Glorious Eaters and Conscious Consumers -
This is your oh so dedicated Farmer and bona fide Veggie Pervert writing to arouse the "local foodie" within you. This time of year is tough on us hard-working farmers as Farmers Markets across the nation experience a major slump in attendance. As summer comes to a close, routines change for many families. Kids go back to school and the madness begins. Between soccer games, math club, and piano lessons, Mom and Dad no longer have time to prepare wholesome meals from farm-fresh ingredients. It is back to "lunchables" and "chef boyardee" for many......(I am cringing as I type this). BUT WAIT!! Perhaps a mouthwatering array of sexy vegetables, gourmet mushrooms, artisan cheeses, raw honey, & heirloom apples is not enough to entice you and your family.......but I think I've got something that will - SNOW CONES!!! Savor the last bit of summer this Friday at the BADSEED Farmers Market from 4-9 PM and treat your loved ones to the one and only "farm to table snow cone" from:
The lovely Lindsay Laricks (queen of the adult snow cone) will be at BADSEED this Friday shavin' up icy goodness that is sure to cure those "back to school blues". Lindsay uses 100% all-natural ingredients without any artifical colors and flavors to create the most wicked shaved ice around. Maybe you caught her a few weeks ago at BADSEED in her groovy vintage trailer serving up snow cones in the sweltering August heat. Her signature flavors are totally wild and include "lemon prickly pear", "pineapple and serrano pepper", "espresso and mexican cane sugar", and "lime mint". Well, just like last time, she will be embracing her inner "local foodie" and creating snow cone flavors straight from the farm. I gave her a goodie basket from BADSEED Farm consisting of Green Apples, Lemon Balm, Lemon Basil, Purple Ruffles Basil, and Bronze Fennel. She will concoct a local/organic snow cone using these home-grown ingredients. Can you say yummy???
***Sexy Veggie of the Week***
This week's runner-up is the peppery and perfect ARUGULA!!!! She is one "mean green" to say the least and in recent times has become one of the most celebrated gourmet greens on the market. Arugula is of Italian heritage and has the most delightful "bite". For those of you who crave a bit of spice in your life, arugula is the new lettuce. But don't be fooled, arugula is not just for fresh eating in salads. She is absolutely divine in pastas and can replace spinach in any dish. Lately I have been eating arugula on gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. I make mine using 100% local ingredients found at the BADSEED Market. I use Bread of Life Potato Bread brushed with olive oil, Goatsbeard Farm's "Walloon" raw milk goat cheese, thinly sliced BADSEED green apples, and a nice handful of freshly picked arugula. I arrange all this goodness between my slices of bread and bake at 400 degrees until the cheese is sufficiently melted and the toast is nice and crisp. If you really want to be decadent, ditch the oven and grill your sandwich in Shatto butter in your trusty frying pan. The kids won't complain....I promise!
This week's grand-prize-winner (drum roll please) is the totally magnificent MUSTARD GREEN! Whoa mama!! These leafy ladies are nothing short of a party in your mouth!!! Mustard greens are sorely misunderstood. People just don't know how to deal with so much flavor and spice. Mustard greens really do taste like mustard and whenever I need to clear my sinuses out in the field, I simply eat a big ole' handful. One of my favorite customers lovingly refers to them as "wasabi lettuce" and I cannot think of a better description. The intensity of mustard greens is subdued when they are cooked. However, I can't get enough of them raw in spicy asian salads. This week's mustard green harvest will be extra special because I will be cutting from a brand new bed of tender baby greens full of succulent flavor. ***I came across a really excellent recipe from Bon Appetit recently that I encourage you to try: Mustard Greens Pesto on Pasta with Shitake Mushrooms and Smoked Mozzarella. (recipe at the end of this e-mail)
Pictures are attached. You know the drill - print them out, blow them up, & plaster them all over the men's room!!
This week's organic offerings:
BADSEED Farm, Brooke Salvaggio & Daniel Heryer (South KC) www.badseedfarm.com
*BABY MUSTARD GREENS
*Arugula
*ORGANIC APPLES!! (green, tart yet sweet, and very crisp!!!)
*Butternut Squash (just a few left!!)
*LEEKS!!!
*GARLIC (in German White, Artichoke, and Silver Skin!!)
*Purple Beauty Bell Peppers
*Assorted hot and medium spiced peppers
*BASIL (in Lemon, Thai, Purple Ruffles, Purple Opal, AND Genovese)......make pesto before it is too late!!!!
*Two Foot Long CHINESE RED NOODLE BEANS!!
*Sweet Potato Greens!!!!!!! (better than spinach....seriously!!)
*Red Velvet OKRA (long, velvety, burgundy pods that rock your frying pan like no other)
*Heirloom Tomatoes!!! (a very dwindling selection, come right at 4 PM to get em'!!!!)
Herb"N"Gardener, Lew Edmister (Westside, KCMO)
*Kale
*Chard
*Arugula!!
*Spicy Greens MIx
Bigg Blue Farm, Stan & Carmen Biggs (Mosby, MO)
*ORGANIC Cantaloupes and Yellow Watermelon (in Desert King )!!!!
*Butternut & Acorn & Spaghetti Squash!!!!
*Cucumbers
*Black Beauty Eggplant
*Beautiful Bell Peppers
*Okra
*Candy Onions
*Zucchini and Yellow Crookneck Summer Squash
*Pink Eye Purple Hull Peas
*The last of the Tomatoes!!!!
*SWEET POTATOES!!!
PJ's Mushroom Farm, Paul & Judy Miller (Warrensburg, MO)
*Shitake Mushrooms!!
*Oyster Mushrooms!!
*Farm-Fresh Brown Eggs
*Hand-made rugs & stained glass items (from 100% recycled materials)
Parker Farms, Tom and Paula Parker (Richmond, MO) www.parkerfarmsmeats.com
*A variety of 100% grass-fed beef and all natural pork including:
*Pork Brats
*Pre-cooked Chipotle Brats (with cheese and cranberries)
*Pre-cooked Franks (both hot and mild)
*Spare Ribs
*T-Bones
*Roasts
*Rib Steaks & Ribeyes
*Ground Beef and patties for the grill!!
**Ground Lamb
**Homemade soy based candles and gourd birdhouses (compliments of their lovely girls who grew the gourds on the farm!!) as well as embroidered Tea Towels and homegrown Teas in orange, chocolate, lemon balm, spearmint, and peppermint!!!! Samples available.
Woodland Organic Orchard, Kendra & Steve Kluck (Olathe, KS)
*ORGANIC GALA APPLES.....as well as tasty green and red "mystery" varieties
*Pears
*Dried Apple Snacks
*Apple Jam
*Chipped Apple Wood for BBQ/smoking/cooking !!!
*"seconds" Apples (mixed varieties) for $1/lb
Attention Canners & Sauce Makers - For bulk orders of "seconds" apples e-mail Kendra at:
*sandwich breads
*savory breads
*sweet breads
*specialty treats (vegan as well)
**ALL MADE FROM 100% Locally Grown, Organic Wheat!!!!
Puddin' Head Coffee, Harry Lee, (Raytown, MO) www.puddinheadcoffee.com
*Only the BEST fair-trade/organic/micro-roasted coffee in town!!
Get yourself some beans or grab yourself a mug.
COFFEE BY THE MUG IS ONLY $1.00!!!!
Other goodies will include:
ARTISAN GOAT CHEESE from Goatsbeard Farm
Aged & Fresh varieties including Prairie Bloom (a bloom-rind crotin style cheese with a rich and creamy center), Taum Sauk (a distinguished and nutty, appropriately aged, raw milk cheese), Osage Orange (a European-style muenster with a beautiful washed rind),Moniteau Blue (only the best damned blue on the planet), Herb Crusted Chevre (a delightful fresh cheese in a flavorful herb crust), Marinated Chevre (fresh cheese relaxing in scrumptious olive oil, red pepper, and herbal goodness) and Greek-style Feta (residing in a salty brine that will make your head spin....sooo good)
Certified Organic Flour from Heartland Mill
Our new order has arrived!! We will have freshly ground & locally grown whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, unbleached all purpose white flour, malted all purpose flour for bread baking, & blue corn meal !!! A bakers dream.....
RAW HONEY!!!....YES!! Les Miller (our wicked honey man) has a delightful new batch ready to go. He will be a buzzin' this Friday with that godly golden nectar and bees wax to boot!
and, of course, Kombucha Mushroom Tea (Brooke's home brew)
Sip while you shop!
Up-coming Urban Homesteading Class:
Sunday, October 10th, 1-6 pm - Fall Harvest
When the Fall harvest comes, be ready to can, freeze and squirrel away the final bounty of the season. You will learn it all in this homesteading tour de force.
Canning recipes will include a savory apple/pear chutney, green tomato salsa and pepper relish. We’ll show you how to let nature ferment you cabbage into a wonderful sauerkraut, conveniently in a one quart jar. Freezing techniques will be discussed and demonstrated so you can save the late harvest of greens, broccoli and other veggies. Finally, we will discuss how to store the many vegetables that don’t need freezing or canning, but just a good place to rest over the winter, like potatoes, beets, carrots, squash, onions and garlic.
*This is a 5 hour intensive course taught by organic farmer, Tom Ruggieri. Class will cover an array of techniques including water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, and root cellaring
Cost of Class - $60
Download a course registration at www.badseedfarm.com to sign-up!!
Remember:
LIVE NUDE VEGETABLES!! and other organic delights...
EVERY FRIDAY AT BADSEED
Yours Truly,
Brooke
- farmer and mistress of the BADSEED
BADSEED
An Urban-Organic Farm & Market Celebrating Local Food, Culture, & Community
1909 McGee*KCMO*64108
Mustard Greens Pesto on Pasta with Shiitake Mushrooms and Smoked Mozzarella
*Being the the "local eater" that I am, I replace the Parmesan cheese with Goatsbeard Farm's "Taum Sauk", and the smoked mozzarella with Goatsbeard Farm's "Walloon". I also use Missouri pecans and (of course) Shitake mushrooms from Paul and Judy at the market.
Ingredients
PESTO
- 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled, quartered
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 cups (loosely packed) coarsely chopped mustard greens
MUSHROOMS AND PASTA
MUSHROOMS AND PASTA
- 8 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
- 1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 pound fusilli (spiral-shaped pasta) or rotelle
- 1/2 cup coarsely grated smoked mozzarella cheese (about 2 ounces)
Preparation
PASTA
- Blend 1/2 cup oil, pecans, and garlic in processor until finely chopped. Add vinegar, then Parmesan; process to blend. Add mustard greens alternately with remaining 1/3 cup oil in 2 additions each; puree until almost smooth. Season pesto with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. DO AHEAD Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before using.
MUSHROOMS AND PASTA
- Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sage and sauté just until mushrooms wilt, about 3 minutes. Add wine and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Return pasta to pot. Add pesto and mushrooms; toss to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl. Sprinkle with smoked mozzarella cheese and serve.
