6th Ave. Market, Co-op Update, and Berries Galore!
Last week was the 6th Avenue Farmers' Market's first and I'm pleased to say that it was a triumphant opening week for what is shaping up to be a fantastic market. A crowd came out to peruse the diverse stalls of goods, from local pesto to cheese to meat to veggies and fruits of every variety. I left the market with more than I could carry in one trip to my truck, a bag of frozen chicken pieces for stock making necesitating my return trip. Other purchases included sorrel, squash blossoms, tomatoes, spinach, and cherries and berries galore!
Since it is finally berry season, I decided to stock up and freeze a good amount for the winter. I usually end up buying bags of frozen fruit to cook and make smoothies with when berries are out of season, but bags of frozen organic fruit are quite expensive and it's not always possible to find any that are local, though I usually can find some frozen fruit from Washington or Oregon. This year, I'm going to try to get by on frozen market and local fruit as much as possible, and so I bought flats of blueberries, blackberries, marionberries, loganberries, raspberries, and strawberries and several pounds of cherries with the intent of freezing enough for the winter. I spent quite a bit of time washing all of that, and froze approximately three-fourths of the total. However, I have quickly discovered that I am likely to eat a large amount of what I freeze before winter even comes, since frozen berries are such a great summertime snack, so I think I will need to repeat my berry buying and washing several times this summer. I will need to set aside a certain amount for later, or they will all be gone! After freezing, I have learning to can and preserve on my list of to-dos. Also, I just bought a dehydrator, and so I will be drying some fruit, and maybe some tomatoes and venison jerky.
This week's Market Recipe was inspired by the sorrel I bought from Terry's Berries~
Sorrel Pesto
1/2 pound or so pine nuts
most of a bunch of sorrel
olive oil
sea salt and lemon juice (optional)
Place sorrel and pine nuts in a food processor (I used a VitaMix) and drizzle with olive oil to taste (probably about 2 tablespoons). Process until the mixture achieves a pesto-like texture. Add a dash of sea salt and splash of lemon juice if desired. I did not measure when making this pesto, but merely added one thing or another till everything looked right. Experiment to find what works best for you. Extra pesto can be frozen in an ice cube tray and saved for later. This pesto is delicious served over wild salmon, but also makes a good pasta add-in.
Co-op update~
I was able to attend the tail end of the Tacoma food co-op's public outreach event at People's Park last Saturday, and it looks like plans are in motion to get the co-op up and running! As soon as the co-op reaches its membership goal, plans will be in motion to get this thing started! Check out www.tacomafoodcoop.com for more info. If you're interested in having a say in what your grocery stocks and live in the Tacoma area, you should look into a membership.
Since it is finally berry season, I decided to stock up and freeze a good amount for the winter. I usually end up buying bags of frozen fruit to cook and make smoothies with when berries are out of season, but bags of frozen organic fruit are quite expensive and it's not always possible to find any that are local, though I usually can find some frozen fruit from Washington or Oregon. This year, I'm going to try to get by on frozen market and local fruit as much as possible, and so I bought flats of blueberries, blackberries, marionberries, loganberries, raspberries, and strawberries and several pounds of cherries with the intent of freezing enough for the winter. I spent quite a bit of time washing all of that, and froze approximately three-fourths of the total. However, I have quickly discovered that I am likely to eat a large amount of what I freeze before winter even comes, since frozen berries are such a great summertime snack, so I think I will need to repeat my berry buying and washing several times this summer. I will need to set aside a certain amount for later, or they will all be gone! After freezing, I have learning to can and preserve on my list of to-dos. Also, I just bought a dehydrator, and so I will be drying some fruit, and maybe some tomatoes and venison jerky.
This week's Market Recipe was inspired by the sorrel I bought from Terry's Berries~
Sorrel Pesto
1/2 pound or so pine nuts
most of a bunch of sorrel
olive oil
sea salt and lemon juice (optional)
Place sorrel and pine nuts in a food processor (I used a VitaMix) and drizzle with olive oil to taste (probably about 2 tablespoons). Process until the mixture achieves a pesto-like texture. Add a dash of sea salt and splash of lemon juice if desired. I did not measure when making this pesto, but merely added one thing or another till everything looked right. Experiment to find what works best for you. Extra pesto can be frozen in an ice cube tray and saved for later. This pesto is delicious served over wild salmon, but also makes a good pasta add-in.
Co-op update~
I was able to attend the tail end of the Tacoma food co-op's public outreach event at People's Park last Saturday, and it looks like plans are in motion to get the co-op up and running! As soon as the co-op reaches its membership goal, plans will be in motion to get this thing started! Check out www.tacomafoodcoop.com for more info. If you're interested in having a say in what your grocery stocks and live in the Tacoma area, you should look into a membership.