The Weblog
Place Your Market Order Now; It's Cranberry Season!
Good afternoon to all of our friends within The Wednesday Market.
The Market is open! Please place your orders by 10 p.m. Monday. Orders are ready for pick up on Wednesday between 3 and 6 p.m. Check the website to see all of this week’s product offerings. Here is the link: http://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
The holiday season is almost upon us, and my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, when we, along with all of my brothers and sisters, their husbands and wives, and the grandchildren (and their “significant others”!) gather at our parents’ home for a traditional family celebration. Mom and I work days ahead of time to prepare the buffet meal to serve our clan – now 28 members strong!
One of my favorite contributions to the meal is homemade cranberry sauce, so I thought that I’d share some tips about cranberries with you. The following information is from: http://www.whfoods.com
How to Select and Store Cranberries
A fruit with a short season, fresh cranberries are harvested between Labor Day and Halloween and appear in markets from October through December.
Choose fresh, plump cranberries, deep red in color, and quite firm to the touch. Firmness is a primary indicator of quality.
Fresh ripe cranberries can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 20 days. Before storing, discard any soft, discolored, pitted or shriveled fruits. When removed from the refrigerator, cranberries may look damp, but such moistness does not indicate spoilage, unless the berries are discolored or feel sticky, leathery or tough.
Once frozen, cranberries may be kept for several years. To freeze, spread fresh cranberries out on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. In a couple of hours, the fully frozen berries will be ready to transfer to a freezer bag. Don’t forget to date the bag before returning to the freezer.
Once thawed, frozen berries will be quite soft and should be used immediately.
Dried cranberries are sold in many groceries and may be found with other dried fruits.
Tips for Preparing Cranberries
While not as fragile as blueberries, fresh cranberries should be treated with care. Just prior to use, place cranberries in a strainer and briefly and gently rinse under cool running water.
When using frozen berries in recipes that do not require cooking, thaw well and drain prior to using. For cooked recipes, use unthawed berries since this will ensure maximum flavor. Extend the cooking time a few minutes to accommodate for the frozen berries.
Cranberries retain their maximum amount of nutrients and their maximum taste when they are enjoyed fresh and not prepared in a cooked recipe. That is because their nutrients are unable to withstand the temperature (350°F/175°C) used in baking.
A Few Quick Serving Ideas
- Take advantage of cranberries’ tartness by using them to replace vinegar or lemon when dressing your green salads. Toss the greens with a little olive oil and then add color and zest with a handful of raw cranberries.
- To balance their extreme tartness, combine fresh cranberries with other fruits such as oranges, apples, pineapple or pears. If desired, add a little fruit juice, honey or maple syrup to chopped fresh cranberries.
- For an easy-to-make salad that will immediately become a holiday favorite, place 2 cups fresh berries in your blender along with 1/2 cup of pineapple chunks, a quartered skinned orange, a sweet apple (such as one of the Delicious variety) and a handful or two of walnuts or pecans. Blend till well mixed but still chunky. Transfer to a large bowl. Dice 3-4 stalks of celery, add to the cranberry mixture and stir till just combined.
- Combine unsweetened cranberry in equal parts with your favorite fruit juice and sparkling mineral water for a lightly sweetened, refreshing spritzer. For even more color appeal, garnish with a slice of lime.
- Add color and variety to your favorite recipes for rice pudding, quick breads or muffins by using dried cranberries instead of raisins.
- Sprinkle a handful of dried cranberries over a bowl of hot oatmeal, barley, or any cold cereal.
- Mix dried cranberries with lightly roasted and salted nuts for a delicious snack.
I hope you find this information helpful and will include cranberries in your holiday menus.
We’ll see you at the Market on Wednesday. Have a great Sunday!
Beverly
Market is Open; Eat Your Greens!
Good afternoon to The Wednesday Market community. We hope you are well on this bright, crisp fall afternoon!
The Market is open for orders. Please place your order by 10 p.m. on Monday. Orders are ready for pick up on Wednesday between 3 and 6 p.m. Be sure to check the website for all of this week’s product listings. Here is the link: http://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
My children are on a weekend binge of Halloween candy. We are putting it away today and encouraging them to eat their greens. Stephen’s little raised bed garden is full of green goodness right now, and we plan to harvest some lettuce and turnip greens to eat with our supper this evening.
Whether you prefer mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, kale, chard, spinach or broccoli – what is your preferred way to cook them? No doubt about it, Joe and I love them cooked the Southern way with lots of pork added to them, graced with a shake or two of hot pepper sauce. My brother-in-law, Aaron, on the other hand, prefers his greens barely cooked. My sister Teresa uses a technique similar to stir-frying. Here is how to do it:
Rinse the greens well. Remove the tough stems. Stack several leaves one on top of the other and starting on a long side, roll them together. Beginning at one end, chop the greens crosswise into thin shreds. Mince a couple of cloves of garlic. Heat some olive oil in a cast iron skillet, add the garlic and saute briefly, about 30 seconds, or until the garlic is heated and fragrant. Add the shredded greens. Cook and stir until they turn bright green and are crisp-tender, taking care not to scorch the garlic. Enjoy! My kids also like broccoli and spinach stir fried with garlic. Maybe you will try this with your favorite greens, too.
Happy cooking!
Thanks,
Beverly
Reminder to Order
Good evening.
The Wednesday Market is open. Please remember to place your order by 10 p.m. Monday. Orders are ready for pick up on Wednesday between 3 and 6 p.m. Please check the website for this week’s listings. Here is the link: http://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
Sunday’s weather promises to be spectacular! Please take some time to drive out to McCrary Farms in Molena and visit the inaugural Home Harvest Celebration. Festivities are planned from mid-morning until 5 p.m. We hope to see you there!
Thank you for supporting locally grown agriculture and for choosing to buy locally. We’ll see you on Wednesday at the Market!
Thanks,
Beverly
The Market is Open
The Wednesday Market is open for orders. Please place your orders by 10 p.m. on Monday. Orders are ready for pick up on Wednesday between 3 and 6 p.m. Be sure to see the website for all of this week’s offerings. Here is the link: http://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
We’ll see you on Wednesday!
Thanks,
Beverly
Time to Order; Stephen's Garden
Good Sunday afternoon to you all. We hope you all have a chance to get out and enjoy this magnificent sunshine today, as the forecast for later this week is calling for severe weather.
The Wednesday Market is open. Please place your order by 10 p.m. Monday. Orders are ready for pick up between 3 and 6 p.m. Wednesday. Please see the website for all of this week’s listings. Here is the link: http://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
Regular readers of this blog know that my son Stephen planted a garden about three weeks ago. I am happy to report that his garden is doing well, and we wanted to share a picture of his work in progress. Do you see all the terra cotta pots? When we began setting out the starter plants, we realized that we greatly underestimated how much space we needed for the number of plants we purchased. So, we used our existing pots as “overflow” space. The little garden has been blessed with several days of sun and a rain shower or two, but since this past week has been pretty dry, we have had to water it a couple of times. We are hopeful the garden will thrive and that Stephen will soon be able to harvest some of our favorite vegetables. So far, so good!
Thank you for supporting locally grown agriculture and for choosing to buy locally. We’ll see you on Wednesday!
Thanks,
Beverly
The Market is Open
Good afternoon on this crisp fall day!
The Market is open for orders. Please place your order by 10 p.m. Monday and it will be ready for you to pick up on Wednesday between 3 and 6 p.m. See the website for this week’s product offerings. Here is the link: http://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
Thank you for supporting locally grown agriculture and thank you for choosing to buy locally. We’ll see you Wednesday at the Market!
Thanks,
Beverly
Reminder to Order; A Boy's Winter Garden
Good afternoon to everyone in The Wednesday Market community. We hope you are having a good day!
The Market is open for ordering. Please place your order by 10 p.m. Monday. Orders are ready for pick up between 3 and 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Visit the website for this week’s product listings. Here is the link: http://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
This year is my son Stephen’s first year of middle school, and he has Agriculture as an elective class. Today, he will be working on his project. Stephen is planting a winter garden and will be responsible for watering, tending and harvesting it and documenting the results. Yesterday we purchased the materials he needs to build a small raised bed, including starter plants. I really enjoyed the enthusiasm displayed by Stephen and his brother Charlie when it came to time to choose the plants. Stephen chose lettuce, broccoli, turnip greens, and Brussels sprouts. I selected spinach, rosemary, rutabagas, cabbages and Swiss chard. Charlie is in Kindergarten and does not yet read, but keenly checked the pictures on the labels of the various plants. “Look, Mama, this one is for pizza!” Charlie exclaimed as he chose basil. “I want this one, too, because it’s for deviled eggs,” he said, and picked up a pot of parsley. Now, I know that basil is not a winter plant, but I just could not say no to Charlie’s excitement, not to mention that the plant was lush and green and healthy-looking. And, as several of my Wednesday Market friends know, basil is my favorite herb!
As luck would have it, rain is forecast for later on today, and so, I’d better get to work helping the boys build and plant. Hopefully the rain will come after the planting is done, and we will be well on our way to having some homegrown vegetables soon.
Thank you for supporting The Wednesday Market, and we’ll see you soon.
Beverly
Time to Order
Good afternoon to all within The Wednesday Market community.
The Market is open. Please place your order by 10 p.m. on Monday. Orders are ready for pick up on Wednesday between 3 and 6 p.m. Be sure to check the website for all of this week’s offerings. Here is the link: http://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
Thank you for supporting locally grown agriculture. We’ll see you Wednesday!
Thanks,
Beverly
Your Friendly Reminder to Order
Good afternoon to The Wednesday Market community.
The Market is open. Please place your order by Monday at 10 p.m. Orders are ready for pick up between 3 and 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Please check the website for all of this week’s offerings. Here is the link: http://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
It is almost time for Fall. As the days grow shorter and cooler, we at the Walter house begin to crave the flavors of fall. Some of our favorites are apples, pumpkins, and cranberries. All of my boys like warm spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, and allspice.
As some of you readers may know, I spent a few of my “growing up” years in Blue Ridge, GA. I cannot think of fall without considering a pilgrimage to Mercier Orchards on Highway 5 in Blue Ridge. They have the best fried apple pies!
Just this Friday, my husband Joe had some business to attend to in Ellijay. Well, Ellijay is not Blue Ridge, but Ellijay is famous for apples, too, and hosts an annual Apple Festival. So, I asked that Joe bring back some apples for us. Mama wanted some “Cameo” variety, while I requested “Fuji” or “Gala.” Joe learned that Cameos are not ready until late September or early October, though he did bring home a bag of Galas for the boys and me, and Mama received a big bag of mixed varieties. I guess we’ll plan a trip back to apple country for October!
If you enjoy baking with Fall flavors, you might want to check out this great website for some inspiration. Here is a link: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/
Enjoy your Sunday, and we’ll see you Wednesday!
Thanks,
Beverly
Time to Order
Good afternoon to The Wednesday Market community. We hope you are having a great Sunday.
The Wednesday Market is open. Please place your orders by 10 p.m. Monday. Orders are ready for pick up between 3 and 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Please see the website for all of this week’s offerings. Here is the link: http:\\www.wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
Thank you to everyone who has given me positive feedback about the stories and recipes I have shared through the blog this summer. I haven’t written much in the past couple of weeks, but plan to post some new stories and recipes soon.
In the meantime, thank you for supporting locally grown agriculture and the farmers and small businesses within The Wednesday Market. We appreciate your efforts to buy locally, and we thank you for your loyalty!
We’ll see you on Wednesday!
Beverly