On Friday, one of my coworkers brought in a big grocery bag full of Meyer
lemons. On Saturday, Lin went to the Auburn farmers' market and got some
gorgeous chard and green garlic, but the first asparagus of the year (which
came out last week) suffered a frost and was not available. So this morning
I went to the Sacramento farmers' market and picked up a couple bunches of
incredibly-slender asparagus, a salad green which seems to be
surprisingly-tender watercress, a bunch of pea shoots, and a loaf of
pumpkin-seed bread.

Now...what should I make? Here are some of the ideas I had when I bought the
stuff:

Asparagus:
* blanch and add to pasta carbonara
* blanch and add to avgolemono (also using some of the Meyer lemons)

Chard:
* slow-cook lamb shoulder with onions, olives, garlic, oregano, tomatoes,
and a tiny bit of cinnamon, then add to cooked chard.

Watercress:
* Panino with turkey, watercress, spicy pickled carrots, and olive oil
* Add to an egg-salad sandwich

Pea Shoots:
* stir-fry with green garlic and have as a side dish, either with steak or
with a separate stir-fried beef dish

Pumpkin-Seed Bread:
* It's a small loaf. I had a small slice when I got home from the market,
and the rest of the loaf might not last the day!

Bob

Bob Terwilliger > wrote:

> Watercress:
> * Panino with turkey, watercress, spicy pickled carrots, and olive oil
> * Add to an egg-salad sandwich

Or make a version of the Russian green schi, hot or cold soup usually
made with sorrel, but also with nettles or spinach.

Use water or chicken stock, or, for a still another variation, fish
fumet. Take the same amount by volume of finely chopped or shredded
watercress as there is stock or water and cook it in butter over low
heat until it is soft and wilted and is giving off a bit of juice. Add
it to the stock or water, juice and all, and cook gently for 15 minutes
or so, to allow the flavours to meld. Season with salt and
pepper and consider adding some lemon juice if you want the soup to be
more sorrel-like. Optionally (in a hot version only), cube some
potatoes (small cubes), cook, drain and add to the soup. Put some
chopped hard-boiled eggs and a dollop of sour cream in each plate.
Optionally, add some green onions to each plate. The soup can be served
hot or cold.

Victor

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
...
> On Friday, one of my coworkers brought in a big grocery bag full of Meyer
> lemons. On Saturday, Lin went to the Auburn farmers' market and got some
> gorgeous chard and green garlic, but the first asparagus of the year
> (which came out last week) suffered a frost and was not available. So this
> morning I went to the Sacramento farmers' market and picked up a couple
> bunches of incredibly-slender asparagus, a salad green which seems to be
> surprisingly-tender watercress, a bunch of pea shoots, and a loaf of
> pumpkin-seed bread.
>
> Now...what should I make? Here are some of the ideas I had when I bought
> the stuff:
>
> Asparagus:
> * blanch and add to pasta carbonara
> * blanch and add to avgolemono (also using some of the Meyer lemons)
>
> Chard:
> * slow-cook lamb shoulder with onions, olives, garlic, oregano, tomatoes,
> and a tiny bit of cinnamon, then add to cooked chard.
>
> Watercress:
> * Panino with turkey, watercress, spicy pickled carrots, and olive oil
> * Add to an egg-salad sandwich
>
> Pea Shoots:
> * stir-fry with green garlic and have as a side dish, either with steak or
> with a separate stir-fried beef dish
>
> Pumpkin-Seed Bread:
> * It's a small loaf. I had a small slice when I got home from the market,
> and the rest of the loaf might not last the day!
>
> Bob
You're making my mouth water. I've got to get myself out of bed early and
hit a farmer's market. Which one do you like here in Sacramento? I'm close
to the one at Sunrise Mall. I've been to the one in Davis and it's a nice
big one.

Lynne

Lynne wrote:

> You're making my mouth water. I've got to get myself out of bed early and
> hit a farmer's market. Which one do you like here in Sacramento? I'm close
> to the one at Sunrise Mall. I've been to the one in Davis and it's a nice
> big one.

Hi Lynne! Bob's T's better half here, and another "Lin."

Sunrise Mall area, eh? You are in our neck of the woods! Have you been
to the Saturday Auburn market yet? When Christine D gets back this way,
we will be having lots of cook-ins, etc. MANY fine foodies out this way.

The Sacto market we go to on Sundays is that big one under the freeway.
I don't recall going to the Davis market, though Bob probably has. I'm a
fairly recent "acquisition" so his NorCal haunts outnumber anything he
has taken me to (yet). Always an adventure with that boy!

--Lin

Lynne wrote:

> You're making my mouth water. I've got to get myself out of bed early and
> hit a farmer's market. Which one do you like here in Sacramento? I'm
> close to the one at Sunrise Mall. I've been to the one in Davis and it's
> a nice big one.

The "normal" farmers' market in Sacramento takes place Sunday morning at a
parking lot by the intersection of 8th Street and X Street. It's under an
overpass. This morning I also ran across a much smaller market at the corner
of 5th Street and Broadway; that's where I bought the watercress.

Bob

On Mar 15, 1:47*pm, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> On Friday, one of my coworkers brought in a big grocery bag full of Meyer
> lemons. On Saturday, Lin went to the Auburn farmers' market and got some
> gorgeous chard and green garlic, but the first asparagus of the year (which
> came out last week) suffered a frost and was not available. So this morning
> I went to the Sacramento farmers' market and picked up a couple bunches of
> incredibly-slender asparagus, a salad green which seems to be
> surprisingly-tender watercress, a bunch of pea shoots, and a loaf of
> pumpkin-seed bread.
>
> Now...what should I make? Here are some of the ideas I had when I bought the
> stuff:
>
> Asparagus:
> * blanch and add to pasta carbonara
> * blanch and add to avgolemono (also using some of the Meyer lemons)
>
> Chard:
> * slow-cook lamb shoulder with onions, olives, garlic, oregano, tomatoes,
> and a tiny bit of cinnamon, then add to cooked chard.
>
> Watercress:
> * Panino with turkey, watercress, spicy pickled carrots, and olive oil
> * Add to an egg-salad sandwich
>
> Pea Shoots:
> * stir-fry with green garlic and have as a side dish, either with steak or
> with a separate stir-fried beef dish
>
> Pumpkin-Seed Bread:
> * It's a small loaf. I had a small slice when I got home from the market,
> and the rest of the loaf might not last the day!
>
> Bob

There's a fabulous cream of watercress soup from Bob Appetit. I'd be
tempted to make that.

Stir-fry the pea shoots.

And I'd do an asparagus risotto.

But that's just me.

Kris

"Lin" > wrote in message
.. .
> Lynne wrote:
>
>> You're making my mouth water. I've got to get myself out of bed early
>> and hit a farmer's market. Which one do you like here in Sacramento?
>> I'm close to the one at Sunrise Mall. I've been to the one in Davis and
>> it's a nice big one.
>
> Hi Lynne! Bob's T's better half here, and another "Lin."
>
> Sunrise Mall area, eh? You are in our neck of the woods! Have you been to
> the Saturday Auburn market yet? When Christine D gets back this way, we
> will be having lots of cook-ins, etc. MANY fine foodies out this way.
>
> The Sacto market we go to on Sundays is that big one under the freeway. I
> don't recall going to the Davis market, though Bob probably has. I'm a
> fairly recent "acquisition" so his NorCal haunts outnumber anything he has
> taken me to (yet). Always an adventure with that boy!
>
> --Lin

I haven't been up to the Auburn market. I've been through Auburn a lot
lately too. Where is it?

Lynne

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
...
> Lynne wrote:
>
>> You're making my mouth water. I've got to get myself out of bed early
>> and
>> hit a farmer's market. Which one do you like here in Sacramento? I'm
>> close to the one at Sunrise Mall. I've been to the one in Davis and it's
>> a nice big one.
>
> The "normal" farmers' market in Sacramento takes place Sunday morning at a
> parking lot by the intersection of 8th Street and X Street. It's under an
> overpass. This morning I also ran across a much smaller market at the
> corner
> of 5th Street and Broadway; that's where I bought the watercress.
>
> Bob
>
Thanks Bob.

Lynne

Lynne wrote:

> I haven't been up to the Auburn market. I've been through Auburn a lot
> lately too. Where is it?

It's Saturday mornings (8 AM to noon) in a parking lot by the historic
courthouse. If you're coming from the west, take the Maple Street exit and
just follow the road as it curves along to the right. Signs are posted when
the market is in progress. The Auburn market is year-round, but there are
seasonal ones which I like even better.

www.cafarmersmarkets.com/find-market can be useful for finding markets which
you might not have known about.

http://www.placergrown.org/farmer_market.php gives a pretty good listing of
farmers' markets in my neck of the woods, but the listings are sometimes out
of date, and it's best if you can find some way of double-checking before
you leave the house.

Bob