Market Report: A rainbow’s worth of colorful, in-season produce
Your weekly look at what’s playing at local farmers markets and how to put those finds to work in your kitchen.
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For your weekly look at what’s playing at our local farmers markets and how to put those finds to work in your kitchen, it’s …
A rainbow’s worth of colorful, in-season produce
By Carol Bangert/For Based in Lafayette
“The farmers market was epic!” I texted my husband as I made my way home last weekend. My plan to shop for produce from every color of the rainbow had been a success, and I practically skipped to my car with a bag full of vibrant produce, finding myriad options representing my old friend ROY G BIV. (If that reference is lost on you, you’re probably not from my generation.)
Today’s Market Report showcases the abundance of fruits and vegetables available at farmers markets right now, in all their colorful awesomeness.
Red
You’ll find red produce at every turn at the market. Of course, you’ll find early-spring radishes and beets, but I also spotted potatoes, onions and the first big tomatoes. You can’t go wrong with a simple BLT. But with this lineup, you can serve up a fresh potato salad or grilled veg alongside your favorite grilled protein.
Wes Chadd of Chadd Family Farm says he’s “blowing through potatoes,” particularly the red variety. His go-to: sliced red potatoes, onions and yellow squash prepared on the grill. “Add a meat,” he says, “and you have a meal.”
I also spotted cherries at Thistle Byre Farm. Owner J. Abby Abbott-Rider gets her cherries (and blueberries) from one farm in Michigan, and she cautions that this supply of cherries will be around for only a few weeks. Speaking of the end of the line, the last of the strawberries are here, and I made sure to pick up several cartons at Beck Family Farm.
Finally, though not technically red, Mr. Woody has an array of oyster mushrooms, including a gorgeous blush pink.
Orange
Orange shows off in carrots and beets at the market right now. As I stated in the last Market Report, carrots are a hard pass for me. So, don’t look in this direction for ways to prepare them. Sorry. (Maybe try them with my favorite hummus, recipe below.) Orange beets can be swapped out for red beets. They’re great roasted, steamed and pickled, or grated raw in a salad.
A surprise addition to the orange lineup are chestnut mushrooms, found at both Fungi Meadows and Mr. Woody. They are the most gorgeous color of orange I’ve ever seen. Michelle Kennedy at Fungi Meadows says chestnut mushrooms are great in a stir fry or as a pasta topper. They’ll last about four days in the fridge.
I sautéed a couple handfuls of chestnut mushrooms with carrots (you read that right), snap peas and garlic and added the mixture to udon noodles with a splash of soy sauce. Fabulous.
Straddling the orange/yellow continuum are squash blossoms …
Yellow
You’ll find squash blossoms along with yellow oyster mushrooms, summer squash and pattypan squash – probably the coolest of the cucurbits. If you’ve never used squash blossoms, here’s an easy way to introduce yourself to them: Sauté a handful of clean blossoms in a bit of butter with thinly sliced garlic and a pinch of salt. You’ll get a nice sense of the blossoms’ flavor, which is rather masked when you deep fry them, the most popular way to prepare them. Did you know you can eat the blossoms raw as well? They have a pleasant, slightly sweet taste that might surprise you.
I picked up a few pattypan at Atchley Farm. The squash are rather flat with pretty scalloped edges. Brittani Atchley says pattypan can be prepared similarly to zucchini and summer squash, but she recommends slicing and grilling the little beauties or cutting the tops off and stuffing them with any combination of fillings you like. “Cream cheese, spinach and artichokes are good, or even chicken alfredo,” she says. Bake them until slightly tender and the filling is bubbly.
Green
Tracking down green produce at the farmers market is like looking for fireflies in your yard at dusk. Easy peasy. Green produce is abundant, regardless of the season. Right now, you’ll be greeted by green beans, cucumbers, a few bell peppers, cabbage, broccoli, kale, zucchini and micro greens. I’m sure I’ve overlooked a few. With all these just-picked, in-season green veggies inviting you to take them home, you’d be crazy to not accept the invitation! I’d recommend the first green beans of the season. Thistle Byre Farm has bushels of jade green beans that called my name. I’ll pickle them or add them to a pasta salad.
Blue/indigo
If there is an indigo fruit or veg grown in this part of Indiana, I’ve yet to meet it, so I’m combining blue and indigo into one category, where I found blueberries. These summer jewels are delicious eaten alone or in any number of fresh fruit desserts. They’d be perfect in a sangria, too. I bought three cartons at Thistle Byre Farm, where blueberries were in great supply from a farm in Michigan. When I got home, I washed and rinsed one carton, tossed them into a small sauce pan with a bit of water, a pinch of sugar and some vanilla. I cooked it down into a thick syrup and used it to top a big bowl of Greek yogurt and some of the strawberries I’d purchased. I added some toasted pecans and bananas and called it lunch!
Also in the blue category: blue oyster mushrooms. (I feel like I need to make a “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” pun, but I’ve got nothing.)
Violet/Purple
In my opinion, violet/purple is the most dramatic color at the market, and although my beloved eggplant has not made an appearance yet, I was thrilled to see a few purple representatives – peppers, Thai basil and purple-topped turnips.
Bear Fruit Farm displayed a few bunches of turnips. Chad Scott of Bear Fruit suggests using them in a root mash, along with parsnips and carrots; or roasted. Thai basil at Wabash & Riley Honey Co. stood out in a sea of green herbs. This basil is fragrant with floral tones and makes a nice addition to a mixed green salad.
The colors of the rainbow. That’s early July in Indiana, where farms of every size are growing some of the most beautiful, inviting and nutritious food on the planet. Time to fill your bags with the bounty this little corner of the state has to offer. You will not be disappointed.
I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions that an easy way to try fresh, raw (or lightly steamed) vegetables is with hummus. Unless I’m in a hurry or just lazy, I make my own. Here’s the recipe I use:
Israeli-style Hummus
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, grated
1 cup tahini, stirred well
½ cup ice water, or more as needed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Directions
Step 1
Place chickpeas in a large bowl; cover with water to 2 inches above chickpeas. Soak overnight at room temperature.
Step 2
Drain chickpeas. Place chickpeas and baking soda in a large Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover chickpeas by 4 inches (about 5 cups); bring to a boil. Skim any residue that rises to the surface. (Don’t skip this step.) Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer 50 minutes or until chickpeas are very tender. Drain.
Step 3
Combine juice and garlic in a medium bowl; let stand 10 minutes. Add tahini, stirring with a whisk. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring with a whisk after each addition until tahini mixture falls off whisk in thick ribbons.
Step 4
Place chickpeas in a food processor. Add tahini mixture; process until very smooth. Add salt and cumin; process to combine. Place hummus in an airtight container; refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight.
Other early July produce at the market includes:
Cabbage
Bok choy
Broccoli
Baby carrots
Cucamelons and other cucumbers
Beets
Red, white and green onions
Bell peppers
Garlic and garlic scapes
Radishes
Turnips and salad turnips
Greens (kale, mustard, arugula, lettuce varieties, microgreens)
Lots of herbs ready to pot or place in your garden (Mint, oregano, basil, cilantro, sage, lavender, thyme, chives)
Mushrooms
Potatoes
Green beans
Tomatoes
Zucchini, yellow and pattypan squash, squash blossoms
Blueberries and cherries, Georgia peaches
DAYS/HOURS FOR THE MARKETS
West Lafayette Farmers Market: 3:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, through October. 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.
Thanks for support from Purdue Convocations, presenting Shucked, Riverdance 30, KODO, Clue, Black Panther in Concert, The Wiz, and more! Single-show tickets are now available. Grab your favorite show today or create your own season package and save 10% with a PICK5 subscription! View the full season of dance, theater, music, and ideas, and BUY TICKETS today!
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
Vegetable Pride!
Also: that's tahini turned up to 11. I was going to say something about open sesame, but I got nothing.