Market Report: ‘A game changer’

This week at the farmers markets: Green garlic, leeks pack a flavor punch. Plus, did our guy catch you on Main Street Saturday. Check our Faces of the Mosey gallery

Jun 18, 2025

First up: Welcome back to Based in Lafayette’s newest feature, with a look at what’s in season this week at Greater Lafayette’s farmers markets.

By Carol Bangert / For Based in Lafayette

A few weeks ago at the farmers market I stumbled onto a lovely pile of garlic with an intriguing label: “Green garlic – It’s a game changer!” I love garlic and use it almost daily, but I’d never heard of green garlic. If it could “change the game,” I was all in.

Last week I caught up with the vendor, Kathy Riley-Beck of Wabash & Riley Honey Company, who had a lot to say about green garlic.

“Harvesting the garlic early and bringing it to market green is a rarity,” she says, and the result is a slightly sweet but intense garlic flavor. Once the roots are removed, all parts of the plant can be used. There is no paper between the garlic cloves, so no peeling is needed when using the garlic head. Riley-Beck recommends cutting the shanks and leaves, blending them with olive oil and freezing it in small containers.

“You’ll have that fresh garlic flavor whenever you want it,” she says.

I bought a few of the striking green and white plants and used the cloves as I would mature garlic. I added two to three cloves to my favorite basil pesto recipe and was smitten with the results. I also rubbed a few cut cloves on a Smittybread baguette that I sliced and ran under the broiler. Both are easy ways to experiment with this wonderful spring flavor bomb. A game changer, for sure. Stored in the fridge in a bag, the garlic should last a few weeks.

Look out for leeks

Leeks also are in season, and in my opinion, these spring alliums are underappreciated. What do you do with something that looks like a spring onion that’s been hanging out at the gym? Don’t let that intimidate you. Leeks have a unique, delicate onion flavor but still pack a punch. As with green garlic, the entire plant (minus the roots) is edible. The leaves are terrific sautéed or added to a stir fry, and the white bulbs, chopped or sliced, add great depths to soups (especially chicken soup) and stews.

The downside to leeks is that they hold a lot of dirt and need to be carefully cleaned before use – no one wants a forkful of grit when they taste your lovely mushroom and leek quiche! However, the leeks I picked up at the market were the cleanest I’ve ever seen, and they needed very little attention. Store unwashed leeks in a loosely sealed bag in the refrigerator. They’ll last a week or two.

Here and gone

Carrie Austin, owner of The Austin Acre, had a cheery row of blue boxes filled with tart red cherries. The cherries are tart tart – much like rhubarb – and can be used in similar ways. Austin says they’re great in jams, pies and other baked goods. Sadly, the little red jewels are here and gone. If you were fortunate enough to grab a box or two last week, consider yourself lucky.

Next week: Zucchini has landed!

Other mid-June fruits and vegetables at the market include:

Red, white and spring onions
Radishes
Beets
Bok choy
Garlic and garlic scapes
Greens (kale, mustard, arugula, lettuce varieties)
Herbs, both plants and cuttings (Chives, spearmint, oregano, sage, basil, parsley, thyme, catnip, lavender)
Kohlrabi
Baby carrots
Salad turnips
Rhubarb
Strawberries

DAYS/HOURS FOR THE MARKETS

West Lafayette Farmers Market: 3:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, through October. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the West Lafayette market. The market is held at Cumberland Park in West Lafayette with more than 50 vendors.

Lafayette Farmers Market: 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays, through October, on Fifth Street between Columbia Street and mid-block to Ferry Street, and Main Street between Fourth and Sixth streets.

Purdue Farmers Market: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursdays, through October. The Purdue Farmers Market is held on the Memorial Mall on Purdue’s campus. This market is a concession-heavy market that allows students, faculty and staff to have lunch options in a unique outdoor setting.

Carol Bangert, editor of Greater Lafayette Magazine, has been a regular at Greater Lafayette farmers markets for more than 20 years. From May through October, she’ll scout out in-season produce at the markets and report back on fresh finds and how to use them.

FACES OF THE MOSEY: DID OUR GUY CATCH YOU THERE?

Things have been a bit heavy lately, right? But the temperatures and the band were on it Saturday at the June edition of Mosey Down Main Street. BiL correspondent Tim Brouk – the guy behind our weekly Tim’s Picks – was out with a camera, catching some of the faces on Main Street that night.

See yourself? See a friend? Tag and share.