Taste of the Market at Blooming Colors

Saturday, January 15, 2011

The Taste of the Market on Saturday was a fresh Vegetable Bean Soup. I used the following recipe as a guide and changed it to suit both my taste and the vegetables on hand. Please note that it is a very easy soup to make, only taking approximately one hour from start to finish.

I had the ingredients in The Market and the use of the kitchen at the Crepe Myrtle Cafe. I put everything into my trusty electric cooker. My customers sampled the soup and some asked for seconds. They liked the collards; many had never tasted such mild, sweet collards. My farmer said it was 14 degrees at his farm in Little Texas. I believe that is cold enough to sweeten greens. I look forward to his turnips recovering from too much cold.

Vegetable Bean Soup

Use no-salt added tomatoes, beans and broth for a healthful alternative to high-sodium soups. Another healthful option: Omit the bacon and saute the vegetables in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

3 slices bacon, chopped 2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt added

Great Northern beans, drained

1 onion, diced

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 celery stalks, diced

Freshly ground black pepper

2 small carrots, diced

6 cups fresh spinach

2 zucchini, diced

1/4 cup grated Parmigiana Reggiano

cheese

1 garlic clove, finely diced

1 (14-ounce) can no-salt added

chopped tomatoes, undrained

1. Place bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes or until almost crisp. Add onion, celery and carrots; cook 5 minutes. Add zucchini and garlic; cook 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, broth and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in spinach. Ladle into soup bowls and top with grated cheese. Makes 10 cups.

Serves 6. About 230 calories per serving.

The changes that I made:

Used olive oil, green onions, fresh Roma tomatoes, 2 cups Campbell's tomato juice and 1 cup of chicken stock, 1 can of white kidney beans, 1 cup of canned black beans (rinsed), 1 cup of white hominy. I substituted fresh collard greens from Little Texas for the spinach. Everything else stayed the same.

You can also use cabbage, kale, Swiss chard. Please let us know what substitutions you might make.

This Saturday, January 22, the Taste of the Market will feature a No Knead Bread made with organic milk from Working Cows Dairy, free-range eggs from Ledbetter Acres, and stone-ground bread flour from Oakview Granary--all Alabama products. The tasting and demonstration will begin at 10:00am. Bring a recipe to share on this blog and receive a 15% discount on your Market purchases. Looking forward to seeing you at The Market at Blooming Colors, 1192 S Donahue Drive (across from Kinnucan's), Auburn, Alabama. Phone (334) 524-4767.

FALL IS FOR FOOTBALL!!! FANS!!! FOOD!!!

Only about 15 days left to go before the first Auburn football game on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010. A new season, a lot of promise, opportunities, hopeful beginning. Come what may, the Auburn faithful will come together as a family to support our team, see friends, and have a great day!

Tailgating means good food shared with a lot of strangers on the way to making new friends. Sharing recipes is another Auburn tradition and many good ones have been handed down from the first tailgaters who rode the train to Columbus or Atlanta to attend football games.

Over the next two weeks or so, I will be seeking many of you out to pry your prized recipes from you. Look for these recipes each day leading up to our first game and please, share your favorites here.

Thanks,

Ginger

ELBERTA PEACHES

The sweet Elberta peaches are here with an expected season of 2 to 3 weeks. Now is the time to bring out peach recipes and enjoy these big, juicy peaches. I had a customer stop by to pick up some ripe peaches to make the following Peach Soup. These hot days call for something this easy and cool to make.

Peach Soup

2 fresh, ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
few drops vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Place ingredients, except yogurt, in blender and puree until smooth. Lightly whip yogurt and fold into the puree. Chill. Garnish with extra sliced peaches.

This would be a hit for a light lunch of chicken salad. Let me know what you could serve this with.

JAMMING JULY: JAMS ARE EASY TO MAKE!

Let's make a list of all the fruits that are in season now: peaches, plums, nectarines, blueberries, figs, pears, blackberries. I am sure I missed some, but you get my point that NOW is the time to make jams, jellies, preserves and syrups to enjoy with friends and family later in the year. I don't know about you, but I simply love to receive a fresh-baked loaf of bread and a jar of homemade preserves. When we make preserves, it tells something about us. We have the foresight, like Aesop's ant, to save the best for later.

In case you missed strawberry season, here is a recipe for easy Strawberry Fig Preserves:

Strawberry Fig Preserves

4 cups mashed figs

3 cups sugar

2 small boxes strawberry jello

Combine all ingredients and cook for 10-12 minutes over moderate heat. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Yield: 2 1/2 pts.

Keep refrigerated.

At The Market at Blooming Colors, we have the Cooperative Extension Preserving Guide available for purchase. This Saturday, July 24, at 11:00a.m., we will have a practical demonstration on how to make blueberry preserves.

Please contact me, Ginger Purvis, (334) 524-4767, for more information.

Thanksgiving. More than just bounteous food

Now that Halloween is over, we can set our sights for the next holiday, Thanksgiving, and we should be truly grateful for the abundance of fresh produce that is coming to our fresh markets. I have a great many favorite, old family recipes, as I am sure that you have, but recently a little more emphasis on healthy eating has me finding some new favorites by a few savvy substitutions. The flavor is still there, in fact, you will taste more of the healthy ingredients, rather than just the sugar and fat. Using egg whites rather than whole eggs skinnies up a lot of recipes. Substitute apple puree for up to one half of the fat in cake recipes. Use vegetable purees instead of cornstarch to thicken soups.

For a quick, healthy soup, I saute garlic, onions, bell peppers in olive oil, then add cut up Roma tomatoes, fresh chopped zucchini, yellow squash, a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste, or marinara, and whatever leftovers I might have in the frig, simmer about 30 minutes, put in bowl with a little low-fat cheese and some tortillas strips. A nice hot meal for tonight and leftovers for tomorrow. Try roasting a winter squash (butternut, acorn), then adding the flesh to the soup. I also roast eggplant and add to the soup for a more traditional ratatouille. My new favorites in winter squash are green buttercup, delicato, and sweet dumpling.

This is the season for satsumas from South Alabama. These little gems are arriving in fresh markets now. "The kid glove fruit" is an easy to peel, sweet, practically seedless Mandarin orange. The peek time is from late October through December. These are great additions to fruit bowls and make great gift boxes, too. Try making a salad with satsumas, goat cheese, walnuts, butter head lettuce and a blackberry walnut vinaigrette...so delicious and healthy. These satsumas are ripe even though the rinds may still be green. Also, look for Japanese "non astringent" persimmons and pomegranates this season...another reason to be thankful.

Sweet potatoes are another seasonal vegetable that is now at its best. Below is a healthier version of a Thanksgiving staple:

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potatoes
3 cups peeled cooked fresh sweet potatoes
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fat-free egg product
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Topping
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon no-trans-fat 68 percent vegetables oil spread, melted
1/3 cup chopped pecans

1. Heat over to 350 degrees F. Spray 1 1/2-quart casserole with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, mash sweet potatoes. Stir in granulated sugar, salt, egg product, milk
and vanilla; spoon into casserole.

3. In small bowl, mix all topping ingredients except pecans until well blended. Stir in pecans.
Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.

4. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Fresh apples are coming into our area fresh markets from North Georgia and Alabama. The taste and texture of each variety is so different and so delicious. I have recently enjoyed Arkansas Black, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, King Lush, Mutsu, Winesap, Rome, Fuji and Gala. I found a recipe that combines the tart fresh cranberry with the sweet fresh apple that makes a good accompaniment to pork or turkey and vanilla ice cream. You can store in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Or freeze for up to a year.

Cranberry Applesauce

3 to 4 pounds of peeled, cored, roughly chopped apples
1 1/2 cups to 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Place all of the ingredients in a large (5-quart) pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer
and cover. Cook 20-30 minutes, or until the apples can easily be mashed.

2. Remove from heat. Mash the apples and cranberries with a potato masher to the
consistency you want.

Makes 1 1/2 to 2 quarts.

I hope that you will share your favorite Thanksgiving recipes here and more, I hope that you have a great holiday season. Until the next time,

Thank you,

Ginger

Fall decorations, food, and fun

Hello! As I write this, I am trying to visualize those friends who have known me for many years as the Flower Lady or the Bicyclist, and the friends I have made as a new Produce Manager. I read cookbooks like someone else might read a novel. Some of the recipes I make do have surprise endings.

I attended a great event Sunday at the Jule Collins Smith Museum, their birthday bash/family day. Lots of volunteers and a great staff had everything humming with lots of children, parents, and grandparents enjoying the live band featuring "Elvis" or enjoying crafts at the many booths. Food vendors rounded out the event--who doesn't like hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue and hot boiled peanuts.

Fresh apples from North Georgia have been on my mind lately, the Arkansas Black apples are a particular eating favorite, with a crisp bite and an aftertaste of apple, like a fine wine. King Lush is another new apple to me, very juicy. A friend told me how he makes apple butter in the crock pot. Wash, core, cut apples, put in crock pot, turn on low and cook overnight. You can then use a hand mixer to break up any big pieces. I like my apple butter lumpy with a little sugar and cinnamon. Very nice over oatmeal.

As I cycle around Auburn, I have noticed that pumpkins are springing up overnight. There's a nice patch down on S. Gay Street. People are also decorating their porches with garden mums, corn stalks, gourds, and even scarecrows. I ride a little slower and enjoy the view more during the holiday season. How about you?

My next post will be about winter squash--it's not just for decorations. Please share your favorite recipes for using winter squash--butternut, buttercup, sweet dumpling, delicato, acorn, and others. I'll get you started with a simple filling for acorn squash: fresh cranberries, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut the squash in half, fill, put in baking dish with inch of water, and bake on 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Squash should be tender.

Thank you for participating.

Sincerely,

Ginger