Beyond the Ordinary
Peppers in all colors from Happy Valley Farm
What a fantastic week to revel in the changing of seasons. The end of summer's warmth complementing the first colors on the changing trees. The heat is certainly good for us down at the market, with the summer harvest getting a much needed boost from the extra degrees. That amounts to plenty of tasty tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant to enjoy from our produce farmers, such as Black Earth Valley or Crossroads Community Farm. To accent those summer staples, we've been enjoying a lot of specialty flavors coming in, like beautiful opal basil & fresh Thai chilies from Ka Vang Thao to aromatic ginger from Shoua Vang. With winter squash starting to come in, we highly recommend the tasty combination of that fresh ginger with roasted squash. Seriously delicious! More and more apples are coming in, including the fan favorite honey crisp. Asian pears and concord grapes added some extra variety to our fresh fruit options this week, along with some deliciously cute mini melons from Blue Moon Community Farm. Join us Saturday, as we try to keep up with the mounting piles of delicious summer produce, fall flowers, Wisconsin-raised meats and of course, the best cheese around. The fleeting warm summer days are almost gone, enjoy the harvest while it's here!
Vendor Notices:
Roots Chocolate, Urban Gourmet & Cress Spring Bakery will be absent from the market this Saturday, September 16th. They will return the following week. Mad Maiden Shrub will be absent from the market on Saturday, September 23rd.
Daily Vendors:
Alsum Sweet Corn, Nami Chips/Fizzeology & Sylvan Meadows Farm will be at market Saturday, September 16th.
Wisconsin grown ginger from Shoua Vang
Master Gardeners!
Master Gardeners will be at the market this Saturday, September 16th. Come get the latest advice on your fall plantings, garden cleanup, bulb planting and learn about the invasive jumping worm. Flavorful concord grapes from Urban Gourmet
New WCM Market
Totes For Sale
We've got another batch of brand new reusable shopping totes available for sale up at the Information Tent. These bags are a great way to cut down on disposable plastic use all while celebrating the farmers' market. Totes are $2 each. Cash or check.
Session Three Vendor List:
Here's a helpful list of vendors who are signed up for Session Three (September 2nd - November 4th) of the 2017 season.
PLEASE NOTE: Not all vendors are present every week. Check the Vendor Notices section for known absences, added daily vendors, and vendors who've finished vending for the session.
Saving Our Bees
This week, we'd like to share an article from Christy Erickson, of SaveOurBees.org Check out the article here, and learn about what you can do to support healthy bees .
Tasty fresh basil from Ka Vang Thao
Recipe Corner
We're throwing all the flavor your way this week, with two recipes to maximize that summer harvest before it's gone. Enjoy!
Summer Squash Soup with Basil
(From Curtis Aikens) Ingredients: - 2 tablespoons olive oil - 1 1/4 pounds zucchini, crookneck or pattypan squash, roughly chopped - 1 large onion, chopped - 6 cups Summer Vegetable Stock - 1/2 cup julienned basil - 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened - 1 1/2 tablespoons flour - Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste - Juice of 1 lemon - Sour cream or plain yogurt as an accompaniment Directions:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stockpot, add zucchini and onion. Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and zucchini is crisp tender. Then add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and partially cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add basil during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Mix the butter and flour together into a paste. Remove 1 cup of simmering stock and whisk in butter mixture until smooth. Add back into soup, stir until thickened. Remove soup from heat to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.
Marinated Carrot Salad with Ginger
(From Laurent Tourondel) Ingredients: - 1 pound carrots, peeled and shredded - 1 garlic clove, minced - 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar - 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro - 1/2 cup grapeseed oil - Salt and freshly ground pepper - 1/3 cup fresh carrot juice ' - 2 tablespoons mayonnaise - 1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil - 3/4 teaspoon fresh ginger juice, squeezed from 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, toss the shredded carrots with the garlic, vinegar, 1/2 cup of the cilantro and 1/4 cup of the grapeseed oil. Season the carrots with salt and pepper. Let the carrots stand for 15 minutes; drain well. 2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, boil the carrot juice over moderate heat until it is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Let the reduced carrot juice cool slightly, then transfer to a bowl. Whisk in the mayonnaise, sesame oil, ginger juice and the remaining 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil. Season the carrot dressing generously with salt and pepper. 3. Add the carrot dressing and the remaining 1/2 cup of cilantro to the carrots and toss the salad well. Transfer to a shallow bowl and serve immediately.
