Farmers' Market: April - November 2013

Finally, summer is here and we can all enjoy the bounty of fruits and vegetables that East Tennessee has to offer. East Tennessee has a rich agricultural community, offering a wide variety of local foods including meat, produce, and dairy!

We are lucky to have access to heirloom fruits, vegetables, and grain such as Cherokee purple tomatoes, pesticide-free strawberries, and Hickory Cane corn in East Tennessee. We can also buy grass-fed beef, free-range chickens and eggs, and the prosciutto of the South—Benton’s bacon! Eating locally and in season can change your perspective on how incredible fruits and vegetables can taste. Eating your vegetables is hardly a chore when they’re bursting with flavor and freshness. Market season allows the farmers and artisans to exhibit their hard work and we’ve been looking forward to it since December.

Visit every vendor
There are numerous vendors at every farmers market, and each has special heirloom varieties of produce that cannot be seen in a regular grocery store. These include heirloom red, green, or purple okra, purple beans, ambrosia corn, watermelon radishes, over 20 types of tomatoes, and much more. There are also vendors who sell handmade products such as buttermilk soap, candles, goat cheese, and granola. 
 

Food
Getting hungry while picking your produce? Don’t worry! There are several food trucks and stands to satisfy your cravings. Dale’s Fried Pies, Pop Culture popsicles, Savory and Sweet truck, Cruze Dairy Farm Milk Bar and many others have specialty foods you cannot find at other restaurants.

Giving back to your community
Not only is shopping at your local farmers market a fun and delicious experience, it is a chance to give back to your community. Buying locally supports the farmers and artisans to create and expand their business. Buying locally also takes some of the guess work out of choosing foods that are safe and nutritious—as you can ask the farmer directly about his or her growing and harvesting practices. Farmers also tend to have great ideas for how to prepare the produce if it’s new to you.

Flexibility
There is a market for almost every one. Whether you live in Norris or Sequoyah Hills, there is a market open near you. Here is a list of all of the market times and locations compiled by Rebecca Simmons for FamilyFriendly Knoxville. If you’re not from this region, see Pick Tennessee Products for a list of markets all over TN. Also see Growing Seasons to find out what is in season.

Contributed by Jaanki Purohit 2013 UTK Dietetic Intern

An RD & CSA: Weeks 8 and 9

Can you believe we're already in August? This summer has flown by ... and I've gone through so many wonderful fruits and vegetables. Here's a look at my stash from weeks 8 and 9! Don't forget to check out the recipe below!

Red onions, watermelon, kale, tomatoes, tomatilla, leeks, potatoes

{ Week 8 Share }

I went on vacation right after picking up week 8's share. I made some delicious salsa and cut up the watermelon for the road trip! But before I left, I tried a recipe for Spicy Kale-Stuffed Shells from PreventionRD.com. They were amazing... and I actually followed the recipe exactly. Amazing, right? Check out her site - she has tons of nutritious and delicious recipes! She also provides the nutrition info for her recipes.

Tomatoes, eggplant, cantaloupe, onions, potatoes, kale, squash, zucchini

{ Week 9 Share }

Week 9 was much like week 8... busy and just trying to cook and eat everything before I went out of town. The first eggplant showed up this week and I am loving it! Have you tried any new eggplant recipes lately?

My RD friend shared some recipes with me for the blog. Here's a fantastic one for your kale and tomatoes (recipe calls for canned but you can always chop up some fresh ones!).

{ Recipe }

Spinach & Kale Lasagna (makes 15 servings)

9 lasagna noodles

1 lb ground beef (92/8%)

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 medium onion, diced

½ medium green pepper, diced

7 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 cups baby spinach

4 ½ cups kale, chopped

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1 cup fat free cottage cheese

2 cups part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

10- 12 leaves fresh basil, roughly chopped

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

1/8 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Add spinach and kale to boiling pasta water and cook ~ 30 seconds.  Drain noodles and spinach & kale.

Cook ground beef, when cooked thoroughly, add onions, green peppers, and garlic.  Saute ~ 2 minutes and then add canned tomatoes and tomato paste.  Add  basil, Italian seasoning and pepper.  Cook on medium heat for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove sauce from heat.

Combine ricotta, cottage cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

Begin layering and creating lasagna in a 9x13 pan by starting with a layer of sauce, noodles (3 noodles/ layer), cheese mixture, spinach/ kale mix then sauce again.

Top final layer of noodles with sauce and remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake for 45 minutes, remove aluminum foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes.  Cut lasagna into 15 servings.

Nutrition Facts per Serving: 224 Calories, 7 grams Fat, 17 grams Protein

Helpful hint: Serve your lasagna with a great big salad - remember half your plate should be fruits  and/or veggies!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

An RD & CSA: Weeks 6 and 7

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!

Tis the season for cook outs and fun by the pool. I was in such a rush to get to my July 4th cook out that I didn't take a picture of week 7's share. Sorry about that! Week 6 was both beautiful and delicious.. See below for recipe ideas.

Swiss chard, turnips, spring onions, potatoes, purple cabbage, squash, arugula, zucchini

 { Week 6 Share }

Swiss chard: Spaghetti with Swiss Chard

Turnips + potatoes: Mashed Potatoes and Turnips with Horseradish
Purple cabbage: sauteed with garlic, served on bratwursts and hamburgers
Squash: veggie kebobs

Zucchini: Zucchini and Goat Cheese Dip

Arugula: Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula

{ Week 7 Share }

Kale: Spicy Kale Stuffed Shells
Tomatoes + tomatillas + onions: salsa (recipe below)
Green beans: roasted
Zucchini + squash: more zucchini dip from week 6

This is what happens with Dietitians plan cook outs!

So obviously our cook outs are not short on veggies.. or colors! For the most part, everyone has their go-to cook out contribution. I usually include salsa in mine.

I couldn't tell you the last time I bought salsa at the grocery store. I prefer to throw ingredients together at home. Needless to say, I was super excited to see both tomatoes AND tomatillas in my share last week.

Salsa at a pool party is pretty much a necessity. Sometimes I use fresh tomatoes, sometimes I use canned - whatever I have around. I actually added a can to my fresh this go round to bulk it up.

{ Recipe }

Homemade Salsa

3 tomatoes, medium
2 tomatillas, medium
1 onion, medium
1 jalapeno (with or without seeds, depends on your heat preference)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 can of diced tomatoes (low/no sodium is even better!)
Lime juice
Salt and pepper

Quarter the tomatoes, remove seeds so the salsa is less watery. Quarter the tomatillas and the onion. Roughly chop the jalapeno and remove all or some seeds. Roughly chop the cilantro.

Throw tomatoes, tomatillas, onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cilantro into a food processor and blend until you get the texture/consistency you want. --This is when I threw in the canned tomatoes.

Squirt in some lime juice, add a little salt and black pepper. Serve!


Helpful hint: You don't have to serve salsa with tortilla chips. Try fresh veggies or add it to your scrambled eggs!

Have you ever made your own salsa?

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

An RD & CSA: Week 5

I'm still eating leftovers (and trying to pawn food off on my friends) from this past week. The squash, zucchini, and cucumbers have taken over both my fridge and weekly menu.

I love leftovers but I can't eat the same thing too many times before I'm burnt out. So I freeze what I can't eat.. and then try a new recipe. I tried 6 new recipes in the last 7 days. Needless to say, I was in the kitchen a lot. Probably my favorite place to be though so no complaints...

I did go out to dinner last night. One of the specials involved squash.. I passed. I get enough of it at home!

Straight neck squash, garlic, white and green cucumbers, lettuce, spring onions, arugula, cabbage, zucchini, radishes, potatoes

{ Week 5 Share and Recipes}

Squash: cheesy pasta bake

Lettuce + radishes: salad
Cucumbers: salad, Quinoa with Cucumber, Black Beans, and Sesame Seeds (recipe below), California Bowl
Spring onions: Easy Pad Thai with Shrimp
Cabbage: Roasted Cabbage
Zucchini: Rustic Lentil Spaghetti

Potatoes: roasted

Garlic + arugula: both survived the week, to be cooked this weekend!



Have you ever cooked a cucumber? I've only ever had them raw. Cumbers on a salad.. in sushi.. with vinegar and salt.. etc.

In this recipe, cooked cucumber! I don't know why I never thought of this before.. guess I was just mindlessly following the masses and enjoying my raw cucumbers.

Never had quinoa? Try it in this recipe! Quinoa + beans = full so you can easily make this a main dish (I'm actually having it for lunch today).

{ Recipe }

 Quinoa with Cucumber, Black Beans, and Sesame Seeds (modified)

Makes ~ 3 (1 cup main dish) or 6 (1/2 cup side dish) servings

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 tsp olive oil
2 spring onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cucumber, medium, diced (remove the seeds if you want)
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 tsp soy suace
2 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 cup black beans, cooked
sesame seeds, toasted
Cook the quinoa according to package directions.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add onions and garlic, saute for 1 minute. Add cucumbers, saute for 3-4 minutes (cooked but still crisp).

Add red pepper flakes, black pepper, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Add black beans, quinoa, and sesame seeds.


Helpful hint: Put your fork/spoon down in between bites.. this helps you slow down instead of inhaling your food (always guilty). It takes 20 minutes for your belly to tell your brain you're full! Take. Your. Time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

An RD & CSA: Week 4

How do you clean your produce?

Like I briefly mentioned in yesterday's post about the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen, make sure you're cleaning all the wonderful produce in your CSA share. Your farmer may not be spraying for bugs.

My farmer's wife suggested this method for cleaning broccoli:

• Fill sink/large bowl with enough water to cover the broccoli
• Pour at least 2 Tbsp of salt into the water
• Swish to dissolve
• Soak broccoli for at least 15 minutes

Apparently, this will kill any cabbage worms that may be in your broccoli. You don't want to eat any of those, do you? Probably not much nutritional benefit..

Red leaf lettuce, pattypan squash, eight ball zucchini, cauliflower, cucumbers, new potatoes, radishes, straight neck squash, kale, zucchini, arugula

{ Week 4 Share }

Lettuce + radishes + squash + zucchini + cucumbers: lots and lots of salad
Pattypan squash + eight ball zucchini: sauteed

Cauliflower: Balsamic and Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
Potatoes: Light Scalloped Potatoes
Zucchini: Veggie Enchiladas
 Kale: Sicilian Kale with Tuna, Capers, and Beans (recipe below)

Arugula: Green Lentils with Arugula Pesto

Can you tell I enjoyed a lovely weekend of cooking? I read too. And cleaned. Pretty productive I'd say.

All the recipes were delicious and will remain in my menu rotation... except the lentils and pesto. Sigh. I didn't love the flavor. I've struggled with homemade pestos before but I won't give up! Eventually I'll get the right mix of ingredients and flavor.

I'm overrun with zucchini and squash. You can't tell in the picture above but the zucchini was longer than my forearm.

Evidence.

And the delicious kale recipe.. from a blog written by two RDs: Teaspoon of Spice. I find many of my recipes when searching Healthy Aperture - the only food photo sharing site founded and hosted by RDs. Check them out if you ever need a new recipe to try.

{ Recipe }

 Sicilian Kale with Tuna, Capers, and Beans (modified)

Makes 4 servings

1 pound of kale, chopped, stems removed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup capers, drained
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
1 (5 ounce) can tuna in water, drained
1 1/2 cup kidney beans

Fill a large pot 3/4ths full of water and bring to a boil. Add kale and lower to medium-high heat, boil for 3 minutes then drain.

Place empty pot back on stove on medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions and saute 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute.

Add capers and pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes and then add kale and sugar. Stir until incorporated and cover with lid.

Stir occasionally and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Mix in tuna and beans, cooked until heated through.

Helpful hint: Skip the salt - the capers make this dish salty enough!

I served the kale with the cauliflower. Yum!

Do you have a favorite go-to website for recipes?

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

An RD & CSA: Week 3

Week 3 has come and gone and I'm now anxiously awaiting today's pick up at the Market Square Farmers' Market. Have you been yet? The MSFM is open Wednesday 11AM to 2PM and Saturdays 9AM to 2PM, May through November. Check it out!

Pattypan squash, napa cabbage, sweet onion, radishes, cauliflower, eight ball zucchini, lettuce, broccoli, turnips

{ Week 3 Share }

Strawberries (I ate them all before I took a picture!)

Lettuce + radishes: salad
Turnips + sweet onion: roasted

Cauliflower: Pasta with Beans, Roasted Cauliflower, & Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs (recipe below)

Broccoli + napa cabbage: stir fry
Zucchini + pattypan squash: grilled

I never follow a recipe perfectly (even if I've never used it before) so what you see is what I did. The beans and roasted cauliflower were delicious but dry - I threw in some pesto to make up for it.

{ Recipe }

 Pasta with Beans, Roasted Cauliflower, & Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs (modified)

Makes 4 servings

1 head cauliflower, cut into thin slabs/florets
3/4 c breadcrumbs
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 400^o F. Toss cauliflower with 1/2 Tbsp olive oil. Lay out in an even later on a baking sheet (or stoneware); roast until browned and crisp, about 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente.

(Next time, I would skip the breadcrumbs) Add breadcrumbs to a dry skillet set over medium heat. Toast, stirring often, until crisp and golden-brown, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to plate.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in the skillet over medium heat and add garlic. Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beans and cook until heated through. Remove skillet from heat.

Toss together breadcrumbs, cauliflower, and beans and serve over 1 cup of pasta.


Helpful hint: Serve food on small plates. Our eyes are always bigger than our stomachs and this helps keep portions in check.

I'm finally back into a routine after vacation and my routine involves meal planning. It takes some time on the front end but makes my week run more smoothly. Every so often I want to just wing it.. but that's rare and I usually don't like what I end up eating.

I used to grocery shop on the weekend but have switched things around since my CSA pick up is on Wednesdays.

My action plan:

• Pick up CSA share
• Decide which recipes I want to use or how I want to cook the veggies
• Make my grocery list and then shop

Save money and time and make your list ahead of time. If you know what you need, you're in and out in no time and less likely to get aggravated with the slow-moving cart-pushers.

Oh wait, is that just me?

Meal planning.. some just use paper, some use a chalkboard or dry erase board (you've seen the fancy ones on Pinterest, yes?).. I use my "without you I'd be lost" Gmail calendar.

Most of my recipes are online so for each meal, I put the name and link to the recipe. Tada! Easy to pull up in the evening plus I can just click and drag the meal to a future date if I want to cook it again.

It's weird that I get excited about this stuff, isn't it? Oh well.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

 

Any meal planning secrets you'd like to share?

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

An RD & CSA: Week 2



After looking at the lovely mountains out west for the past 5 days, it's now back to work and reality. It was a wonderful trip with great company, beautiful (and steep!) hikes, and delicious food.


Possibly the best burrito I've ever had.

But like a good RD, I'm ready to get back into my routine..

Before I left, I made sure to cook and freeze all the vegetables from last week's share (minus the lettuce). I'm a Planner (yes, capital P). It makes my life easier and much more enjoyable when I'm not standing in my kitchen after work wondering what to cook that night.

If you're thinking about participating in CSA, it will help if you have a plan. Create your meals around the fresh vegetables you get each week. That's the trick with produce: it goes bad quickly. And since no one likes throwing money away, plan to cook what you can as soon as you can.

And if you dare to get into my crazy head, I'll share my grocery and meal planning ways with you next week.

L to R: Spinach, zucchini, pattypan squash, strawberries, green leaf lettuce, cabbage, garlic, summer squash, one ball squash, eight ball zucchini, red leaf lettuce

{ Week 2 Share }

Strawberries

Green leaf lettuce

Garlic + zucchini : Ravioli with Sauteed Zucchini (recipe below)

Cabbage: Cabbage Stir Fry
Squash + spinach: roasted side dish

Notice the different shapes of the squash and zucchini? Great shapes.. and even better names: one ball squash, eight ball zucchini, and pattypan squash. 

Do you have to cook them differently? Nope. I cooked all the squash together and all the zucchini together. Everything was delicious!



{ Recipe }

 Ravioli with Sauteed Zucchini (modified from Real Simple)

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2-3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
~10 c zucchini, sliced
1-2 lb frozen cheese ravioli

Heat oil in heavy, large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, then cook garlic and crushed red pepper until fragrant about 2 minutes. Add zucchini, cook about 5-7 minutes (I like my veggies crispy - you could cook longer if you like a different texture).

Meanwhile, cook frozen ravioli (or tortellini) according to package directions. Combine zucchini with hot pasta and serve.

Helpful tip: Scoop out servings with a measuring cup (1-cup size) and have with a side salad.

Have you ever had any differently-looking zucchini or squash (besides the standard grocery store kind)?

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

An RD & CSA: Week 1

If you know nothing else about me, please know that yes, I am a Registered Dietitian, but I also love, love, love to eat. And I'll eat just about anything. For some time now, I have tried to pay more attention to where my food comes from. I've gotten better about buying in season but needed more help with buying local. And then I discovered Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

My first CSA experience kind of just fell into place:

• Found the Colvin Family Farm on a Local Harvest CSA search
• Mentioned it to a friend who agreed to share the half bushel (large share) with me
• Made our first online payment in April

If you don't know where to start, I would suggest doing a search on Local Harvest. The website also lets you search for farmers' markets and grocery stores/co-ops. It's a great resource!

I also suggest doing some research (RDs do love a good plan): look at ratings on different sites, look at Facebook pages (if the farm has one) and see what people are saying, compare the price/size of different shares. More to come about cost and planning..

Now for week 1 and all the delicious food I've enjoyed!

L to R: garlic, cauliflower, red leaf lettuce, broccoli, bok choy, Swiss chard, strawberries, radishes

I'm proud to say that I used all of the produce I got last week - nothing went to waste!

{ Week 1 Share }

Strawberries

Red leaf lettuce + radishes: lots of salad

Garlic + Swiss chard: Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Garlic (recipe below)

Cauliflower: Curry Roasted Cauliflower

Broccoli + bok choy: Broccoli and Bok Choy Stir Fry (with brown rice)

{ Recipe }

Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Garlic (modified from Smitten Kitchen)

Makes 4 to 6 servings

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (to be honest, you probably only need 2 Tbsp)
1 garlic (bulb and top), chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 pound (or so) Swiss chard, stems and center ribs finely chopped and leaves coarsely chopped separately
1/2 cup vegetable broth
Whole wheat spaghetti

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, then cook garlic and onion about 3 minutes until garlic is golden and onion is soft.

Stir chard stems into onion mixture with broth and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, covered, over medium-high heat until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in chard leaves and cook, covered, until stems and leaves are tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti until al dente. Serve vegetables over hot spaghetti.

Helpful tip: I keep my pasta separate and measure out a cup as my serving (I tend to overdo it with all things noodles).

I've got vacation time coming up and won't be able to fly my share across the country with me. Game plan: feed and give whatever I won't use to my friends who are lovely enough to watch my dogs for me!

Do you plan your meals for the week or do you just wing it?

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN