Christmas Dinner from the Market

This year we did a very nice dinner from items purchased at the Market with a little help from the Kerrytown shops and the Peoples Food Coop.

Buffalo Standing Rib Roast from TMZ Farms
Roasted Carrots and Parsnips from the market with herbs
A salad of fresh spinach (not Shown) from Brines Farms
Dessert was a Tangerine Barvarian Cream - Kerrytown shops and the Peoples Food Coop

The Market in December

The Market is open all year, but it changes with the seasons. In December the fresh produce fades, replaced by apples and root vegetables that store. Poinsettias replace the summer flowers.



Not all of summer is lost. There are still a few vendors extending the season with greenhouses or hoop houses. Brines Farm is likely to be there with fresh salad lettuce and spinach. Dennis Sparr will probably be there with roses until Christmas.



But the real life of the Market in December is the Holiday greens. The Market has become the premiere Ann Arbor location for trees, wreaths, and other decorative greens.



Photos by Jessica Black

Update - revision

As a result of the recent cold weather Sparr has not been at the Market. There are many vendors selling holiday greenery, but not poinsettias.

October at the Market

Now is the time for pumpkins and squash.

But peppers and corn are still at the Market until frost.

Pies

Fall is a great time for pies. My brother-in-law thinks elderberries make the best of all pies. He picks copious quantities from the edge of his farm fields to bring to my sister. She freezes them so that he can have elderberry pie in winter.

I saw these at Wasem's and decided to make one too. If you continue to the recipe page there are illustrated instructions for the pie filling and crust. The crust recipe can be used for peach, apple and other pies. (continue)

Ratatouille – A Fine Mess of Vegetables

Every fall I make a large batch of ratatouille. That way I have lots of this great vegetable stew left over to freeze. Why don't you make some too?
Step 1 is to go to the Ann Arbor Farmers Market and purchase the vegetables. The fall harvest has arrived and all the necessary veggies are there. You will want tomatoes, eggplant, summer squash, garlic, peppers and herbs. The choices are flexible and it is not important to use the exact ratios I use.

Buying a loaf of bread Mill Pond bread to go with the ratatouille is a great idea. If you continue to the ratatouille page. the recipe and the method of production is there. (continue)

Summer Basil

Fresh basil is at the market. By the bunch, about $1, or by the bushel, about $30. OK, a bushel of basil is a lot of pesto. But it is a long time to next summer.

Kim said:

Tomatoes, corn, basil. The summer trifecta. The real summer ephemerals. Daily happiness for about 1 or 2 months, then gone for another year. Everyone has the experience of looking forward to and waiting for your own county's tomatoes and corn to be ripe - because they are the best. Wherever you are, the ones from the farmstand down the road are the best in the entire country. Period. They just are.

What I wonder about us as Americans, is why we're so easily pacified with inferior substitutes…

Tomatoes

There are tomatoes, tomatoes, and more tomatoes at the market. So why not have a red and yellow tomato sandwich? This one was made with organic heirloom tomatoes from Wilson's Produce. Garnished with basil and blue cheese, but Zingerman's goat cheese would work well also. Top with a dressing of your choice.

Joann Wilson said:

Thank you for the tomato feature. The photo of the sliced tomatoes looks very appetizing. :-) I will send this web site to my customers that I email every week.