Market Report: Timing is everything
What’s playing at the local farmers markets? Time to get into scapes and snap peas. Plus, new grand opening plans – plus a day of free rides – for the Columbian Park carousel.
Timing is everything: Scapes and snap peas
By Carol Bangert/For Based in Lafayette
In Robin Wall Kimmerer’s thoughtful little book “The Serviceberry,” the author, describing Indigenous peoples, writes, “Instead of changing the land to suit their convenience, they changed themselves. Eating with the season is a way of honoring abundance, by going to meet it when and where it arrives.”
Isn’t that precisely what the farmers market invites us to do?
Sure, you can shop “seasonal” produce at the grocery store, but was it grown locally? Or did it cross time zones to find you? I promise that nothing a grocery store has to offer, no matter how beautiful and ripe and alluring it may look, compares to something in-season and fresh from the ground. A few beautiful examples are here for a short time at our farmers markets, and now’s the time to honor their abundance.
Don’t let these escape
Several farmers displayed bunches of stunning, bright green shoots. At first, I thought these were out-of-control spring onions. Wrong. These were garlic scapes, the green stalks that emerge from the center of garlic bulbs. Scapes have a subtle garlic flavor and are great in myriad dishes. Every farmer I spoke to was happy to talk about them.
Brittani Atchley of Atchley Farm uses raw scapes scattered atop soups and pizzas; sautéed with asparagus; or lightly battered and fried. Chad Scott at Bear Fruit Farm uses the larger shoots in pestos and the smaller ones in sautés or on the grill. “They are great in stir fries and Asian cuisines. Try them blanched with soy sauce,” he suggests.
To store, wash the scapes, cut off the tough bottoms, place them in an unsealed plastic bag in the fridge, and they’ll last a few weeks. You also can place them in a jar of water in the fridge (like you would asparagus) with similar results. They can be frozen as well. Scapes are in season now through mid-summer. I’m guessing you won’t find garlic scapes at the supermarket, so pick some up while they’re around.
Snap these up
I was thrilled to see the first sugar snap peas of the season at the market. These pudgy green pods are a quintessential taste of late spring – trust me, the bag you pick up at the grocery store doesn’t stand a chance against snap peas fresh from the field. If you’re new to snap peas, don’t waste your time removing the peas from the pod. The pod is edible, although you’ll want to remove the stringy membrane along the seam. They are great raw with hummus or just a sprinkle of salt. Serve them raw on a crudité, blanched, sautéed or roasted. In my opinion, though, the less you mess with snap peas, the better.
J. Abby Abbott-Rider at Thistle Byre Farm has edible pea pods, which are pale green and curvy, but they are essentially snap peas. Abbott-Rider likes them raw, steamed and in stir fries. The vendor at the Weathered Plow suggests enjoying snap peas with ranch dressing (probably a great strategy for beginners), roasted or sautéed.
This cool-season crop won’t be around for long, so grab some while you can. Store sugar snap peas in a sealed bag in the fridge. They’ll last about a week, but I’m betting they’ll be gone by then.
Consider including these in your meal plans:
Cabbage: Don’t overlook this hefty spring veg. Cabbage is delicious steamed, roasted, sautéed or turned into sauerkraut. Cabbage is a space hog, so store it on your countertop until ready to use. Refrigerate any left over. Chop a head of cabbage into large chunks and freeze them raw. They are a great addition to a winter minestrone when the snow is flying in January.
Bok choy: Daniel Fagerstrom of Fairstream Farms calls bok choy “the most versatile green you can use.” It’s great fresh – treat it like celery with a smear of peanut butter – and works beautifully in stir fries, soups and sautés. Bok choy is a nutritional powerhouse, and Fagerstrom dubs it “the calcium queen.” The greens store well in the fridge for weeks.
White beets: Scott of Bear Fruit Farm pointed out fresh-picked white beets. Not as earthy as familiar red beets, the white variety is sweet and makes a beautiful puree. Added bonus: working with white beets won’t leave you looking like a knife-wielding serial killer.
In the next Market Report: Facing my garden nemesis.
Other early June produce at the market includes:
Asparagus
Cabbage
Bok choy
Baby carrots
Beets
Red and green onions
Garlic and garlic scapes
Radishes
Salad turnips
Bok choy
Greens (kale, mustard, arugula, lettuce varieties)
Lots of herbs ready to pot or place in your garden (Mint, oregano, basil, cilantro, sage, lavender, thyme, chives)
Rhubarb (near the end of the season)
Strawberries
The first green beans
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.
THIS AND THAT …
POSTPONED: THE RETURN OF THE COLUMBIAN PARK CAROUSEL: We all know you’re excited to check out the long-awaited return of the carousel at Lafayette’s Columbian Park. But hang on.
The city is pulling back on Wednesday’s grand opening in anticipation of heavy weather through the day.
A ribbon cutting is now set for 10 a.m. Friday, June 19, at the recently built carousel building between the entrances to the Columbian Park Zoo and Tropicanoe Cove. Rides the rest of the day will be free.
After Friday, rides will cost $3, available from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. during the park’s peak season. The park has been without a carousel since 1998, when the original was removed for Columbian Park’s renovations. Designed by Barrango Carousels, the new carousel features 30 hand-crafted animal figures and two ADA chariot-style benches for riders.
Thank you for supporting Based in Lafayette, an independent, local reporting project. Free and full-ride subscription options are ready for you here.
Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.