Wisdom of the Last Farmer

Another trip to California prevented me from making it to either the Thursday or Saturday markets last week, which explains why, last night, my family finally got around to eating the kale I'd bought at least three weeks ago. The stuff weathers well. I threw out a few yellowed leaves, cut out the spines, and we were good to go. My grand ambition when I bought it was to make kale chips, but in this case I just ended up boiling the chopped kale with some beet greens, and then sauteeing it briefly with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. The perfect side to Lime-Coriander Rubbed Salmon.

Anyhow, while I missed the markets, the plane ride did allow me to finish a wonderful book, David Mas Masumoto's Wisdom of the Last Farmer. Masumoto comes from a family of organic fruit farmers in California's Central Valley. If you've read his Epitaph for a Peach you know that he has the ability to make your mouth water with his fruit descriptions, of which there are more than a few in this book. Wisdom is a tender, lyrical tribute to Masumoto's father, who suffers a series of strokes and experiences the loss of the farming which ordered his life. It's also a family history, since the Masumotos have been farming the Central Valley since before World War II, with only the unavoidable hiatus of their internment. Beyond being moved by the stories, reading this book will help us non-farmers understand the hard work and love that goes into growing our food, as well as what we have lost as consumers when we assume a certain fruit should look a certain way, no matter what it tastes like.

After reading this book, I can't wait to talk to some of the folks from Tiny's Organic and Johnson Orchards and Martin Family Orchards about their favorite peach or apple or pear varieties, and to thank them again for preserving those delicious ones that--in a grocery-store word--might otherwise be lost.

Back-to-School Mishmash

I know, I know. School has been in session for a few weeks now, but only in the last week or two have ALL the activities started. Which means swim team (Thursdays) and soccer games (Saturdays) have seriously impeded my desire to pay the Bellevue Farmers Market leisurely visits. On Thursday, I missed the Cantinetta demo and the eggs were long gone, but I managed to tear over for melons, grabbing the last Charentais. Since it was just about 7:00, the farmers were packing up and happily trading with each other, and I wished I had something to trade because I hadn't had time to stop at the bank and ended up writing five piddly checks.

In any case, if your life has become similarly hectic, keep in mind the BFM runs through Oct 14 (Thursdays) and Nov 20 (Saturdays). Now more than ever is the time for healthy, fresh, local food, considering the kids are getting the occasional nasty school lunch and the ubiquitous sugary "snacks" at soccer games.

Cool fall weather is the perfect time for homemade applesauce, so I whipped up the first batch of the season last night. Basically, take a few pounds of any variety apple (I used Gala, Honeycrisp and Gingergold), quarter them, and throw them in a covered pot with 1/3 cup water. Set your timer for 20 minutes. Then pass them, skin, seeds, and all, through a food mill. Sweeten to taste with honey and some cinnamon. We never have any left over, and I never find that I've bought enough apples!

Loki salmon is sounding better than ever, now that the FDA is holding hearings on whether to label genetically-modified salmon. This farmed Frankenfish, brand-named AquAdvantage, receives growth hormone so that it can reach optimum size in half the time. Yikes! I knew, from reading The Omnivore's Dilemma that farmed salmon ate corn and couldn't touch wild salmon for nutritional value, but really.

And then finally, filed under "Who Thinks Up These Studies?" I bring you an article on how Americans lack self-control in the eating and drinking department (!!! Stop the presses!!!). Study participants had to hold candy in their fingers and put it in and out of their mouths. Do not try this at home, folks, especially with your children at Halloween. Their conclusion? Make self-control fun! Play with your M&Ms, don't eat them! Ahhh...the inexorable advances of science...

That's it for now. In the meantime, mark your calendars for the BFM's Celebracion Cosecha on Thursday, 9/30. In honor of the harvest, Chef Jaime from Los Agaves will be making fresh salsas, River Farm will be roasting peppers, and a mariachi band will stroll the stands. Sounds like a night for dinner at the Market.

Hubba Hubba Hama Hama

The name is irresistible, and last Saturday I stopped resisting. I hit up Teresa at Hama Hama Company for some fresh clams and made my very first attempt at Manhattan Clam Chowder. If you're a shellfish lover, you know about Taylor Shellfish at our Thursday market, but Hama Hama is new this year to the BFM. Like Taylor, they carry fresh oysters (live and shucked) and clams, as well as tasty smoked oysters. When my friend picked up a pack of the Teriyaki Smoked Oysters, I asked her, "What will you do with them?" She gave me one of those you-have-to-ask? looks. "What else? Pop them like candy."

She also came away with two dozen live clams to whip up her own batch of chowder and provide moral support. Yes--as someone who had never before prepared shellfish, I needed moral support. Not only did C coach me through clam prep, she also called to say that, when she steamed her own open, one of the little guys had a crab inside!

Step one: rinsing and scrubbing. The clams already looked sparkling clean, but I managed to get a few pans of water clouded up. Like most moms, I have plenty of "little helpers" in the kitchen, and the clams certainly caught my second-grader's eye. This is the poor child whose only "pets" are the chickadees that come to the outside feeder, so naturally, no sooner did the clams put in an appearance than she was begging to keep one as a pet. (I promised her some empty shells in return for some slave labor.

Step two: boil/steam the puppies for 5-7 minutes until they pop open. In space, no one can hear you scream, and the same holds true for clams in boiling water. I suspect, if I threw the clams in with a twinge of guilt, I'm still not ready for an Annie-Hall-style lobster scene. Check out the rich clam broth. After I poured that out into a measuring cup and let any remaining sand settle out, it provided a luscious base for the chowder.

Step three: pry the little suckers out of their shells and chop them up. About a hundred years ago (before kids), my husband and I spent a day in Siena, Italy, popping into a little no-name restaurant for dinner. What I ordered there has gone down in history as the Plate of Death, although the menu called it, innocuously enough, the Seafood Plate. The waiter brought me a heaping platter of...Death. Crustaceans of every variety, clams, oysters, fish! All whole and intact, looking like themselves, only...dead. Suffice to say, I don't do super well with things that look like themselves, only dead, which is why this was my first attempt and do-it-yourself shellfish. I am relieved to say that clams are not overly gross, and I didn't have to call in the fourth-grade boy to do the job for me.

Step four: throw the chopped clams in the soup and heat through! Manhattan Clam Chowder, if you recall, is basically a tomato-vegetable soup with a clam broth base and clams thrown in. I figured it would go over better with the kiddoes than opaque, potato-y chowder, and I was half right. (The boy wouldn't touch it.) Note the salad of Alm Hill spinach, River Farm cucumber and homegrown tomatoes, dressed with Fosse Farms Provencal.

Rather tasty! Pick up some clams this week and give it a try. If chowder isn't your thing, Hama Hama has a sheet of serving suggestions and recipes. Bon appetit.

Easy Market Meals

My son comes from a long line of picky eaters. There is his uncle, who famously disliked casseroles. There is his cousin, who used to gag if his pasta was not hand-cleansed of sauce. There is his grandmother, who objects to items of a winter-squash or sweet-potato texture. We used to joke that my son had a nutrition sensor: if something entered his mouth with even a squidgeon of nutritional value, it was expelled, usually with loud protests.

People told me he would grow out of the picky-ness, and it is indeed happening. The boy has added an average of one new acceptable fruit per year. This year, it's been any melon I've picked up at River Farms from the twin sisters who only sound like chain smokers. Charentais, Orange Honeydew, Fast Break canteloupes. You name it, they're delicious and ready to eat the day you buy it.

Also scarfed down is salmon (use Loki's fresh or frozen, any variety) soaked in this marinade and grilled/broiled:

1 T. melted butter
1 T. olive oil
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. honey (I use Fireweed Honey from the Market)
2 T. soy sauce
3 T. Dijon mustard
2 t. grated fresh ginger (or bottled)
2 t. minced garlic

Combine and marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes to a few hours. Grill or broil to desired doneness!

Skagit's New York and Sirloin Steaks were also hits. Eiko reports that lush grass has led to perfect steaks. Sprinkle each steak with salt, pepper and paprika. Grill about 7 minutes per side for medium well. If your grill is very hot, try 5 minutes. After you remove the steaks, let them "rest" a minute before serving.

For our vegetarians, this is the season for Capellini Pomodoro!
3 garlic cloves
1/3 c. olive oil (don't skimp)
2 lbs. ripe red tomatoes, chopped (and peeled if you want to bother dropping them in boiling water first)
1/4 cup slivered fresh basil

2T - 1/4 c. tomato paste
3 ozs Golden Glen Creamery Parmesan cheese
Heat the olive oil over medium. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Dump in everything but the cheese and heat through. Serve over 12-16 ozs capellini, mixing in as much cheese as you like. (For my son's sake--he doesn't like "chunks" of tomatoes--I puree with the hand blender before adding the pasta.)

And, bonus recipe, Kale Chips! My son actually won't eat these, but my brussels-sprout-loving youngest daughter would. Willie Green's suggests de-stemming the kale, slicing into 1" strips, tossing with olive oil, salt and pepper, and baking until crisp. If you've ever roasted brussels sprouts and chomped on the loose leaves that were overbaked, this snack is for you. Mmm...

See you at the Market!