Peppered with Delights
Tasty petite Thai eggplant from Shoua Vang
Peppered with Delights
Given it's mid-August we shouldn't be surprised to find ourselves surrounded by the bounty of summer, but when everything ripe is coming at you in five directions, it's hard not to be overwhelmed. From fresh melons to apples to sweet corn to eggplant, the summer harvest is plentiful at market and the options seem endless.
The return of Happy Valley Farm with their amazing bell peppers (pictured) played right into that sentiment this past weekend. Like many farmers, Kate and Kevin of Happy Valley Farm have been dealing with too much water in their fields this season. We're happy they're back and we wish them some dry ground going forward. Another perk this last weekend was a pop-in vendor, Phil Friedl, who brought out some amazingly huge cacti to add to your houseplant collection. We hope to see Phil later this month with more! Moving on through August, we're excited to welcome back Atoms to Apples this Saturday and we look forward to trying Rami's many different varieties from his Mt. Horeb orchard as we move towards the fall. We're still two weeks out, but we wanted to remind everyone early that the 7th annual Zucchini Car Races will return August 31st. This fun & free event has kids building their own zucchini speeders to run down our custom Zucchini Speedway. It's always a blast to play with your food, especially when it's this much fun! See you at market! Ben Zimmerman Market Manager
Nominate Us for Best of Madison 2020!
It's that time of year again to nominate your favorites for Madison Magazine's Best of Madison. The nomination window runs thru August 31st and you can nominate your favorites here:
A huge thank you to everyone who nominated and then voted for us last year. We won gold for Best Farmers' Market (other than Dane County Farmers' Market).
Let's do it two years in a row!
Supporting Double Dollars, Supporting our Neighbors
This season, the Double Dollars program needs your support! The funding for the program is only slated to last till the end of August. For any of you able to help, even small donations can extend this program to give all our shoppers access to fresh produce through the end of the market season. Please consider making a donation and sharing what we've all come to love the market for, fresh and delicious food from Wisconsin farmers and food crafters. The link to donate to the campaign is located here: Make a Donation to Double Dollars Today!
Why is Double Dollars Important to You?
Watermelons are here! These little beauties courtesy of Blue Moon Community Farm
Vendor Notices:
NessAlla Kombucha will be absent from the market Saturday, August 24th. Truli Julie Biscotti & Kopke's Greenhouse have finished vending for the 2019 season.
Daily Vendors: Saturday, August 17th
Atoms to Apples
Please note not all vendors present every week. Please check newsletter for anticipated absences.
Recipe Corner
This week it's all about simple twists on summer classics. Enjoy!
Stuffed Bell Peppers
(Adapted from Farm & Feast) Ingredients: - 4 very large bell peppers - 15 ounce can tomato sauce - 1/2 pound ground beef - 1/3 cup chopped onion - 1 cup cooked brown - 1/8 teaspoon salt - 1/8 teaspoon black pepper - 1 clove garlic, minced Directions: 1. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds. Place the peppers in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook 3 minutes, just until the peppers are slightly soft. Drain, rinse with cool water and set aside on paper towels to drain. 2. In a skillet, heat the ground beef and onion and cook until no pink remains. Drain. 3. Add the salt, pepper, rice, garlic and half of the tomato sauce. 4. Stir well and spoon into the peppers. 5. Top with the other half of the tomato sauce. 6. Bake in an ungreased dish at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.
Apple, Watermelon & Feta Salad
(Adapted from The Montague) Ingredients: - 1½ cups watermelon, cut into 2cm cubes - 2 crisp apples cut into wedges - 1/2 bunch basil leaves - 1/4 bunch mint leaves - 1 bunch of endive, escarole, mustard greens or dandelion greens, leaves separated - 1 carrot (small), cut into fine sticks - 1 tbsp Dijon mustard - 1 tbsp baby capers chopped (optional) - 2 tbsp cider vinegar - 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil - salt flakes black pepper freshly milled 120 g feta (½ cup) crumbed Directions: 1. Combine the watermelon, apple, herbs, greens and carrot in a large bowl 2. Mix the mustard, capers, vinegar and oil in a second bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Pour over the salad, toss gently, then top with feta to serve.
