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September 6, 2012
| Vol 6, Issue 27
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| 'Why buy certified organic?' is a question I often hear around  the market. After the publication of a recent study from Stanford University, I expect to hear it even more. This particular study found that organic foods may not have more nutrients than conventionally grown foods. This may not surprise some of you, because for many people this is not the reason to buy organic foods.
Certified Organic foods are grown or raised without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and are not genetically modified or in the case of livestock, fed hormones or antibiotics. This means that your chances of consuming any of these things is significantly less if you eat organically grown foods. (It also means that these things don't have as great an impact on the environment or your drinking water.) Many small farmers are using practices in line with organic regulations but are not certified. You should ask your farmers about their growing practices. Our farmers would be happy to tell you more about the way they grow the foods they bring to the market.
You know what foods typically do have more nutrients though? Local foods, especially local produce, that hasn't lost vitamins and minerals through lengthy shipping and storage. Buying locally grown foods, especially at a farmers market, means that, most likely, the produce was freshly picked, the eggs were freshly harvested and the meats recently processed. Some grocery stores have local, very fresh produce too. Again, you should ask!
Basically, we hope that you stay healthy by knowing more about the food you eat and making informed choices about the food you buy. This is easy when you  shop farm direct, like at the market.
In the Market this week: You'll notice a couple of changes in the market on Saturday. ProFarm Produce has moved and is now set up right on Hancock Street, across from Herr Family Farm. They now have apples and pears, and will have cider soon! Nature's Wild Harvest is also in a new location, along the back row of the market, right next to Liepold Farms. Masala Pop, Pieku and The Better Bean Company all join us this week and Dragonfly Forge will be the market to sharpen your knives! The HFM Board of Directors will also have a booth this week to tell you more about how the market operates behind the scenes. Ask them how you can more involved and maybe even join the board!
And last, but certainly not least, keep reading to find out how you can preserve all the great fruits and vegetables you'll find in the market this September.
See you at the market! |
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A recent study highlighted a topic I often hear discussed at the market, 'why buy certified organic foods?'. This particular study found that organic foods may not have more nutrients than conventionally grown foods. This may not surprise you because for many people, this not the reason to buy organic.
Certified Organic foods are grown or raised without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and are not genetically modified or in the case of livestock, fed hormones or antibiotics. This means that your chances of consuming any of these things is significantly less if you eat organically grown foods. (It also means that these things don't impact the environment or your drinking water.) Many small farmers are using practices in line with organic regulations but are not certified. You should ask your farmers about their growing practices. Our farmers would be happy to tell you more about the way they grow the foods they bring to market.
You know what foods do typically have more nutrients though? Local foods, especially local produce. Fruits and vegetables start to loose some of their vitamins and minerals after they are harvested. The longer they've been out of the ground or off the tree, the more nutrients they loose. Buying locally grown foods, especially at a farmers market, most likely means that the produce was freshly picked, the eggs were freshly harvested and the meats recently processed. Some grocery stores have local, very fresh produce too. Again, you should ask!
In the Market this week: You may notice a couple of changes in the market this Saturday. ProFarm Produce has moved and is now set up right on Hancock Street, across from Herr Family Farm. They now have apples and pears, and will have cider soon! Nature's Wild Harvest is also in a new location, along the back row of the market, right next to Liepold Farms. Masala Pop, Pieku and The Better Bean Company all join us this week and Dragonfly Forge will be the market to sharpen your knives! The HFM Board of Directors will have a booth this week to tell you more about how the market operates behind the scenes. Ask them how you can involved!
And last, but certainly not least, keep reading to find out how you can preserve all the great fruits and vegetables of the September harvest.
See you at the market! |
15 Easy Preserving Ideas for September
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September in the Pacific NW is a great time for preserving local produce! Summer fruits and vegetables are cheap and abundant, and many reach peak flavor in late summer. Most vendors at the market offer bulk discounts to make preserving an even more attractive option. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, corn, eggplant, stone fruit, berries - the list goes on, and it's all available in abundance at the market! To help kickstart your imagination, we've compiled 15 easy ideas for September preserving projects.
1. If you don't have the equipment for any of these projects and you live in SE Portland, there's a terrific new non-profit that's just opened up - Kitchen Share SE! It's a new kitchen tool library that loans out dehydrators, canning equipment, ice-cream makers, juicers, mixers, bread makers, and more. They're located at SE 28th and Harrison. If you don't live in SE, find a friend who does and collaborate with them on your preserving project!
2. Tomato paste is a great way to preserve peak-season tomatoes. It's easy, tastes way better than store-bought canned tomato paste, and doesn't take up much room in the freezer. Freeze it in ice cube trays so you can easily use it just a little at a time.
3. Freezing corn kernels is one of the easiest ways to preserve summer flavor. Just blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes, then pack in a ziploc and freeze. The whole process takes maybe 15 minutes!
4. For many of us, nothing conjures up the feeling of summer in January like a jar of delicious salsa. The beauty of salsas is that almost every ingredient is available in late summer at the farmers market - for some recipes, everything but salt and citrus or vinegar! There's a tremendous diversity to choose from - tomato salsa, peach salsa, tomatillo salsa... Experiment! Some say spiciness goes really well with melons. If you're making a pureed salsa and have space in the freezer, you can save the work of canning by freezing your salsa.
5. Next time you fire up your grill for a late-summer barbecue, buy some extra peppers and throw them on the grill. Then freeze them to enjoy out-of-season roasted peppers. You can do the same thing with eggplants and enjoy lovely smokey baba ghannoush in the winter!
6. You can also preserve grilled eggplants or peppers for a month or so by pouring olive oil over them and storing them in the fridge.
7. There are many ways to preserve vegetables naturally without canning or freezing. One is naturally fermented sauerkraut, which only requires two ingredients - cabbage and salt! If you've never had naturally-fermented kraut, give it a try - the taste is more complex and not as vinegary compared to store bought kraut.
8. Another naturally fermented preserved vegetable is the traditional dill pickle. This recipe is the one used by Gales Meadow Farm for their pickled cucumbers.
9. Most of the ingredients for a delicious fresh pesto are available at the market for much of the year, from the herbs to the garlic to the nuts (hazelnuts and walnuts). You can make pesto from any herb or green - cilantro and arugula are particularly tasty alternatives to the traditional basil. It doesn't take up much space in the freezer - again, use an ice cube tray to freeze it in single-use amounts.
10. We left jams and jellies out of this list, as most people already know about them and many are tired of them! A fun (and low-sugar) alternative to jams are fruit butters. Cook down a bunch of peach (or apricot, or apple, or pear, etc.) puree with spices until it is thick and spreadable. Then pour into jars and can according to your recipes' instructions.
11. If you bake pies regularly, why not can your favorite pie filling? Then all you need to do is open up a jar to make a summer pie in the middle of winter.
12. Fruit leathers are homemade fruit rollups made from fresh fruit. Just pour any fruit puree onto a flat surface for drying, whether in a food dehydrator or a low-temp oven.
13. Pureed soups like tomato or roasted red pepper freeze very well, and during the height of the season it's easy to make more than you need and freeze the rest. If you wanted to can these soups you would need a pressure canner, as they are too low-acid for water-bath canning.
14. If you love peaches, the best way to preserve flavor is by canning them in syrup. This one is a bit more work, but you get a lot out of it - the sweet flavor of late-summer peaches in the winter.
15. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has a website that is an amazing resource, with by-the-book instructions on canning, freezing, pickling, drying, etc almost anything! If you prefer the printed page to a computer screen, Putting Food By is a classic comprehensive preserving manual that discusses techniques, reason for techniques, suggestions on timing, storage instructions and more.
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At the Market
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Music & Entertainment:
Adam Sweeney and the Jamboree
Face Painting with Crista
Community Booths:
Central Northeast Neighbors
Community Energy Project
Upcoming Events:
Customer Dot Survey - Saturday, September 15th, all day
Crazy Eggplant Day - Saturday, September 22nd, chef demos all day
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Featured Product
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September 8, 2012
Indigo Rose Tomatoes
THINK Unique
Aside from being among the most unique and beautiful looking tomatoes grown in the Northwest, the Indigo Rose variety stands out for its usually high contents of anthocyanins. An anthocyanin is a powerful antioxidant that is typically found in the stems and leaves of the tomato plant (and other edible plants). The fruit almost never gets their share of these powerhouse nutrients but somehow Indigo Rose tomatoes are full of them. In fact that's how they get their color. Best enjoyed raw, these cocktail sized purple beauties are great to add color and flavor to your favorite salads or sandwiches.
Bitter Melons
Blooming Goodies
Speaking of unique, healthy and beautiful foods, have you ever tried a bitter melon? They look like large green delicata squash, but are, well, a little more bitter and grow best in the summer heat. These melons are best known for their ability to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. You can cook them up in a soup or a stir-fry but they are most potent when dried and used to make bitter melon tea.
Soft Pretzels
Delphina's Bakery
Displayed behind their freshly baked pastries and artisan breads, you can find Delphina's very large soft pretzels, just waiting to be shared with the whole family. This classic soft pretzel is made with butter (sorry vegans!), crusted with salt and served with mustard. You don't have to buy the family size, although the look of it alone will tempt you. You can find these pretzels in 3 shapes and sizes: the pretzel stick for the solo snacker, the pretzel roll best with a sausage or sandwich and what they accurately call the Big One.
Zestar! Apples
Kiyokawa Family Orchards
The first week of school always seems like the perfect time of year to begin eating apples again and a Zestar! is a great way to start. These apples are sweet and with a hint of tart and are a little more crisp and juicy than your typical early season apple. They are perfect for a mid-afternoon snack, morning oatmeal or your grandma's apple pie recipe. With a hints of brown sugar and a hardier flesh, these apples are great for baking but I just took a bite out of mine.
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 Days:
Every Saturday, May - Thanksgiving
1st & 3rd Saturdays, December - April
Hours:
May - October, 8am - 1pm
November - April, 9am - 1pm
Location:
NE Hancock Street between 44th and 45th Avenues (one block South of Sandy Blvd). In the Grocery Outlet parking lot!
For more information, check us out online at www.hollywoodfarmersmarket.org.
See you Saturday!
Hollywood Farmers Market |
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