Most colorful umbrella wins!
Why am I smiling? Because Saturday’s forecast is for showers, not pelting rain. And the chance of precipitation is less than 50 percent.
After 7 Saturdays of heavy rains, I’ll take it! We know that Hastings shoppers are die-hards, still we totally get that some of you opted to stay home and either eat through your freezer or shop at an indoor supermarket.
This Saturday, we hope to lure you with the return of our wonderful knife sharpener who has been out of commission due to hand surgery. Not only is he back but he’s back with a brand spanking new sharpening wheel ready to take on your dull and tired blades.
In addition to all the pruning that should be happening in your garden right now (on those sunny non-Saturdays) there is pumpkin carving in your future. The sharper the blade, the easier it will be to cut out those jagged teeth and triangle eyes out without injury. Plan ahead, he won't be back until Nov. 18th.
If you’re like me, you sometimes get carried away at the market. Tuesday, we opened our fridge to a deluge of produce. Still adjusting to the empty nest syndrome and still shopping for a family of five. Oy. So we turned on some tunes, poured a glass of Cotes du Rhone and had a roast fest.
Literally chopping, then roasting everything in our fridge that was roastable — yes, including the radishes, and what a delicious surprise that turned out to be. We now have two giant trays of caramelized vegetables — one with honey nut squash beets and carrots, the other with cauliflower, radishes, shallots, shishitos, red peppers and red onions. And of course, chickpeas.
The flavors are deep and the possibilities endless:
I envision a fantastic grain bowl in our future with either couscous or farro, our roasted veggies and some crumbled Painted Goat feta in my future. Also a simple creamy polenta (Oh, we’re so glad you’re back this week River Valley Community Grain) with a side of said veggies, and a pork or lamb chop. Or, perhaps a Wave Hill pizza topped with the veggies and some melting cheese from Cooperstown. And, La Trafila Pasta.
If you want to be a bit more selective about your veggie roasting, try this recipe for one-skillet roasted butternut squash with spiced chickpeas. Or this one for roasted carrots with creamy nuoc cham dressing.
With all the cauliflower heads popping up at the market these days, time to get creative with cauliflower! Try making this cauliflower shawarma with spicy tahini or this creamy cauliflower soup. Or this fried cauliflower sandwich, made even better with kale from Stoneberry Farm, a variety of peppers from Sun Sprout Farm and cheese from Cooperstown or McGrath Cheese Co.
Thierry at L’escargot Voyageur was dishing out a superb cauliflower veloute at the market last week. Also divine: his spinach quiche topped with the perfectly caramelized goat cheese disc. Transported me back 20 years and straight to a modest little bistro on Rue de Buci in Paris' 6th arrondissement.
There will be a table (under a tent) at the market for kids to decorate mini pumpkins on Saturday. The Googly eyes have been ordered! Also, the shopper who comes with the most colorful umbrella will win a free string bag!
We hope the rain will be scant enough that local songbird Ursula Hansbury will be able to perform. And that Sea Change Flower Farm will be able to squeeze in one last visit before the frost predicted for next week. What a season of beautiful bouquets we’ve had.
This is the third Saturday which means gleaning! The Food Pantry is hoping that this week you are able to fill our gleaning baskets with seasonal onions, carrots and potatoes. They are also hoping for some donations of ground beef or turkey. If you’d like to make a meat donation, please make a cash donation at the market tent and we will purchase the meat at the end of the day. Thank you in advance for your unwavering generosity.
We thank you for your grit and determination in shopping with us these past few weeks.
See you at the market!