Portland Farmers Market Notes: 6-13-09
What I bought:
- Rosemary plants from Kennebec Flower Farm
- Oak leaf lettuce and red Romaine from Meadowood Farm
- Tomatoes from Olivia's Garden
- Snap peas and beet greens from Beckwith Gardens
- Goat cheese mozzarella from Tourmaline Hill Farm
- Radishes from Freedom Farm
- Toscana kale, Red Chidori kale and fresh flowers from Old Ocean House Farm
What I did with it:
- Eaten "as is" - the very fresh and crunchy snap peas and radishes
- With the oak leaf and beautifully deep red Romaine I made a Caesar salad with shrimp
- Bruschetta #1 - tomatoes, a little leftover pesto from Olivia's Garden, and some pine nuts, placed over a small slice of the goat cheese mozzarella (first pic)
- Bruschetta #2 - Red Chidori kale, crushed red pepper, nutmeg, olive oil and a dab of butter (second pic)
- Speaking of kale, with the Toscana kale I made simple stew with kale, sausage, and cauliflower (third pic)
- I'm bummed out about the beet greens! They looked absolutely delicious, and I threw them under the bus. By accident of course. I braised them, and the plan was that I would add some feta just before they were done. I actually like the contrast between the salty white cheese and the earthy flavor of beets and their greens. That was the plan anyway, but I got a phone call and have the attention span of a gnat. The beet greens were overdone, and the scant and gentle sprinkle of feta that I had intended was more like a clumsy toss of big chunks during my phone call. The result: dark red stems and dried green leaves with big blobs of goo melted on. No picture needed! (Actually, maybe I need to start an archive of really bad food pics and other things that didn't quite come out just so...)



Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com



Lovely shopping trip! My friend, Scarlett (and other friend, Elizabeth) told me that the Portland Market was awesome! How lucky you are!
Our market is extremely small - but, at least there are several within a few miles of each other and on different days.
Can't wait to see what you bought this week!
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