No Casa Nueva at Market on What Days??

I always forget to write certain things in my posts. Especially those things that are somewhat important to you, as our faithful or potential customers. This is info you want to know!

Casa Nueva will not be attending the Athens Farmer's Market this coming Saturday, August 1 or Wednesday, August 12.

This Saturday, Bruno has a family obligation and I have a long day of inventory to get through, so we won't be able to make it. From August 5-13, our restaurant is closed for renovations, so we won't have much to bring with us, but we WILL be at market Saturday, August 8 with a very limited supply for y'all to purchase (albeit not the 12th).

Thanks again for your continued patronage! See you on the 5th!

A Midsummer Market's Dream

So much fruit! Many different types of peach covered with soft down, blushing deep orange and pink on yellow skin, begging to be bitten. Shiny yellow and purple plums full of sweet, juicy flesh.

Fat blackberries full of flavor and delicate pink and yellow raspberries ready to dazzle your tongue as the ultimate sweet-tart. A lone strawberry struts her stuff, making her presence known in this late summer month.




Knobby, craggy canteloupe and bright green striped watermelon engorged with refreshing summer juice. Is your mouth watering yet?

Sweet growing things are not the season's only focus. The bounty is upon us in the height of summer and is overwhelming with intense color and fresh flavor that can only come from these local vegetables found at the farmer's market. So many varieties of gorgeous red, orange, yellow, green and purple tomatoes! If not for this market bringing together the farmers that grow these essential morsels, our community would surely be malnourished.


Multicolored bell peppers crisp with sweet flavor, crinkly hot peppers that set your mouth ablaze and my personal favorite, the forest green shine of poblano peppers, with their earthy, spicy heat! I get these from Cowdery Farm, and they call them anchos. Technically, anchos are what poblanos are called when they're dried, but I'm not picky about what they're calling them. They are delicious and I highly recommend them!


Come check out the market soon. I took these pictures at today's Wednesday market and though it poured rain and was gray and cool outside, the bright colors of the wide array of produce kept the customers coming with their own rays of light emanating from their smiles.

What you missed (or not!)

I finally snapped a photo of the delicious wineberries I bought at last Wednesday's market. I had my birthday this past Sunday and got to enjoy the berries with my sisters for a birthday breakfast after a birthday sleepover (yeah, I'm now 30, and no, you're never to old to have a sleepover!).

As you can see, wineberries are very similar to raspberries, albeit smaller and a bit more stout. Although they have a slightly dark rosy color, the berries had been in the fridge for a few days, so they darkened a bit more, and they're shiny like blackberries. They are juicy and soft with a very mild sweetness, but not really a distinctive flavor. Wineberry seeds were more easily crunched than those of raspberry, so they didn't stick in my teeth as much! Of course, personal perception is always subjective...

I learned from the Proffits that this berry is an exotic brought from Asia in the 1700-1800s to be cultivated as a garden fruit. As exotics will do, they escaped into the wild. The Proffits found some growing wild on their land some years back and took cuttings for personal cultivation. Now we get these delicate little treats for but a short time in the month of July.

I'd heard a rumor that they were good with vanilla ice cream. It's true, all that they say; I did try some with ice cream. But their flavor and sweetness are so subtle that I preferred to eat them sans accoutrements. Perhaps you can try some, too, next July!

Video: Musicians, Shoppers, Winners

Easiest Ice Cream... EVER.

That's right! I completely forgot to leave my favorite, easiest ice cream recipe EVER for you! I started off making this ice cream with strawberries, but since cherries are in season and they are my favorite July fruit, I make it with cherries and sometimes little pieces of dark chocolate. Are you ready for the Easiest Ice Cream Recipe Ever? Here it is!

EASIEST ICE CREAM RECIPE... EVER!

1 1/2 # Cherries from Gillogly Orchard (whatever variety you like-- pitted!)
1 1/2 C Milk from Snowville Creamery
3 C Heavy Cream from Snowville Creamery
3/4 C Sugar
1/3 C Maple Syrup from Shew's Orchard
2 Tbs Vanilla
***1/4 C Triple Sec from Lucky Dog ;)
Dash Sea Salt

Now you can throw the cherries and some milk into a blender or food processor and blend, then whisk all the rest of the ingredients together. OR, you can put all of the ingredients in a pitcher and blend with an immersion (stick) blender (my favorite method!).

Then, pour into your ice cream maker and let 'er rip until you have some killer ice cream (make sure you share with your loved ones... me, for instance). If you want to add chocolate bits, make sure you process your ice cream until it looks like firm soft serve, then pour the chocolate bits in and let the motor (or hand crank it) run for another minute to distribute. If you add the bits in the beginning, they'll all be at the bottom of the canister.

Enjoy!

***Editor's Note from MishFish: The use of triple sec in this recipe is two-fold. It creates a mild orange note. But most importantly, alcohol lowers the freezing temperature of your mix; it gets between layers of ice and makes your ice cream smooth and scoopable instead of hard as a rock. And the amount is so insignificant that it will NOT get you drunk! You can use as little as 2 teaspoons if you like.***

The Season of Plenty

So, here's a quick reminder about how summer is the season of plenty! See those tarts? You can get them at Casa's table. They are full of berries and rhubarb from Art Gish of Dutch Creek Community Farm, Rick Vest of Vest Berries and Bonnie Witten of Witten Farm. You know why they're blurry? 'Cause it's hot out (well, it SHOULD be hot out) and you're getting all dreamy and woozy when you think of how good they are!

Blackberries, peaches and cherries are in full swing, and I don't know about you, but I love to get me some of the different varieties of cherries that John Gillogly has at his stall (Gillogly Orchard). My favorite summer fruit! I also had the chance to try wineberries from Proffitt's Farm; they look like raspberries, but have a mild, sweet flavor of their own. I'll get a pic next time I have the camera.

Seriously, summer is the time of plenty for produce, but never forget those delicious meats available: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, buffalo, oh my! Harmony Hollow has the bacon that people fight tooth and nail for (don't let that deter you from trying that sweet, smoky maple-y goodness). I got some ground buffalo today from Dixon's Elk Run Buffalo Farm (low in fat for those of you who care, and DELISH), and ground beef from Shew's Orchard. Remember that when you're at King Family Farm's stand buying turkey brats, and Charlene's sweet smile is making you blush, ask JB about the many different varieties of Swissland's cheese that they bring. Talk about a market and season of plenty. We are so blessed!

BOY, have I missed this blog! It's been a minute, I know. Things just get so busy at a restaurant sometimes... it's no fun to go this long without sharing some pictures and recipes and fun farmer's market info, though! It is my favorite "shift" of the week. Please look forward to pictures and news from the Jr. Chef School front (this past Wednesday we made breakfast burritos with yours truly as the guest chef and it was a smashing success!), as well as the "Three or More Cooking Contest" hosted by the Friends of the Athens Farmer's Market. And recipes!

Invitation to Open Farm Day!

GREEN EDGE ORGANIC GARDENS
INVITES YOU TO OUR

OPEN FARM DAY
SUNDAY JULY 19TH, 2009
2 PM TO 6PM

WHO: YOU, YOUR FRIENDS & RELATIVES

WHAT: COME FOR A FARM TOUR, HAY RIDE, POTLUCK FEAST WITH
YOUR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS & PERHAPS SOME GOOD
MUSIC FROM OUR TALENTED COMMUNITY.

WHERE: GREEN EDGE ORGANIC GARDENS
16232 HENRY ROAD
AMESVILLE, OHIO 45711

WHY: WE WOULD LIKE TO MEET YOU & SHOW YOU WHAT WE DO
AROUND THE FARM.

PLEASE BRING: A DISH TO SHARE
PLATES & UTENSILS (DRINKS & CUPS PROVIDED)
QUESTIONS FOR US, YOUR FARMERS
(NO PETS PLEASE)

QUESTIONS: PLEASE CONTACT US AT (740) 448-4021 OR AT
greenedgegardens@verizon.net

WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE!