As I write this post, I am enjoying a beautiful, warm, sunny day at the Buena Vista Farmers Market at the historic Turner Farm. It’s still early in the day and customers are just starting to trickle in. As they enter the market, market goers are greeted by music from Chris and Kurt and the bounty of the season. This week’s market features a variety of fresh fruit and produce including peaches, pears, kohlrabi, broccoli, carrots, and more! I even got to sample some delicious tart cherry and pear juice from Excelsior Orchard.
Yesterday’s market in Salida was possibly our busiest yet! We had new produce and prepared food vendors, as well as new artisans and a kid’s play area. The Maverick Potter was even there and market goers were able to help him throw bowls for this year’s Shedfest! Shedfest is our harvest celebration. It takes place on October 16, the weekend following the last Farmers Markets of the season. The entire community comes together to celebrate the diversity, abundance and strength of our foodshed. The full-day event will be held at the Salida SteamPlant and will include food preservation classes, an interactive foodshed expo, cider pressing, live music, food and more. Check back for more details coming soon!
Local Foods Recipe Contest:
The past few weeks I’ve been busy preserving food for winter. Drying fruit and vegetables, pickling, canning, and lacto-fermenting. As I prepare to cook up a bunch of peach and pear sauce and butter this week, I find myself wondering about your favorite ways to preserve food. This week, instead of picking a local ingredient for our recipe contest, I want to know your favorite way to preserve food. What is your favorite food to preserve and how do you like to preserve it? Post your recipe by Friday, September 10 at 5pm for a chance to win 5 market bucks! Market bucks can be spent at any vendor at either the Salida or Buena Vista market. Just post your recipe as a comment below for a chance to win.
Since our responses to the recipe contest have been a bit slow so far, I’ve posted my delicious but simple pear sauce recipe below to start us off. I’ve also gone back through my past blog posts and added some recipes for our past contests as well. So, if you’re curious about our past markets, or hoping to learn how to make dandelion vinegar, massaged kale, and other dishes that highlight local ingredients, be sure to check our previous market reports!
Vendor Feature: Shiloh Ridge Glass and Gypsy Go Green
Shiloh Ridge Glass is a regular vendor at both the Salida and Buena Vista Farmers Markets. Shiloh Ridge Glass sells a variety of fused glass jewelry and accessories all handmade by Heidi in Westcliffe, CO. Heidi started making fused glass about eight years ago when she bought a kiln and taught herself the craft! Shiloh Ridge Glass currently sells necklaces, bracelets, watches, earrings, barrettes and more, and has plans to sell larger items, such as fused glass plates, in the future.
For the past few weeks, in addition to selling their fused glass jewelry, Shiloh Ridge Glass has also had a booth for their other business: Gypsy Go Green. Gypsy Go Green sells bags, tee-shirts, headbands, journals, bookmarks, camera and glasses cases, and more. Many of Gypsy Go Greens items are made from recycled materials and/or fabric scraps.
For more information on Shiloh Ridge Glass visit their website: shilohridgeglass.com.
Pear Sauce:
Pear sauce is an amazing alternative to apple sauce and such a treat in the winter! I canned up a bunch last year and just opened up my last jar the other day – perfect timing since I’m about to start making this year’s supply!
Pear sauce is incredibly easy to make and you can make as much or as little as you want following the same simple recipe! Just wash and core your pears, then chop them up into inch size peices leaving the skin on. Put the pears in a thick bottom pot and simmer. I usually add a drizzle of water to help the pears break down faster – just be sure not to add too much water that your pear sauce gets watered down. Cook your pears on a medium/low heat until they break down to a mushy sauce-like consistency. Be sure to stir often as you don’t want your pears to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn! Once the pears have broken down, spoon them into a blender and puree (if you’re making a lot like I do, you will want to do this in batches).
I like my pear sauce as is, but at this point you may want to season yours with cinnamon,nutmeg, and/or ginger. The pear sauce is now ready to enjoy and can for the winter. When canning remember to sterilize your jars first and, for those of you locals who are also above 8,000 feet, remember that we need to keep our cans in our water bath for extra time to account for the altitude; for pear sauce this means at least 40 minutes. Directions on canning can be found here: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/using_bw_canners.html and http://www.canningpantry.com/usbowaca.html.
Enjoy!