Tuesday, June 23, 2009

A Great Taste

It wasn't a pickle sell-off or a jam contest. Just a good-old social tasting, a place to sample original recipes, tell canning tales and share tips for preserving the best of the season. Some of the highlights of the contributions from community members included sweet and garlicky pickle chips, hot pickled carrots, dilly beans, apple butter and grape jelly.

According to Emily Cooper, second year intern for Backyard Gardens who staffed the tasting table, "People exchanged lots of stories about moms' and grandmothers' pickles, recipe ideas and techniques, and excitement about new ideas for future canning."

This is only the first of several scheduled tastings later this market season. Mark your calendars for:

Saturday, July 29: Pie Bake Off Taste Off
Thursday, September 17: Tomato Tasting
Saturday September 19: Salsa Tasting
Saturday October 10: Apple Tasting

Friday, June 19, 2009

Pickle Heaven


Love pickles? We sure do.

While we're cleaning out our pantries to make room for a new season's stockpile of canning jars, we're celebrating at this Saturday's Joseph farmer's market with a Best of 2008 Pickle and Jam Tasting.

If you've got some of your own blue-ribbon-worthy pickles or jams to contribute, bring 'em on down. Or just come with your palate cleansed and ready to sample a host of succulent and creative offerings.

It will offer all the inspiration you need to kick off another canning season.

Oh, didn't you know? Canning is all the rage. Just check out this article in the recent Dining section of The New York Times. Who knew we in Wallowa County were so very hip?

Monday, June 15, 2009

Seasonal Cooking Kickoff Demonstration

I know that you're really looking forward to tomato season, but since it just stopped snowing, I'm awfully excited to have anything locally grown that's fresh and green and tasty.

In early June at our elevation that means loads of sweet spinach, Asian greens, and lettuces, plus early season herbs like chives and dill.

I was lucky to dodge thunderstorms to do the first 2009 market cooking demonstration with offerings generously provided by the vendors.

In case you missed it live, here's what I prepared (market items in bold):

*wilted spinach salad with bacon, blue cheese, pecans, apples and radish
*stir-fried bok choy with grass-fed bottom round beef and garlic, ginger hoisin sauce
*snap pea pasta with basil, chives and parmesan topped with herbed ricotta

The recipes will be posted as links on the blog soon. And check back for the list of all the upcoming farmer's market events planned for this season.
--Lynne Sampson Curry

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

A Brand-New Season

The 2009 season of the Wallowa County Farmer's Market opened on June 4th under rainy and cloudy skies. The long-standing damp and sometimes downright unhospitable weather hasn't squashed this year's vendors' excitement for another year of bringing you great local, seasonal and delicious foods.

Founding farmer's market member Backyard Gardens is back with a stunning array of fresh seasonal produce. Fluit Family Ranch is selling their grass-fed beef and free-range eggs along with breads and pastries from Wildflour Bakery.

Come and meet new vendors Erica and Tyler of Arrowhead Ranch who are selling exciting greenhouse-grown produce and homebaked local whole wheat bread.

These vendors show up on Thursdays in Enterprise and Saturdays in Joseph (exact locations and hours are posted to the right) with their wealth of products come rain or shine.

See you at the farmer's market