I’ve had a new vegetable at the market every week so far, and tomorrow I’ll be adding the first couple bunches of green onions to the bright red Cherry Belle radishes and purple-stemmed Red Russian kale. You can also shop my handmade items – dishcloths, skillet handle covers, and market bags – as well as garlic salt made from my own garlic (it’s delicious on just about everything!).
There also seems to be at least one new vendor at the market every Saturday, so it’s worth coming to browse through all the wonderful offerings! Fresh produce, meat, eggs, baked goods, prepared foods, handmade wreaths and jewelry … there’s so much to see. Sometimes we even have live music or other performances.
Kale salad: chopped kale and sliced radishes tossed with an herb vinaigrette and parmesan
My refrigerator is full of spring: kale and radishes from the garden, asparagus from a generous neighbor, strawberries and rhubarb from a local farm stand. The garden, too, reflects this life-filled season, with the peas growing faster than I can add twine to their trellis, and the first delicate, white pea blossoms opening. Around these bushy vines grow the kale and radishes, as well as green onions and lettuce. Other beds contain tiny celery and chard plants and carrot and zucchini seeds yet to germinate. In the coming days, beans will be sown, with the other summer veggies following soon after.
Tomorrow I will be at the market with the first of the radishes and bunches of tender kale. The radishes are a variety called Cherry Belle, named not only for their appearance but for their sweetness – they remain crisp and sweet even when they get a little big.
The kale, Red Russian, has slightly curled edges and lovely purple stems. I discovered a delicious kale recipe this week that even the kale-averse will appreciate. With a similar texture and flavor to risotto, Creamy Kale Quinoa genuinely feels like comfort food, and it’s surprisingly easy to make. The original recipe is vegan, but I used dairy ingredients. I also subbed Fairydiddle Farm garlic salt for the garlic powder and salt and served the dish alongside roasted fingerling sweet potatoes – harvested from the garden last fall and still good!
In addition to fresh spring veggies, you can also find garlic salt and knitted and crocheted items at my table tomorrow morning, as well as other great last-minute Mother’s Day gifts from other vendors. We’ll have a performance by the Valley Glitterettes at 9 a.m., live music at 11 a.m., and a burger stand all morning (they have breakfast sandwiches too!).
Our little part of the world is greening again, and the Broadway Community Market season kickoff is this Saturday! More than a dozen vendors will be set up from 8:00 a.m. until noon, with live music and a pool pass giveaway. Fairydiddle Farm will be there, too!
I’ve been busy crocheting and knitting skillet handle covers, dish cloths, and market bags. The bags are a lot of fun to make, and I’m excited to bring them to the market on Saturday. I also potted up some lovely little aloe plants.
Although the garden is starting to look lush, most things still have some growing to do. I might have radishes in the next week or two, and the green onions likely won’t be far behind. The kale, though, planted almost as an afterthought, looks great, and I’ll probably have a few bunches at the market!
I’ll be posting weekly again now that the market is starting back up, so make sure you’ve signed up to receive email notifications so you don’t miss out on farm updates and what to expect at the market. You can also follow Fairydiddle Farm and the Broadway Community Market on Facebook.
