Sarah Gehring is our blogger. She's the Member Service Coordinator for the AgriMissouri program. She assists AgriMissouri members in promoting their business or organization and promotes the AgriMissouri brand. The goal of the AgriMissouri Showcase is to introduce consumers to AgriMissouri members, their products and experiences, and promote AgriMissouri activities.« March 2008 | Main | May 2008 »
There's more to Missouri meat than beef, pork, and poultry. Julie Harker proves it this week, as she visits with Skip Sayers about his bison herd. And any podcast that includes the pun "bisontennial" is just begging to be listened to.
Download audio (MP3, 3.6 megabytes)
You can tell it's Spring! We've gotten a lot of calls yesterday and Friday asking where to go to pick berries. I love berry picking! U-pick berry patches are the best because:
a) you didn't have to take care of the berries in the fall or summer;
b) they provide containers to pick in (most of the time); and
c) they have neat rows to walk down, at home my berries would be scattered throughout the garden.
As you may have guessed, I don't know much about vegetable gardening.
Below are resources if you are for a place to pick strawberries, blueberries or blackberries this spring and summer.
AgriMissouri Buyer's Guide
Pickyourown.org
Missouri Fruit & Vegetable Growers Database
I'm doing something a little different for this week's Friday Fixin's. Many farmers' markets opened earlier this month or are opening this weekend so this week's feature is about one of my favorite spring vegetables......asparagus. You just can't beat asparagus fresh from the garden.
I was excited to see that the Pony Express Farmers' Market in St. Joseph offers recipes and cooking suggestions on their web site. This is so important to people (like me, I have to admit) who don't always know how to cook fresh vegetables or how to preserve them. Often I go a little crazy at the farmers' market and buy more than I can eat that week. Thank you to the Pony Express Farmers' Market because all of the asparagus recipes below are from their web site.
Asparagus Recipes
Springtime and Asparagus
It is one of the first vegetable crops of the year. There a lots of ways to prepare this wonderful vegetable - but don't overcook it. Then just add fresh butter and season with salt and pepper and you are in heaven. Perhaps, sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top -- Yummy! Stove top: Saucepan or Steamer: Cook fresh asparagus in a small amount of boiling water until tender. Fresh asparagus will be crisp-tender in 5 to 8 minutes.
Asparagus for Salads
If you want nice crispy asparagus for your salads. Steam or boil them so that they are a bright green color, plunge them into cold ice water dropping their cooking temperature down quickly. This will stop the cooking process that tends to make the asparagus spongy. They will remain crispy and delicious in your wonderful garden fresh salads.
Frying Pan:
Place a strip of folded aluminum on the bottom and up the sides of the pan, extending over the edges. Bring water to a boil; add asparagus spears and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Use foil strips to gently lift the spears to a serving dish.
Double Boiler:
To steam asparagus in an upright position, fasten the stalks into a bundle using a band of foil or string. Stand the stalks upright in the double boiler or percolator with the tips extending an inch or more above the boiling, salted water. (A glass cooking vessel works best.) Cover and cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
Stir-Fry:
Cut spears diagonally in 1/2 inch pieces, leaving tips whole. Stir-fry pieces in butter or hot oil, in a skillet or wok at medium high heat. Stir constantly until tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.
Microwave:
Microwave fresh asparagus by placing one pound in a microwavable baking dish or serving bowl. If cooking whole spears, arrange with tips in center. Add about 1/4 cup water and cover tightly. Microwave at 100% power for 4 to 7 minutes for spears, 3 to 5 minutes for cuts and tips. Stir or turn halfway through cooking time.
Roasting:
Preheat oven to 475° F. Place the asparagus in a shallow roasting pan or baking sheet in one layer. Sprinkle with the garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil. Roast until tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes, depending on age and size, turning occasionally with tongs. These may be served immediately or at room temperature. Try sprinkling with Parmesan cheese before serving.
Freezing Asparagus
Yes, you can freeze asparagus and the taste when cooked is almost like the fresh asparagus that is available during the spring at the Pony Express Farmers' Market. And it is not that hard to do.... Fill up a large pot with water and add about 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring the pot to a boil and place your washed asparagus in the boiling water for about 3 minutes Then carefully remove the asparagus and plunge them into a pot of ice water to quickly cool them They should be a brilliant green color at this time. When they are completely cold... and you might think about added extra ice cubes to the cold water bath, then drain the asparagus and pat dry with some paper towels. Put the dried asparagus into freezer bags and into your freezer.
To find a farmers market near you, visit the Farmers' Market Directory or the Missouri Farmers' Market Blog.
I was thumbing through the April issue of Sauce Magazine and ran across an article on AgriMissouri member, Free Range Cookies. I've talked about Linda Daniels, maker and owner of Free Range Cookies in past blog posts. Her products are gluten and dairy free but NOT taste free. It was great to see her company recognized by Sauce Magazine. Congrats Linda!
David at Learfield Interactive, you've heard his voice on the podcasts, emailed me yesterday to say that the transcripts of the first eight podcasts are now available on the blog. If you'd like to read them, just click 'Transcript' in the category list and they will be sorted out for you.
Enjoy!
Haven't the last few days just been gorgeous?! I love warm weather and getting chance to get out to meet our members at their offices. Yesterday I visited Arcobasso Foods in St. Louis.
Arcobasso manufactures sauces, dressings and marinades for many Missouri companies. A few of them are members of AgriMissouri like Olde Settlement Dressings, other products include one of my husband's favorites, Zia's Salad Dressing, and Maull's Marinades. They have also created Sun Zen, a spice company. Sun Zen products are spices that can be added to extra virgin olive oil to dip bread, sprinkled on cream cheese or I like them on pasta.
Anne and Jim were wonderful hosts. We enjoyed a local lunch and then they gave me a tour of their facility. It's always fun to get to see members in their own space, most of the time I see everyone at trade shows so it's a great change of pace. I hope to get out and see more members as the spring and summer progress.
My husband loves to grill and since the weather's been warm this week we've gotten to use our grill a lot. One of the first foods we grilled were Swiss Meat and Sausage Company's cherry sausage and Swiss style bratwurst. Swiss Meats is a family owned and operated business near Hermann, MO. They have a wonderful assortment of meat products and my family loves their brats. This week's recipe is featured in their catalog and I think it's the first breakfast recipe I've posted.
If you're ever in the Hermann area, it's definitely worth the drive to stop by Swiss Meat & Sausage Company or place an order on their web site.
Mexican Chorizzo Breakfast Wrap
8 eggs
1 small can sliced black olives
1/2 red onion, diced and sauteed
4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
4 flour tortillas, 12 inch
Salsa
1 lb. (4) "Swiss Meats" Mexican Chorizzo Sausage, cooked and browned
Salt & Pepper to tasteCook chorizzo in skillet on medium heat until done. Whisk 2 eggs until beaten. In a 12 inch saute pan on low heat cook one 2 egg omelet with 1 tbsp. black olives, 1 tbsp. onions, 1 oz. cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Heat flour tortilla according to directions. Place salsa on tortilla and spread evenly. Place omelet onto tortilla, add sausage to one side. Roll like you would a jelly roll. Repeat above directions to make three more wraps.
It's finally warming up enough for us to spend some extra time in the garden. Earlier in the spring, Julie Harker decided to check in with a couple of Missouri's green thumbs. First, she talked to Jennifer Schamber of Greenscape Gardens in Manchester. Then she caught up with Patrick Bellrose, with Fahr Greenhouses in Wildwood.
Download audio (MP3, approx 4 megabytes)
flickr photo courtesy yamada
If you read the blog regularly, you might remember last month I wrote about CSA (community supported agriculture) programs. This morning I received a forwarded email about a new combined CSA in the St. Louis area that still has spaces available. The combined CSA is being run by an organization called Fair Shares.
Fair Shares is a non-profit organization dedicated to getting fresh, local, seasonal food into the hands of more St. Louisans--regardless of their income.
Fair Shares is working with local farmers and producers to form a Combined CSA* (CCSA). Each week, they'll collect, organize and distribute a well-rounded example of the freshest, seasonal, sustainably-produced foods available in St. Louis all year long. Members of Fair Shares will receive bios on all the farmers and producers we feature, plus menu ideas, recipes, and storage and preparation tips each week. There are still spaces left for this season!
I checked out their web site and this combined CSA is a really cool option for those who can't make it to the farmers market but still want quality, local meats and vegetables. I encourage anyone in the St. Louis area to check it out!
One look at the sunshine outside and you can see Spring springing up all over. I can't wait to get out plant flowers, vegetables and just be outside. AgriMissouri member, Fahr Greenhouses & Nursery, are eager to help customers get out of the house.
Fahr Greenhouses & Nursery offers a wide variety of bedding plants, specialty annuals, tropical plants, ground covers, perennials, flowering shrubs and a huge selection of artfully designed patio containers. They also offer gardening supplies such as mulch, potting soil, deer repellent and a great selection of pots and novelty containers. In summer months, the even have fresh picked vegetables.
Located in Wildwood, Missouri, Fahr Greenhouses & Nursery have been serving St. Louis County and surrounding areas as a quality producer of bedding plants and specialty crops for over 56 years. Dorothy and Leonard Fahr established Fahr Greenhouse in 1950. The business is still operated by family members Dorothy Fahr, Patrick and Mary Bellrose and Larry Fahr.
I love spring flowers so I'll be featuring AgriMissouri members with greenhouses and nurseries over the next two weeks.
