Hello, ghouls and goblins, and happy Halloweekend! I hope you’re all stocked up on candy for the neighbourhood trick or treaters, and ready for the merriment! When the first of November hits, the costumes are hung up and the decorations start coming down, the Irvington Farmers Market is here for you. Come decompress, wander the stalls, and ease back into the real world with good food, good music, and the calm after the sugar rush.
Who's ready to turn their fall decor into some tasty treats? That gorgeous gourd that's been sitting on your porch all month doesn't have to go to waste. With a little effort, it can become something delicious. But heads up: your carving pumpkin and your pie pumpkin are different things. The big jack-o'-lanterns are bred for size and carving, not flavor—they're watery and bland.
For cooking, look for the smaller sugar pumpkins or pie pumpkins under the Caradonna and Halal Pastures tents. They're denser, sweeter, and actually taste more like pumpkin. If you've got a carving pumpkin you want to salvage, it'll work in a pinch for soups and stocks, but save the baking for a sugar pumpkin. You don’t even need to take the skin off to roast your pumpkins for homemade pumpkin purée.
What to do with your purée? When it comes to pumpkin desserts there’s so much more than just pie! Like this chocolate pumpkin swirl bundt cake, or this pumpkin bread which is perfectly customizable with nuts, cranberries, or whatever you might find under the Kariba Farm tent to add some razzle dazzle.
The butternut squash is also looking fantastic at the market, so give this Turkish squash soup a try. You’ll need some White Moustache Greek yogurt, and some heads of Titusville garlic. My dad, ever the gardener, asked me to pick up a pound of organic garlic for him last week, so naturally I headed right for the Titusville tent, where the lovely Sarah told me their particular variety is a hardneck fittingly named “magic”. Spooky and delicious!
But this week, I’m spreading the love and picking up my garlic from Halal Pastures instead. My plan? Let it sprout, then plant it with my neighbors—we’ve all decided to get some communal gardening going. And they say neighboring is a lost art… Not if we keep planting it!
Of course, I can't buy a few heads of garlic without saving one for right now—because there's nothing quite like roasted garlic. Once the cloves turn soft and golden, squeeze them out, and you've got a sweet, mellow, almost buttery spread that's well, pure magic. Smear it on a market baguette with a pinch of flaky salt and some peppery arugula for seasonal crunch.
Missing some green in your life, especially now that our trees have transformed to oranges, reds, and golds? Grab some kale and red cabbage from Madura Farm and make this delightful slaw salad, sure to brighten up your table.
I picked up an enamel-covered cast iron pan at the last Wicker's Creek Market, and it's been perfect for cooking high-acidity things like a blistered cherry tomato sauce — using the last of the market tomatoes — to toss with some La Trafila pasta.
I've also been on a little mission lately: reconstituting leftovers without the microwave. (I have one, I just like a challenge.) This week I warmed up some leftover chicken in Caradonna cider, and it came out sweet, savory and delicious — perfect alongside some mashed potatoes. I'm thinking I might try the same trick with some Letterbox pork, because pork and apple are great plate mates. Try these pork chops with apples and cider yourself, and you’ll see what I mean.
We’ve got Onika from Black Girl Kimchi here this week with her fermented goodness, as well as the ever delightful Charlotte’s Home Kitchen. (Can confirm: her artful cakes and conversation are both good for your heart!)
Music will be the fabulous Milton. So pull up a chair, and relax at the first November market with us. We can’t wait to see you — no tricks, just treats.
