Webb City Sentinel colum - 8 - 26 - 11

Come on over, Jared

Remember when Jared made Subway famous by demonstrating healthier eating? Well, come visit the Webb City Farmers Market, Jared. Our market features nothing but healthy food!

For starters, the meat is all-natural. The meat vendors (Madwell Pork, Sunny Lane Farms, Flintrock Ranch and Green Elm Farm) feature grass-fed, free range, and/or hormone free meats. There are eggs available from chickens that are allowed to roam outside.

Even the baked goods from Hazel’s, Black Forest, Arma Bakery, Yoder Baked Goods or Jamie’s Redings Mill are especially healthy. They are made from pure ingredients – no preservatives, artificial colors, or other strange additives.

If you are like me, you love the phrase “all-you–can-eat.” Unless you deep-fat fry your vegetables, the Webb City Farmers Market is your source for low calorie, healthy “all-you-can-eat” vegetables. Market vegetables are superior because they are the freshest, often picked just hours before you take them home. Freshness means the vitamins and nutrients are at maximum levels. Another healthy habit is to use the wide variety of herbs to create excitement in your cooking and lower your need for salt. Garlic is plentiful right now and has proven health benefits.

Our locally grown fruit is a real bonus at the market. Eating 2-4 servings of fruit per day is recommended in a healthy diet. Delectable cantaloupe, watermelons and peaches are currently available.

As I end my last column filling in for Eileen Nichols, I want to personally thank the incredible volunteers that make the market possible. “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat”* deter the dedicated volunteers at the Webb City Farmer’s Market. Many of us don’t realize what a tremendous commitment people like Marilyn Thornberry, Donna Krudwig, Sharon Nations, Ron Walters, Duane Hunt, Cindy LaMere, and Ann Foos make to the market. They arrive 2 hours before sales begin and finish no sooner than an hour after the market closes. That is 6 hours a day, 3 days a week, typically in scorching hot summer weather!! Please stop by the market desk to tell them thank you!

A couple more recipes celebrating some of the current market treasures:

Slushy Peach Drink

Place in blender, 1 sliced large fresh peach, 2 c. pink grapefruit juice, 1 1/2 cups ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Add more ice or peaches to suit your taste. (Optional addition: a shot of Coconut Rum).

A Recipe from Mr. Food

“Summer Fruit Stack is always a popular recipe because it's easy to make it your own. Use whatever fruit you've got on hand, from berries to melon and anything in between.”

Ingredients

* 1 (10- to 12-ounce) angel food cake
* 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
* 5 to 6 unpeeled peaches, melon, berries, nectarines (or a combination), sliced or chunked

Instructions

1. Tear the angel food cake into little pieces and place in a large bowl; set aside.
2. In another large bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk, and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping. Add the angel food cake pieces to the mixture; mix well.
3. In a large glass serving bowl, alternate layers of cake mixture and fruit.

Another Quick and Easy Recipe from Mr. Food:

A “garden-fresh Summer Vegetable Salsa is the perfect topper for grilled chicken or fish, or as a zesty homemade appetizer for corn chips.”

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 medium-sized green bell pepper, seeded and diced
* 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, seeded and diced
* 1 medium-sized yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
* 1 small zucchini, diced
* 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and black pepper; mix well and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients with dressing and toss until evenly coated. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 4 cups.

Friday, August 26 Events – Lunch features Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, peas, chocolate cake and a drink for $6. Enjoy the musical stylings of Bailed Green and Wired Tight.

Saturday, August 27 Events – Breakfast features market eggs to order, biscuits, gravy, sausage, coffee or orange juice all to benefit the charities supported by the Carl Junction Order of the Eastern Star. Music will be provided by Hawthorn.

Tuesday, August 30 Events - Lunch will benefit the RSVP (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program) and the CP Center. Lunch options include smoked sausage, hot dog, chili dog, chili Frito pie or BBQ beef sandwich. Music will be by William Adkins.

*Part of the unofficial creed of the US Postal Service

Webb City Sentinel column - 8/19/11

You like potato and I like potahto;
You like tomato and I like tomahto…*

Whatever your pronunciation, the Webb City Market currently has a wonderful selection of tomatoes and potatoes. Big ones, little ones, “ugly ones” and more. Same goes for peppers, onions, eggplant, and cucumbers! And they all taste great!!

As you probably know, the tomato is one of the best-loved and most versatile ingredients. We use them in so many ways – freshly sliced or diced, sautéed, stewed, grilled and even baked. Tomatoes are extremely healthy and low in calories. You can literally eat all you want!!

Here’s a favorite vegetable dish that takes advantage of tomatoes along with many of the current market vegetables:

Ratatouille

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced, and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until browned, juicy and cooked through (10-12 minutes). Transfer to a medium saucepan with a slotted spoon.

Add another 2 tbsp oil to the skillet and sauté 1 diced onion, 1 small diced green pepper, 1 small diced red pepper, and 1 small diced yellow pepper until tender-crisp ( 3-5 minutes). Transfer to the saucepan.

In another 2 tbsp oil, sauté 3-5 minutes 2 small or 1 large diced zucchini and 2 small yellow summer squash, diced. Transfer to the saucepan and add 2 diced ripe tomatoes, and 4 diced cloves of garlic. Also add 1, 8 oz can of tomato sauce or puree and a little chopped basil or oregano.

Simmer 15 minutes over medium heat. Season with more salt and pepper. Flavor will be enhanced if cooked ahead and reheated. Try this dish, you will love it. It makes the perfect side dish for any of the locally raised, grass-fed meats sold at the market. This Friday take advantage of delicious bison and elk offered by Flintrock Ranch . On Saturday, Green Elm Farm may still have lamb (it has been selling like crazy).

“There’s no greater summertime pleasure than fresh peaches,” says TV Chef, Mr. Food. Amen!

Peaches are in their prime and Pate’s Orchard is selling them like crazy. You might also find fresh blackberries at the market. And melons are showing up in greater and greater quantities.

Here is a simple but unusual recipe for peaches, kindly provided by Pate’s Orchard.

Easy Peach Cobbler

Slice fresh peaches to cover the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking pan.

Cut crusts from 5 slices of white bread and cut into fingers.

Lace the bread fingers across the top of the peaches.

Mix 1 c. sugar, 1 stick of melted oleo and 2 Tbsp flour. Pour all over the bread fingers and peaches. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until topping is brown.

Market Events

On Friday August 19, lunch from 11-1 p.m. offers spaghetti w/ meat sauce, salad, garlic bread, chocolate fluff & drink for only $6. The urban forester, Jon Skinner with the Missouri Department of Conservation, will be at the market to answer your tree and shrub questions. Granny Chicks will be playing toe-tapping music.

Saturday, August 20, from 9-11 enjoy the benefit breakfast of biscuit, gravy, sausage, coffee or OJ with market eggs to order supporting Crime Stoppers. Dan, the Birdhouse Guy, will also be paying a special visit with his unique birdhouses made from tornado debris. Erick Brown will be our featured musician.

Tuesday, August 23, the Cooking for a Cause lunch benefits Healing the Family Counseling Service. Gary Kyger will provide musical entertainment.

*Song by George and Ira Gershwin, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," 1937.

Webb City Sentinel column - 8 - 12 - 11

How to Eat in the Heat - By Carolyn Foat

While we beg Mother Nature to please turn down her oven, we surely want to keep our kitchens cool and conserve energy. Thanks to our dedicated vendors at the Market, we can easily serve wonderful food without “firing” up our ovens.

First of all, with the enticing baked goods from three dedicated bakeries: , Hazel’s, Black Forest, Arma Bakery, Yoder Baked Goods and Jamie’s Redings Mill, we certainly don’t need to be baking!

Salads made with the Market’s gorgeous peppers, lettuce, onions, cucumbers, and zucchini are sure to please, especially with the fabulous cheese from Lomah Dairy sprinkled on top . Cantaloupe, peaches, and of course, tomatoes are cool summer treats in plentiful supply.

Speaking of tomatoes, here are the winners of last week’s Tomato Contest:

Best quality – Fair Haven Farms submitted by Lester Mills

Weirdest –Steven Davis

The tomato judges were: Carolyn Corner, Dee and Gwen Hunt, Karen Latimer, and Nancy Carlson. Prizes were market tokens provided by Granny Schafer’s.

Another way to beat the heat is to skip the skillet and stove and enjoy a delicious meal at the market. This Friday, the menu includes oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, fresh fruit cup and a drink for only $6

Entertainment will be provided by Webb City’s own talented Gospel Strings.

Saturday, feast on a full breakfast to benefit the Civil Air Patrol. Enjoy market eggs made to order, and biscuits, gravy, sausage, coffee or OJ; all while being regaled by the acoustic folk stylings of the Green Earth Band. If you’re in the mood for lunch, stop by the Lor booth for a selection of Asian specialties.

Don’t forget that Saturday, August 13th features free streetcar rides from 9 to 11. And to top off your Saturday market visit, you can take in the talent of local visual artists and artisans at the Art Market.

Again, on Tuesday, August 14, another chance to keep your kitchen cool by eating at the market. Cooking for a Cause will provide a benefit lunch of smoked sausage, hot dog, chili dog, chili Frito pie or BBQ beef sandwich. Proceeds benefit the CP center. Rob Pommert will provide beautiful musical accompaniment.

Here are a couple of “cool” salads to complete your eating in the heat menu.

Mediterranean Potato Salad

2 pounds potatoes cooked and cubed (baby potatoes currently at the market taste the best)
1/4 c lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed or minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano or diced fresh oregano
14 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 c diced sun dried tomatoes (dry or oil packed)
1/3 c. stuffed green or Kalamata olives with their juice
1/3 c feta cheese
3 green onions thinly sliced
As soon as the potatoes are cooked and cubed, while still warm, pour over the lemon juice. Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over potatoes.
Stir in the green onions and cheese. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Keeps very, very well.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

Marinade:
2/3 c vinegar
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c minced fresh parsley or cilantro
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh dill or 2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Put mixture in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well.

Pour marinade over 4 cups of any combination of:
Halved cherry tomatoes or diced regular tomatoes
Sliced carrots
Sliced cucumber
Sliced zucchini
Diced green peppers
Diced green onions

Seal container and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Keeps very well.

Webb City Sentinel column - 8/5/11

Last week I mentioned that eggplant seems to thrive in hot weather, so given the current temperatures, it seems like a good time for an eggplant recipe. This one is from a cookbook by Matt Moran, a well-known chef in Australia. The resulting dish is rich and satisfying and, for the vegetable-loving family I’m currently staying with, serves well as a main course.

Many of our growers have the eggplant and tomatoes called for in this recipe. Chris Sharpsteen of Rocky Horse Ranch who sells at the Tuesday market has shallots and a good selection of garlic. Fredrickson Farms has oregano plants for sale.

Eggplant Parmigiana

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
3 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato paste
Salt and pepper
1/2 bunch fresh oregano leaves, picked and chopped
2 medium Italian eggplants, cut into 1/3 inch thick slices
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat 1/3 cup of the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the shallots and garlic until soft. Pour in the white wine vinegar and simmer until the liquid has evaporated. Take 1/2 of the tomatoes, remove seeds and roughly chop the flesh, and add to the shallots. Stir in the tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, then add the chopped oregano and check for seasoning.

Sprinkle the eggplant slices with a little salt and leave for 10 minutes to remove the bitter juices. Pat the slices dry with a cloth or paper towels. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan, add the eggplant and fry on both sides until golden brown. Drain the eggplant on a paper towel to remov
e excess oil.
Cut the remaining tomatoes into slices about 1/4-inch thick.
Spoon some sauce over the base of individual gratin dishes or a large earthenware dish. Add layers of sliced eggplant, tomato and sauce until everything is used up, finishing with a layer of sauce. Top with the grated Parmesan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Serves 4.

While I’m away wonderful volunteers have once more stepped in. Carolyn Foat will take care of the Sentinel columns after today. You’ll see new volunteer managers at the market. We are still looking for volunteers to take donated produce to Joplin for the volunteers working in the tornado disaster area. Suzanne’s prepares them a vegetarian lunch and our generous farmers donate produce, but we do need to get it from here to there. We’d love to have an experienced griller for Tuesdays so we could put hamburgers back on the menu.

Jake Foos recently discovered what my children have known for years. Come home to visit? Be prepared to “volunteer”. Jake’s mother Ann is helping with the market in my absence so when Jake came home from Kansas City last weekend, guess who was dragooned into driving the market cart Friday? Yes, Jake Foos. And I hear he had a blast.

So if you would like to be part of a special community and volunteer at the market, just stop by the information table. I expect we could find something you’d enjoy doing.

Today Patrick Byers, horticulturist with the University of Missouri Extension, will be at the market answering gardening and growing questions. Ask him for me how to grow anything besides okra and egg plant in this weather! Lunch is a market favorite – all-you-can-eat ham and beans, plus cornbread, brownies and a drink for $6. Jack and Lee Ann Sours play traditional music.

Tomorrow breakfast is served by Lafayette House, our regional domestic violence shelter. This special place has touched many, many families for the good. Not only do they provide shelter and safety for women escaping violence, but they also provide alcohol and drug rehabilitation for women, many of whom would otherwise have to leave their children to go into treatment. And often without any support system, that would mean giving the children up to foster care. Unlike most treatment facilities, at Lafayette House they can live in a safe drug-free environment with their children while working towards a healthier, more productive life.
Drywood Bluegrass will play from 9:30 to 11:30 tomorrow.

Daniel Sherman, our birdhouse crafter, will be at the market tomorrow. He uses materials salvaged from the tornado disaster area to make his handsome birdhouses. Twenty percent of his sales go to the Salvation Army. Apparently lots of folks are doing their Christmas shopping early at his booth.

Next Tuesday Cooking for a Cause benefits the Joplin School Foundation Snackpack program. This program makes sure that low-income kids who receive their breakfast and lunch at school, have something to tide them over the weekends. Rob Pommert will play from 11 to 1.