The Market Is Open

Good Morning Gatherers & Foragers,
Per usual, things look good in the Market this week. Actually No, not per usual. This time last year, we were in the midst of an awful drought. While we’re by no means a flood zone right now, rain hasn’t totally forsaken us, and the weather is alright. It shows in the abundance we have on the market right now. I hope our farmers are smiling a little in their fields right now.
I just watched the documentary I Am. Have you seen it? It’s interesting. Among other things, it discusses the popular Western notion that we are a species of competitive individuals vs. a cooperative network of connected consciousness (and very aliterate!). I believe it’s true for food: the industrial food system is based on the rule of consumption, of taking more than we need and leaving nothing. Concentrated animal operations, giant stretches of corn. It’s a system out of balance. Our local food system, on the other hand, is founded on cooperation and connectivity. We support a network of growers every week. Farmers leave parts of their acreage fallow for regeneration. We acknowledge and embrace the profound ways in which our lives interlink. Just saying. It’s pretty cool.

Your Per Diem for Locally Grown Food is Infinite…

McSwain Ranch is back in force with grassfed lamb: spare ribs, sirloin and chuck steaks. Meat is a rare menu item for me, mostly because I can’t afford to eat the meat I prefer all the time. So, when I do enjoy it, I like it be as special as possible. Grassfed lamb is definitely my favorite meat treat, always worth the extra change.

Last Beets from Armstead Mountain Farm, until the Fall crop comes in. There’s only a few left. I will miss these little red treasures.

Culinary Celery from Crimmins Family Farm. This crisp heat-tolerant celery packs celery flavor without the excess water. I found it to compliment perfectly the root vegetable slaw I recently made. Get yourself some cabbage, beets, and other root veggies to go with this awesome celery.

For those of you making pickles, there are plenty of pickling cucumbers available, from Hardin, North Pulaski, and Barnhill farms.

Fairytale Eggplant from Rattle’s Garden, Laughing Stock Farms, & Kellogg Valley. All organic/naturally grown. This awesome variety of eggplant is thin-skinned (no peeling necessary) and without bitterness. Here are three eggplant recipes: Eggplant Cake, Eggplant Chocolate Torte, and, of course, Moussaka with Lamb and Eggplant.

Ghost Peppers from Willow Springs Market Garden. Served with a skull and crossbones. Though, as Rebecca showed in her last blog post, eating a ghost pepper is a little like Russian roulette. It may barely register, or it may burn a hole in your esophagus. The risk is the fun!

Arkansas Natural Produce’s Sweet Colored Peppers were literally breathtaking yesterday. Their color is unbelievable. Nutritionists say you should always eat a wide variety of color, in which case, these peppers are little nutrition arks.

Do I need to even tell you that we have tomatoes? I know you’re already looking for them. All I’m eating these days is tomatoes. My pH balance is way off. But they’re so good!

Last but not least, Main Street Apothecary joined us yesterday with their vegan, handmade soaps and lotions. After smelling the Gent’s Bar, I’ll be ordering one in order to accentuate my manliness. Not that it needs any help, right?
Check them out under Bath & Beauty. These ladies are making some seriously high quality products!
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Know a Grower…

Are you familiar with Rattle’s Garden? Tara Stainton is an organic farmer in Vilonia. She’s got tons of okra, eggplant, and cherry tomatoes for us right now. Check out her web and Facebook pages. She was just recently re-certified as an organic grower and is working on an awesome mobile chicken coup. Get to know Rattle’s Garden and achieve a new level of relationship with your food!

Speaking of which, a little tip/trick for shopping through us: when you come for pickup, take a second to walk around the tables and check things out. Look at what each farm grows, look for things you like and make note of that farm. I talk to customers who love what they order but can’t remember where it came from. Knowing WHO is important!

May the winds be gentle, and the rains not-totally-absent!

Sam Hedges