Door County cherries by Linda Nelson

Dear WMC Shopper,

You can taste the rainbow of produce at the Market these days!

Countyline Plants and Produce, owned by Bill and Cathy Mayr of DeForest, has a rainbow blend of carrots; and Primrose Community Farm, owned by Cassie and Mike Noltnerwyss of Cross Plains, offers rainbow chard. Although Abraham Bauman of Real Foods of Athens doesn’t use the rainbow label, his selection from the 50 varieties he grows would qualify. For a colorful caprese salad on a platter, start with one of his new choices: the Tasty Evergreen, which is green when it’s ripe. Layer slices of that one with the Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, a yellow tomato, a red tomato, whole basil leaves – such as the purple basil and the green basil from Ka Vang of Madison — and slices of fresh mozzarella; sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and sea salt; drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Real Foods also had artichokes last week and will have a limited amount this week – then that will be it for the year. These are Imperial Star artichokes, great for steaming and dipping in butter. Conditions this year haven’t been great, but Bauman will try again next year.

This week Vivian Green of Green’s Pleasant Springs Orchard, Stoughton, will bring the first apples of the season. She says this thin-skinned Lodi variety needs no peeling for use in pies and crisps. Can’t you just taste those treats topped with Sassy Cow vanilla ice cream or heavy cream? Sweet cherries should be in good supply from Jim and Crystal Barnard of Door County Fruit Markets, Egg Harbor, and Adam and Carrie Flyte of Flyte Family Farm, Coloma, should have plenty of blueberries.

Shoppers this week also likely will find beans, beets, bread and other bakery, broccoli, butter, cabbage,  carrots, cheese, crackers, cucumbers, dry beans, eggs, fish, flowers (such as showy, long-lasting, low-cost lily-zinnia bouquets from the Vang Family Farm of DeForest/Windsor), fresh-cut herbs, garlic, green onions, greens, honey, ice cream (Raspberry Lemonade last week!), kohlrabi, leeks, meats, milk, mushrooms, onions of all sorts, pasta, peas, plants, potatoes, radishes, raspberries (going, going, gone in a week or so), rhubarb, shallots, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, yogurt, zucchini and specialty products.

Want to keep the strawberries coming for weeks? Pick up hanging baskets of ever-bearing strawberries from Country Bloomers, owned by Jerry and Cheryl Mayr of DeForest. They joined the Market for this second session and also are offering large and small arrangements of cut flowers, annuals, perennials and herbs for now, with mums and more coming later. Wondering about the connection to the other Mayrs at the Market? Jerry explains that Bill Mayr — of Countyline Plants and Produce of DeForest — is his cousin.

Green beekeepers’ news: Andrew Bonde of Bonde Bee, Randolph, is offering cotton Bonde Bee tote bags free with the purchase of either a gallon or half-gallon of honey, and Brad and Elizabeth Moore of B’s Honey, Mazomanie, credit shoppers with 25 cents for returned pint and quart containers and $1 for the gallon containers.

Election news: Two new members have been elected to the Market board. They are Kristen Kordet of Blue Moon Community Farm, Stoughton, and Bruce Workman of Edelweiss Creamery, Monticello. Congratulations to both – and many thanks for their years of service on the board to former board members Kay Jensen of JenEhr Family Farm, Sun Prairie, and Bob Klebba of Morningwood Farm Nursery , Mount Horeb.

Thanks to shopper Jan Hansen for providing the recipe below for Three Bean Salad, which you can make with green and yellow beans, cooked dry beans, red onions and fresh parsley from the Market, and thanks to shopper Cheryl Busuttil for the recipe for Dilly Beans, for which you could find beans, garlic and perhaps  fresh dill at the Market. Both will find $5 gift certificates waiting for them at the Information Tent at the Market. The same deal is available for anyone else who emails a recipe using Market ingredients to me at kalliosandra@yahoo.com or drops one off at the Information Tent.

Recipe Corner

Three Bean Salad

•  For the dressing:
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light olive oil
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• For the salad:
• ½ pound green beans
• ½ pound yellow beans
• 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or use some cooked dried beans from the market)
• ½ cup finely chopped celery
• ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

 Make dressing by combining dressing ingredients in small saucepan.  Heat gently until sugar is well dissolved.

To prepare the salad, clean and cut green and yellow beans into 2-inch pieces.  Steam beans until tender/crisp, depending on how crunchy you like your beans. When beans are cooled, add kidney beans, celery, red onion and parsley. Mix in dressing and toss well to mix. Cover and refrigerate about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Pickled Dilly Beans

Cheryl Busuttil writes that Pickled Dilly Beans, a recipe from “Cooks County” that she adapted, is simple to prepare and great for picnics.

Equipment:
    •    A clean wide-mouth quart jar (easier to get beans in) with a tight fitting lid
Ingredients:
    •    1 pound green and/or yellow beans, stems trimmed
    •    2 crushed cloves of garlic
    •    2 sprigs of fresh dill
Pickling liquid:
    •    1 cup water
    •    1 cup rice wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)
    •    ¾ cup sugar
    •    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    •    1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
    •    1 tablespoon whole mustard seed

1. Prep the vegetables: Trim the stem ends off of the green beans. Blanch beans in a salt water mixture for 3 minutes. Remove and place in bowl of ice water and let cool. Put the beans, crushed garlic and dill sprigs in your jar.

2. Make the pickling liquid: Combine the pickling liquid ingredients in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes to open up the flavor of the spices.

3. Combine the liquid and the vegetables: Gently pour the pickling liquid into the jar until the vegetables are covered. You can pour the liquid into the jar through a mesh filter if you don’t want herbs and spices in jar.

4. Important: Let cool at room temperature before refrigeration! Close the lid on the jar and refrigerate. It’s best to refrigerate for at least one day, and preferably one week. They will last, refrigerated, for up to 3 months.

 Invite your friends and neighbors to the Market: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hill Farms State Department of Transportation parking lot at the corner of Segoe Road and Sheboygan Avenue, one block south of University Avenue and one block west of Hilldale Shopping Center.

Tell them to bring the kids to play along with Moldy Jam, the Market house band that plays in fair weather at reasonable times (not before 9:30 a.m.).

Vendors provide free coffee at the WCM Information Tent for those who shop earlier. When you are at the tent, fill out a chance to win the raffle for a $5 WCM gift certificate.

Until next week,
Sandy Kallio
for the Westside Community Market

Send recipes to: kalliosandra@yahoo.com