The Market is Open

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, depending on when you open this e-mail,
The Market is open! Things are looking good, despite the fact that Arkansas spontaneously fast-forwarded into Fall. Maybe we’ll just call seasons day by day in the future.
Tonight, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church is hosting a screening of A Place at the Table, in partnership with the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light. The screening takes place at Market Street Cinema, starting at 6pm. The turnout should be great, and ALFN will be in attendance!
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Happy Times with Ice Cream…
The Green Corner Store generously hosted a Happy Hour for the Arkansas Local Food Network yesterday afternoon. $1 from every Soda Fountain drink went to us, and they had their delicious ALFN Fig Chunk ice cream on tap. Liz Sanders, Dwayne McFarlan, Kristin Yates, Juli Brandenberger, and I enjoyed some Corner Store time, and everyone we talked with was happy, because they were eating ice cream. We particularly enjoyed the company of L.C. Ratchford from Ratchford Farms, Robert of Willow Springs Market Garden, and Bo Bennett from the Victory Garden. A big, perpetual thanks to the Loblolly Team and the Green Corner Store. Few places in Little Rock are as heart warming as that place.
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Duck Eggs!
What are they about? Why are they so hip right now? Are they hip? Who said that?
Here is an interesting post making some claims about ducks’ eggs’ superiority over chickens’ eggs. After doing the requisite ten minutes of internet research, I can safely summarize that Duck Eggs pack a slightly bigger nutrient punch, which makes sense, as they’re twice the size of chicken eggs. Nutritionists and the health-obsessed like them for their higher content of Omega-3 fatty acids, but the health-obsessed skeptics are wary of them due to their higher cholesterol content (the value of that information sort of depends on your personal opinion regarding cholesterol’s villainy).
What can be happily noted is this: Duck Eggs have heavy duty shells (longer shelf life) and a higher yolk:whites ratio. For baking, they are ideal: super firm, yolky, etc., which is why chefs love them. There are some duck eggs from Willow Springs Market Garden available on the market right now, so consider this little post should you get the chance to try some. I know The Root Cafe is always putting fried duck eggs on things.
Here are three creative recipes for Duck Eggs
Red Potato Salad w/ Bacon & Duck Eggs.
Smoked Bacon Hash with Fried Duck Egg.
Over Easy Duck Eggs w/ Fontina & Grilled Toast.
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OK Fine this is What’s in the Market…

• Goat Chops from Ratchford Farms. A delicious, complex meat. Here’s a good recipe: Grilled Goat Chops w/ Savory and Garlic. A little goat trivia: the infamous McClard’s Bar-B-Q restaurant started out barbecuing goat meat.
• Cherry Tomatoes from Crimmins’ Family Farm (organic) and ANP. Great fresh, or you can try making Cherry Tomato Ketchup.
• Fresh Cow Peas from Victory Garden. You can cook them like a black eyed pea, so try some Moroccan Cow Peas.
• Tasty fruit on the Market! Organic Cantaloupe from Crimmins Family Farm, Mixed Apples from Willow Springs Market Garden, Elberta Peaches from Barnhill Orchards.
• Basil Galore of all kinds in our Herb Section. You could make the most complex pesto ever with this selection of basil!
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Foodie Findings…
I visited two excellent restaurant establishments this past week: Trio’s and South on Main. I was very pleased to see Armstead Mountain Farm’s organic veggies on Trio’s menu, and the kitchen prepared their excellent veggies deliciously. Most everything on South on Main’s menu is locally sourced from farms you find in our market, including some spectacular fried okra (hint: they pickle it first) from Bussey-Scott. South on Main opens for dinner this Tuesday! Now SoMa can be an all-day food marathon.

Sincerely,
Sam Hedges