Market Notes for Sept. 6
We are just one month away from Henry’s Annual Farm Tour and Festivities, so mark your calendars for Saturday, Oct. 11. We will provide you with more details and the opportunity to purchase meal tickets next week, so stay tuned!
Change of Seasons
Henry says this marks the week when you will see the shift in the seasons in his market stand — from the bright fruits and pungent herbs of summer (bye-bye basil, tomatoes, peppers, melons, etc) to the fall greens and fall roots (welcome back arugula, mizuna, kale, radishes, potatoes, and much more)!
Last Summer Flavors!
You’ll see very few tomatoes this week because very few ripened over the past week of cool days and much cooler nights, often way down in the 50s.
There will be colored bell peppers, and some shishito and hot peppers, and the very last of the watermelons (come early if you want one)!
The wild amaranth greens and purslane are still looking good, so get some of those, as well as some basil and shiso, before their season is over.
Look for the End-of-Summer Sale Prices when you get more than one bunch of Shiso. Toss it in fruit salads, potato and tomato salads, egg salads . . . or use it in whatever you’re making to add an exotic edge!
It’s a great week to get the first fall radishes, with their excellent greens, suitable for soups, stir-fries, sautees and more!
First Fall Delights!
The fall radishes have brilliantly colored, flavorful, crunchy roots, and lush, tasty, nutritious greens!
Get one each of:
- Red Daikon
- Purple Korean Daikon
- French Breakfast Radish
- Red Globe
- Purple Globe
It’s the first week for the mild and delightfully crunchy Japanese Turnips, which also have excellent greens.
Not-to-miss FALL GREENS include:
- Mizuna (pictured above)
- Curly Mustard
- Slick Mustard
- Komatsu-na (aka Henry’s favorite choi), as well as a few other varieties of choi
And it’s the first week for Madeley Kale, Ethiopian Kale, and maybe the Russian Kales, too — see recipe for a quick and delicious massaged kale salad below.
All Your Favorite Potato Varieties, and lots of ‘em!
This is the first week that Henry is digging his amazing German Butterball potatoes, which are every bit as good as they sound!
And it’s also the first week for Magic Molly (dark purple inside and out, see picture below), Yukon Gem (similar to Yukon Gold), and Russet potatoes.
And don’t miss the lovely Amarosa, Carola, Red Prairie, and the best all-purpose potato, the good old Kennebec.
Soft and Flavorful Madeley, Ethiopan, and Russian Kales are great in salads!
This is Madeley, a vigorous heirloom kale from England with large, soft, rounded leaves that are excellent either raw in salads or cooked.
Kale Salad
6 cups kale washed and chopped
½ cup carrot grated
⅓ cup dried cranberries (optional)
¼ cup sunflower seeds (optional)
For the lemon vinaigrette
3 tablespoons lemon juice
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
To make the lemon vinaigrette:
In a medium jar or bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. If using a bowl, whisk until everything is well combined and the vinaigrette is emulsified. If using a jar, just shake it for a minute.
To assemble the salad:
Wash and dry the kale, then roughly chop into bite-sized pieces. Add to a large bowl, drizzle with the lemon vinaigrette, and then with clean hands massage the kale for about 3 minutes.
Combine the massaged kale in a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients (grated carrot, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds). Toss the salad until everything is well combined.
