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Cold weather can't stop the abundance of great local produce at the first Holiday Farmers' Market By Christine Barbour December 3, 2003 Nothing makes me prouder and happier to live in Bloomington than a summer Saturday morning stroll around the Bloomington Farmers Market. I love to crowd up to the colorful farm stands with my fellow market-goers, and to mill around munching on sweet, salty kettle corn, sampling cheeses, honeys and yogurt, and breathing the tantalizing aromas of fresh herbs and Bakehouse bread. The Market makes my heart brim with affection for this community that has been my home for very nearly 30 years, and I miss it sorely when the chilly days of fall herald the close of the Market season.
So I danced a (private) little jig of happiness last spring when Marcia Veldman, the Community Events Coordinator for Bloomington Parks and Recreation, told me that this year there would be an encore performance of the Market on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. The vibrant summer vegetables and floral bouquets would be gone, but there would be early winter treats – locally-grown Christmas trees and holiday wreaths and apple cider, not to mention season-appropriate guest appearances by live reindeer and the Tuba Santas.
But who imagined, on that late March morning when we discussed it, with all the warm promise of summer yet before us, that it would be so unbelievably cold on the appointed day? The 2003 Holiday Market was at once heart-warming and bone-chilling. When we showed up around 10:30, just a half an hour after it started, there had already been a run on the Trader’s Point Creamery hot chocolate. But there was a good turnout – people were happy to be there, the frosty air was filled with the smell of kettle corn and the sound of carols, and it was great to see the vendors again, some of them in their familiar summer spots.
They had brought a super selection of winter produce (squashes, apples, greens, and nuts – even some late tomatoes!), cheeses (cow and goat), milk, yogurt, honey, polenta, lamb, and beef. We picked up gorgeous rainbow-colored swiss chard, deep green curly-leafed kale, and marinated goat feta with sun dried tomatoes (thinking they would all make a delicious pasta dish with toasted pumpkin seeds, which they did) and some lamb shanks (to braise with red wine, white beans and tomatoes.)
The chance to buy these wonderful, locally produced foods directly from the people who produce them was worth braving the cold. My commitment to eating locally-grown, organic products has grown over the year that I have been writing this column and visiting local farms and markets. I think food tastes better when it doesn’t have to travel long distances and sit on store shelves, and I know that I feel better and healthier without all the pesticides, drugs, and other chemicals that are necessary when food is produced on a colossal scale. Besides, I believe in supporting small producers who are working hard to preserve a vanishing way of life, and I like to keep my dollars in the local economy.
The summer Farmers Market suits my invest-in-the-community, sustainable agriculture, local/seasonal/regional, Slow Food self right down to the ground, but winter presents something of a challenge. Bloomingfoods carries a lot of Indiana farm products all year and O’Malia’s and Marsh sometimes carry a few, but once the Market closes, the options are limited for purchasing products directly from the source.
So I showed up on Saturday to shop, but also to compile a list of food vendors whose farm products are available for purchase all winter long – either from farm market sales, or mail order. Many of them do sell to the public (though most of the ones who manage to grow greens all winter, like Heartland Family Farm and Meadow Lark Organic Farms, the grower of our beautiful chard and kale, sell primarily to local chef, Dave Tallent. I guess I don’t begrudge him the produce since he cooks with it so beautifully at his new venue, Restaurant Tallent at 620 West Kirkwood Ave, where all kinds of local foods rule!)
Here’s a list of vendors who sell to the public during the winter months. If you are into locally produced, great tasting food, give them a call. (And if I have missed anyone or you know of someone who should be on the list, please let me know!!)
Lamb Shanks, White Beans and Tomatoes From Joanne Weir, More Cooking in the Wine Country (NY: Simon & Schuster, 2001.)
1 ½ cup (¾ lb.) dried navy, white kidney, or cannellini beans 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 6 lamb shanks (½ to ¾ lb. each) 1 yellow onion, cut into ¼ inch dice 1 stalk celery, cut into ¼ inch dice 2 large carrots, cut into ¼ inch dice 6 cloves of garlic, minced 1 ½ cups dry red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, Merlot) 2 ½ cups chicken stock 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1 ½ cups peeled, seeded, chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1 bay leaf salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley
Pick over the beans and discard any stones or damaged beans. Place them in a bowl, cover with plenty of water, and soak for 4 hours or overnight. Drain. Place the beans in a saucepan with enough fresh water to cover by 2 inches. Simmer, uncovered, until the skins begin to crack and beans are tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
In a deep, heavy ovenproof casserole, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the lamb shanks and brown them on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes total. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pan and cook, uncovered, until the onions are soft, 10 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the wine, chicken stock, tomato paste, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and lamb shanks. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the shanks can be easily pierced with a skewer, 1½ to 2 hours. Add the beans, stir well, cover, and simmer slowly until the lamb begins to fall from the bone, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a bowl, combine the lemon zest and parsley. Place the lamb and beans on a serving plate and garnish with the parsley mixture.
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