Photo courtesy of Fiddlehead Farm
At the beginning of September, vendors and market-goers have the transition to fall in mind, and there’s no greater mark of this shift than the change in produce and product. The last of late-summer crops are making their final display and we’re beginning to see squash and hardier vegetables appear. Start thinking hearty, wholesome, and a shift to cold-weather cooking (though with temperatures in the nineties this week — I’m sure it’s hard to imagine!) Here’s what was discovered at the market this week:
Anahuac Produce, photo by Ollie Stackhouse.
Javier Lara from Anahuac Produce is passionate about his produce, offering a comprehensive education on the fascinating herbs, spices, and greens on display. He offers me a leaf of papalo, an ancient Mexican herb. The taste is similar to cilantro, but brings greater complexity and is slightly more bold, with a spiciness, not unlike that of arugula. Javier suggests using it as a sandwich green or adding it to salsas, guacamole, salads, or soups. He picks off a piece of the plate-sized Hoja Santa (“sacred leaf”), offering me a bite of its anise flavor. Nutmeg notes reveal themselves immediately, and I love the slight warmth and tickle the taste gives. It’s slightly spicy though too, with a hint of black pepper to make the two seasonings’ relation known. Hoja Santa is famous on tamales and in Mole Verde, the sauce reliant upon green chiles for its deep, olive hue. It brings complex flavor to soups and meaty stews as well, and is a lovely, aromatic addition to eggs. Lemon Gem adds lacy foliage to Javier’s stand, and he suggests bite-size sprinklings of the garnish to embellish salads and desserts with suggestions of citrus and spice. Before I say my goodbyes (and thank Javier for the breadth of herb knowledge I’m walking away with), a vibrant, red shape catches my eye. It’s the last of his Lobster Mushrooms. Consistent with its name, the mushroom is delicious cooked with many kinds of seafood, sautéed or pan-fried in a rich serving of butter and letting a splash of white wine reduced in the pan.
A colorful display of late-summer produce covers Crooked Furrow Farm’s stand, with fall harvest fruits and vegetables beginning to make themselves known. I’m presented with a small grouping of spaghetti squash and eggplant the deepest shade of aubergine. A modest-sized bin of apples is displayed in the front, prefacing the season’s upcoming abundance of the fruit’s variety. I’m told to expect more batches of fennel, onions, and fava beans in the upcoming weeks, an assortment of produce inspiring thoughts of caramelizing the vegetables in butter and olive oil, adding Parmesan, lemon zest, and the possibility of fresh parsley to finish.
Photo courtesy of Lion Heart Kombucha.
Lion Heart Kombucha is known for letting the shift of seasons inspire their brews, using locally-sourced ingredients to keep season-conscious flavors on tap when the time of year permits. I’m poured a cup of the Jazzberry, which has the tart-yet-sweet surprise of Marionberry made more vibrant with a splash of jasmine. The flavor is refreshing, perfect for the late morning’s heat. Sadly, this is the last week of watermelon, a favorite at the market this summer. Coming in place of it next week, is Cucumber-Melon and Huckleberry, with the mild sweetness of the first two ingredients rounding out the tart, blueberry-like taste of huckleberries. As always, Ginger and Grape are on tap if you’re looking for something pure, simple, but always with an invigorating taste.
Market-goers wander about the profusion of produce at the Fiddlehead Farm stand, mulling over the multitude of fruits and vegetables the tables present. It’s the final week for berries, with just a small section of table dedicated to the season’s last blackberries from Hup Ho Farm. Fall crops are coming soon though, with expectations of caramelizing winter squash and thoughts of roasting parsnips coloring fall menus. There’s a variety of peppers: paprika, golden cayenne, and Italian roasting peppers. The latter variety is delicious grilled and then marinated. Or, if you’re looking for a slightly more involved side for Labor Day cooking, place halved and seeded sweet peppers on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle sliced garlic on top. Oregano’s a personal favorite here, layered with salt and pepper as well. Roast in a 450-degree oven for 35 minutes and scatter over a handful of torn basil leaves. A beautiful accompaniment to grilled chicken.
New Foods Market offered their Nut Milk, an organic blend of 5 simple ingredients: almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, dates, and sea salt. Their vegan butter, the result of churning the nut milk with coconut oil and arbequina olive oil, is brought to market as well. Both the nut milk and butter are made without stabilizers and unpronounceable ingredients (though admittedly, I had a hard time with “arbequina” on the first try), all of which lets only the good stuff stand out.
Photo by Ashley McClellan
Apples to Applesauce, the local non-profit initiative combining a mission of ending food waste with a fight against child hunger, makes delicious Carob, Almonds & Agave granola, a mix of gluten-free oats, quinoa flakes, almonds and other nuts, brought together by olive oil, cane sugar, carob, and Himalayan pink sea salt. As with most things, I had to sample a tasting, discovering that the granola perfectly balanced savory and sweet, with a delightful crunch that would offset the tanginess of yogurt or pair perfectly with New Foods Market’s nut milk. Even better than the taste is the knowledge that with every bag sold, one is donated to Portland children in need.
Thanks to Isabelle Eyeman, for collecting and writing this week’s highlights from our vendors. Editing help from Jeannette Sager. Photo thanks go out to Lily Roselyn, Ollie Stackhouse, and Ashley McClellan. Learn all the ways you, too, can join in and contribute as a volunteer at the market!