Tomato circle

Tomato circle

Friday, February 25, 2011

Farmers Market Feb 19 2011

A great week at the market - it was so nice and sunny. It feels like spring may be on its way! Everyone was in a great mood!

I had seen online that Pleasant Hill Farms would have Strawberry Fire Jelly! We made a bee line to her first thing and stocked up on Jelly as well as their new Corn Black Bean Salsa. It was awesome.



They also sell handmade raised beds. These guys are way off the ground - perfect for someone with a sore back and makes the best of a small space. Save the effort of having to build it yourself and get one from Pleasant Hill Farms instead!




They have special order sizes so stop by the booth for details but here is a quick price list:
2x3 $165
2x4 $175
3x4 $195
4x4 $245
3x6 $305

We saw our friends over at 6J Ranch were they told us they can now process the birds themselves so look out for chicken legs and breast by themselves! I also saw they would have Turkeys like this too! So happy for them and more options for us. I have never seen my husband so happy as when he saw that 6J was selling Local, No GMO Sorghum! Its kinda like dark honey. I definitely married a southern boy!




Johnson Backyard never disappoints with new veggies to take on. This week I though the Brussels Sprouts looked too tasty not to try. Sushi my dog likes them too as you can see in the photo. They are similar in shape. :)
We roasted the Brussels Sprouts last night with olive oil and Kosher Salt/Pepper. They were super tasty but kinda stunk up the house.


Overall, another great day amongst our market friends!


This week we got: French Bread, Green Garlic, Cilantro, Strawberry Flame Jelly, Corn and Black bean Salsa, Chocolate Goats Milk, Half a Chicken, Kale, Crab, Scallops, Cookies, Mushrooms, Blessed Blends Mix, and of course Sorghum.

Farmers Market Feb 12 2011

It was Valentines Week at the market! We were so excited to get Chocolate Covered Strawberries from Sweetish Hill. By far the best I have ever had! There was also a new plant vendor this week - we got the most adorable tropical plant mix. I really hope they become a regular vendor - I love plants! This week we stopped by for some Sweet Tangerines and also bought 2 onion plants. Ive got one planted in a pot and Im saving the other for our garden. Oh - and the new Pretzel vendor is great too! I know she will sell a ton of these salty warm treats! Happy Love Day!


This week our goodies include: Gulf shrimp, Free Range Eggs, White and Black Cookies, Onion Plants, Crumble Pie Slice, Tomatoes, Our Tropical Plant, Beef Skirt Steak, Black Bean Hummus, Jalapeno Cheese, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Tangerines, French Bread and Pretzels!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Oh Deer

My relationship with deer has always been a loving one. It probably began like many of you with Bambi running through the thicket with Thumper. In the 90's - I fell in love with Deary Lou, one of Hello Kitty's buds. And in my 30's, Ive discovered a love for searching for vintage Japanese Deer statues on Ebay. Truth be told, I didn't see myself eating deer anytime soon. In fact, a year ago and I probably wouldn't have even eaten it. Call it Venison if you will but its still Bambi to me.

Fast forward to modern day Mindy - the girl striking out to grow her own veggies, cook something interesting with them, can them, share them, take photos of them, ... blog about them. It just didnt seem right to turn down the offer of "a huge hunk of deer from Kansas" - a coworker offered me. Im trying to be self sufficient, right?

Last week, my freezer looked more like an exotic game ranch - Yak, Bison, Porkbelly, Crab, Shrimp, Whole Chicken and "HHOD" - aka: Huge Hunk of Deer. There was no more room! Something had to be done. It was time to get my jerky on.

The first "different" thing I noticed was when defrosting the "HHOD" - it bled. Like, a lot. For 2 days. I guess I should point out here that the people who gave us the meat most likely cut it up on their kitchen table, stuffed into ziplock bags, and marked it DEER. Absolutely nothing wrong with that - its just when its processed by a ... processor, there is a lot less blood and fur for that matter.



You may know that I have issues touching raw meat so, my husband was kind enough to jump in to be my butcher. Once the "HHOD" was defrosted and rinsed - we were amazed by the sheer amount of it all!




I found this great recipe for deer jerky that had over 50 - 5 star reviews.

Ingredients

* 1 pound boneless venison roast
* 4 tablespoons soy sauce
* 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
* 2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
* 1 tablespoon ketchup
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon onion salt
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Slice meat into long strips, 1 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick. In a large releasable plastic bag, combine soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, ketchup, pepper, garlic powder, onion salt and salt. Place meat in, and close bag. Refrigerate overnight. Knead occasionally, to evenly distribute marinade.





2. Preheat oven to 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Place a pan on the bottom of oven to catch drips, or line with aluminum foil.
3. Place meat strips on a rack so that they do not touch each other, and dehydrate for 6 to 8 hours in the oven, or until desired consistency is achieved.

** We used our Food Dehydrator instead of the oven method. I dried mine for 14 hours - it was a bit overdry so if I made it again, I would do 12 hours.

I really enjoyed how the jerky came out!



There was so much left over from our "HHOD" - that I tossed the rest of the meat with olive oil, seasoned it and baked it with celery, carrots and onion. I then chopped that up and we used the rest for a lean tasty dog food for the week. We had two very happy and well fed pups!


Wednesday, February 16, 2011

New Year at the Market 2011





Its been quite an experience to go through all the seasons with our farmers this year. Along with trying to grow my own vegetables - Ive never been as " in tune " with what is happening in nature around me. When I go in a grocery store and I see all the selection - what stands out to me of where in the country it must be warm enough to grow these veggies and fruits. I'm guessing a lot comes from South America.

I call this season of veggies - the "farty" veggie season. I know. I hate that word. I don't like fart jokes but it truly is the best adjective I can come up with. All the veggies are pretty much broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage. Lots of lots of cabbage. I can completely appreciate the nutritional value of all these plants but at the end of the day, I don't have much desire to eat them. That being said, our grocery grab was lacking much color one week in Jan. I think it was the only time I didn't come home with veggies and fruits. Only one week - that's not too bad.



DOGS IN SWEATERS ALL OVER THE MARKET!

With the new year, we've had some great new vendors start at the market in Jan!


A new tasty addition is Cake and Spoon. They have a huge variety for such a small table! We have indulged in their quiche - I am loving the butternut squash and sage! They also make date bars that taste like something my great grandma used to make. I'm hoping for lemon bars some day too. If you go to the market - you gotta stop by this booth!


Another wonderful find has been the Tamale Place. They have a mix of savory and sweet. We have had their caramel and nut empanadas for the sweet side. We have also gotten the Cactus Tamales each week and are loving their tomatillo sauce. Our regular chip guy has been missing the past two weeks so we have also bought cornchips from here. Yeay for Coconut Oil!


Another cool event happening at the market has been guest chefs doing demo's with food from all the vendors. Our favorite has been Chef Beau Been from Traveling Bistro in Austin. He did an awesome demo with his guest chef Adam from Israel. They made an amazing dish from Pork Cutlets from 6J, Butternut Squash Soup from Aunt Nita and some Bok Choy. We bought all the ingredients and made it at home that week. I saw lots of other shoppers doing the same thing. What a great boost to the vendors and a great cooking lesson!


Monday, February 14, 2011

Cold Texas = Market Mushroom Soup

One of my favorite vendors at our market is Kitchen Pride Mushroom Farms. Not only do they have a wide variety of Shrooms! They also wear very cool shirts - like " Im a Fungi" - both Mike and I enjoy a lil humor at 9 am on Saturday morning.



I tend to buy a half and half bag from these folks - 1/2 baby portabellas and 1/2 white shrooms. I like the mix and what I have read online is that you really need a plan if you buy the oyster shrooms - I rarely have a plan.


I found this simple and amazingly tasty homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe on the fantastic lifesaving website - www.allrecipe.com

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms (I used white)
* 1 cup chopped portobello mushrooms
* 2 shallots, chopped
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth ( I used my own organic)
* 1 cup half-and-half
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the shiitake mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, and shallots for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Mix in the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the chicken broth. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes, or until thick and bubbly.
2. Stir in the half-and-half, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Heat through, but do not boil.





The whole house smelled amazing and the best part was we had plenty to freeze and have later. So creamy! So much better than anything you could ever get in a can. I cant wait to make it again! Let me know if you try it!