Farmers Market Starts and Ends One Hour Earlier this Week

Farmers Market Starts and Ends One Hour Earlier This Week

            This weekend is the annual Gunfest at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds.  Due to this event, Farmers’ Market will be moved back one hour, starting at 8:00am and ending at 11:00am.  Also, the outside vendors will not be in their normal spots.  The vendors will set up starting at the end of the building, rather than at the front gate as normal.  We are sorry for any inconvenience this creates for our customers.  The farmers still have plenty of great produce to sell so we hope you will still come out and find us.  Our income depends on the goods we sell at market, so please take time to seek us out in spite of the changes.

            The other night I made a big family dinner to celebrate my mother’s birthday.  The main dish featured bone-in smoked pork chops from one of our meat vendors at market.  I prepared them in a way I have never cooked pork chops.  I had so many to cook and needed to figure out the best way to keep them warm until we were ready to eat.  So, here is what I came up with.  I dredged them in flour, to which I had added chopped fresh rosemary and sage, and browned them in an iron skillet with butter and garlic.  I did them in batches of four because that is what fit in the skillet.  After I finished frying each pan of chops I made a batch of gravy from the bits in the skillet, the seasoned flour, a little more butter, and chicken stock.  I also added a touch of my homemade maple syrup to the gravy.  Then I put the chops in my big electric roaster set at 350º to cook in the gravy and become tender.  This worked out really well.

            As we sat down to eat I told the family I had “experimented” with the pork chops and wasn’t sure how they turned out.  They all looked at the meat with an expression of uncertainty, which, in turn, made everyone laugh.  I’m not sure who was the first brave soul to dig in, but soon everyone followed suit with gusto.  I’ll chalk that one up in the “win” column for recipes. 

Our meal was almost completely local food, as I served applesauce made with Melrose and Honeycrisp apples I had purchased at market as well.  Mashed potatoes and salad rounded out the meal.  I topped my homegrown salad greens with nasturtiums from my garden.  These pretty yellow and orange flowers have a slightly peppery taste.  I had to explain to the family that, yes, the flowers were meant to be eaten.  I think everyone gave them a try, but we’ll mark that one in the “tie” column, since they did not receive rave reviews from all who tried them.  

            Since there is no way I could quantify my pork chop recipe—I was making it up as I went—I thought I had better find another “real” recipe to share this week.  As I was about to look through my winter squash recipes I received an email from one of my seed companies with the following recipe.  It was so timely that I just had to try it and when I tasted it, it was so delicious I knew I had to share it with you.  www.kitchengardenseeds.com/recipes           

Butternut Squash Shrimp Bisque

·  1/2 cup sweet butter

·  1 cup diced onions

·  1/2 cup all-purpose flour

·  5 1/2 cups chicken stock

·  5 cups diced and peeled butternut squash (about 3 lbs.)

·  1 cup dry white wine

·  3 bay leaves

·  1 cup whipping cream

·  Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

·  1 pound small, uncooked, peeled and cleaned shrimp

Melt the butter in a heavy, large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until transparent while stirring for about 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir for 3 minutes until slightly golden. Add the stock slowly while whisking constantly and bring to a boil. Add the squash, wine and bay leaves and simmer until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves. Puree in small batches in the blender, pouring the pureed batches into a clean soup pot. Before serving, reheat the soup and add the shrimp. Simmer briefly until the shrimp turns pink. Serve immediately. Serves 8.