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Local Food
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Written by Carolyn Goodwin
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Wednesday, 25 March 2009 22:14 |
Want to put an end to this seemingly endless winter? The opening of the Bainbridge Island Farmers' Market on Saturday, April 11 should do the trick. Even if the farmers need to dust a little snow off as they pick, they will bring fresh produce to an island eager for something new and green.
The Market will open at 9 am, and since quantities are limited you'll want to get there early. Early offerings will be mostly in the hardy greens category. But a fresh local salad tastes amazingly good after a winter of grocery greens. Crumble some creamy Port Madison Farm goat cheese over the top and you'll finally get a taste of spring.
Butler Green Farm also has spinach, bok choy, leeks and carrots. Our favorite Island food blog, Small Potatoes, recently posted a tasty recipe for Spinach Pie that would be a perfect way to celebrate your first bag of local spinach. Brian's bok choy is fabulous, this week I steamed it with some shiitake mushrooms and cod fillets in a super-simple recipe that is wonderful over some brown basmati rice. It will be even better with some of the fresh halibut that just hit T&C this week.
Betsey Wittick of Laughing Crow Farm will bring some overwintered potatoes and cabbage (I'm working through the box of German Butterball potatoes I bought from her at the end of last season, and they still make great eating). Rebecca Slattery of Persephone Farm always has some interesting early-season crops like cardoons, which are at their best in the late winter.
Everyone's talking about Robin and Kate Briggs, the sister team that brought fabulous bread to the Market last year. This year they're adding soup to their offerings, made with fresh local ingredients. They're growing some of their own produce this year on land managed by the Trust for Working Landscapes (TWL), with a little help, and some tractor time, from Betsey Wittick. Borscht might be on the menu on opening day -- what better to ward off the lingering chill?
For more information, location and contact information, visit the Bainbridge Farmers Market website. See you there!
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