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Weekly Market Notes Library

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Weekly Market Notes for August 05, 2010

Hello Market Friends:

As one wonderful thing after another appears at the market, my freezer is turning into a treasure chest. In the dreary days of winter there will be a rainbow of possibilities in there. Last week, Debbie Wiecha of Niagara Lavender Farms presented me with a bag of elderberries and said, "They're an experiment. Let me know what you do with them." From Forbes Wild Foods I learned that elderberries are great for warding off colds, and from the good old Joy of Cooking I found out two things; first, if you spread them on a tray and freeze them, they come off the stems with rapid ease, and second, they are the most highly recommended addition to apple pie. Excellent, some lucky people will be eating that as soon as good pie apples are ready. The rest of my elderberries have been transformed into a fine cordial for hot summer afternoons when one wishes life were more genteel, or perhaps as an ingredient in some amazing cocktails when one has other ideas....
Debbie will have more elderberries this week, so here's the recipe:

After following instructions for stem removal, simmer 1 pound elderberries with 2 cups water in a non-reactive pot for about 15 minutes. Use a food mill or sieve to press out as much liquid as possible. Return liquid to pot, add a cup of organic sugar and simmer for about ten more minutes. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice at the end. Store in the fridge and dilute as desired for beverages.

I'll be clearing space in the freezer in time for indoor season refills from Ben and Jessie Sosnicki. Here's their news:

"Our planting records show that our 75 day sweet corn will be ready by the 10th! We are leaving it this week to let the cobs fill out and so that we can have enough for everyone- not just a trickle. We are also making an effort to freeze lots for all to enjoy this winter! For this week the first of our Roma field tomatoes are coming, along with sweet Cherry tomatoes & of course lots of heirlooms! Once again I'm in the tomato jungle suckering and tending to the vigorous growth. Eggplants, Green Peppers, Hot Peppers, different kinds of Onions, Potatoes, still Kale too, Cabbages and more crops - just have to head out there to collect!! The leek patch looks too good, so we'll bring some fresh bunches! There's a link from our blog at sosnickiorganicproduce.blogspot.com to an article in Macleans mentioning our farm about freezing vegetables!! Check it out!" Jess & Ben

Lots of fruit this time (including freestone and possibly white peaches), mountains of veggies, delicious local protein (whether you'd like tofu, cheeses or meats), and all the goodies we love.
We'll have some visitors in the coming weeks, with information on green choices for old tires, or old cars, which reminds me to say thank you to all who bike, walk or take the TTC to Dufferin!

See you at the market!

Anne

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