May 2010 Recap

The Market won't be open on Saturday, May 29th, so this seems an appropriate time to recap what a great season we've had so far! We had a lovely carrot roaming the Market on opening day, and there were loads of community organizations there to share news about what they do in De Soto. The police dog demonstration was a huge success, and there were plenty of volunteer cheeks, noses, and foreheads for the face painting.

We did have a vendor with a fair amount of strawberries, but they were gone in a flash! Word spread quickly, and anyone who wanted them at 9AM was just out of luck.

We also had our first vendor with maple syrup and sorghum. That's certainly an addition to the Market and needed since many of last year's honey producers are out until honey harvest. We should all start swopping recipes for molasses cookies!

In addition to these new vendors, we also have several returning vendors...and many have increased the volume of their goods. There has been some good looking lettuce and bedding plants from several vendors. One man was able to track down icicle radishes (something he had been searching for at local grocers for some time), and some of our artisans have returned with birdhouses, jewelry, and furniture. One new artisan has put her sewing machine to work and has lovely little dresses for sell.

You'll have to come to the Market to check out the rest...but not next weekend. We'll see you June 5th!

A Different Kind of Lettuce

I noticed some vendors at the Market last week who were selling mesclun. It's a mix of salad that originated in France, and it sometimes goes by the title "spring mix" at the grocery store. Because our vendors tend to be more adventuresome than your typical grocer, some mesclun mixes at the Market may include dandelion greens and other things you might not anticipate! Although it doesn't necessarily look the same as other lettuce (it is often more colorful), the taste isn't what you might expect either. Some mesclun mixes are peppery, some bitter, and others fairly mild.

When you purchase a mesclun mix at the Market, be sure to tell the vendor if you have a preference in how your lettuce should taste. They can probably direct you to one that will be palate-pleasing. Of course, for those who are more "fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants", try them all and report back about what you liked best!

If you'd like to try a mesclun mix, and aren't sure what to do with it once you get it home, you might try this recipe from the Mayo Clinic. It is a mesclun salad with blood oranges and radishes. Of course, I think you could substitute mandarin oranges for the blood oranges, and it would still turn out to be tasty.

Please share any lettuce adventures or produce discoveries that you come across and provide us with recipes that you find as well.