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Farmers Market Thankful!

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It is time to participate in my favorite summertime activity – stand over the sink with a ripe tomato in one hand and the salt shaker in another.

The taste that erupts in my mouth from a freshly picked warm tomato grown in the hot sunshine of July cannot be equaled as far as I am concerned.

Honestly, in the summer I can become a vegetarian. Thanks to the Franklin County Farmers Market I had my favorite meal last week and for several nights thereafter – silver queen corn on the cob and a sliced fresh pink tomato.

I went to the Farmers Market last week with an ingredient list in my head. We were celebrating Granville Coblin’s 62nd birthday with a picnic at Cathy and Phillip Kring’s and I wanted my dishes to be as fresh as they could be for the special occasion.

And as it turned out, I wasn’t the only one cooking for the celebration with commodities from the market, as you will see later.

First on my list were Roma beans – my favorite. But they were not to be had and in fact one grower told me of the yards of rows he has, so far he has only picked about two gallons. The continuous hot heat has not served their development well. So five pounds of tenderettes it was.

Next, on my list were new red potatoes to steam on top of the beans. I want the ones no bigger than a quarter. I could eat them like popcorn. I have actually spent a great deal of time at the market going through the bushels of potatoes to pick just the right ones.

And to go with the beans and potatoes I needed what my family knows as Dukes, a salsa-like concoction that sat on my Grandfather Crittenden’s table and my mother’s table during the summer. According to both, neither could say why they were called Dukes. The recipe came from my grandmother who died before I was born and was a staple on her table for all types of beans in the summer.

Ingredients include tomatoes, onions, and cayenne peppers. My family loves the dish and expects to find it on the table when fresh green beans are part of the menu. The Kring family has come to love the dish. I figured Granville, Polly and their extended family needed to experience the dish as well.

Crittenden Dukes

1 large ripe tomato chopped

1 onion chopped

1-2 cayenne peppers (the long very thin green ones) – number depends on your taste for heat. Remove seeds and dice. If you leave the seeds, the dish can become very hot. My grandfather left them.

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup white or cider vinegar

Mix all together; cover with a handful of ice cubes. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.

Last on my list were yellow squash, corn, tomatoes and onions for a summer recipe we have come to enjoy and given to me by Rex Lyons, the first owner of Holly Hill Inn and former executive director of the Governor’s Mansion when I worked for Judi Patton.

Colache

(Pronounced like goulash)

4 summer squash (yellow), cut into cubes

4 ears fresh corn, cut from the cob

3 tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 onions, coarsely chopped

Salt and lots of black pepper

Melt one-half cup butter in pot, add onion and cook until translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir and cook covered for at least 20 minutes. 

To me, the Farmers Market is better than a candy store and right on par with Magee’s Bakery. In other words, I love everything sold there.

And talk about candy, I had to have a pint of chocolate cherry tomatoes. I first had them last year when Wilson’s was selling a few organically grown vegetables at the nursery. It was love at first bite.

I’m not the only one shopping the Market for fresh ingredients to prepare dishes. 

Judy Ziegler posted a recipe for Eggplant Patties last week on Facebook. Eggplant in several varieties is available now.

She writes: “Loving Farmer’s Market this time of year!” 

Eggplant Patties 

1 cup eggplant, peeled, diced and cooked until tender

3/4 cup cooked rice (Judy prefers whole grain) 

1 egg 

3 T flour 

1/2 t salt and black pepper 

Dash red pepper sauce or Creole seasoning 

2 T grated onion 

1/2 c cheddar cheese 

Mix ingredients. Cover and chill. 

Drop by teaspoonfuls in olive oil in skillet; brown on both sides. 

Serve with salsa or sliced tomatoes.

I learn a lot

What I love about the Farmers Market is how much I learn from the farmers and growers. As for varieties, who knew there were so many types of onions, tomatoes, turnips, potatoes?

I also love the many prepared products that are available. From bread to pickles to jellies and jams to cakes, all prepared with locally grown products. 

Ziegler brags that she spent $8 on her most recent trip for her vegetables and watermelon. I, on the other hand, am good for the market’s economy. A dozen ears of corn, five pounds of green beans, six pounds of tomatoes, several pounds of squash, cucumbers (only the small ones), onions, cayenne peppers, chocolate tomatoes, and lots of new potatoes, no larger than a quarter and I had no money left in my wallet.

Available now are blackberries, blueberries, peaches, cantaloupe and watermelon. Now doesn’t that sound like a beautiful fruit bowl. They are on my next shopping list.

Kelli Coblin, Granville Coblin’s daughter-in-law, prepared a delicious blackberry cobbler for his birthday celebration with huge blackberries purchased at the farmers market. We topped it off with homemade vanilla ice cream prepared by his daughter Susan Abney.

Susan also made a homemade pistachio ice cream. It was delicious with its hint of almond on her fresh peach pie. 

Speaking of watermelon, I recently learned a health tip. Don’t chill it until you have cut it or are ready to eat it. It seems antioxidants continue to develop, but chilling stops the process. Who knew?

I always feel as though I am getting the best quality that can be bought when I shop the Farmers Market even including eggs and meat.

While I grow a few herbs, they are in abundance as well. So are flowers, the beautiful flowers of summer.

Our dinner at the Krings began with delicious Maryland Crab Cakes. They were made by Granville’s sister-in-law Woo Sweeney who brought the fresh crab with her from Maryland. Polly Coblin made one of the best bruchettas I have ever eaten which used fresh yellow and red peppers.

A vegetable that is always begging for recipes is the zucchini. Try this one that I make every summer and have even frozen zucchini to make it in the winter. It was given to me by Cathy Kring’s mother and I promise it is delicious and would make a great appetizer.

Ma Bell’s Zucchini Pancakes

In a bowl, combine:

3 cups coarsely grated raw zucchini

1 egg lightly beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

Sift ½ cup flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder over the zucchini. Mix thoroughly.

Drop the mixture by ¼ cupfuls on a lightly oiled griddle or in skillet and cook the pancakes until they are browned on both sides.

Serve them with melted butter and lots of grated Parmesan cheese. 

We call Phillip Kring the grill master. I have enjoyed his food for 20 years as friend and former neighbor. Smoked chicken was our meat (or as Food Network calls it – our protein) for this celebration and as usual, it was to die for and one of my all-time favorites of what Phillip prepares, although his steaks will melt in your mouth.

As we sat at long tables, inside unfortunately because of the heat, I was reminded how wonderful it is to gather at picnics and potlucks and be surrounded by friends. 

There is no better time than now to get-together and because of the Franklin County Farmers Market serve up some of the freshest and most delicious food you will ever eat.

While the slogan is “Kentucky Proud,” mine is “Farmers Market Thankful.”