It’s beginning to look more like spring at the
market. Already we have two farms returning with their early produce from high
tunnels. Misty Morning Farm and Lee Family Farm will be joining seven of our
year-round growers at the market tomorrow. Misty Morning got their tunnel last
year and grew a bit last fall. This spring is their first full effort. The Lees
put up their tunnel in the fall so they are bringing in their first harvest.
Several of our growers have their tunnels
planted with strawberries or tomatoes which won’t be ready for harvest until
early May. Others, like the Lees, planted cool weather crops which are ready
for harvest much sooner. You will find a nice selection of greens, radishes,
carrots, green onions, turnips, and more already at the market. So get ready
for some freshness tomorrow.
We welcome back Red Bridge Trio tomorrow. They
put on quite a show of bluegrass and gospel, and they have a big heart. They
travel all the way from Ozark and are a well-known professional band. When we
booked for the season I told them that I could only afford them this month
because I still had a small grant I could use to pay their fee, which is higher
than we usually pay. They came back to me with four dates through the year,
saying pay us our usual fee in March with your grant and for the rest of the
dates, cut that fee in half. “We love playing at the market.” And we love our musicians! Don’t forget to drop a dollar or two in their
tip jar Saturday.
Breakfast tomorrow is biscuit and gravy,
sausage, scrambled eggs and hash brown casserole.
Stewart’s Bakery will have
corned beef and cabbage for eat-in or take-out for $5. Pick up some salad fixings
and have a great meal tomorrow night – if you can wait that long.
The market received a nice pat on the back
this week. The Missouri Department of Agriculture chose to showcase our
Year-Round Education Center located on the Yang Farm near Rocky Comfort as an
example of a successful grant project to the National Association of State
Departments of Agriculture. When one considers that our project was selected
over many others, including those of the state universities, that is quite a
complement.
We’ll start our Twilight Tunnel Walks at the
center next month so you can see what all the excitement is about. We’re also
excited about our first field day at the center. We are only obligated to do
adult education at the center by the grant, but we want to expand our efforts. In
May we’ll do a pilot field day with horticulture students from high schools
near Rocky Comfort. If that goes well, we’ll expand our efforts to a wider area
in the fall. That’s how we do grants at the market. We spread the benefits as
widely as we can, increasing the value to the community, whether that be
growers, students or consumers, making every grant dollar count.
And you’ll see the results of those efforts
tomorrow at the market – tables loaded with fresh local produce in March! See you at the market.
Here's a recipe from Oakwoods Farm - pick up some just-picked radishes at the market on Saturday!
Roasted Radishes with Butter
1 bunch radishes
1 T. butter
1 T. soy sauce or tamari, optional but a delicious addition
splash of lemon
1 bunch radishes
1 T. butter
1 T. soy sauce or tamari, optional but a delicious addition
splash of lemon
- Heat oven to 375. Trim leaves and tap root from radishes. Wash and cut into quarters. I like to leave a little bit of the stems.
- Heat an ovenproof skillet on medium-high. Add butter. When melted and bubbly, add the radishes. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce, toss, and put the pan in the oven.
- Roast for about 5 minutes. Squeeze a little lemon juice on top.
