Kids' Activity Table at the Market

This year, we introduced a new attraction at the Oakmont Farmers Market - the Kids' Activity Table. Throughout the season, you'll find Haverford Township Farmers Market Association members hosting a fun, food-related activity for kids!

Yesterday at the Market, Shirley Cohen and her daughter Julie, and Joyce Platfoot and her son Sam entertained and stumped kids of all ages with a challenging test of their senses. Kids were asked to feel inside a brown paper bag to try to guess the contents, strictly by feel or smell. They were not allowed to peek inside the bag. Once they guessed, they were encouraged to study their treasures with a magnifying glass.

Watch our latest video of Joyce and Sam demonstrating the activity:



Bring your kids to the Market where they can have fun learning a thing or two about food! We have two upcoming activities tentatively scheduled later this season. Watch our weekly eNewsletter for more details.

1. September 24, 2008 - Fruit and Veggie Prints
2. October 22, 2008 - Scavenger Hunt

Thanks to Shirley, Julie, Joyce, and Sam - and all the other Association members who dream up these fun and educational activities!

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA

Oakmont Farmers Market in Main Line Today (Link)

Congratulations to Oakmont Farmers Market! We have been included in a recent Main Line Today piece as one of the area's great local food resources.

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA

What does Oakmont Farmers Market Mean To You?

Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's changes in my life, maybe it's just hormones (who knows!), but I am feeling awfully sentimental about our dear Oakmont Farmers Market lately.

I just can't help but feel so fortunate to have a Market close to my home where I can buy the best.

Although growing seasons are short for so many fruits and vegetables, I can honestly say that no supermarket has given me such red juicy strawberries, sweet heirloom tomatoes, tender spinach, sweet corn bursting with flavor, like those at the Farmers Market. I certainly don't want to forget the meat and poultry - have you had the pork roll, the chicken breasts, and the bison jerky?

While, yes, the Market is putting yummy food in my tummy, it's also providing great lessons to my young daughter...

• walking to buy your food provides exercise and saves gasoline
• supporting our local farmers who really believe in nourishing people is vital to a healthy population (as opposed to the giant agriculture behemoths creating food in labs who are just looking at the bottom line, but that's for another day)
• meeting up with friends as we pick out our favorite Asian pears, scented soaps and flowers is fun
  
• helping neighbors by taking their orders when they can't get to the Market is kind
  

Enough of my emotional outpouring...

What does Oakmont Farmers Market mean to you?

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA

North Star Orchard

In the third installment of our Video Series, Lisa Kerschner of North Star Orchard talks about the fruits and vegetables they will have to offer next week, July 30.

Stop by and say hi to Lisa and her son, Jay, next week!

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA

Hot Weather Summons the Cuisinart: Mediterranean-Style Cashew-Cucumber Dip

Everybody knows it's hot. I am not a fan of hot, mostly because my house is minimally-air conditioned (and certainly not in the kitchen). Folks who have seasonal affective disorder - I understand you now. My disorder is slightly different than most, though, because my blue times occur in the summer as my kitchen reaches 90 degrees. It makes it almost impossible to do anything that requires moving...let alone cook.

So, after eating out the past couple nights and, frankly, staying out of my hot house for days, we decided to "cook" a minimal dinner tonight. It was a very simple plate of grilled marinated chicken, grilled flatbread (both grilled outdoors thus keeping my kitchen "cooler") and a very tasty no-cook Mediterranean-Style Cashew-Cucumber Dip from the fine ladies who wrote Veganomicon.


I was extremely happy with this creamy, pesto-like dip full of rich nutty cashew flavor, fresh cucumbers, a little dill...oh wait, here's the recipe!

Mediterranean-Style Cashew-Cucumber Dip

1lb seedless cucumber, peeled and grated (about 1 2/3 cup, loosely packed)
1 cup raw cashews (5 ounces)
2 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch of ground white pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (optional)
A few kalamata olives, for garnish

Squeeze handfuls of grated cucumber over a medium-size bowl to remove as much juice as possible. You can do this also by wrapping the grated cucumber in a cheesecloth or heavy-duty paper towel. Set aside the juice and place the squeezed cucumber in a large bowl.

Combine the cashews, lemon juice, half the grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Blend until creamy, scraping the sides of the processor bowl frequently. Add 1 to 3 tablespoons of reserved cucumber juice to the sauce. The final consistency should resemble a not-too-think hummus. Scrape into a medium-size bowl and stir in the remaining grated cucumber and chopped dill.

Cover and chill until ready to use. If serving alone, garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a few kalamata olives, if desired.

My notes:
1. Since I didn't want to clean too many gadgets, I used the food processor to grate the cucumber as my first step (instead of using a regular grater).
2. This dip would be great with the cucumbers and dill from our Farmers Market.
2. The raw garlic gives it a little kick, so if you are timid, cut it down to one clove.
3. I used roasted unsalted cashews, a regular cucumber (scraped out the seeds), and black pepper instead of what the recipe called for.

Enjoy!
Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA

Lindenhof Farm

In the second installment of our Video Series, Axel Linde of Lindenhof Farms talks about some of the items he offers at the Market. Lindenhof Farms raises grass-fed chickens, turkeys, lambs, and hogs.

Stop by the Lindenhof Farm stand next week and say hi!

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA

Fruitwood Orchards - 07/02/08

Welcome to our Video Series! The first video is with Catherine Nelson of Fruitwood Orchards. She talks about what crops will be available next week (7-9-08).

We'll feature Axel Linde of Lindenhof Farm next week, so keep checking back for more in our Series.

If you have a question for one of our farmers, post a comment or send us an e-mail.

Jennifer Sanders, HTFMA

Recipes for July 2, 2008: Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad and Fourth of July Blueberry/Raspberry Tart

Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups redskin potatoes, cut into uniform chunks (about 10 ounces)
2 cups all red potatoes, cut into uniform chunks (about 10 ounces)
2 cups purple potatoes, cut into uniform chunks (about 10 ounces)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
3 hard-cooked large eggs, finely chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation:
Place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook on medium/low for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool slightly. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add onion, parsley, dill, chives, and eggs to bowl; toss gently.

Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients. Pour over potato mixture; toss gently to combine. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup); adapted from a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman

Frangipane Red White and Blue Tart with Mixed Berries

This recipe is one of my all-time favorites; I’ve been making it since I first saw it in the July 1991 Gourmet Magazine. The original recipe calls for strawberries and raspberries, but you can make it with any berries you like, practically. For this adaptation I’ve called for blueberries and red raspberries (available at the market now), which will make a fine ‘red white and blue’ tart for the Fourth of July. Also, if you want to make it even easier you can use frozen puff pastry from the store in place of the pâte brisée.

Ingredients:
1 recipe pâte brisée (recipe follows)
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup blanched almonds, ground fine
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon Amaretto or 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups blueberries, picked over and rinsed
2 cups raspberries, picked over and rinsed
1/4 cup strawberry or raspberry jam, melted and strained

Preparation:
Roll out the dough 1/8- inch thick on a lightly floured surface, fit it into an 11-by 8-inch rectangular or 10-or 11-inch round tart pan with a removable fluted rim, and chill the shell while making the frangipane. In a small bowl cream together the butter and the sugar and beat in the egg, the almonds, the almond extract, the Amaretto, and the flour.

Spread the frangipane evenly on the bottom of the shell and bake the tart in the middle of a preheated 375°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the shell is pale golden. (If the frangipane begins to turn too brown, cover the tart loosely with a piece of foil.) Let the tart cool. Arrange the blueberries decoratively with the raspberries in rows on the frangipane, and brush them gently with the jam. Serve it forth!

Pâte Brisée:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl blend the flour, the butter, the vegetable shortening, and salt until the mixture resembles meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water, toss the mixture until the water is incorporated, adding more ice water if necessary to form a dough, and form the dough into a ball. Dust the dough with flour and chill it, wrapped in wax paper, for 1 hour.