Hard to believe that fall is just
around the corner, unless you saw the mums at the market Tuesday. Two farms
will have mums today and tomorrow, primarily yellows and reds. September is
upon us and the first of September is what our mum growers aim for when they
plant. So let’s start thinking fall. And while you’re thinking fall, put
Saturday, September 13, on your calendar. We’ll celebrate Arts in the Park that
day. We are delighted that WildHeart is returning this year. They are a duo
from central Missouri who do original kids songs related to the environment and
animals. The market makes this an extra special occasion by booking WildHeart
for our Saturday market and for a
performance at the kindergarten the day before. The Missouri Arts Council helps
with the cost but we’re looking for a few more sponsors, so if you’d like to be
a help, stop by the information table at the market. You’d be supporting the
special music and the kids art activity tables at the market that Saturday.
You may remember that last week I wrote
about the kids garden and tomatillos. Well, here’s the next installment. We had
39 kids this Wednesday. Once again we split them into different projects,
harvesting, raking, and tasting. And they were enthusiastic about all of the
tasks. In fact, I had to call several times to get them to leave their work in
the garden at quitting time.
My station was the cooking table. In
groups of about 12, we gathered around a card table. I showed them how to
prepare a sweet pepper for eating raw and then of course we ate the pepper
slices up. Then we examined the tomatillo. We talked about “tomatillo” being a
Spanish word and several kids connected the “ll” being pronounced like a “y” in
Spanish to the more familiar “tortilla”.
These are smart kids. We were surprised how tasty the tomatillo was raw. Somehow
we had associated it with tomatoes even though the plants are not related. The raw
tomatillo almost has an apple taste. Then, I donned gloves and showed them how
to prepare a jalapeno, warning them that the seeds and the membranes were the
hottest part. Finally, we tasted Salsa Verde, which is made with tomatillos and
jalapenos. It was a big hit. Luckily I’d brought plenty of recipes to share.
Next week, we explore the wonderful
world of squash.
Today at the market, M & M Bistro
is serving chicken and lamb/beef wraps. The Granny Chicks are playing so bring
your dancing shoes. E & O Produce will be at the market but they have to
miss tomorrow, so if you want their lovely melons, today’s the day to come.
Tomorrow, JR Sampson and Friends are
playing. The Webb City Band Boosters are serving breakfast from 9 to 11 and a
few members of the band will perform during our regular band’s breaks. As is
the case with all Saturday breakfast, the volunteer group serves the meal from
9 to 11 and keeps the profits.
Oakwood Farm will have the pepper
roaster at the market tomorrow. Oakwood grows many varieties of peppers, but if
you find what you like at a different stand, they’ll roast those peppers for $2
a pound. They roast their own for free.
This weekend is our last time for the
Ball Jar drawings. We’ll draw five names on Friday and five on Saturday. The
winners have to be present to win so keep your ears perked for the megaphone
announcements.
On both days, we’ll have lots of
produce (though the peaches may be done for the season). Cottage Small Coffee
Roasters is back after a break. It was just too hot to roast coffee last week. In
fact, I think we can all agree, it was just too hot. Too bad we couldn’t hold
some of that dreadful winter cold over for these hot days.
In September we’ll continue to be open
on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Next Tuesday, we expect Carmine’s Wood Fire
Pizza and Dog on a Roll to serve dinner. Rob Pommert will play.
Since the Salsa Verde was such a hit at
the garden, I thought I’d share it with you. You can find lots of tomatillos at
Fredrickson Farms stand. Hot peppers are at almost every growers table.
Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Makes about 3 cups
You can cook the tomatillos several
ways. I roasted them. Don’t worry about chopping the ingredients finely. You’re
going to mince them in the food processor or blender anyway.
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos (don’t know how much a box weighs? Just come to the information table and weigh
them on our scale donated by Cardinal Scales.)
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 Jalapeno peppers or 2 Serrano
peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped (you can use them whole if you want really
hot salsa – but WEAR GLOVES!)
Remove the papery husks from the
tomatillos and rinse the fruit well.
Cook the tomatillos using one of the
following methods:
Cut the tomatillos in half and place
cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5 –
7 minutes until the skin is lightly blackened.
Or
Coat the bottom of a skillet with a
little vegetable oil and heat on high heat. Place the tomatillos in the pan and
sear on one side, then flip over and brown on the other side. Remove from heat.
Or
Place tomatillos in a saucepan, cover
with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted
spoon.
Put the cooked tomatillos and other
ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until all the
ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in
the fridge and serve with chips or as a topping or side in Mexican dishes.
