Locally Grown - Availability for April 24th, 2012

Hey Local Food Lovers,

This is a killer week for Locally Grown. Let me start off with a few plugs and then I’ll share some personal food experiences and a recipe.

It’s ASPARAGUS season! We’re thrilled to have LoganBerry Farm join us this week with their beautiful delicious asparagus spears. Show Sharon and her whole crew how appreciate we are by buying two bundles and share one with a friend. I guarantee they’ll feel special. Asparagus season is short, just a few weeks. So don’t wait as it may not be here next time. I’ve been picking my own asparagus (planted from crowns) and watching my four baby plants that I planted from seed as they embark on their first year of significant growth. You’re not supposed to pick them for their first two years, but considering this is their second year, I’m grabbing a spear here and there just to remind them who they are and what they’re for.

But wait before I get distracted, it’s PLANTING SEASON, in fact it’s TOMATO planting season. Moonshadow Farms is known around these parts as growing some of the best and most diverse heirloom tomato starts for people who like to keep an organic garden. Buy half a dozen for yourself and give two or three to a friend. I’ve grown them many years and enjoyed some of the best tomatoes of my life. I’ve even sold quite a few, canned some, and pretty much fallen in love with her incredible choices. She keeps all her own seed to, so these are plants that have been selected because they do well in our area, and produce the biggest, sweetest fruits. And Linda’s an awesome person too. That’s one of the cool things about buying local is you’re not just getting a great product, you’re supporting some really great people with some real talents.

Also this week, PEA SHOOTS from Mill Gap Farm, Brussel Sprout Greens from Burton Mountain Farm, and so much more.

Ok, here’s what I did with my Asparagus this week. It’s a recipe my Mom used to make, so it’s got a special place in my heart.

Chilled Marinated Asparagus
Ingredients
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Directions
In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, lemon juice and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Refrigerate until cool.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, bring 1/2 in. of water to a boil. Add asparagus. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Place asparagus in a large resealable plastic bag; add marinade. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Drain and discard marinade. Place asparagus on a serving plate; sprinkle with pecans. Yield: 8 servings.

Before we go we want to make two quick announcements. We’ll be having our BIG 2013 kickoff on May 15th, which means we’ll have FEATURED FARMERS at both pickup locations, lots of advertisements in the press, and lots and lots of food! Please spread the word.

We’re also planning to make a small change to the market. Rather than open up ordering on Sunday night at 9pm the way we’ve done for three years, we’re planning to open it two days earlier on Friday nights at 9pm. It’ll be kind of a soft opening, with just a simple e-mail that says the market is now on. Then on Sunday you’ll get one of these exuberant messages we like to send as a reminder of what’s available and what’s going on with local food.

We wanted to give you two weeks to prepare, but that’s the plan. Hopefully you’ll enjoy having two additional days to shop for local food.

That’s it for this week!

EAT WELL,

Justin in Habersham
and
Chuck in Rabun