Hillsborough Farmers Market Newsletter gnome

March 24, 2012

Our mild winter and very warm March have accelerated growing schedules for vegetables, fruits, and fungi and are making spring harvests begin early this year. Join us at the Hillsborough Farmers Market (HFM) on Saturday, 10 AM to noon, to enjoy the spring season's early yields including asparagus from Cane Creek Farms and shiitake mushrooms from Windy Acres Farm and RambleRill Farm!

 

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT: TURTLE HILLS FARM

Sir Albert Howard (1873-1947), the father of modern organic farming, reinforced the fundamental interrelatedness of the elements and living things in his writings and practice. He recognized that the well-being of all organisms depends on a healthy soil and advocated that farmers care for their soil through non-toxic methods that mimic the processes of nature. "The health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible," he wrote.

 

HFM farmer Brian Arnold of Turtle Hills Farm epitomizes Sir Albert's teachings. Brian has patiently, persistently worked on his farm to build a healthy, life-giving soil that is the foundation upon which the farm---and anyone who eats food---depends. Turtle Hills Farm sells eggs, muscadine grapes, pears, and vegetables. The crops are grown on soil enriched by composting and not treated with any chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. The eggs come from uncaged hens that spend their days outside eating fresh native plants and grasses, cover crops, insects, and worms supplemented by custom-milled, all-natural whole grain. The hens are not given any antibiotics, hormones, or chemicals. A recent visit to Turtle Hills Farm on a sunny March afternoon found Brian's more-than 100 hens gently clucking and happily foraging. The rich, dark-brown soil in the freshly prepared crop rows looked and felt like nothing short of agricultural gold. Chat with Brian on Saturday at the market and learn more about his farming operation. He sets an example for all of us, farmers and eaters alike.

 

MORE THAN YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ASPARAGUS

The asparagus is comin' in, and Cane Creek Farms will have this spring delicacy for sale on Saturday morning! Tender asparagus spears are delicious eaten raw or cooked, and they are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, and iron.

 

This tasty treat can have a curious effect delicately characterized by French novelist Marcel Proust in 1913 when he wrote that ". . . asparagus transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume." It is thought that the uniquely smelling urine associated with consumption of asparagus is attributed to the breakdown, during digestion, of sulfurous compounds in the asparagus to yield volatile chemical substances that the body excretes. This effect of asparagus is temporary and harmless and appears to occur in everyone who eats it. Scientists say that if you have eaten asparagus and have not experienced the perfumy effect that Proust describes, then it is not because your urine doesn't smell. Rather, you lack the gene for smelling the volatile asparagus-derived substances: only about one quarter of the population has this asparagus-detector gene! Bottom line: if you've noticed a smell, fear not, and enjoy your asparagus with impunity!

 

Use Cane Creek's asparagus and Windy Acres' shiitake mushrooms in this yummy recipe for Asparagus and Shiitake Risotto from epicurious.com:  

 

Ingredients 

  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 pound thin to medium asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, leaving tips 1 1/2 inches long
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 3/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice 
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano 

Preparation

  • Bring broth and water to a boil in a 4-quart pot. Add asparagus and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain and pat dry. Keep broth at a bare simmer, covered.
  • Heat oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saut� mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a bowl.
  • Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 1 minute.
  • Ladle in 1 cup simmering broth and cook at a strong simmer, stirring, until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is just tender and looks creamy, 18 to 20 minutes. (Save leftover broth for thinning.)
  • Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese, remaining tablespoon butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in asparagus and mushrooms, then cover pan and let stand 1 minute. If desired, thin risotto with some of remaining broth. Serve immediately with remaining cheese on the side.

SPRING/SUMMER MARKET HOURS BEGIN APRIL 7

Don't forget that the HFM will observe spring/summer market hours of 8 AM to noon beginning on Saturday, April 7 and extending through the end of October. Stay in the loop about the fun special events the market will host during the spring/summer season by following this newsletter, the HFM website, and the HFM Facebook page and by stopping by the market tent on Saturdays.

 

We are excited that several new vendors---including farmers, bakers, and crafters---will be joining the HFM this spring to give the HFM better-than-ever complements of produce, baked goods, and crafts. Stay tuned to this newsletter for the new vendor profiles, and come to market to meet them beginning in early April!

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

---17th Annual Piedmont Farm Tour: April 28 and 29, 1 to 5 PM. Find a full list and maps of the farms, tickets, and tour details at www.carolinafarmstewards.org.

 

---Chapel Hill Spring Garden Club Tour: April 14, 10 AM to 4 PM and April 15, 11 AM to 4 PM. For more information, including ticket sales locations, see www.chapelhillgardentour.net.

 

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