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Know Your Farmer
Article By Samantha Strong

The Vang Farm, located in DeForest and worked mainly by Paa Vang and mother Pai, grows everything from green beans to eggplant.

The Vang family grows all of their crops organically without any pesticides, and sells them at their tent at the Northside Farmers Market. “We like to grow things without any bug sprays or things like that because it is easy to forget which days you sprayed and that would be very unhealthy,” Paa said. “It’s important to be organic because it is much healthier.

Paa, son of Wa Seng and Pai, works on the farm daily with his mother doing everything from watering, planting to picking weeds and getting things ready for their stands at the west-side and north-side farmers’ markets.

The Vangs have been working their farm for over ten years Paa said. Some of the other crops they grow on the farm are carrots, green onions, cilantro, strawberries, asparagus, rhubarb, radishes, raspberries and even lilies.

The Vangs were originally selling their crops at the Hilldale market, but Paa said that due to the lack of flexibility they moved their tent to the Northside market two years ago.

When Paa isn’t helping his mother in the fields, he said he is helping out around the house cleaning and cooking.

Pasta “Salad”
An Original Recipe by Angela Trentadue

This recipe may cause some raised eyebrows, but I was delighted by the fresh flavor of the dish. Plus, if you’re like me and are being overrun by salad greens, this is a great way to clean out your fridge. I cleaned out my crisper drawer by using up leftover bags of head lettuce, baby romaine and baby spinach. For head lettuce, tear the leaves into smaller pieces. The cooking of the greens in this recipe is very quick, so it’s imperative that all the ingredients be cleaned, cut and ready to go once the heat is on your pan.

Ingredients:

1 c panko-style bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tbs olive oil
1 c orzo pasta (any shape would work)
4 whole garlic scapes, thin sliced
2 whole scallions, thin sliced
1 bunch chives, minced
1 bunch dill, rough chopped
1 pound mixed lettuce, cleaned and dried
1/4 c grated parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together breadcrumbs, garlic and olive oil in a bowl well enough so the garlic is evenly distributed. Spread onto baking sheet and toast in oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes (alternatively, this could be done in a toaster oven). Let cool.

Place a large pot of salted water on high heat and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender. Drain but reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.

While pasta is cooking, thinly slice the scapes and scallions. Place in a small bowl. Mince the chives and rough chop the dill. Place into another small bowl. Clean and dry the lettuce, tearing any large leaves into smaller pieces. Place mixed lettuce into a large bowl.

Place a large skillet over medium-low heat and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is warm, add the scapes and scallions and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. If any color begins to show on the onions or garlic, turn the heat down slightly.

Stir in the chives and dill, then immediately add the lettuce. Gently fold the lettuce into the pan to wilt slightly. As soon as all the greens are coated evenly with the aromatics and just wilted, turn off your heat.

Gently fold in cooked pasta and cheese. A little at a time, add enough of the reserved cooking water to help the melted cheese get creamy and light.

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Top with toasted breadcrumbs and serve.

Angela, author of these recipes and an NFM supporter, would love feedback on her recipes – too weird, too hard, too simple, just right? Send us an email to: nfmvolunteer@charter.net

What is Pastured Chicken?
By Cindy Hollenbeck

Pastured chicken are chickens that are raised outside on pasture on lush green grasses, legumes, and clovers. They are free ranging outside, but usually need to have a portable structure or poultry fencing to protect them from predators which is moved consistently. This allows the chickens to live in a clean environment and have access to fresh grasses, along with bugs and worms, while basking in the sun. They are also fed wholesome grain that includes corn, soy, wheat, and vitamins.

Keene Organics started producing pastured chickens after buying a chicken from a neighbor and realized it was the best tasting chicken they have ever had. To find why it tasted so different, they started to learn the difference between the chicken purchased at the store vs. pastured poultry.

Although the price might be higher than conventional chicken, you are still getting your money’s worth. These chickens don’t have a lot of fat and without the sodium solutions they don’t shrink much when cooking. A 4-6lb. chicken can serve 2-4 meals for a family of 4. The first meal may be a roasted chicken, then use the rest of the cooked chicken for chicken salad, pasta, pot pie, etc., then use the remaining chicken for chicken broth or soup.

Keene Organics produces their pastured chickens without the use of medication, antibiotics, hormones, meat by-products or any other unnatural practices. They are processed at a small USDA facility as the first batch in the morning, and no sodium solutions are added during processing. As a result of all these practices, customers get great tasting chickens that are healthier for you too. They are lower in fat and cholesterol and higher in Omega-3’s, vitamins, minerals, and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). Chickens are sold whole, ½, quartered, 8 piece, thighs, breasts, drumsticks or wings. Chickens should be available all summer, but you may want to contact them to reserve your chickens or cuts.

For more information on Keene Organics pasture chicken, see their website at www.keeneorganics.com

Market Update
Article and Photo by Chris Moore

Folks, we are looking at a couple of weeks left of strawberries. While some of our farmers do have ever-bearing variety, the bulk of the strawberries, which came early, will be leaving early. So come early to the market to get your strawberries!

Every week we see additions to our locally grown, freshly picked produce. Beets are here and more are on their way (Juan Torres “Los Abuelos”). Jimmy Hudson will be bringing zucchini and he says that cabbage is almost ready – so give it another week. We have also seen an increase in vendors who have onions, and, Liz Wyman (Wyman Produce) has vine ripened tomatoes and cucumbers grown in her greenhouses. We even have mulberries from Earthrise Farm, and there has been a rumor that we may even get beans – it all depends on mother nature.

Equinox farms has some unique products including sunflower sprouts, arugula, and a salad mix (last week it was lettuce, swiss chard, bok chok, and beet greens). And they still have CSA shares available. Juan Torres (Los Abuelos) brings espazote and Keene Organics has their garlic scape pesto, oyster mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, and free range chicken. Don’t forget Earthrise Farms beef (t-bone steak, stew meat, ground beef, and more) as well as CC Angus’s beef products. You should also take advantage of Natalie’s Garden’s flower basket sale.

Other produce at the market includes radishes, kohlrabi, broccoli, cilantro, new potatoes, sugar snap peas, carrots, green garlic, swiss chard, spinach, sweet onions, red lettuce, Zauj Iab, and dill.

For baked goods we have Capital City Cookies providing some wonderful products including berry walnut cookies, the ever popular fresh blueberry breakfast bar, and one of my favorites, the dark chocolate chipotle cookie. Honey Bee Bakery has some delicious strawberry cream tarts as well as wonderful varieties of bread including the caramelized onion herb foccacia.

We are still collecting garden tools to help support community and youth garden programs (such as Lindbergh Elmentary School’s gardens). Just bring them to the market info booth.

Last - but definitely not least - there will be FREE Mallards Tickets available to celebrate Father's Day! There are only a limited number available, so make sure to come early and get your tickets!

That’s all for now. See you at the market!

Fish out of Water
Article and photo by Chris Moore

Last market a fish escaped from the Artists Row! Apparently it is part of a “school”, the “Procession of the Species!” that can be seen at the 2010 Summer Solstice Festival, to be held this Sunday at Olbrich Park, starting at 2:00 PM.