From the farmers’ market to infinity and beyond!

My farmers’ market bags this week

First, my camera seems to be out of commission so I have scoured the archives instead of taking pictures at the market today.

Cabrillo Farmer’s Market ( today I went to the downtown Santa Cruz market, but you get the idea)

I have been out of town the last few weeks and eating other peoples’ cooking. Add to that the fact that summer produce is at its peak, I got a bit carried away today at the Farmers’ Market. I had two very full and heavy bags! My refrigerator is full and now I have to be on top of things so that none of it goes to waste. I thought I would go through my purchases with you and my plans for them.

I am hungry for fruit this week. I bought strawberries which honestly will probably just be eaten as is. I am surprised I didn’t eat all of them already! Windmill Farms of Live Oak has the best berries I have ever eaten! Yum.

I bought plums, a new to me variety called Yummy Giants and yes, they are. They are for a cooking trade with a friend and will become hand pies.

I bought lacinato kale, basil, cilantro, and cucumbers from Route 1 Farms. I ate some of the kale tonight with green beans also gotten at the market from Mell-o-dee Ranch, from whom I also got some eggs, corn,  and blackberries. The eggs are going into some homemade mayonnaise amongst some other things. Basil and Cilantro will become pesto, which I have written about here. Cucumbers are being combined with lemons from my tree to become soda. ( a future blog post there) The corn is being pickled tomorrow, based on a variety of recipes I found on the internet. ( also, a future blog post, provided I get my camera working!) Blackberries will be blended with some kefir tomorrow morning for a smoothie.

I treated myself to some raw cream from Claravale Dairy. I am lactose intolerant but occasionally I put raw cream in my coffee substitute drink in the morning and it doesn’t seem to affect me in the same mucus-y way that pasteurized dairy does. We are so lucky here in this part of California to have this dairy . Almost daily, I read on the internet stories of raw milk dairies being raided, shut down by the FDA. Please educate yourself on this subject and support your small local dairies.

I came home with a nice sized newly “processed” pasture raised chicken and a small bag of chicken feet from Fogline Farms in Soquel, Ca. I will roast the chicken and have enough for probably 4 meals. I am likely to eat the legs and thighs as is. I will make some chicken and fig salad from the breast. Then, the carcass and some of the feet will be turned into delicious chicken bone broth. That, in turn, will go in the freezer for future use.

I also got carrots and radishes which will go into salad and just for munching. Thanks, Blue Heron Farm.

A bottle of Mint Cooler from Creative Cultures rounded out my purchases. After momentarily forgetting where my car was parked and having to carry those heavy bags a few more blocks than planned, it gave me a boost for sure!

Please use the comment section to share what you have gotten recently at your farmers’ market.

Fig and Apple Crisp

a seasonal dessert from my personal chef kitchen

I love figs. Their season is short as is their shelf life. They are best eaten or cooked on the day you buy them, if not on the day they are picked. They are a powerhouse of minerals and are very sweet. Some say that it was a fig and not an apple that was picked by Eve in the Bible story about the Garden of Eden.

I recently had a friend and business associate help me with some things who didn’t want payment. How rare and refreshing is that ? So, in return, I baked him and his family some fig and apple crisp. Oh, the house smelled delicious!

I was able to score some beautiful figs and apples at the farmers’ market this weekend and put together this riff on a recipe from www.ifood.tv.

Fig and Apple Crisp

12 fresh figs, quartered
2 apples, chopped into bite sized pieces ( I used MacIntosh)
3 T. organic sugar ( depending on sweetness of fruit and your taste, you might use less)
1/2 c. oatmeal ( not quick cooking or instant)
1/2c. whole wheat or spelt flour
1 tsp. 5 spice powder ( in researching, I just discovered that the 5 spices represent the five tastes – sweet, salty,sour, bitter, and pungent)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
2 T. coconut oil or butter

I buttered a small baking dish ( approx. 6″x6″) and filled it with the fruit. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl until everything is incorporated. Sprinkle over the fruit. Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

This post is part of GNOWFGLINS Tuesday Twister . Please head over there and check the other posts.

Spicy Goat Stew

Farmers’ market in a bowl

My weekend trip to the Monterey Bay Farmers’ Market at Cabrillo College led to a marvelous bowl of Spicy Goat Stew. I have been meaning to buy some goat meat for some time and this time, things were in my favor. My last visit, there was none, and the visit before that, I didn’t have enough money. I have eaten goat meat before but never had cooked it. I utilized several other things from my market shopping as well ( celery, carrots, leeks, beet greens, garlic).

Spicy Goat Stew

1 1/2 lb. goat shoulder ( including bones) ( Trim  excess fat, leave some – I didn’t and wished I had)
salt and pepper
1 T. coconut oil ( you could use olive oil)
2 large leeks,cleaned and sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced
3 ribs of celery, diced
3 inch piece of turmeric root, peeled and sliced
about 1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, sliced
handful of kale, chopped
handful of beet greens, chopped
1 T curry powder
1T garam masala
1 small can fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis
using the tomato can, 2 cans of water

Heat the oil in a deep saute pan. Liberally season the meat with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on both sides. Remove from pan and add leeks and garlic ( you might want a bit more oil). Cook until softened. Add the celery, turmeric, and ginger. Cook for a few minutes. Add the meat back in and add the remaining ingredients. Let simmer until meat is falling off the bones. This took mine about 4 hours. The sauce just gets better and better when you do it low and slow.

In retrospect, I wish I would have added about 1/2 cup ( or more) of hearty red wine to this. As I said above, I didn’t trim the fat and there really was too much. Fat is good but this only really made me wish I had some pieces of French bread to dunk in and soak up all that juicy fatness. This stew was good by itself but would be fabulous over polenta. Alas, I am experimenting with the rules of food combining which say that eating protein and starches together is not good for one’s belly as they digest at different rates but when I make this again, I might just have to break the rules.

It was VERY spicy, which I like. If you don’t want it so spicy, use plain tomatoes and add a few pinches of dried red pepper to taste.

I will be having leftovers tomorrow and plan to add some more veggies – more celery and carrot, some parsley, and some more greens.

It is good to try new things. Cooking is all about experimenting, changing things up, “tweaking” recipes to suit your taste and mood.

This post is part of GNOWFGLINS Tuesday Twister and Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesday. Please check out the other interesting posts and blogs.