Wednesday, October 26, 2005

On an asphalt lot in Brooklyn, local youths make money growing food

Five years ago, a couple of community activists in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn persuaded the New York City parks department to let them cover a large asphalt playing field with dirt and compost and turn it into a working farm. These days, the farm supplies local restaurants and a two-day-a-week farmers market with dozens of varieties of fruits and vegetables. The farm doesn't really turn a profit, at least not yet, but with grants from foundations and government agencies, the farm provides job training to dozens of teens.

Read Jill Slater's profile of Red Hook Community farm.

The farm's founder, Ian Marvy, defends the value of training in sustainable agriculture for inner-city youth.

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Recipes: A roundup of apple desserts plus four preserves.

From a selection of state apple marketing boards, here are recipes for eight apple classics for sweettooths: a pie, cake, crisp, tart, muffin, cookie, bar and sauce. And if you want to can some of the fall bounty of apples, here are four more recipes for apple chutnies, preserves and butter.

Market Report: mushrooms amidst the vineyards of the Napa Valley

Pears, mushrooms, fingerling potatoes and heirloom tomatoes are among Victoria Slind-Flor's finds at the farmers market just outside of St. Helena, surrounded by the famed vineyards of northern California's Napa Valley. Victoria also finds grapes, but not the sort that are turned into wine. These are indigenous American Niabel grapes, which are too "grapey" for some, but not for Victoria.

Read Victoria's report on her Oct. 21 visit to the St. Helena farmers Market.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Market Report: organic produce is the big draw at the Berkeley farmers market

On October 15, our Bay Area market reporter, Victoria Slind-Flor, dropped by the farmers market in Berkeley, where most of the growers are organic.

She found, among other things, sweet Hungarian paprika peppers, sorrel, white corn and an old Italian green called stridoli.

Read Victoria's report on her visit to the Berkeley market.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Market Report: Asian flavors at the Old Oakland Market

Asian vegetables abound at this market, as well as other Asian favorites ranging from duck eggs to green dates. See Victoria Slind-Flor's report on her Oct. 7 visit to the market.

Recipes: How to open up a pomegranate, and make Eggplant in Fans

On a trip to the Old Oakland Farmers Market on a recent Friday, Victoria Slind-Flor picked up some vegetables ranging from every-day bell peppers to exotic hyacinth beans -- and a nifty demonstration on how to deftly open up a pomegranate, without crushing half the kernels in the process.

Victoria also found some nearly-round Prosperosa eggplants, which were perfect for this recipe, called Baby Eggplant in Fans.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Market Report: exotic foraged finds at the Flagstaff, Arizona, farmers market

The Flagstaff farmers market, and its founder and administrator, the Center for Sustainable Environments at nearby Northern Arizona University, are fervently committed to supporting regional food producers and native ingredients. You can usually find some foraged food items here -- or so I hoped. I wasn't disappointed. I found wild-harvested elderberries, service berries and an indigenous southwestern herb with a wonderful name, Scented Lippia (though oddly enough, some insist on insulting it with a misnomer, Sonoran oregano). Pumpkins, winter squash and a couple of pomegranates are other items that I find impossible to pass up. So, too, a drive along the south rim of the Grand Canyon and back to Flagstaff by way of the Indian ruins in Wupatki National Monument.

Here's a link to my report on a visit to the Flagstaff farmers market.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Seasonal Chef: A culinary pioneer in South Dakota's Black Hills

MJ Adams sometimes misses New York City, where she was trained as a chef and worked for years before moving far away to the Black Hills of South Dakota. But she is finding fulfillment -- and lots of interesting local ingredients -- in her new neck of the woods. Many of her discoveries, from Cinderella pumpkins and locally dried tomatoes to buffalo and house-smoked trout, end up on the menu of her acclaimed restaurant, The Corn Exchange. Read the profile of MJ Adams, written by food writer, blogger, patio gardener, and now Seasonal Chef contributor Victoria Slind-Flor.

Market Report: It's still high summer in Santa Monica

There are harbingers of fall on display today at the Santa Monica farmers market, from pomegranates to winter squash. But the sizzling hot summer weather puts me in a mood for tomatoes, eggplants and Romano beans. To boil with the beans, a bay leaf, and butter, I also pick up some little German Butterball potatoes. Last but not least, I load up on peaches, because they won't be around much longer and I still haven't made my annual batch of peach chutney. That's at the top of my to-do list for later this week.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Market Report from Dublin, Ireland

Joanne Seiff, a Seasonal Chef contributor from Bowling Green Kentucky, reports from the Temple Bar farmers market in Dublin, Ireland.