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Featured Produce: Onions!

7/3/2016

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Onions go into most every savory dish cooked in my kitchen. They are the first in the pan and add body, flavor, and nutrition to veggie stir fries, soups, and curries. Onions are also very nutritious, and we're not talking just about vitamins and minerals here. Onions have unique properties that supercharge your gut flora helping to make digesting foods easier and have even been shown to lower cholesterol, balance blood sugar, and improve acne! Who knew! 

Onion harvest is underway and they are finding their way to tables all over the market. Try a sweet vidalia from Homer Grown, a spicy red torpedo from SIU Sustainable farm, or some shallots from Shade Tree Farm. Grab an extra bunch and try your hand at caramelized onions. Caramelizing onions is a slow process, but worth the wait! They make a sweet, satisfying topping for burgers or pizzas, or an flavor booster for soups, sauces, or stir fries. The caramelized onions will keep well in the fridge for a week or freezer for up to 3 months. If you're feeling adventurous, try this caramelized onion tomato jam, it sounds like a real treat!

Recipe: Caramelized Onions

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Ingredients
  • 2-4 yellow onions
  • 2 tablespoons butter, extra-virgin olive oil, or a mix
  • 2 tablespoons white or red wine, vegetable or chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, or water
  • Salt
Equipment
  • Stainless steel or cast-iron skillet
  • Stiff spatula


receipe from: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-caramelize-onions-35933
​Directions:
  1. Slice the onions: Trim the tip and root from the onions, cut them in half and remove the skins. Slice the onion from root to stem into thin slices. (Alternatively, you can dice the onions.)
  2. Melt the butter: Place your skillet over medium heat and melt the butter.
  3. Add the onions: Add all the onions to the pan and stir them gently to coat with butter.
  4. Caramelize the onions: Check the onions every 5 to 10 minutes. Stir the onions and scrape up any fond that forms on the bottom of the skillet. Exact cooking times will vary with the number of onions you're cooking, their liquid and sugar content, and their age.**
  5. Deglaze the pan and salt the onions: When your onions have finished cooking, pour 1/4 cup wine, broth, balsamic vinegar, or water. As the liquid bubbles, scrape up the fond and stir it into the onions. Use additional liquid as necessary to scrape up all the fond. Salt the onions to taste.
  6. Cool and store the onions: If you're not using the onions immediately, let them cool in the pan, then transfer them to a storage container. Caramelized onions can be kept refrigerated for around a week or frozen for up to three months.

**• Around 10 Minutes: Onions will start to soften and turn translucent in spots. They will release a lot of liquid into the pan.

• Around 20 Minutes: Onions will be very soft and starting to break down. Some onions will start to show spots of caramelization and you may see some fond starting to build up in the pan. They will also start to smell caramelized. Adjust the heat if the onions seem to be cooking too quickly or you notice any burnt spots.

• Around 30 Minutes: Onions should be light blonde in color and starting to become jammy. More fond is starting to build up, but it should still be fairly easy to scrape it up with the evaporating liquid from the onions.

• Around 40 Minutes: Onions are golden and starting to smell very caramelized. Taste one — if you like the way they taste, you can stop now! For even deeper caramelized flavor, continue cooking.

• Around 50 Minutes and Beyond: Continued cooking will result in darker, richer, even more caramelized onions. Continue checking the onions every 5 to 10 minutes until they reach your desired level of caramelization. The fond may start to build up on the bottom of the pan — let it be unless it looks like it's starting to burn (in which case, deglaze the pan with a little water).
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Featured Produce: Blackberries! (and a give-away!)

6/28/2016

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May's strawberries gave way to June's abundant blueberries, blackberries, and soon raspberries! Berry season is a great time to test your home preservation skills. Grab a few extra quarts and toss them in the freezer, or grab some sugar and pectin and turn them into jam. Nothing tastes better on a cold winter day than a fruity dessert or breakfast bars made from the previous summer's berries!

Berries are good for you, too! They are high in antioxidants, vitamin C, and are anti-inflamatory. Blackberries in particular have special properties that help keep your brain alert! More fun facts about blackberries can be found here.

We have a little market give away going on this week and next. Click here to complete our online survey for a chance to win one of three market gift bags!
​​

Berry Oat Breakfast Bars

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Ingredients:
  • 4 cups rolled oats, divided
  • 4 cups fresh or frozen mixed berries (any combination of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or blackberries)
  • 1/2 cup sugar, divided
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil, or butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Recipe and image from: 
http://www.themostlyvegan.com/
berry-oat-bars/
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Put 2 cups oats in a food processor and blend for approximately three minutes until they take on the consistency of flour. Combine with remaining two cups oats, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, sea salt and cinnamon. Add melted coconut oil to mixture and stir until well combined.
  2. Measure out 2 cups of mixture and spread over the bottom of the parchment lined pan, using your fingers to press down firmly. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the oats just begins to brown. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, place berries and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add tablespoon cornstarch and simmer 5 minutes more until compote is thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  4. Once the oat mixture and berries are slightly cooled, spread berry compote over oats and top with remaining oat mixture. Using your hands or a spatula, press down on the oats. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely (about 2 hours) before cutting into 9 squares. Store in the refrigerator and serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.

By The Mostly Vegan
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Downtown Market Customer Survey

6/27/2016

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Thank you for supporting the Community Farmers Market. We want to know how we can help you get to market each week to support our fabulous vendors. Do you need better reminders? More activities? Different time? Help us make the market the best it can be and answer the following short survey for a chance to win a one of three market gift bags.

To enter the give away, please leave your name and email by posting a comment on this post.

    2016 Customer Survey

    Please leave your email in the comments for a chance to win!
    Choose all that apply.
    Check all that apply.
Submit
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Featured Produce: Cabbage!

6/12/2016

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​Ever wonder how coleslaw became the official dish of summer BBQs? It's because spring cabbages are coming out of the fields in June and early July after lettuce and other leafy greens have called it quits for the season. Every picnic needs a salad, and cabbage holds up better to the heat of summer than tender lettuce.   

Out of all of the late spring vegetables, cabbage probably gets the least amount of love. People who claim not to like cabbage likely haven't had it roasted or grilled. Roasted cabbage gets caramelized around the edges and takes on a buttery flavor regardless of whether butter was used or not. In the summer, grilled cabbage steaks are a fun vegetarian main dish or a nutritious omnivore side. 

There are many different varieties of cabbage, some green, some purple, some crinkly, some smooth, and while most are round, there are even some unique cone shaped varieties. Now is a great time to buy cabbage at the market and try some new recipes. For some inspiration, check out this list of 20 cabbage based recipes form the Kitchn.
​

Recipe: Oven Roasted Cabbage with (or without) Bacon

Ingredients:
  • 1 head green or Savoy cabbage, outer leaves removed
  • Olive oil
  • Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Optional: 4 slices thick bacon, 6 to 8 ounces
  • Optional: 3-5 cloves garlic minced (or 3-4 garlic scapes!)
Recipe:
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-roasted-cabbage-with-bacon-recipes-from-the-kitchn-105338
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Directions:Heat the oven to 450°F. Cut the cabbage into quarters and slice the bottom of each quarter at an angle to partially remove the stem core. Cut each quarter in half again so you have eight wedges. Lay these down on a large roasting pan or baking sheet and drizzle very lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
(Optional) Cut each slice of bacon into small strips and lay on top of the cabbage, tucking into the nooks and crannies of the leaves.

(Optional) Spread the garlic evenly over the slices of cabbage.
Roast for 30 minutes, flipping the cabbage wedges once halfway through. If the edges aren't browned enough for your taste after 30 minutes, put them back in for five-minute increments until they are.
Serve immediately; the wedges cool down fast.
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Featured Produce: Garlic Scapes

6/5/2016

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​Garlic scapes are one of my spring time favorites. After a winter of eating store bought garlic and onions, I get a little unnaturally excited for these early season alliums. Never heard of a garlic scape? It's not surprising, they aren't sold in the grocery store and are only available at markets for a short period each spring. Scapes are the shoots that grow from hard-neck varieties of garlic*.  They look like curly green stalks with tightly closed buds on top when they're young and tender. Farmers and gardeners harvest them in the late spring so that they won't drain nutrients from the garlic bulbs that will be dug up in a couple of months for storage. 

What to do with scapes? I chop them up small and use them in place of garlic when sautéing vegetables, toss them whole on the grill, or whizz them up into a herb pesto in the food processor. Scapes are milder than garlic, slightly sweet, and a great addition to your spring ingredient rotation.

*There are many varieties of garlic, some are hard neck, which produce scapes, and others are soft neck which do not. Most of the garlic available at the grocery store are soft neck varieties that do not form scapes. 

Recipe: Scape Pesto

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts, sunflower seeds, or almonds) 
  • 3/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes*
  • Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • A few generous grinds of black pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional)
*Or use half scapes and half herbs such as basil, dill and chervil

For more ideas on what to do with scapes, check out the following post with 7 suggestions:   http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes
/2010/06/the-crisper-whisperer-what-to-do-with-garlic-scapes-recipe.html
Directions:
  1. In a small, dry pan set over very low heat, lightly toast the nuts, stirring or tossing occasionally until just beginning to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. 
  2. Combine the scapes, pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse about 20 times, until fairly well combined. Pour in the olive oil slowly through the feed tube while the motor is running. When the oil is incorporated, transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the grated cheese. If you plan to freeze the pesto, wait to add the cheese until after you've defrosted it.
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Yes it's local, but how was it grown?

5/23/2016

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One of the benefits of buying fresh local food from a farmers market is you have the opportunity to find out exact what’s in, or on any product you purchase . Farmers markets’ put you face to face with a farmer or producer, and give you an opportunity to ask questions about how your food was grown or prepared. It can be intimidating to ask your farmer about their growing practices if you don’t know what to ask. The questions on the side are a good starting point for engaging in a conversation with your farmer.

​Some questions to ask
​at a Farmers Market:
  • What are your growing practices?
  • How do you raise and feed your animals?
  • What do you do about pests and weeds?
  • How do you care for your soil? From where do you source seeds?
  • If your market allows carrying or reselling goods from another farm, ask the farmer if they grew everything in their booth and when it was harvested
  • Who are your role models or is there a farm after which you fashion your practices?
We at the Carbondale Community Farmers Market require that our farmers tell us about their growing practices in the application to sell at the market. We also ask that farmers display a provided sign stating whether their products are are certified organic, sustainably produced, or conventional produced. These labels, however, are not comprehensive and it's still important to talk with your farmer!
​

Certified Organic: This farm is has been certified organic by the USDA. This involved rigorous farm inspections that ensures fruit & vegetable crops were grown with NO Chemical Fertilizers, Pesticides, or Herbicides. Animals were raised under humane conditions and are free of antibiotics and growth hormones. No GMO seeds or animal feed were used.  Foods were prepared using certified organic ingredients.
 
Sustainably Produced: Fruit & vegetable crops were grown with NO Chemical Fertilizers, Pesticides, or Herbicides. Animals were raised under humane conditions and are free of antibiotics and growth hormones. No GMO seeds or animal feed were used. Foods were prepared using certified organic and sustainable produced ingredients.
 
Conventionally Produced: Fruit & Vegetable crops may have been grown with the use of Chemical Fertilizers, Pesticides, or Herbicides. GMO seeds or animal feed may have been used. Prepared foods feature conventionally produced ingredients.
​
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Ingredient: The Local Food Movement Takes Root

5/23/2016

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The Sustainable Living Film Series is presenting "Ingredients: The Local Movement Takes Root", on Wednesday June 1st at 5:30pm. This is a great film about the local food movement that showcases the perspectives of farmers, chefs, and consumers. Reanna Putnam, Community Farmers Market manager, will be leading a discussion afterwards highlighting the importance of eating seasonally and supporting local farmers and markets. Several of the vendors from the Community Farmers Market will join us after the film and talk about why growing and selling in local food is important to them. Market shoppers will receive a free ambrosia tea, just show your market tote or goodies to the wait staff.

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Community Farmers Market Downtown on Wednesdays!

4/18/2016

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Downtown Farmers Market starts this week! Come support farmers, makers, bakers, and musicians. This season's market will feature 10-15 vendors each week with locally grown vegetables, fruits, sustainably raised meats and eggs, hand crafted soaps, herbal wellness, and baked goods.
 
This year, the market has a new location in the 200 block of N. Washington Street near town square between Jackson and Oak streets. There will be music, children’s activities, artisans, and educational opportunities scheduled throughout the season. The new site is adjacent to the Flyover Community Garden and close to many downtown Carbondale restaurants. Community supported radio station WDBX has worked with the market to arrange a weekly line up of local music. Local restaurants will provide hot food and cold beverages for sale at the market. What a fun way to spend a Wednesday afternoon!

We'll have greens, greens and more greens at the market this week. Spring is all about the greens. If you are looking for an out of the box way to incorporate more delicious spring salad mix into your weekly food routine, check out the recipe below for easy weeknight spring rolls!

This week’s vendors:
  • SIU Sustainable Farm: Salad Mixes and Kale
  • Plant a Seed/La Colina Linda: Leeks, large scallions, mustard greens, carrots and gluten free vegan baked goods
  • Mustard Seed Sowers: Kale, chard, red romaine, fresh herbs, dried herbs, handmade reed baskets, and hot and iced herbal teas
  • Flora Bay Farm: - flower bouquets, fresh cut herbs,dried herbs, green garlic, French sorrel and Plant starts (herbs, veggies, fruit, Cascade hops)
  • All Seasons Farm: lettuce, kale, eggs, pac choi, certified organic plant starts
  • Silver Moon Skincare: Handmade soaps, lotions, and sprays
  • Dayempur Herbals: Herbal tinctures, oils, salves, sprays and syrups made from organic and locally grown ingredients. Featuring allergy relief tinctures for spring. 
  • Union Springs Farm:  spinach, salad mix, arugula, microgreens, heirloom tomato and pepper plants and other garden plants
  • Homer Grown: Scallions, baby bok choy, popcorn, and vegetable, herb, and heirloom tomato starts
  • ​Scratch: Rhubarb soda and hickory cream soda, flat bread, and freshly milled local bread, sourdough creations, and biscuits. Ask them about their new CSB (Community Supported Brewery) shares!  
  • Town Square Market/ Longbranch: Town Square Market/ Longbranch: handmade breads & pies, fair-trade organic coffee & Ambrosia tea, and a dinner special: Sloppy Joe’s (bar-b-que spiced local, organic ground meat served on a homemade organic bun with all the fixins, chips and beverages. Available to eat or to go!
Special Guests:
  • Carbondale Parks District  with Kids Activities
  • Illinois Nutrition Education Programs: SNAP-Education with an interactive activity table featuring a range of nutrition and healthy living topics
Music at the Market 
April 20th -  Matthew Decker 
April 27th -  John Michael Veach
May 4th -    Kathleen Shaffner
May 11th -  Hey Honey ​
May 25th-  Kevin Henshold-Spier
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Burrito Bowl

3/10/2016

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I would like to introduce you to the burrito bowl, my go to busy weeknight meal. Start with a base of cooked rice and beans: I use local Mckaskie brown rice and home cooked dried orca beans from the bulk section of the Coop, but quick cooking white rice and canned beans would speed this meal up even more. Top your rice and beans with roasted or stir-fryed veggies, add salsa and yogurt or cashew cream and maybe some tortilla chip crumbles and enjoy! A filling, quick, affordable way to eat healthy local food  any night of the week.

This recipe uses produce readily available in late winter: sweet potatoes obtained from Miller Tater Farm early in the season and greens from Hollow Pumpkin Farm. A spring version could use snap pea, asparagus, and spinach. A summer version zucchini, new potatoes and bell peppers, and fall version butternut squash and collard greens. Here the veggies are cooked on the stovetop, but oven roasted root veggies like carrots, beets, and turnips would also be a welcome addition. Mix up the veggies based on what you have on hand and what is in season.

Recipe: Burrito Bowl

Ingredients:
  • 2-3 cups cooked rice
  • 2-3 cups cooked beans (pinto, black, or heirloom orca beans)
  • 1 TBS dried oregano
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2-3 medium or one large sweet potato, diced into quarter inch cubes
  • 1 cup kale, collards,spinach or other winter greens chopped (about half of a bunch)
  • 1-2 TBS olive oil
  • 1 TBS chili powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings:
  • Crema (plain, unsweetened yogurt, sour cream, or cashew cream)
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Salsa or hot sauce
  • Avocado or guacamole
  • Crumbled tortilla chips (from the bottom of the bag)
​Preparation:
  1. Cook rice according to package directions
  2. Season beans with oregano and granulated garlic. If using dried beans, add spices to cooking liquid when cooking. If using canned beans, drain and rinse beans then combine beans and spices in a small sauce pan and warm on low heat until ready to serve
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once pan is hot, add oil, followed by the onion. Lightly salt the onion and allow to cook for 2-4 minutes until soft. Add in cubed sweet potato and cook covered for 8-12 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking sweet potatoes until tender. Once tender, add remaining spices and stir to coat. Add greens and cover for 2-4 minutes until greens have cooked down. Stir to incorporate.
  4. To assemble the bowl add cooked rice followed by seasoned beans and then sweet potatoes and greens. Top with a dollop of crema, chopped cilantro, salsa or hot sauce, and tortilla crumbles. Add sliced avocado or homemade guacamole if you're feeling adventurous! 
  
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Featured Item: Local Eggs

2/26/2016

1 Comment

 
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​Not all eggs are created equal, and deciphering the meaning of labels at the store can be tricky. Cage-free, brown-eggs, natural, free range, soy-free, pasture-raised, local? How to choose! And does it really matter?
 
Yes it does! Eggs coming from confinement operations are more likely to contain growth hormones, antibiotics, and present a higher risk of salmonella. Currently about 95% of eggs produced in the US come from confinement operations and it’s important to know what alternatives there are. Cage-free means that hens are not confined to cages, but does not ensure that they have access to the space or conditions necessary for the birds to thrive. Free-range or free-roaming similarly do not guarantee that hens will have adequate space or humane conditions, simply that they have access to the outdoors. Labels to look for in a store include Organic, Animal Welfare Approved, and Certified Humane which are certified by outside organizations that have high standards for animal welfare. Another common label is pasture raised, or pastured eggs. Pastured often hens live in mobile chicken coops in pasture where they have access to fresh air, grass, and bugs and produce healthier eggs. The pastured label is not well regulated, so be sure to purchase from a farmer you know! Local pastured eggs are the best!   
 
Nutrition fun facts:  “Eggs are quite possibly the world's perfect protein source. The six grams of protein in each egg has the highest biological value—a measure of how well it supports your body's protein needs—of any food, including beef. The yolks contain vitamin B12, deficiencies of which can cause attention, mood, and thinking problems.” Studies have shown that eggs from pastured chickens have twice the amount of vitamin E and more than 2.5 times more omega-3 fatty acid levels. (1)

Recipe: Kale Potato Frittata 

​Ingredients:
  • 4 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups kale, chopped
  • 6 eggs
  • Salt and pepper
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Preparation:
  1. Pour the olive oil into a large cast-iron skillet set over medium heat. Add the onions and potatoes. Cook, stirring carefully and occasionally, until the onions brown and the potatoes are tender. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Toss in the kale and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk together. Pour the eggs into the skillet. Smooth mixture out with a spatula.
  3. Preheat the broiler. Turn the heat back on to medium. Cook for a few minutes, until the edges are cooked but the middle is still runny. Then place the skillet underneath the broiler and cook for a few minutes until the top is golden brown. Be careful not to let it burn.
  4. Remove the frittata from the pan and let cool on a plate for a few minutes. Then slice up and serve.
Recipe:www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/12/potato-and-kale-frittata-recipe.html
 
Egg facts: www.rodalesorganiclife.com /food/free-range-eggs
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