Potting up at the market this week!
I get so excited to grow herbs and veggies when the spring comes knocking, so this week, I want to highlight a couple of simple but powerful ingredients you can grow yourself with seedlings from Homegrown Kitchen Gardens!
By nurturing some of their delicious thyme, you’ll have a fragrant and versatile ingredient on your hands. Aside from sprucing up lemonade, cocktails, or whatever libation you might fancy, thyme is an excellent part of a DIY cough syrup for those pesky spring allergies. Along with Annie’s Ginger Elixir, those small seasonal discomforts are no match! If you’re looking for a hearty main dish, chicken from R&M Farms marinated with fresh thyme sets the stage for a perfect coq au vin. (You can also substitute white beans for chicken if you’re vegetarian or just want to try something new!). Alternatively, apples from Caradonna Farm, olive oil from Arlotta Food Studio, and honey from Boogie Down Bronx Honey mingle with thyme in this gorgeous cider-braised pork shoulder. And for snacking, try some rosemary thyme pita chips with AYA Hummus or cheese from Second Mouse or Aux Bon Fromages.
Homegrown Kitchen Gardens’ cilantro is another herb that I can never get enough of when the weather gets warm. If you start with a base of cilantro rice, which I’m often tempted to eat before I’ve finished making anything else, you’re in excellent shape. For a simple weeknight dinner, I like to serve it with fried plantains, black beans, and crema, but these chile-roasted chicken and sweet potatoes also seem like a fantastic "let's have friends over" plan. Cilantro also complements shrimp from Pura Vida beautifully in this shrimp and cilantro shi mai.
FYI: Nick Storrs, of Homegrown Kitchen Gardens, will be hosting some "potting-up" demos this Sunday at 10:30 and 11:30. Come sign up at the market tent and you get to take home a free heirloom tomato plant!
This week, Matt from Ready Set Sharp! is on call to sharpen your kitchen knives. Make sure to bring them to the market while you see what else is in store. Gaelle’s French Pastries and The Countryside Bakery can settle those sweet-tooth cravings, and The Fearless Cook has breakfast covered. Be smart and order then go grab a Don Carvajal coffee while you waits for your breakfast biscuit. Of course, our colorful cafe tables will be out in full array.
As a final note, our market this week falls on National Blueberry Pie Day. What could be more delicious than celebrating at Noble Pies?!
We’ll see you at the market!
