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Boulder
County Farmers Markets
Fall starts and we hit our stride!
September 26, 2007
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Dear Friend,
As we let go of the summer and move into the fall it is the best time at the market, we have more vegetables and fruit at this time of year than at any other. We have fewer crowds as the tourists begin their migration to other climes. We have cool mornings that keep the greens fresh longer and make it easier to get them home in perfect condition. In this newsletter we have two CSU extension agents contributing, letting us know how the farmers deal with the frosts, and a recipe for spaghetti squash. Also I have included a reminder of the renaissance festival, recipe for turnips, and links to a few articles that have come across my desk. See you at the market.
Mark
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Back to Our Roots
By Carol Ann Kates
Parsnips have been cultivated for at least 2,000 years. For centuries, they were a staple in the European diet. In fact, Tiberian Rome held this root in the highest esteem.
Today, Americans tend to be a bit suspicious of this peasanty root, believing it to be bitter and tasteless.
It is surprising to learn that before sugar became widely available, European cooks used parsnips to sweeten dishes like cakes and jams. As sugar became more accessible in Europe and the potato, imported from the New World, became all the rage, the popularity of parsnips declined.
Colonists in the New World planted this sweet root and found many uses for it that today seem rather odd. The Colonists made parsnip pancakes and puddings; and in 1896, Fannie Farmer's cookbook, the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, contained a recipe for parsnip fritters.
Shaped like a slightly, bulbous carrot, parsnips are either pale yellow or ivory in color. Their soft, fragrant, slightly sweet flesh adds warmth and comfort to many dishes. They are a tasty addition to soups or stews. I've recently started cooking with parsnips. I much prefer roasting them. If you haven't cooked with parsnips, consider giving my latest recipe a try.
Autumn Roasted Vegetables
Serves 6
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch
cubes
1 pound fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon large grind black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large roasting pan, place carrots, parsnips, butternut squash, and fingerling potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, tossing occasionally. Serve immediately.
Shopping: Parsnips should be small to medium, well shaped, and free of pitting. It is the age rather than the size of parsnips that determines tenderness. Old specimens that have been stored too long may be tough and woody. Do not buy shriveled or spotted parsnips. When long and thin, this vegetable tends to be stringy.
Storing: To store parsnips, wrap them in dry paper towels, place them inside a plastic bag, and refrigerate in the coldest part of your refrigerator. When stored in this manner, parsnips will keep up to 1 month.
Availability: Parsnips are harvested after the first frost.
Carol Ann Kates is the author of award-winning cookbook, Secret Recipes from the Corner Market, selected as one of the top ten favorite cookbooks by the Denver Post Food Staff and manufacturer of Corner Market Secret Recipes gourmet food products.
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Be Ready For The Frost
By Adrian Card - CSU extension agent - Boulder County
September brings shorter days and the chance for frost along the Front Range of Colorado. This phase change of water is so subtle in its first manifestation of the season. Car hoods, grass tops, and the insidious low spots in the landscape fall prey to the white ice crystals wiped across the landscape. Understanding how this happens and some clever properties of good old H2O can help you protect your crops from those first frosts and perhaps lead you to several more weeks of Indian Summer, frost-free growing conditions.
Frost occurs as temperatures drop and the dew point is reached. Water condenses out of the air and cold ambient air temperatures and surface temperatures (of any material including plant tissues) allow it to freeze at 32F and colder on surfaces. The coldest time of the day is usually just before sunrise and if a frost is even remotely possible, this is when it will take place (~ 5 a.m. through sunrise). If the air is colder frost may develop earlier in the night.
Just like water, cold air flows down hill. Its movement is described as thick, like syrup. Often times this mass of cold air is no taller than 5 feet above ground and can be diverted by well-placed solid fencing and the like. Diverted cold air will travel away from your crops in low spots, potentially staving off a frost. Conversely, down slope air dams will back up cold air into low areas.
Most of our frosts occur as radiant frosts. Instead of a mass of cold air moving into an entire region of the state and creating cold air conditions that lead to frosts, radiant frosts form from a loss of warmer air at the surface (from 0 - 20 feet above ground). This air stratifies - cold air moves down as hot air rises above it. This radiant loss of heat is caused by a loss of cloud cover (loss of insulation) and by a cessation of wind (loss of air mixing). Like oil and water, the cool air stratifies from the warmer air and a frost takes place.
As with the cold air fencing, modification of the area microclimate is the solution to frosts. On a larger scale, orchards often employ large fans to mix the air, drawing the warmer air back down to the soil surface. This can work down to ~28F. For many growers the use of fans is impractical.
Trapping warmer air with row covers or hoop houses can work on smaller scales of crop protection. Row covers come in a variety of weights (thickness), which will provide more or less heat retention (from 4 - 8 degrees F). Lighter weight row covers will transmit frost through the material and therefore should be suspended over the crop (wire hoops work well) to prevent this tissue damage. Hoop houses can be closed a few hours before sunset on nights of suspect frost to capture heat. Inflatable double poly covers will provide even more insulation. For max protection utilize row covers on beds inside of hoop houses.
Finally, and perhaps the coolest (pun intended) frost mitigation technology is liquid water itself. As water freezes it gives off heat (the latent heat of crystallization). When a fine mist of water is applied just prior to and during the formation of frost, ice is formed on plant surfaces. As the ice forms it gives off heat and creates a liquid layer of water against the plant tissues. Keep watering until sunrise. As the sun melts the ice and the plants spring back to their non-iced stature, healthy green tissues appear. This technology is effective down to ~26F.
For many sites along the Front Range, helping plants through a late September frost will provide for a few more weeks of harvest. So get those row covers, hoops, and hoses ready and keep obsessively checking the weather forecast as it often changes during the day. The end of the season is inevitable, but just not quite yet.
[ed note: Our farmes continue to use multiple methods to continue to bring fresh veggies to the market until the last market on November 3rd.]
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More Fiine Arts and Fine Crafts
Boulder County Farmers' Markets Fine Art anf Fine Craft Fair Dates:
Longmont September 29th.
Boulder October 13th.
And on the other Art scene:
Weather Report: Art and Climate Change
September 14-December 21, 2007
The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA) in collaboration with EcoArts, presents this timely exhibition curated by internationally renowned art critic, historian, and writer Lucy R. Lippard. This exhibit features 51 artists from around the world-many of whom collaborated with climate change scientists for this show-intent on creating a visual dialogue about climate change and empowering audiences with a vision for a sustainable future. The show includes sculpture, installation, video, photography, and other media that underscores arts' potential to educate, inspire, and motivate. Some issues addressed by the artists include desertification, floods, changing watersheds, global warming, renewable energy, carbon profiling, reforestation, species transformation, the ozone layer, ocean acidification, and soil subsidence in a wide range of powerful and provocative works. Public programs will be held throughout the duration of the exhibit.
You will have noticed many installations around the Farmers' Market.
Click here for more information on Weather Report
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A RENAISSANCE OF LOCAL! is a county-wide community festival, conference and expo, the first of an annual tradition, providing opportunities for involvement for local citizens, organizations, and businesses. The entire event will be an uplifting celebration of local food, local energy, local economy, local culture and local community, serving as an energizing focus and catalyst for the BOULDER COUNTY GOING LOCAL! Campaign for building community self-sufficiency and strengthening the local economy through partnership, collaboration and engagement.
Exhibits and demonstrations by local independently-owned businesses, Boulder-born-and-bred companies, non-profit organizations and community groups, local farmers and growers, renewable energy solution providers, sustainability services, green builders, and many more!
Michael Brownlee the Catalyst of Boulder Valley Relocalization:
"A RENAISSANCE OF LOCAL! is revolutionary, evolutionary, catalytical, participatory, collaborative, co-creative. It's about nothing less than The Great Turning that David Korten points to, the Deep Economy that Bill McKibben writes about, and the Blessed Unrest that Paul Hawken has so eloquently revealed. Everyone is invited, implicated, and involved."
TIMES/THEMES
Friday, Sept. 28: Program and Expo from noon to 9:00 p.m. (Gates open at 11:30 a.m.). Local Business, Local Economy; Peak Oil, The Long Emergency, and Relocalization.
Saturday, Sept. 29: Program and Expo from 9:30 to 9:00 p.m. (Gates open at 9:00 a.m.). Local Energy, Sustainable Everything.
Sunday, Sept. 30: Program and Expo from 9:30 to 6:00 p.m. (Gates open at 9:00 a.m.). Local Food and Agriculture.
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Not Your Grandmothers Spaghetti
by Ann Zander
Colorado State University Extension of Boulder County
Spaghetti Squash with Sesame-Peanut Sauce
We all love pasta. But if it's prepared with rich meat gravy or creamy alfredo sauce - as is frequently the case - pasta dishes can spell trouble for your waistline and your health.
Here is a recipe that offers all the comforts of traditional pasta with none of the guilt. There's a bit of a twist though - the recipe uses spaghetti squash!
Spaghetti squash is one of the lesser-known members of the winter squash family and, as its name suggests, resembles actual strands of spaghetti when cooked. Unlike refined pastas, spaghetti squash provides additional nutrients, including fiber and vitamin C.
If you're not familiar with this rather oddball vegetable, autumn is the perfect season to try it. When choosing a spaghetti squash, look for a hard, deep-yellow rind that is free of blemishes. Also, note that winter squash can be stored longer than summer squash thanks to the hard skin that protects its soft flesh.
The defining characteristics of spaghetti squash - the fibrous long strands - come to life once cooked. Simply run a fork across the flesh and harvest the thin "noodles" inside.
This mild squash takes beautifully to rich flavors such as this peanut sesame sauce.
Spaghetti Squash with Sesame-Peanut Sauce
1 large spaghetti squash
2 Tbsp. chunky peanut butter
¼ cup fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Pinch of dried red pepper flakes (optional)
½ cup thinly sliced scallions, trimmed for garnish
2 Tbsp. chopped peanuts, for garnish (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Pierce the spaghetti squash generously with a knife to prevent it from exploding. Place the squash on a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high until tender when pressed with your fingers or pierced with a thin skewer, about 15 minutes.
Let cool for 8-10 minutes before cutting the squash. When cool, halve the squash and remove the seeds. Scrape the flesh with a fork, collecting the "spaghetti" strands in a medium-sized bowl. Separate the strands using a fork or your fingers.
In a blender or food processor, mix the peanut butter, broth, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes until completely blended. Add the peanut sauce to the separated, cooked spaghetti squash. Toss to coat. Garnish with scallions and peanuts, if desired. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 entrée-sized servings.
Per serving: 130 calories, 7 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 16 g carbohydrate, 4 g protein, 4 g dietary fiber, 200 mg sodium. Recipe from: The American Institute for Cancer Research
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How to 'make' food
I learn a lot from web sites like these; here you can choose the color you wish to have your food produced. Just click click click and you have the ingredients to make your product what ever color, 'legal' status, form, solubility, texture, filler, and perservative.
http://colorfinder.framfab.de/colorfinder/index.html
Then go to their main site and choose the taste consistency and flavor either all artificial or even "natural"
http://www.wild.de/wild/opencms/en/
Don't forget to head over to Cargill to choose textures and the fillers to add value to your food.
I know we would all like to think that the food we buy in our stores is made just like we would make at home. The further you dig into these sites the more it is possible to believe that there is such a thing as 100% synthetic food.
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Food Labeling
More Americans are checking product labels in light of recent safety scares resulting from dangerous imports, according to a recent survey.
Conducted by researchers at the Sacred Heart University in New England, the survey findings come as no surprise following the widespread media coverage and ensuing consumer alarm related to contaminated products from China.
According to the survey, which was conducted between August and September 2007, almost 70 percent of consumers now say they check labels for nation of origin, manufacturer or ingredients, compared to some 53 percent last year.
The survey was based on telephone interviews of 1000 Americans across all 50 states.
Recently, a series of health scares and contamination problems with exported goods have led to widespread concerns about the safety of Chinese food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, prompting officials to assure the world about the safety of country's products.
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"It is not surprising that Americans are clearly very concerned about food imported from other countries. The government clearly needs to do more to protect the consumer for poor quality imports especially meats, fish and dairy products. Labels and expiry dates alone do not suffice," said Dr Balbir Bhasin, a professor of International Business at Sacred Heart University's John Welch College of Business.
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The Grocery Store of the Future
"Simply put, consumers have far, far fewer problems than we marketers, analysts and retailers would care to believe. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers are busy struggling to maintain relevancy in the rapidly disappearing center store by refashioning their SKUs into infinitely more complex arrays of convenience packaging and line extensions. Meanwhile, those consumers who do happen to be pressed for time find an ever-increasing selection of fresh and prepared food options at a growing variety of channels, many of which did not even exist as little as 10 years ago (coffee shops, airports, food trucks, grocery store food courts, etc.). The writing, as they say, is on the wall. Convenience alone is of a dead-end street for CPG manufacturers and mainstream grocery retailers."
Pasted from - http://www.tinderboxthg.com/spark/2007_08_15.html
The Eat-Local Backlash
"To me, the eco argument is important, but not the strongest reason for eating local. While I'm concerned about calories burned and carbon footprints, I'm even more concerned that we even HAVE farmers sustaining themselves financially, especially farmers who know how to grow for their regions. If local communities are going to survive a major disruption of the global food chain (Peak Oil, war, more levees and federal bridges crumbling), then we need to build networks of local food systems now. Quickly. "Carbon footprint" is too-too trendy a concept, and too vague a one as well. The computational energy needed to figure out its putative values is more than I have on my desktop. So ignore those arguments, and just use the better ones for eating from local food sources: the food is fresher, usually more varied, often grown with less reliance on petro-chemical agriproducts, usually brought to market without extraneous cosmetic enhancements (waxes, polishes, blushers and so on)--and it is more likely to be actual food, not "food products." Locally grown food is often of better quality, and buying it often makes you face and talk to the people who grew it or raised it. Knowing people--actual people--who put food in your belly has a certain satisfaction that never seems to occur when shopping in the supermarket."
Global food crisis looms as climate change and population growth strip fertile land
For those of you not fully awake to the challenges that face us in the coming years, this article from The Guardian offers the intellectual equivalent of a triple espresso:
"To keep up with the growth in human population, more food will have to be produced worldwide over the next 50 years than has been during the past 10,000 years combined.."
Pasted from - http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/aug/31/climatechange.food
Labor Issues
How globalization is smothering U.S. fruit and vegetable farms
In a well-functioning market, farmers would raise wages to draw in more workers, and pass the increased costs on to their buyers: the big supermarkets, restaurant chains, and food processors. But as a California Farm Bureau official told AP, those entities will likely reject domestic price hikes and look to other parts of the world for produce. "If our guys try to raise prices, they are going to be replaced by foreign production," he said.
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Tell a Friend! The Boulder County Farmers Markets would like to ask a favor of you. This time of year we have more items and farmers at the market than any other time. But the crowds go away thinking the summer is over and many think that the market has ended. We continue to go through November 3rd rain, sun or cold. Could you as a friend of the market tell your friends that the market is bustling and it is a great time to visit and find the freshest of food? Forward this email or give them a call, I bet they will appreciate it. | |
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Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.
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We never cancel a narket!
Rain or Shine we will have farmers' markets until November 3rd!
This time of year is the best to visit us, don't miss out!
See you at the Market,
Saturday in Boulder 8-2 until November 3
in Longmont 8-1 until October 27
Wednesday in Boulder 4-8 until October 3
Mark Menagh
Executive Director
Boulder County Farmers' Markets |
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