Rutherford County Farmer's Market
Produce for the People!
Rutherford County, N.C.-- locavore paradise? With an unbroken agricultural tradition which has always valued gardening and raising cattle, chicken, and hogs, the idea of 'farm to table' did not have to be reinvented here. The Farmer's Market serves as an efficient and pleasant means of getting the producer together with people who are looking for healthy fresh local food that is grown with love by their neighbors.
Here is a incomplete list of things we have enjoyed from the market so far this year: blueberries, lettuce, new potatoes, pork sausage (breakfast and brats), pork shoulder for the smoker, old timey Cherokee tomatoes (as well as grape tomatoes), shallots, shiitake mushrooms, honest-to-goodness farm fresh eggs, locally baked baguettes, cucumbers, kale, swiss chard, basil, genuine Carolina shrimp from the docks at St. Helena Island; and lantana, butterfly bush and bee balm for the butterfly garden. Every Saturday morning is like a treasure hunt, looking to find the new arrivals. Okra, anyone?
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The Farmer's Market is located in downtown Forest City on Depot Street, adjacent to the Florence Mill. Hours are 8:00 AM till Noon, Saturdays and Tuesdays.
Check us out on Facebook! Updated several times per week with new veggie arrivals and other information. Please Like us, and Share too!
www.facebook.com/pages/Farmers-Market-of-Rutherford-County/123560904398572
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Some Summertime Recipes
Watermelon and Tomato Salad (Stolen from Mary Councill)
A simple and delicious concoction of cubed watermelon, tomato, and cucumber (optional). Refrigerate and then add fresh mozzarella just before serving.
Mary's patented dressing really makes it: a quantity of vegetable or olive oil, mixed with half that amount of balsamic vinegar, with chopped oregano and basil, minced garlic, and pepper. Add a dolop of honey or other sweetener if you like.
Peel 'em & eat 'em sauteed shrimp, with tarragon vinegar. (Purloined from the famous Lee Brothers, of Charleston). My parents in the low country of South Carolina usually prepared shrimp by the traditional method of a brief immersion in crab boil, then served in bowls with each diner peeling his/her own. This is similar, just about as easy, but better flavor I think.
Use Carolina shrimp, just about any size, medium preferred. Salt and pepper the shrimp. In a stainless or non-stick skillet (not cast iron) of ample size melt a quantity of butter with olive oil, amount dependent on size of pan. Medium high heat. When the butter starts to foam add the shrimp and watch carefully. When the shrimp turns pink flip them over with your spatula and add enough tarragon vinegar to partially cover the sides of the shrimp. Use the spatula to mix the shrimp in the butter/oil/vinegar mixture.They will finish cooking in just a few minutes. Remove promptly and serve immediately if possible. Don't let the tarragon vinegar throw you- simply make your own by immersing a few sprigs of tarragon (from the Farmer's Market perhaps) in a suitable container with plain vinegar for a few days or weeks. I use a wine bottle as I seem to have one handy almost all the time.
Fennel - Apple Salad Contributed by Marie Chan, Asana Herb Farm
(Makes 4-6 half cup servings)
1 Fennel bulb (medium to large) – cored and very thinly sliced (with a mandolin if available)
Save ¼ C chopped fennel fronds for garnish.
1 medium sweet, crisp apple (like Gala, Fuji, Honey Crisp, Red or Golden Delicious) –
Leave the skin on, halved, cored and thinly sliced (with a mandolin if available)
¼ C red onion – thinly sliced
Juice from ½ a lemon, sprinkle over fennel and apple to prevent browning.
Dressing:
½ C mayonnaise
1 Tbsp sour cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey, agave nectar or maple syrup
More lemon juice to thin out dressing and to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.
Mountain Trout, pan fried One of the unique offerings at our Farmer's Market is locally raised rainbow trout. Bob Young and family utilize the clear fast-flowing water available at their farm in the mountains of north western Rutherford county to produce these prized fish for restaurants around Lake Lure and Spartanburg, and also for lucky farmer's market shoppers. Here is Bob's favorite recipe for this delicacy. "Use a cast iron skillet with a little butter or canola or walnut oil. Season the fish with your favorite spices. I like smoked paprika or soul food seasoning but salt and pepper will do. Medium heat or medium high depending on your burner but be sure the pan is hot before the fish goes in, skin side down. After two or three minutes the edges of the skin will begin to look done. Flip it to flesh side down for 1 minute just to get a quick sear on the flesh. Flip it back to skin side down, now the goal is to get the skin crunchy, which you can feel with the spatula. Get it good and crunchy- it will be almost burnt looking. Serve skin side up, EAT!"
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Hessie and Wade Tipton farm in the Mt. Vernon area of Rutherford County, and they do it with a passion. They regularly set out 800 tomato plants of many varieties (including Cherokee, Brandywine, and other heirlooms) as well as peppers and corn and cantaloupe and many different kinds of squash and beans. And watermelon, lots of watermelon- in fact ten acres of watermelon. Mentioning this causes Hessie to roll her eyes, thinking of all the work that means, but Wade is up to the task, and delights in sharing the bounty.
Here is their trailer on a Saturday morning, loaded with watermelon, cantaloupe, and corn...
And Wade slicing some ice-cold watermelon to share with visiting school children...
Nothing better on a hot summer day. Come out and 'get you some' !
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Ruthie and Jon Hanson are Flip Flop Farms, and they are very familiar to Farmer's Market regulars.
They moved here from Beaufort SC, where Jon was a Chef, in 2011. Since then they have worked steadily on developing their farm, and now have a wide variety of offerings, including locally raised and processed pasture pork and goat meat. soap made from goat milk, eggs (they have a large flock of free range hens), Carolina shrimp which Jon has access to from his contacts down at the coast, seasonal produce, and baked goods. In fact baking is such a passion with Ruthie that they recently opened a bakery and farm store in Bostic with a certified kitchen that allows them to also offer special jams and other delicacies. For example Minions are all the rage, so why not Minion cupcakes?
And here is a recipe from Ruthie and Jon for a Peach Salsa, great with grilled fish, chicken, pork or just tortilla chips. 1 lb. tomatoes diced
1 bell pepper, finely diced and seeded
2 jalapenos, diced and seeded
1 onion, finely diced
1 1/2 lbs peaches, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Stop by on Saturday morning and say hi to Jon and Ruthie!
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Bean Salad recipe. Just in time for the various beans making their appearance, here is a recipe to please from Dale Young. Feel free to modify to suit what you have at hand:
Green and Wax Bean Salad
8 ounces green beans, trimmed
8 ounces yellow wax beans, trimmed
8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
Cook all beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain well. Pat dry, then wrap in paper towels.
Combine beans, tomatoes, onion and basil in serving bowl. Whisk oil, vinegar, ginger and sugar in small bowl to blend. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Add dressing to vegetables; toss to coat. Cover; chill at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, tossing occasionally.
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Generations of Gardeners
Alice Roberts and her mom Geraldine (Gerry) Hutchins Roberts are members of the third and fourth generations of their family to grow good things on their property on Birch Hutchins Road. Alice teaches math at East Middle, and Gerry is a retired nurse who earned her degrees at UNC Charlotte and Case Western. On their three + acres (with greenhouse) they produce seasonal vegetables for the market, but specialize in flowers to propagate and as cut flower arrangements. They have a regular clientele so on Saturday mornings it is a good idea to stop by their booth early. Here is Alice setting up on a recent Saturday morning.
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Fried Green Tomato Revolution. Dale Young sent along this recipe for an old favorite with a modern twist. We recently tried it using some late season green tomatoes from Dale and Bob's farm, fixing as per below alongside other 'maters done in the traditional way. Three generations of us voted with our forks, and Dale's version was gone first, in a landslide. Adjust ingredients to taste and what might be handy, but the goat cheese and parm are essential. This is a new favorite for us.
2 green tomatoes, sliced thin
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
package of goat cheese
Canola oil for frying
Combine the flour, corn meal, parmesan and spices in a zip lock bag and mix well.
Spread a thin layer of the goat cheese in both sides of each tomato slice and
add to the zip lock bag. Shake well to coat. Let the tomatoes rest in the coating for
30 minutes. Pour enough canola in a large skillet to cover the bottom and heat
to medium heat. Fry tomatoes until golden brown, about two minutes on each side.
Serve immediately.
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The Produce Lady, recipes galore. Ever-helpful NC State operates a nifty website with tons of information about local produce, including a very useful recipe page from covering everything from apples to zucchinis. This link will take you right to it.
http://www.theproducelady.org/recipes/
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Marie Chan, Ansana Herb Farm. Marie, and her husband Bill Casp, are well known to Farmer's Market regular customers. Marie expertly grows many varieties of common and not-so-common herbs, and advises on their use. For most of the growing season she has fresh basil for pesto, and other fresh herbs like tarragon and dill, and peppers including uncommon types. Starting in the late summer she dries and jars herbs for use over the winter.
Here are some herbs that she usually has available:
Marjoram, Fennel Seed, Coriander Seed, Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Parsley, Bay Leaves, Summer Savory, and Thai Pepper Flakes.
And these mixes:
Italian Seasoning (Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme)
Herbes de Provence (Marjoram, Savory, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Fennel, and Lavender).
I have lots of these lined up on the windowsill near the stove at our house, and get panicky when I run low on the Italian or the Pepper Flakes. And they are a great gift idea. People really appreciate them, individually or as boxed assortments at Christmas or whenever. And if you are going over to a friend's for dinner they make a nice alternative to the usual bottle of wine. Though both would be good!
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