Great Taste

Relish late summer harvest with these recipes

'Tis the season for broccoli, berries and beans....

From Radish Magazine: http://rochester.radishmagazine.com/display.php?id=99

Berry interesting!

News from Silkey Gardens, Northfield: 

Raspberries are here! With the current weather, they are coming on fast and strong. Strawberries are still available, as well as limited amounts of cherries and blueberries. Currently we are limiting cherries to two quarts per customer....

We always recommend calling before you come out to check availability of any given fruit.

Silkey Gardens is at 12109 Cannon City Boulevard. Phone: 507-645-4158.

The longing for "real food"

At times a search goes on that can take us to faraway lands. Here is a recent post from the Chefs Collaborative's blog: 

http://chefscollaborative.org/category/blog/  

Don't set sail for Europa yet. This Saturday is Rochester's first-ever Healthy Living Fair, next to the Rochester Downtown Farmers Market. Also, the outdoor farmers market is increasing its frequency from once to twice per week.

More on RDFM's new Wednesday market:  http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1457841

Hopeful signs of growing interest in where our food comes from....

Thinking about local strawberries?

Here's an update from Paul Silkey of Silkey Gardens, Dundas:

"Everything looks good so far, especially the strawberries. The cool start has set them up well and we are looking forward to a good crop this season. Our best estimate as to when we will start picking strawberries is somewhere between June 15th (if it continues warm like the last few days), and June 20th or so, if things cool back down some. We hope it will cool down since nothing good happens to strawberries when it gets this hot.

Our raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and cherries are coming along nicely and should start toward the end of the strawberry season. We are running about 2-3 weeks later than last year due to a much colder spring this year."

For more information call Silkey Gardens at 507-645-4158 or visit the website.

What to expect at Rochester's first outdoor farmers market of 2011

From Kari Dunn, manager of Rochester Downtown Farmers Market:  

"Weather has been pretty crummy for things like asparagus - but I expect we'll have at least 40 to 50 vendors and of course that number will grow as more produce becomes available. We have a total of 93 vendors this year! There should be ramps and watercress tomorrow, pea shoots, lots of lettuce varieties, green onions, salad mixes, radishes.....Do you visit our Facebook page? I'll be 'reporting' live to it from market this year."

For more news and information on one of the best farmers markets in the Midwest, check out RDFM's website here. 

There's just one big missing piece to RDFM being of the highest calibre. Great Tastes asks city leaders: When can RDFM have a specially designed area in central Rochester, instead of several congested parking lots? 

Stillwater and New Prague farms feature in gourmet loca-feasts

Twin Cities chef Scott Pampuch is presenting his annual summer Tour de Farm events at Cedar Summit dairy, New Prague; Axdahl's Garden Farm, Stillwater; and Riverbend Farm, near Delano.

Highlights: participitation by "it" chef Mike DeCamp of La Belle Vie, Minneapolis, and Twin Cities "bad boy" (or so sayeth Pioneer Press) chef Landon Schoenefeld at the Cedar Summit gathering.

More on Tour de Farm here. 

Violet passion

One of Great Taste's secret loves is the flavor of violet.  

The romance began in this writer's youth when she discovered Choward's Violet candies--with its long-lasting flowery taste and unforgettable aroma.

Now Great Taste is finding this fancy flavor more often. Violets seem to be popping up here, there, and everywhere--and not just because it's spring. 

Violets make an eye-catching addition to salads. They can be crystallized and served on cakes. Recently yours truly has been drinking violet tea, or, specifically, "The Violette" from Jardin d'Elen, France. 

Today Great Taste found a violet jelly recipe in a Post-Bulletin sister publication, Radish. This writer has come to realize that it's more than "okay" to love violet....She does not feel alone anymore. Do you love violet, too?    

Easter grocery shopping idea

Let the Earth Day vibe keep hoppin' towards the holiday.

Get fresh Easter eggs and other farm-direct foods at tomorrow's Rochester Downtown Farmers Market indoor market:  http://www.rochesterdowntownfarmersmarket.org/

 

What is CSA? Find out at Just Food Co-op's CSA Day

If you'd like to learn about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), head to Just Food Co-op for its CSA Day, today, 11 am to 2 pm. Eleven area CSA farmers will be on hand for questions and discussion.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms work directly with consumers by selling “shares” early in the year for the upcoming harvest. Later on--usually from June to October--shareholders, aka members, come to the farm each week and receive a basket of the season's bounty.

Besides learning about farming practices and products, CSA Day attendees can, if desired, purchase a share for the season. This year's participating farmers offer vegetables, fruits, eggs, cheese, meats, or a combination.

Just Food Co-op is located at 516 Water Street South, Northfield.

 

Yes! Mozzarella di bufala made in Wisconsin

 

Imagine your caprese salad made with mozzarella di bufala from Plain, Wisconsin, a little more than a 3 hour car-ride from Rochester. 

Check out Cedar Grove Cheese:  http://my.execpc.com/~cgcheese/ArtisanCheese.html

Water buffalo mozzarella (translation) is a classic Italian cheese that's superior to fresh cow's milk mozzarella in flavor but difficult to find domestically--and that's an understatement. The imported version, though available on a limited basis, is a letdown not only for its steep price but because the highly perishable product usually arrives on southern Minnesota retail shelves when it is already starting to turn. (This comes from personal experience--several times and from two different stores.) 

GG plans to order Cedar Grove's water buffalo mozzarella and will get a report back to you. Tomatoes are flavorless now so she'll probably match it with some La Quercia proscuitto, the freshest EVOO she can find, and a little crusty bread, or....just canned peaches.