Columbus Foodie

There’s a new blogging event called Regional Recipes, hosted over at Blazing Hot Wok, that celebrates food from all over the world - each month a new region is selected - this month the region is Greece and the recipes are supposed to reflect that theme.

I chose to highlight a Greek lamb burger that I made a month or so ago, with mostly local ingredients. All of the vegetable ingredients are local, at least - the tomatoes, the cucumbers, the onions, even the mint and oregano in the burgers.

This summer has been all about making unusual burgers - this one, at least, is a keeper.

Greek Lamb Burgers

1 1/2 lb. ground lamb
1 tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 tbsp. Greek seasoning
6 oz. feta cheese crumbles

For assembly:
Black Olive Mayo (recipe below)
Tzatziki Sauce (recipe here)
Sliced Roma tomatoes
Sliced cucumbers
4 hamburger buns
Lettuce leaves
Red onion, sliced

Mix burger ingredients together (including feta), and form into 4 patties. Grill 5 minutes on each side on medium direct heat, and then cook for a couple more minutes until done. Toast your buns on the grill as the burgers cook.

To build your burger, spread the bottom bun with a nice thick dollop of the black olive mayo, and then put the burger, which you then top with lettuce, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions. Top with burger bun and serve.

Black Olive Mayonnaise
recipe courtesy Epicurious

2/3 c. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. black olive tapenade
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Stir together all ingredients. Chill, covered, 1 hour (for flavors to develop)

Am I the only one having a hard time reconciling how late in the year it is already? When I woke up this morning at around 6:40ish, it was still almost pitch black outside, and I had a hard time dragging myself out of bed. Much, much different from the middle of summer where it’s already bright by the time I wake up…

But it seems as though everyone else had as much difficulty dragging themselves out of bed too. When I got there at my usual time of 7:30, hardly anyone was set up, so I wandered around for a few minutes just taking pictures and chatting here and there.

Fridge space is at a premium here right now, so I knew in advance it would be a light market day for me (just how light, I didn’t realize - can you all believe I got out of all 3 markets for $20 total?!?). I wanted to get stuff that could store, or that wasn’t particularly perishable. It is a beautiful day, just a tiny bit nippy but mostly mild - they say it will get up into the low 80’s for this afternoon’s game against Purdue.

One item I’ve been thinking about all week is the dumpling squash at Persigner Farms. So I picked up a couple of those, with a dish in mind for the next week or two.

As is usual this time of year, most of what was available this week at the market was winter squash, apples, and other root vegetables, with the very last residuals of summer fruit like tomatoes, sweet corn, raspberries, and peppers. I did a lot of browsing, and looked at things like these beautiful radishes from Elizabeth Telling Farms, but ultimately, just ended up getting the two squash.

Worthington was a bit of a different story. I knew I wouldn’t be getting much, so I left my shopping cart in the car, but there was great selection today. One of the things I got was this great big bunch of rainbow chard for $2. Don’t remember where, unfortunately.

Also admired this Dwarf Cajun Hibiscus, and wondered how something so pretty could manage to grow in October?!?

A lot of the farmers were making and selling decorations made out of decorative gourds, dried corn, and straw - like this cute one I found on display at one of the vendors at Worthington:

I talked the farmers from Pop & Judy’s Patch into bringing some of their dried beans to market next week. He says he grew many different varieties this year (a couple of dozen), so I can’t wait to see what they’ve got! I also picked up a couple of baskets of new potatoes, and made my requisite stop at Sassafras Bakery - this week I got a couple of elderberry hand pies, a bourbon pumpkin tart, and a small buttermilk pecan pie. All three are quite delish.

It’s getting to be that time of year where I think about buying maple syrup. So many choices, so little time.

I actually did make it to Clintonville this week - Denise and the others at 2Silos were worried because they hadn’t seen me for weeks. The nice people at Snowville Creamery gave me a half gallon of short-dated cream - anyone have recipes that use a ton of cream (since it’s dated today, and I want to use it up as quickly as possible)?

Kevin from Just This Farm had some really nice looking garlic:

And is it just me, or does Blue Jacket Cheese seem to get a new variety every time I look?

All in all, it was quite a pleasant day to go to the market. Where did you go this morning and what did you get? What’s on the menu for this week?

Is it just me or was it really really cold this morning? I wore a hoodie and long pants and still froze my tootsies off. Guess then that it should come as no surprise that some of my favorite farmers told me that this week or next would be their last week at the market until spring. Seems as if no sooner the growing season starts as it ends. And looking back, I really should have done much more preserving this year than I actually did. Maybe next year I’ll do better?

Anyway, got out and headed to the markets super-early, picking up my mom’s boyfriend Joe on the way (always love company when going farmers marketing) and getting to the North Market around 7:30 - I don’t think the sun had risen quite yet, either that or it was overcast, because natural light was at a premium this morning. Not everyone was set up, so we wandered around taking a few pictures, going inside so he could get my mother some scones from Omega.

There was squash, squash and more squash, as far as the eye could see. And apples. They finally had dumpling squash at Persinger Farms, and I really should have picked some up, but this week was a very light week for me since I have so much stuff leftover from last week. Instead, I just got some storage onions - something I seem to use up almost as soon as I buy it because I use onions in pretty much everything.

I also got some spinach at Combs Herbs, and some shiitakes from Toby Run. I passed on these apples from The Orchard of Bill and Vicky Thomas:

I really need take my summer decorations down and start decorating for fall. If they still have it next week, I’m going to have to get some of this dried corn from Wish Well Farms:

We got done at the North Market before 8am, so I got out of there without even needing to feed the meter. Which meant that we also got to Worthington super-early, which was OK because most of the farmers were already set up and we beat the crowds for parking.

I picked up some carrots, and pears, and also got some of the last peaches - these are a nice freestone variety that I plan on baking with:

I got some arugula from Honeyrun Farms, a big ‘ole gallon of apple cider from Ochs (IMO, after trying them all, I think Ochs has the best cider), a big bag of basil to make pesto, and lots of little goodies (apple pie & elderberry hand pies) from Sassafras Bakery.

Even though I’m not a hot pepper person, I was tempted by these cherry bomb peppers. The CU’ers that go to BonoTOGO for pizza seem especially enamoured by them.

I thought these painted tiny squash were absolutely adorable:

I looked for the lavender lady (she was supposed to bring me a cup or so of culinary lavender) but she wasn’t there today. So my “major” purchase for today was 5 lbs. of Brussels sprouts from Wish Well Farms. I’m planning on making a big batch of them tomorrow, was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to freeze/preserve the rest?

I also got some Honeycrisp apples, and a mix of McIntosh and Golden Delicious from Gillogly Orchards.

So what did you all get today at the farmers market? What’s on the menu this week?

Alas, as soon as they arrive, they’re almost gone. Only one farmer had Honeycrisp apples last week. Only one. I live for September, for the sweet, sweet taste and crunch of the lovely Honeycrisp. But it seems the rest of you love them as much as I do, and have exhausted the local supply weeks ahead of schedule.

For posterity, so I can stare at it a few months from now and drool:

I’ve kind of become used to waking up for the markets on Saturday, with very little sleep, greeted by darkness and a big chill in the air. It, more than anything, tells me that we’re nearing the end of market season. No longer is the sun my alarm clock, and shorts the wardrobe for the day. Now, it’s dressing in warm clothes, and hauling my dreary eyed self to the car when the sun is just rising. This was so much easier when Paul was doing it with me, yet I can’t bear to *not* go. It’s a way of life for me at this point.

With each passing week, it gets harder and harder to narrow down the pictures to post, because there’s just *so* much to see at the farmers markets. Unfortunately, that is going to change soon, because for many farmers, the harvest season is over and they won’t be at the markets anymore. We’re at that precarious point now where it’s the absolute last week to get some things (sweet corn, certain tomatoes, other summer veggies), and it’s well into the season for autumn crops like apples, winter squash, root veggies, etc.

So the first stop, as usual, was the North Market. As usual, I got there around 7:35, when most of the farmers were set up already. When I stopped to get what’s apparently the last of the Sungold tomatoes, I spoke to the nice lady at Bridgman Farms and found out that she lost her greenhouse in the windstorm a couple of weeks ago. Thank goodness she was insured, or it could have ended up a lot worse for her. But it did cut her season short a bit, and she’ll be taking the next few weeks off until her lettuces come in.

Persinger Farms had tons of root veggies, especially squash - including this colorful Turban variety. I’ll have to get some before the season is over. As it is, I picked up a bunch of storage onions and a couple of zucchini.

Elizabeth Telling Farms had these French Breakfast Radishes (which are delicious on a piece of dark heavy bread like a hearty German rye, spread with fresh butter and layered with thin radish slices, and then sprinkled with sea salt). I picked up some more rainbow chard, and also a bag of braising greens that I plan on using later this week, perhaps with some fish or steak.

Anderson Orchard (I believe) also has a banana plantation!?! here in Ohio (he says that it’s ornamental only - we don’t have a long enough season for the fruit to ripen), and brought these banana leaves to the market today. I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like it at the market, and I’ve seen some Puerto Rican recipes that use them, but I passed - I just don’t have the space to store them.

So I just settled on admiring these sunflowers - don’t they look as if they’re straight out of a painting?

Mrs. Rhoads says that we can expect at least another week or two of raspberries - I’m definitely going to have to plan a meal around them next week, because they’re so darn lovely. Instead, I picked up some Brussels sprouts and red cabbage.

Just about every apple variety was available at The Orchard of Bill and Vicky Thomas, except my beloved Honeycrisps. Seems as though that was a recurring theme today - no Honeycrisps anywhere (they’ve sold out early in the season, and the tree is still getting established), except my last stop at Gillogly.

I got some of my requisite shiitakes from Toby Run, some eggplant from Wish Well Farms, a basket of heirloom tomatoes from Quiverfull Farm, and then it was off to Worthington.

I got to Worthington fairly early (8:40ish), but still had difficulty finding parking. It seems as if people are coming out earlier and earlier, with the farmers struggling to get set up in time to serve the throngs of people. I ran into Rosie and we chatted for a few minutes, then picked up a few things here and there - some lovely butternut/spinach scones and plum oatmeal scones and a Ratatouille tart from Sassafras Bakery, and the lady at Red Brick Farms was nice enough to let me do a mix and match of the different types of potatoes in the two baskets I bought.

Who knew that dried corn could be so colorful? Anyone know the name of this variety?

I picked up some Chioggia beets at Wayward Seed Farm, plus some cider and Honeycrisps at Gillogly Orchard. I’m so proud of myself - I controlled myself very well at the farmers markets today.

After I got done at Worthington, I headed over to Carfagna’s to get some stuff for an Italian dinner I’m making tomorrow. I got there 15 minutes before it opened, and by the time it opened, the parking lot (and both sides of the street) were full and it was like friggin Supermarket Sweep in there. Not fun, but for Cafagna’s meatball mix, I’ll put up with a bit of inconvenience.

Made a stop at Block’s Bagels on the way to Thurn’s, and tried this rather delicious creation called a flagel. Kind of like a bagel, but flatter and chewier. I liked it a lot, especially since it was super fresh. Got to remember to come here for flagels on Saturday mornings.

By the time I finally got to Thurn’s, they were out of my double smoked bacon, so got some regular bacon and sausages for later this week. Should be delicious as usual.

So where did you go and what did you get today? What’s on the menu for this week?

I try to attend as many of the Slow Food Columbus events as I possibly can, as the combination of food (or drink) and company always guarantees an enjoyable experience. So when the Slow Food Columbus “Shake the Hand That Feeds You” Locavore Dinner at Flying J Farm was announced, I didn’t think twice before signing Paul and I up.

Which is both a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing, because from what I understand, all the seats sold out to Slow Food members before tickets were even available to non-members. A bad thing, because I didn’t realize that Paul had to go into work that night. Our mistake, though - and one that Colleen and Bear went out of their way to accommodate, thankfully.

As I said, this event is one that I’ve been looking forward to since it was pitched at a Slow Food brainstorming meeting a few months ago. Dick Jensen of Flying J Farm was generous enough to host the event at his farm and provide many of the ingredients used for the dinner. Dick is one of my favorite farmers at the Clintonville Farmers Market, I think I may have bought just about every short rib he had last year, and I think that’s why he remembered me this year. In addition to excellent grass-fed beef, he also sells a spelt flour that I absolutely love. Not to mention veggies as well.
His farm, about an hour outside of Columbus on the far end of Johnstown, is absolutely breathtaking - I wish I would have got there early enough for the farm tour. Unfortunately, I didn’t get as many pictures as I would have liked of the event - although other attendees, like Bethia and Colleen did. (I’m sure more accounts of the event will pop up on people’s blogs, and will update this entry as needed with links). It was nice to see many familiar faces (like CMHGourmand, Roland, Anne, Colleen & Bear, etc.) and to also meet new people as well (like the Rigsby’s who made great company at the communal table as my neighbors).

The evening, through my eyes, is extremely picture intensive, so click on through to continue.

Read more…

Well, I’m a day late with my report, but yesterday was a hectic day. I was working on little to no sleep yesterday morning, so I napped for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon (during the time I’d normally do the writeup) in anticipation of the Slow Food Columbus “Shake the Hand That Feeds You” Locavore Dinner at Flying J Farm (more about that later!).

This weekend was the first time I had to go to the farmers market without Paul, since he’s now working nights. I decided to drag my mother and her boyfriend along with me, after oversleeping by about 45 minutes. Still, I managed to get to the North Market before 8am. It was quite a chilly morning (in the 50s, I think), so I wore long pants and a hoodie for the first time in months.

The tide is definitely turning in regards to what’s available. The name of the game of the moment is stone fruits and apples and pears and and root vegetables and winter squash. And I’m perfectly OK with that, as autumn is one of my favorite times to cook, because of the plethora of veggies that can be used for soup and stew making (are you guys craving soup and stew as much as I am right now?).

I was glad to hear that most of our farmers sustained minimal damage in last week’s windstorm. I was worried about how the storm would affect them, since their livelihood is based on the whim of Mother Nature. Most came through just fine.

I’m still shocked to find berries at the market - like these raspberries from Rhoads Farm. It must be a really good year for berries, because there’s been a steady stream of beautiful berries for months now.

Love love love the colors of eggplant this year. This basket of eggplant from Wayward Seed Farm shows about 5 different shades of purple. I just can’t get enough eggplant this year, for some reason!

I got a bunch of root veggies at Persinger Farms, including a bunch of these carrots. Again, simply amazed at the quality of produce this year.

This pile of habaneros looks like just the recipe to set one’s rear on fire. So pretty, but so unbelievably hot that I won’t even get close to one.

It was off to Worthington by 8:30ish. I missed Worthington last week, and am glad things are back to normal. I bought a portable “shopping cart” to take with me to the market, and am so glad that I did so - it made purchasing a lot of produce possible, whereas I would have in big trouble if I had tried to carry all this stuff by myself while at the same time trying to take pictures. I can’t even remember everything I bought at the market today, since there is so much. I spent $100 in mere minutes. Of course, some of that cost is meat, so it’s understandable…

After hearing so much about the awesome pears everyone got at Wayward Seed Farm last week, I picked up a pound or so for munching on later. I hear that last week’s pears were darn near perfect.

The apple cider from Ochs was so good the last time around that I sprung for a gallon this week. To me, nothing says fall more than apple cider (speaking of which, isn’t today officially the first day of fall?)

It’s almost time to get another centerpiece - to replace the flowery spring/summer ones with a naturally beautiful one made with decorative squash.

And what I thought were buckeyes were chestnuts - not a chestnut fan myself, but I wish I were - these looked lovely.

So what all did you end up getting? Did those of you that lost electricity this week spend an arm and a leg on produce like I did (and I don’t even have the excuse of losing electric!)? What’s on the menu for this week?

We knew ahead of time that today would be an abbreviated market morning - with the nightmare that is Market Days that is Worthington (you think it’s crowded on a normal Saturday? we learned our lesson last year), and since we’ve changed our Clintonville trip to once every two weeks, we hit the North Market hoping we’d find everything we were looking for. And for the most part, we did.

Since we weren’t in a rush to get anywhere (except the Creole Kitchen for beignets and breakfast), we actually slept in a full 15 minutes later than we usually do, and got out of the house around 7:30-7:40. It was a really yucky morning - overcast and dark, and had just stopped raining when we left. I guess it beats the pants off of 90 degrees and sweltering, right?

We started out by getting some apple cider (yum - apple cider doughnuts are on the menu for this week!) and more Honeycrisp apples from the Orchards of Bill and Vicky Thomas - yes, I made my way through last week’s bag because I snacked on them constantly this week. I also picked up a basket of various heirloom tomatoes to make another heirloom tomato tart from Quiverfull Farms, along with some sweet peppers from K and R Garden Fresh Produce.

I picked up what’s probably nearing the end of the season for sweet corn - a half dozen ears from Rhoads Farms that I’m planning on using this weekend in a recipe. She also had some Brussels sprouts - I didn’t get any this week because it wasn’t on “the list”, but hopefully she’ll have some next week and I can plan my menu accordingly.

I never realized that the berry season was this long! She also had more lovely raspberries and blackberries - again, I admired but didn’t pick any up because Paul’s been leaning on me about the grocery budget.

Sweet and hot peppers everywhere. My hot peppers here at home are on their last legs, but the sweet peppers are coming back for another round after being dormant for a while after the first harvest of peppers earlier this summer.

From Persinger Farms, I picked up a ton of stuff to make some pea soup this week. First things first, I picked up several pounds of onions - something that is a staple item for me and something I prefer to buy locally when it’s available.

Additionally, I picked up some turnips and red potatoes for the soup from Persinger as well.

They were certainly decked out for the changing season in their stall, decorating their tables with these pretty ornamental gourds.

I got some rainbow chard, cilantro, and salad mix at Elizabeth Telling Farms. And finally, Wishwell Farms had most of their tomatoes on sale for .99/lb., so I stocked up on some greens, several red and a couple of oranges - they have excellent slicers. Add a couple of eggplant to the mix, and I was a happy camper.

So while I didn’t buy as much as I usually do, but I took that into consideration when I planned this weeks menu. I’ve got to say it was kind of refreshing to keep it simple for a week. I never realized that as much as I love going to my Saturday markets, trying to do 3 in one day is pretty stressful.

We went inside and got a couple of things - some cassoulet from NMPG, a cinnamon roll at Omega, some cheese at Curds & Whey, and a couple of supplies I needed for making tarts at North Market Cookware, and then I was on my way… I’m looking forward to next week, although I may end up supplementing by hitting a few roadside stands this week. Any recommendations?

So where did you go and what did you get on this dreary Saturday?

As a last hurrah to summer, we cooked up some beautiful Ohio sweet corn. :::sigh::: I’ve seen recipes for lots of variations, but undoubtedly much of my corn intake this summer was with butter and salt. With a bit of forethought, I froze some ears a few weeks ago - hope this picture and it will be enough to get me through a long winter.

I think I’m in love…with AJ Perry’s baking. Can’t help but stop by her stand every week at the Worthington Farmer’s market for fanfriggintastic baked goods like muffins, brownies and blondies, cookies, and my current object of affection, her heirloom tomato tart, which Paul and I snarfed down in one sitting and which I’m already craving again. My husband is smitten by her Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella scones. It helps that she’s a super-nice person too, and I enjoy talking to her.

I’ve been inspired. Keep your eye out later this week for an heirloom tomato tart of my very own inspired by the delicious ones I’ve gotten from Sassafras Bakery.