Right now we’re selling nectarines, white and yellow peaches, tons of tomatoes including romas and heirlooms, zucchini, onions, hot and mild peppers, and melons — red and yellow watermelons and our mini-cantaloupes. We’ve also got some apples including the much-loved honey crisp coming in and surprisingly a few berries.

So I haven’t posted any recipes this summer because I’ve been spending my time slaving over a hot grill — cooking pretty much all of the above. Oh, I forgot our beloved fairytale eggplant as you see pictured. Why a fairytale because it’s a dream to cook. You slice off the top, cut it in half, put on some olive oil, put it on some foil on the grill and put them face down. The greatest part of this eggplant is that you can eat the skin because it’s not bitter. Yum. Double yum.

I’m also growing this eggplant on my deck and it has loved the heat — we’ve had a lot of heat — as the pretty eggplant in the photos demonstrates.

So each night I put together little foil packets of zuke, onion, and red potatoes and cook them up. I bought a tabletop gas grill early in the summer for this exact purposes, cooking veggies up. So far, so good.

The mentality I maintain is “keep it simple .” A grill, sliced veg and olive oil gets you pretty far.

So go pick up some veggies and enjoy!

By Vicki Needham -- Fresh cherries

Cherry season is here and I’m using cherries in a variety of ways, although I have to admit that sorbets and ice creams are the easiest and most fun.

What’s great about working at the farmers market is that folks have so many different ways they use cherries, just eating them right out of the container and spitting the pits at their siblings — by our younger customers, of course.

I do pit the cherries and toss them into smoothies or into plain yogurt and they add great flavor. Keep it simple.

Delish.

So far, I’ve made a cherry sorbet — so easy — and an ice cream, which isn’t difficult either. Ice cream can be as easy or difficult. There are recipes that easily mix up, need to be chilled for a short time and can be put into the ice cream maker. For others, you need eight arms but it’s always worth it.

Here are some recipes to choose from:

Cherry Sorbet

I buy a quart of cherries at the farmers market and pit them. It’s usually around 2 pounds.

I put them in a glass or other nonreactive saucepan, add water to cover, usually about 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice. I tend to use slightly less sugar.

I heat up the mixture until the cherries get soft. Shouldn’t take long, maybe 10-15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Put cherries into a blender until smooth and add 1/8 tsp of almond extract.

Chill the mixture thoroughly then put in the ice cream maker.

I have added bits of dark chocolate and I can attest it’s sorbet I didn’t share. Yum.

Batch Family Mountain Cherry Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups of cherries (bing, lapin or sweetheart are great)

1 pint of whipping cream

1 pint half and half

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup of sugar (I was told the recipe wasn’t sweet enough but we put it over brownies and cookies so it was fine. You can add more based on your taste).

1/2 tsp vanilla

Optional

1/2 cup chopped raw almonds

1/2 cup shaved dark chocolate (or to taste)

Whisk whipping cream, half and half, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add cherries and stir. Chill mixture for 30 minutes in the freezer. Pour into ice cream maker. Run until mixture reaches milkshake consistency. Add almonds and chocolate until they’re mixed well into the ice cream.

Basic Cherry Ice Cream (from 101cookbooks.com)

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup honey (light flavored is best)

3/4 pounds cherries

3 TBS cherry liquor or cherry brandy or amaretto

Place cream, milk and honey in a medium saucepan. Stir to dissolve honey. Heat over low to moderate heat, stirring from time to time, until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Be careful not to boil.

Remove from heat and let cool five minutes. Add the chopped cherries and liquor. Cover and refrigerate until completely cooled.

Stir the mixture again to blend put into ice cream maker.

Herbs for sale ... get your herbs here

That’s pretty much the most popular question I get during the Saturday farmers market.

As all the yummy tomatoes and peaches grow and ripen in the fields, we sell herbs, tomatoes, peppers and a lot of pretty plants to fill the excruciatingly painful gap. Yes, it’s hard to wait for all the good stuff to arrive. But it’s worth it.

So every week at least a dozen people hold up a little plant in it’s temporary black plastic home and ask, “how do I grow this?”

Now I’m not expert, but my answer is almost always in the form of a question — “Does your growing spot get a lot of sun?”

If they answer is yes, then plant it in the ground or in a pot, add sun, water and maybe a little fertilizer and watch your little plant spring to life.

Seriously people, if I can grow a variety of plants I’m pretty sure anyone can. Give it a shot.

If you’re unsure about your level of commitment try a tomato plant or two and maybe a favorite herb.

Pretty plants

Besides sun and water, I used fish emulsion last year and mixed it with water and the plants loved it. My growers have recommended osmocote, which can be found in most stores that sell garden stuff.

What’s great is the satisfaction of seeing your plants grow. Last week one young lady I had helped out returned to tell me that her tomatoes are growing like crazy. Excellent.

Tomatoes and herbs love sun and will grow like crazy under the right conditions. They shouldn’t need too much more attention than ensuring they get that sun and a regular watering. Hopefully, Mother Nature will help take care of some of that watering duty.

As I’ve probably mentioned in previous posts, I had several tomato plants spring up without my help from one of my deck pots from last year. Those plants, with really only some regular watering, already bear some little green tomatoes.

I’ve got my deck garden planted — photos will follow soon — with several tomato plants, rosemary, basil. oregano, sage, thai basil, cilantro, jalapeno peppers and even some catnip for my creatures.

I’m also still growing some lettuce and hope to have that for a bit longer.

Happy growing!

Margaritas here I come.

Warm weather = tasty, cool margaritas.

During the early part of the summer I don’t settle for any margarita — I prefer one made with my strawberry-infused tequila.

Nothing could be easier, really.

The real key is good strawberries — the ones you buy in the store will work but won’t be quite as good as what you find at the farmers market — and good tequila.

Last summer I mixed market berries with store berries and it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the all-market berry concoction. Yes, I taste-tested so you don’t have to. I’m always willing to make those kind of sacrifices.

Click here to see more.

Strawberries are in season and they’ve been incredibly delicious. So get yourself to a market and grab some — ours fly off the tables. While they are around I try to keep a few infusions going. Right now I have one but will expand next week.

So … to the important part.

What you’ll need

A bottle of tequila, a quart of strawberries and a quart mason jar. You can use a smaller mason jar, just divide up the tequila and berries and pour enough over so they’re covered.

I cut up the strawberries and pour a bottle of tequila into the jar over the berries. For tequila, I go with white and buy Cazadores Blanco — it has a big deer head on the front and runs about $28 a bottle in the Washington, D.C. metro area. If that’s too rich for your blood look for something less expensive but try to avoid the cheapy stuff.

Now here’s the hard part — waiting. Three weeks. Yep. Good things take time.

I put the jar in my pantry and give it a daily shake and let it sit for about three weeks in a dark, cool space.

When it’s ready I drain it into a mixing bowl or large measuring cup with a spout so it’s easy to pour. Then chill.  I do make an effort to squeeze the tequila out of the strawberries because they soak up a fair amount of alcohol. But I don’t eat the fruit because, well, it’s kinda gross after sitting in the alcohol for three weeks and doesn’t taste too good.

Once it’s chilled I mix it with a bit of orange liqueur or Grand Marnier (yum) and shake over ice. Add salt or not to your glass and pour. I don’t add any mixers –  it’s all alcohol. I love the flavor of the tequila on its own. Smooth. But if it’s too strong there are plenty of mixers.

Let me know if you come up with a cool recipe and I’ll post it here.

Enjoy!

Eli hangs out during the farmers market.

Wow. Two very quick Saturdays down at the Reston Farmers Market. Hard to believe how fast the week has flown. Seems like just yesterday my deck was piled with 3 feet of snow.

Now it’s covered with tomato, basil, rosemary and lettuce plants. Ahhh, much better.

The market and even our stand got some local publicity this week. Here’s an article about the market with a photo of moi hawking our wares. Pretty cool, as I had several people tell me today they recognized me from the local paper.

Here’s the link.

I’ve started off this post with a cute kid photo — Eli — the 10-month-old son of Matt and Mary, the owners of Chesley Vegetable Farms. He hangs out, usually eating, sleeping and observing during the market’s four hours — although they arrive about 6:30 a.m. and leave around 1 p.m. Their trip down from Frederick, Md., is another 1.5 hours. So, needless to say, they’re dedicated.

Yum.

So, what are we selling?  Right now we’ve got some great strawberries, rhubarb to go with those strawberries. I’ve been hearing about many a planned strawberry-rhubarb pie. We’re also have apples and apple cider we’re selling, stored from last fall — they’re great and have been going fast.

During these first few weeks of the market — as plants grow in the fields — the focus is on selling plants — tomatoes, herbs and some flowers — so everyone can get their gardens going. You name the herb and we’ve probably got it, along with plenty of advice on how to grow it.

I’ll hoping to expand my deck garden this year to a couple more peppers and a much better selection of herbs. More updates to come.

So far, the weather has been pretty agreeable with today’s temps in the mid-70s.

Customers are especially enthusiastic — apparently the winter was a long one for everyone.

Everyone is stocking up on herbs.

Throughout the market there’s been plenty of asparagus, spinach, bok choy and some greenhouse tomatoes. I picked up some eggs and fresh salsa today and scored some great strawberries and asparagus.

I’m infusing some of the strawberries with tequila — I did this last year and I have to say I made the best margarita I’ve ever had. The process takes a few weeks but I hope to have a good rotation going.

That rotation also will include some ice creams. Working on those ideas now. I’d like to use strawberries and incorporate some herbs. I’ll have to gather up some taste-testers.

I’ve also witnessed heavy consumption of cookies, kettlecorn and chocolate croissants for breakfast — with a fresh lemonade. You can’t beat those market breakfasts, right?

I’ve got a few other posts to come between now and next week so keep an eye on your inbox.

Cheers …

As we’ve moved from the Snowmaggedon of winter to the warm breezes, bright sunshine and, well, yeah … pollen of spring, my taste buds have eclipsed the point when just any ol’ strawberry or tomato will do.

I can’t even express how giddy I am at the thought of fresh veggies and fruits. It’s finally my “eating” spring.  I have literally felt like I’ve been in a holding pattern and I’m ready to break free on summer recipes. Yum.

Sure you can see the bright sun, feel the warm breezes, smell the freshly cut grass (achoo!) and hear the spring birds chirping but there’s nothing like the *taste* of the fresh produce at the farmers market.

When you’re roaming around, checking out vendors make sure you try the samples and not just because you’re hungry but really *taste* the difference.

Like I’ve written about, there are good vendors and bad vendors — if you see out-of-season produce or shiny produce that’s *bad* — and give them all a taste test. You’ll figure out the good stuff and find your home for the summer.

The Reston  Farmers Market kicks of this weekend and, according to my sources, it looks like we’ll have a wide variety of plants to get everyone’s gardens going and growing. I will update with photos and what I’m planting. I’m planning on tomatoes, jalapenos and some other herbs.

What’s interesting is that I’ve had at least one deck planter pop back up with tomato plants from out of the blue — they seem to be growing an inch a day — and a friend said all of her herbs were coming back like crazy. Conditions are good people.

So maybe those blizzards were good for something besides sitting around sipping wine and eating hearty soups.

So get out there and taste, taste, taste.

I recently ran across and article in the L.A. Times — link is here — that gives a great primer for the farmers markets. I’ve included a few tips but please give the story a look, too. It provides some great advice.

“It may seem like there are too many issues to juggle, but getting the best from farmers markets all boils down to quality, integrity and personal contact. We are lucky to live at a time and in a region with such an abundance of great produce, ours for the feasting, if we know how to choose,” the story says.

“To make a fully informed decision about organics for each farm and produce item requires considerable research and thought, more than most shoppers can devote. When I’m not sure, I make a leap of faith to favor organics but keep this factor in perspective as one among many.”

Here are few tips, although it’s possible some of the options may only pertain to California you’re quite likely to see produce at a market that can be nearly impossible to find at a grocery store.

• Eating quality, namely flavor, aroma and texture, are paramount. Farmers markets can provide quality better than any source other than one’s own garden (assuming one has the land, proper climate and time).

• Variety: Farmers markets and farm stands offer shoppers the best opportunity to find great-tasting varieties that are neglected by commercial channels. Get to know the tastier varieties, and ask farmers and managers to identify them by name. Look particularly for heirloom varieties, such as Blenheim apricots and Black Krim tomatoes; superior modern varieties, such as GoldRush apples; and delicate items, such as boysenberries and Persian mulberries, which are only available at their best at farmers markets.

• Freshness, of course, is crucial. If you can, get to a market early for a larger and fresher selection. Many items get bruised from rough handling or wilt after a few hours in the heat. When it’s really hot, take a portable cold box to protect the most perishable items.

• Ripeness (for fruit) and proper maturity (for vegetables) are equally critical. And since ripe often means fragile, bring a cart or a box (like a fruit box with plastic cups) to keep delicate purchases from being crushed.

• Seasonality: Following the rhythm of the seasons means not only knowing when to start buying but also when to stop, because the fruit or variety is past its prime. Good shoppers get to know the produce calendar.

• Appearance: Like almost everyone, I favor attractive produce, but not necessarily by commercial standards, such as huge, all-red peaches. I look for distinctiveness and for indications that an item will taste good: e.g., for a nectarine, deep orange or cream ground color, and sugar speckles. But I also like some varieties chiefly because they look good, like Romanesco cauliflower, with its mesmerizing fractal form.

• Personal contact with the grower: Of course, interacting with farmers is a joy in itself, one that includes but transcends produce quality. Ideally, one would like to buy directly from the farmer, a family member, or at least someone who has a connection to the growing, someone who can best explain, for example, that the cherries are blemished by hail but still delicious. Realistically, with the proliferation of markets, there’s no way that growers can be everywhere and still actually farm, and many vendors are employees who never see the farm, but at the very least they should be able to answer questions such as what variety an item is.

• Price: I evaluate price in relation to quality. If something costs significantly more than it would at a supermarket, it has to be a lot better or forget it. Prices do vary considerably both within and among farmers markets.

Joel Salatin at Polyface Farms

Finding local food is definitely getting easier — finding *groovy* local food is a bit trickier. The good news, growers and farmers are getting the word out about their meats, cheeses, veggies, fruits, yogurt, seafood and even vinegar.

There also was After visit screening of the movie “Fresh,” which explores factory farming and alternative farming methods like Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm in Virginia.

So there are plenty of choices, the trick … finding people you like, who get their hands dirty and follow good farming practices, whether for weekly or occasional farmers market trips or CSAs.

It’s really all about building a relationship, which makes it so different than your local grocery store.

At a recent event in Annapolis, a couple of dozen purveyors — growers and restaurants — came out for a meet-and-greet — hat tip to my friend Kc for inviting me and friend Robin for joining in the fun.

Eggmobile

Like a farmers market, the event gave me a chance to size up another group of local folks from around the extended D.C. region. Local communities are definitely trying to provide guidance on buy and supporting local farming. A great step forward.

This blog obviously emphasizes local food but there are the good guys who stand out — it just takes a little time to figure it out.

My friend Tiffany has a great rule — if you’re at the market and you stop by a vendor with dirt on his/her potatoes, you may want to take a closer look. We’re so used to seeing shiny, waxed veggies and fruits in the grocery store that when we see a little dirt at the market, our reaction is “ewww, it’s dirty.”

Water does a nice job on that dirt. Kinds works the same on veggies and kids. Pretty shiny veggies pop up so just ask around. Good vendors will tell you who’s good. I can tell you that my grower Matt isn’t cleaning the veggies because he picked them then packed them on the truck at 3 a.m.

Back to the movie — if you haven’t read about Salatin — who was the speaker at the Annapolis event — he’s smart, sharp-tongued and opinionated … but hard not to like for his unique farming talents. He rotates cows, chickens and pigs (mostly) around grass fields to work in harmony — no pesticides or antibiotics. Salatin is featured in the book “Omnivore’s Dilemma.”

The movie focuses on problems with large factory farms — the  cocktail of pesticides, poor treatment of the animals and threats to our health.  It definitely makes you think about your food choices.

Will Allen

It also takes a glimpse into the 3-acre farm of Will Allen in … urban Milwaukee. Yep. Allen is a burly guy who delivers a easily palatable recipe for growing a garden just about anywhere. He’s convincing and provides a hands-on experience.

The key — keep on researching and learning about food — we get a lot of different messages but there are great choices out there … stay health

By Vicki Needham

I grew up eating a comforting chicken dinner most Sundays. I remember asking my mom, “What’s for dinner?” and frequently hearing, “Chicken.” “Oh,” would usually be my response. Now, as a grownup (a relative term) I’m finding there’s more to just sticking a chicken in the oven with a couple of potatoes. Cooking chicken is … sexier.

For the record, I didn’t eat any of the chickens in these photos — they were at a B&B in Vermont I visited in August 2009. Their eggs were delish though and they were pretty darn entertaining as you might be able to guess from the shot of the guy giving me ‘the eye.’

So on to chicken cooking …

I buy my chicken from a local butcher, The Organic Butcher. Don and Wendell get their chickens from a couple of organic farms in Pennsylvania. If you eat meat, it’s a great shop located in McLean, Va. They sell a wide variety of meats, wine, local cheeses and produce. They make some *outstanding* chorizo, as well as a nice rotation of other sausages, steaks and roasts, all from local farmers.

In the past, I’ve roasted chicken in the oven. While that came out really well I wanted to give it a shot in my crockpot, a Christmas gift from my parents. It has served me well during the cold winter for soups and stews.

By Vicki Needham

So here’s what I did to make a fall-off-the-bone chicken and it couldn’t have been easier.

I put some frozen pumpkin — a New Zealand pumpkin, gray outside and bright orange inside — grown by my friends Matt & Mary on the bottom of the crockpot. I then added a few red potatoes, some mushrooms and poured a little bit of chicken stock on top of the veggies.

Then I cleaned the chicken, patted it dry, sprinkled salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme on the chicken and the veggies, placed it into the crockpot and put it on low. That was it. After about 4.5  to 5 hours, the chicken was done. It was  tender and juicy and fell off the bone. Yum!

Get your local food here

Besides the promise of massive snowstorms, (I can laugh now … sort of) there’s a growing number of benefits to living in the Washington, D.C. area when it comes to buying locally grown fruits, vegetables and meats.

Farmers markets are growing in popularity and while farmers and growers usually haul their own goods, there’s at least one locally owned small business helping those folks get their goods into the hands of consumers.

Maple Avenue Market, http://www.mapleavenuemarket.com, (the Web site is still under development) owned by the husband-and-wife team of Chris and Sara Guerre, stocks local produce such as cheese, honey, veggies/fruits, pasta and meats in their Vienna, Va. store.

The market also brings organic milk from Trickling Springs Creamery in Chambersburg, Pa. http://www.tricklingspringscreamery.com/.

Between the market and Chris and Sara’s companion business http://onthegourmet.com/ (the site is a bit behind because they’ve been so busy), they are providing their customers a one-stop-shop for high-quality local goods brought in from within a few hundred miles.

When I visited the shop recently — they opened in Sept. 2009 — they setting up a brownie tasting of another local business (yum), taking delivery from a local farm and putting together customer orders. Nice to see them so busy.

The market's cute front window.

Their first business, On the Gourmet, takes goods from several farms to area farmers markets and they now boast a growing milk delivery business. Remember when you had the aluminum box outside your front door for the milkman? Well, that’s making a comeback. I’m not much of a milk drinker but I’ve used the organic milk/cream/half -and-half for my homemade ice creams and morning coffee so I can attest to it’s deliciousness.

National Public Radio recently published a story about specific occupations that have faded from the American landscape one being he milkman. But they noted that it’s coming back in some areas. An interesting trend.

Chris and Sara have rented a house with a bunch of acreage a mere 9 miles from their shop in Vienna with 4,000 seeds. So their garden will become I expect a major supplier for their store and will complement what’s coming in from their client farms. A nice touch that shows a dedication to bringing local food to their customers.

Keep up the good work Chris and Sara. I’m looking forward to watching the business grow.

Farmers market bounty

I just ran across this Washington Post article from the end of January reminding folks to sign up for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. These are located in the Washington, D.C. area. Go to www.localharvest.org for CSAs in your area. Local harvest includes a nationwide list.

I haven’t gone back through the list provided to see if any have sold out since the article was printed. The Virginia section is a bit messed up (not my fault). For some reason the last letter on the end of the sentence is at the beginning of the next line. I dunno. But you’ll want to pay attention for  the Web links.

For an annual membership fee, CSAs provide a wide array of options of fruits, veggies, meats and flowers. Each farm has different prices, products and delivery methods.

Here’s how CSAs work: Customers pay an annual membership fee in advance to cover farm production costs. The farmer provides a “share” of the harvest — a box of seasonal produce — on a weekly basis for a predetermined number of weeks. On most farms, a full share is enough vegetables to feed a family of four (two adults, two children) or two vegetarians for one week. (Half-shares and mini-shares are also available.)

There are a few more recommended in the comments. If you have any to add please post here.

Another cool thing about getting connected to local farms that are open to the public — a lot of them have cute animals, a bonus for kids. So you can go check it out, maybe buy some products and let the kids check out the other kids (goats).

Here’s the link: http://tinyurl.com/yly3k2d

Spring is on the way — catch some rays this weekend!