Precious Eaters and Local Foodies -
This is Farmer Brooke and man ooooh man......I have all sorts of delicious things to talk about! However, talk is cheap, so I suggest you experience the homegrown goodness in the flesh this Friday from 4-9 PM at the BADSEED Farmers Market.
This week is extra delicious for a number of reasons. First off, Farmer Lew of Herb"n"Gardner will be bringing his smoker to the market so we can all get smokin"!! I am certain you have had the insanely delicious pleasure of tasting his smoked anaheim and hungarian hot wax peppers. If not, what are you waiting for??? He will be smoking all sorts of mouthwatering morsels right in front of the market and you can bring your own garden goodies too! He'll smoke em' for ya free of charge. So harvest those pepper plants before the frost hits and get em' fired up this Friday. They will surely heat up those winter nights ahead.
Secondly - FIGS !! That's right FIGS. Need I say more....
Well, I will anyway. The BADSEED Market is pleased to be offering locally & sustainably grown FIGS from Brenda and Curtis Langewisch in Higginsville, MO.
In 2006 Brenda and Curtis were inspired by a Missouri fig grower (originally from Bulgaria) by the name of Ivan Stoilov whom they met at an alternative energy conference in Hermann, MO. Brenda excitedly told her brother Aaron about Ivan and his figs. Brenda and Aaron's mother's maiden name is Fiegenbaum (a German name having the sound "fig" and the spelling "baum" which means tree). Aaron quickly concluded that it was their destiny to grow figs on the old family farm near Higginsville!! Today they have 30 fig trees in a hoop house protected from the harsh Missouri winters. They have a white variety by the name of Brunswick, a green variety that is unknown, and another unknown variety with a deep red flesh. All plants were purchased from Ivan who got them from growers in European countries.
If you have never had the divine pleasure of sinking your teeth into a fresh fig, then you absolutely must! I adore figs and have romantic memories of braiding shallots under fig trees during my time working the fields in Italy. I swore I would never move back to the midwestern climate and abandon the potential of growing succulent fruits such as figs and blood oranges!!! But alas, I am here after all. You can imagine my sheer excitement at having these "forbidden fruits" available locally from Brenda and Curtis. In a bout of fig fantasia I found some awesome RECIPES that you might want to try. Check em' out:
(for an "all local" twist use fresh chevre from Goatsbeard Farm and raw honey from Les Miller)
(again, go local with BADSEED arugula, Goatsbeard's fresh chevre, and Miller's raw honey)
(use Heartland Mill's locally/organically grown all-purpose flour, BADSEED arugula, and Goatsbeard's Moniteau Blue Cheese!!)
On a less tasty note, what about those aching bones?? Us farmers will be enjoying the magic hands of masseuse (and long time buddy of mine) Betsy Flowers!! Betsy will be bringing her massage chair and working those fingers to the bone. Come on down and treat the whole body. Get some local goodies and a wonderful massage to boot.
***Sexy Veggie of the Week***
This week's runner-up is Sexy Saute Mix -
a gorgeous mix of gourmet greens with flavorful "fixins" such as lemon sorrel, baby kale,rainbow chard, spicy mustards, creamy sweet potato greens, and garlic chives. These dense and delicious greens are harvested with the utmost care and concern for quality. They are bagged and ready to go right into your saute pan without any prep work at all. Being incredibly versatile, they are sure to compliment any stir-fry, soup, or pasta. Or let em' really shine in a warm salad topped with your favorite dressing. Mama always told ya to eat those greens! Now's your chance.
This week's grand-prize-winner (drum roll please) is the one and only Beauregard Sweet Potato!!!
Can you dig it?? I've been diggin' these dirty dumplings all day long!! Beauregard is a fantastic orange-fleshed tuber with a pleasing texture and very sweet disposition. It is a classic sweet potato excellent for baking, roasting, pie-making, and anything else you can dream up. During harvest time, Dan and I eat sweet potato hash-browns for breakfast to give us that extra bit of inspiration and fill those bellies up before a long day in the dirt. Slice em' in thin strips and cook em' diner style in a cast iron skillet with plenty of olive oil or (dare I say) butter! Add an offensive amount of salt and pepper and let em' get a bit browned and crispy. Serve with homemade biscuits and honey butter, and a couple farm-fresh eggs with yolks that stand right up! **Both BADSEED Farm and Bigg Blue Farm will have a limited quantity of sweet pots this week, but more will be coming as the greater harvest is still being dug and cured. You can look forward to these tasty tubers for weeks to come!!
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
*Sweet Potatoes!!! (limited quantities as the greater harvest is still being dug!!)
*SEX IN A BOWL Signature Salad Mix!! (limited quantities, come early for this one)
*Sexy Saute Mix!!!! (a gourmet mix of sexy cooking greens with hints of garlic chives and aromatic herbs)
*BABY MUSTARD GREENS (spicy, tender, and oooh sooo good)
*Arugula!! (peppery and perfect)
*King Kale
*Gourmet Oasis TURNIPS!! (autumn's first)
*ORGANIC APPLES!! (in "Green Dream" and "Red Delicious")
*Luscious LEEKS!!!
*Purple Beauty Bell Peppers
*Assorted hot and medium spiced PEPPERS
*Purple Ruffles BASIL
*Red Velvet OKRA (long, velvety, burgundy pods that rock your frying pan like no other)
Herb"N"Gardener, Lew Edmister (Westside, KCMO)
From the Lips of Lew:
"it looks like this will be the heaviest week yet on filet beans, so they may last past six o'clock this week. i'm not only bringing more smoked anaheims, but i'm bringing the smoker as well bring some of your own peppers, if you have any, and i'll smoke them for you - no charge! i'll actually cut and bring the kale this week along with a wee bit of swiss chard. it looks like my salad mix liked the rain enough to grow a bit more as well as arugula and flat parsley. i'm still toting in the winterized rosemary. then there's the dried okra stalks and sage bunches for decoration.
last, but by no means least, i uncovered some ripe heirloom tomatoes. there's some chocolate cherokee, somerutgers and some surprises, no doubt.
if you haven't yet signed up for the rustic bread csa, do it this friday. i'm over one half filled and i'll need to cut off in another week. construction has begun and i can't wait to get going. don't be left crumbless!!!"
Bigg Blue Farm, Stan & Carmen Biggs (Mosby, MO)