agriculture keeps the concrete out and preserves more green spaces for us to share means more trees for our children! It may sound simple but that little butternut squash I just purchased today made a difference somewhere.What if everyone shopped locally? Then we would be a people fondly called, “Locavores”. Wishing I had coined it first, I can’t help but love the first part of this whimsical word, “loca”, which as you may know, describes “crazy” in Spanish! I like to think I am loca about food! The first part of the word “locavore” however, comes from the word; “local” and the latter part of the word “vore” actually came from the Latin word, “Vorare”, which means to eat or devour. The vibe behind this word just means sold out on buying what is locally produced. Are you a “locavore”? Let’s go hit the Hollywood Farmers’ Market today, doing it like the “Locavores” do! If you are “loca” for quality fresh food, less carbon footprints on our earth and supporting our community, raise your hands Locavore!
Go to the local Farmers’ Market website for your area. There you will find information on locations, products, vendors, as well as events. For Los Angeles residents, a great source is: www.farmernet.com
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Myra Wallace, LLC 2009.
Website by The Marketing Department.biz