Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Our Farmer's Market normally goes from April to October. This year, they have extended it through the winter to the indoor corridors of a small boutiquey mall in downtown Coeur d'Alene.

Last Saturday we had: honey, apples, squash, locally blended tea, hummus, artisian breads, salsa, live herbs in house pots, a small beef farmer (with frozen product), jams and jellies, holiday wreaths, garlic braids, plus craft vendors.

My purchases were apples, honey, some jalapeno apricot & pineapple apricot jams, and a couple of children's books by local authors. Not the bounty that I'm sure some of you guys have, but it's pretty good to have a market presence amidst the nearly 50 inches of snow we have had the past four days. I am thrilled that they are doing it this winter.

Anything fun at the market in your neck of the woods?

eb

Unless I hike into Seattle's Pike Place market, everything is closed here for the season. 50 inches of snow! I'll stop whining about my 12 inches! We have several summer markets that are indoors and still close for the winter. Don't they know that people eat in the winter too!

I am very fortunate to live in the SF Bay area. Our local market is open all year. But... right now there is little other than citrus. Sadly, I fear we have passed the best of the parsimmon season. They are all quite soft now. While we can can fresh root crops and cool weather crops we can grow year long, we are now entering the long wait for the return of pitted fruit.

We are thankful for what we have however.

Janet

Yes, the food is one thing I miss about southern CA.

I had planned to go to the indoors farmer's market up here today, but we have been deluged with snow the past three weeks, getting 34 inches in just over 24 hours, then 3-7 inches practically daily after that. I am keeping driving to an absolute minimum, it's a ways for me to get to downtown Coeur d'Alene.

On New Year's Eve we had some of the apricot jalapeno jam I got there last time, it was a condiment with pork tenderloin, and was a big hit. I was hoping to buy more jars for myself and gifting.

Hopefully next week will be better!

Lynn
p.s. hubby is reading me the weather, another 10-12 inches on Monday night.

We bought local carrots, sauerkraut, turnips, hot dogs ( hot ones) scapple, local eggs (they are so good - those yolks just stand up so tall & brightly colored. Also brought home some celery (not locally grown, but I feel that I am helping them to keep their stand open. Bought 8 + lbs of necks & backs for stock. Please buy local whenever you can. If we don't buy from them, they will be gone.
Kathy

Pickin's are slim this time of year. Quite a few vendors are not coming to the market at this time of year. We managed to buy eggs, cabbage, bacon, ham for sandwiches, parsley, lemons (obviously not local), & broccoli. That's about it.
Kathy

I have a friend who owns a feed store, she buys fresh eggs from her chicken feed customers, and sells them at the store. So, anybody looking for fresh eggs in the off season from your market, check out your local feed store(s).

Those eggs are pure heaven (did I spell that right? - hell is so easy).

eb

Hi,

This morning there was a discussion on eGullet basically complaining that Farmer's Market prices were too high. I was shocked to learn that you can purchase Chilean hothouse tomatoes or gashouse jonathon apples at prices that are lower then the local heirloom non-equivalents.

I started thinking about our local farmer's market. All is sold by the actual growers who know their varieties. You may only sell products that you sell or make. Farm inspections verify the source of the products. I cannot wait for the following:

Big Red Mustard is not available at our groceries.
Rosa Bianco eggplant and about 30 other varieties. (about 1/3 the price of Whole Foods)
20 or more varieties of tomatoes. Where else can you purchase Green zebra Tomatoes or Pineapple tomatoes?
Pristine Oyster mushrooms are picked the morning they are sold. 20% premium but better flavor and higher yield.
BB size russet potatoes are not available at any local grocer. The same for inexpensive quarter sized potatoes of all varieties.
Ground cherries are only available at the farmer's market.
Serotta basil and other unusual herb varieties are available only at the farmer's market at lower prices than groceries.
Purple asparagus is much cheaper at the farmer's market.
We have a grower of peppers (hot, dried and smoked) that are much cheaper than the grocery stores.
Smoking wood at 1/3 the cost of grocery stores.
How about 40 variety of pumpkins/squashes not sold at grocery stores.
We also get Gold Rush Apples (none in grocery stores) and a dozen other heirloom varieties at prices below the grocery stores.
Asian pears at grocery store prices have FLAVOR that shock you. Longer time on the tree means more acid/sugar.
1" long Fairy Tale eggplant are never available at any grocer.
Peaches are dramatically better quality than local groceries and at much lower prices.
Corn is also much higher quality (Peaches and Cream) and much cheaper than local groceries.
The flowering plants are better quality, unusual and much less expensive than local garden centers.
The strawberries are separated by variety at competitive prices.
We have $5/pound heirloom turkeys raised in a sunflower field?
How about a Mangalitsa hog finished on acorns?
Egg sized cabbages are wonderful for grilling and not available at grocers.

I also know there are much better farmer's market in Madison, WI and Minneapolis/St. Paul. What are you looking forward to this season?

CC

Dammit, lost my long post. Suffice it to say that Minneapolis Farmer's Market is overrated: they allow too many non-food vendors (need a tie-dye dress?) and vendors who sell non-local produce (i.e. lemons and limes). Pisses me off so I avoid it.

The Hennepin Avenue Thursday farmer's market has some local vendors that I will buy from with out of the ordinary stuff like garlic scapes, good deals on herbs, homemade pickles, etc. but not as much variety in veggies as one would expect. And of course the non-local vendors are out there hogging up all the space. Grrrr...

Not to derail this discussion, but that wasn't at all my reading of the thread. I didn't see a single complaint there.