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The Market is Open


This post expired on August 25, 2023.

Good Morning Ya’ll,
I live in Hillcrest and have witnessed a rabbit invasion over the past year and a half. There are rabbits everywhere; there is a rabbit outside my window right now. Rabbit meat is good. People used to work hard to catch rabbits; this guy is right outside my window. No, I’m not going to eat him. How would I do that, hypothetically? I’m just saying, it’s early, and I haven’t reigned my brain in yet.

Sometimes I take for granted the locavore community that surrounds me, until I have a conversation with someone who, GASP, doesn’t really care whether meat is grassfed or raised in a fortress of inhumane cruelty.

I just had such a conversation with someone who sort of suggested that I only eat pasture-raised meat because I like being difficult and ruining her dinner parties.
She did not think that CAFO’s were all that bad.
I said, well why don’t you go spend some time in one?

The truth as I understand it, dear preached-to choir, is that what you put in your body matters, and animals raised in freakish circumstances become an extension of your circumstances when you ingest them, biologically, ethically, etc. That concept, I think, is pretty old. But it’s difficult to muster the care when CAFO’s are so hidden behind the industrial veil. All we consumers see, all we are evolved to really care about, are price tags. With a little education or drastic life change, your perspective can change, but it doesn’t seem to stick for everyone.

The rabbit is in the exact same spot. You know, I kind of feel glad for the little guy. Rabbits live in a perpetual state of fear, but he’s getting to enjoy a quiet Sunday morning on my lawn. Unnatural, maybe, but everyone deserves a break.
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What we got here is a Market

  • Flat Iron Steak from Ratchford Farms. The perfect grilling steak, LC Ratchford says, for its uniform thickness. It’s hot! Grill!
  • Just cooked up a mess of Farm Girl’s Chorizo. With onion, garlic, and cherry tomatoes, it is just delicious. Toss it with some shredded cabbage, roasted peppers, fridge-pickled banana peppers (Thank You Kellogg Farm), creme fraiche, cumin, smoked paprika, and lime juice? Boy howdy.
  • Organic Butternut Squash from Crimmins! I love Butternuts. Butternut squash soup is so easy and always delicious. Plus, these guys have great shelf life, so it’s OK to forget about them for a week or two! (Or four). Crimmins also has Bulk Pickling Cucumbers for your canning needs.
  • Organic Cabbage from Armstead. This is probably the last of the cabbage we’ll see. Another veggie with great refrigerated shelf life. This is also probably the last week for their fantastic onions.
  • Lunchbox Mini-Bell Peppers from Arkansas Natural Produce. These guys look super cute. I want them. ANP’s peppers are also delicious and beautiful in their color.
  • Sorrel. If you haven’t tried it yet, I’d recommend it. Sorrel has a bright flavor and is excellent added to salads, soups, whatever. Interesting trivia: Sorrel’s flavor is akin to sour strawberries or kiwifruit, due to a poisonous acid that it contains, which is only harmful in huge quantities. So don’t eat 10lbs of this stuff in one sitting.
  • THREE kinds of Organic Cantaloupe from Crimmins. He has sizes to fit your needs as a ravenous family or humble, singular forager.
  • Kieffer Pears from Barnhill Orchards. Apparently, the Kieffer pear was developed on a 19th century Frenchman’s farm in Philadelphia, as a probable hybrid between Chinese sand pears and Barletts. They’re hardy trees, resistant to fire blight and cold. The pears, however, are firm and best used in pies or preserves.
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Be on the lookout for another entry in our Know Your Farmer series. I recently paid an enjoyable visit to Main Street Apothecary and can tell you this:
If you care about what you put in your body, than Main Street can offer you the most natural possible products for your body’s major organ: the skin. Check out their soaps, cremes, and perfumes, and just wait for the exciting story I will tell!
Happy week to everyone. Stop complaining about the heat; this Summer has been a blessing.

Sincerely,
Sam Hedges