Local Harvest

The local harvest is in full swing; the farmers’ markets are abounding with sweet corn that has corn milk in the cob as sweet as honey, peppers, tomatoes, cukes, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, green beans, cabbage, melons and more. Let’s face it, nothing tastes as good as fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables locally grown and prepared soon after harvest.

More and more restaurants have joined the home cooks who use ingredients that are grown, raised or produced near where they will be served. But where do you find these ingredients? The farmers’ markets are well-known and very popular, but other locally grown food is available at the source and distributing stores too; it’s just a little harder to ferret out.

Marie Mikel, who owned Oar D’oeuvre Restaurant, led me to a wonderful farm, Vasa Gardens, owned by Clarence Bischoff and Agi Trifontaine, right outside of Vasa on the way to Welch. Clarence was kind enough to give us a short tour of the farm divided into 50 foot garden plots where he and Agi grow grapes, apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries, along with the more standard vegetables and a few rarer ones. A large herb garden is Agi’s delight. Some of their stock is really old and some is just beginning, but all is tended with no chemical pesticides and the natural pollination and pest reduction of bees and butterflies. They are not a large operation; and one or two markets, as well as three Red Wing restaurants are what they are currently supplying. Of course you’re welcome to drop in and pick berries during the berry season, or see what is on their kitchen table on any given day till the frost. Preserves, jams and jellies are a new enterprise coming in the near future. I can hardly wait to serve them at the Candlelight Inn Bed abd Breakfast.

Meanwhile, back at the farmer’s market in Red Wing, other local farmers and producers of food are busy selling their wares to a record crowd. Not only is our local market popular, but farmers’ markets all over the country have grown in number at an astonishing rate. According to USDA spokesperson, Joan Shaffer, there are more than 3,700 farmers’ markets operating in the US, which is over twice as many as when the agency began tracking them in 1994.

The festive atmosphere here in Red Wing is drawing crowds, aided by local musicians who perform on Saturdays from 10am to noon. And weekends at this market will offer you other foods beside the great variety of produce. Baked goods, made by the local Jenny Lind Bakery, preserves, jellies, specialty goods and flowers are among the selections.

Alas, I had to tour the market for this column on a weekday, but I picked up a gargantuan Saticoy muskmelon, a small, but seeded Crimson Sweet watermelon (they’re the ones with flavor, the salesperson said), the last of the green beans, baby beets, an eggplant, onions and peppers (mostly green available now). Oh yes, and of course the “Peaches and Cream” variety of sweet corn, so popular around here. My salesperson urged me to take a bite of the raw corn to see for myself that it was sweet and tender. It was. For supper, we had vegetables and fruit—it was wonderful—I added our own home-grown tomatoes and it was truly a feast.

My favorite recipe for using the late summer—early autumn produce is this version of the famous French ratatouille: a less complex but equally delicious version of Julia Child’s in Volume I of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

1 large eggplant
4 ripe tomatoes
2 large sweet onions
3 green peppers
3 medium zucchini
2 cloves minced garlic
One-half cup olive oil
One-fourth cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and cut eggplant into 1” cubes. Brown in 4 Tbsp. olive oil until lightly brown. Remove to a platter. Add more oil if necessary and cut the unpeeled zucchini into similar size slices and brown lightly in skillet. Remove to platter with eggplant. In same skillet, with additional olive oil, cook the onions and peppers, sliced, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Peel the tomatoes, cut into wedges and place them in skillet with onions and peppers. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes have begun to render their juice. Uncover and add the other vegetables. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. If you wish to have a thick stew, uncover, raise heat slightly and cook for 15 minutes more. If you wish to have a more liquid, soup-like dish, take off heat and cool. To serve the soup: put into individual oven-proof soup bowls while hot (or reheat) and cover with mozzarella cheese. Put under broiler until cheese is melted, slightly brown and bubbly. The stew-like style lends itself well to an accompaniment to beef or chicken. Equally good hot or cold, it also makes a fine accompaniment to cold meats or may be served as a cold hors d’oeuvre. This very versatile dish can be frozen successfully for up to 6 months, thus allowing you to enjoy the summer flavors well into the winter.

Small farms and producers and stores are making or stocking many kinds of foods, including maple syrup, cheese, meats (raised without hormones), specialty dairy products, bakery items, salsas and preserves. Listed below are a few in our vicinity. Other sources via internet are LocalHarvest.org and Minnesotagrown.com.

Simple Abundance
318 Bush St.
Red Wing, MN 55066
651-388-0333

Falconer Vineyards & Nursery
3572 Old Tyler Rd.
Red Wing, MN 55066
651-388-8849

Busy Bee Honey Farm
Hwy 52 South,
Mile marker 93, south of Cannon Falls.
507 263-7952

Flower Valley Orchards
5 miles south of Red Wing on Hwy 61
Turn right on Flower Valley Road (Cty 21),
Follow signs to orchard
651-380-3022

Fredrickson Elk Farm
Welch
651-258-4057