Week four and we still have MORE!

Week Four and we still have more!

It is hard to believe, but the market has been open for four weeks now. It looks like we will have great weather again this week. I hope everyone can make it out to see what we have to offer on Saturday from 8-11. With the warmer weather comes more produce. It will only be a matter of time before we have homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, melons, potatoes, squash and many more choices.

For the meanwhile, try something new. Ever try a squash blossom? Let me tell you, YUMMY!

Items we will have available, lettuce, spinach, radishes, broccoli, Zucchini, Hanging Tomato Baskets, Green onions, Rhubarb, Flowers, Jams and Jellies, Squash Blossoms, New Potatoes, and much more.

Hope to see you all on Saturday!

Squash Blossoms

In a recent episode of Iron Chef America on the Food Network, they had Battle Zucchini. It was neat to see all the uses for Squash. One of the things I though was really interesting was the Squash Blossoms. They were stuffed and fried. Since I have squash I thought we could give them a try.

WOW, they were really good. It was a little strange when we prepared them, but we were fighting over the last one. Even our young kids liked them. The recipe we used is below. We used an premade bagged batter instead of making it from scratch. It is your choice.

Enjoy!

Squash Blossoms

Ingredients

• 1 tb Olive oil
• 2 tb Small-diced red pepper
• 2 tb Small-diced zucchini
• 2 tb Small-diced red shiitake
• 2 tb Small-diced onions
• 1/2 c Ricotta cheese
• 1/4 c Grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Egg; beaten
• Salt; to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper;
• 8 Squash blossoms
• Oil; for deep frying

=== TEMPURA BATTER ===

• 1 lb Flour -; (3 cups)
• 1/2 lb Cornstarch -; (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 tb Baking powder
• 1 tb Baking soda
• 1 ts Salt
• 2 Eggs; beaten
• 1 c Ice cubes
• 1 1/2 c Club soda; or less
• 1/4 c Flour; for dredging

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan, add the diced vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. In a bowl, combine the vegetables, cheeses and egg. Adjust the seasonings. Set aside. Carefully clean the squash blossoms free of dirt and split the squash end in half lengthwise (not cutting it free from the blossom) to open it up for better cooking. Open the blossom end and divide the filling among the blossoms, closing the end back up after it has been stuffed. Prepare the coulis and tempura batter.

Tempura Batter: Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. With a whisk, work in the eggs, ice cubes and 1 cup of the club soda until you reach a thick, bubbly, pancake batter-like consistency. Heat the oil for deep frying. Carefully dredge the stuffed blossoms in 1/4 cup flour, shaking off the excess. Dip them individually into the batter, and into the fryer. Turn them gently as they fry. Fry until golden and hot in the middle, about 5 minutes. This recipe yields 2 entree portions or 4 appetizer portions.

Recipe Source: ESSENCE OF EMERIL with Emeril Lagasse From the TV FOOD NETWORK - (Show # EE-2175 broadcast 05-19-1997) Downloaded from their Web-Site - http://www.foodtv.com Formatted for MasterCook by Joe Comiskey, aka MR MAD - jpmd44a@prodigy.com ~or- MAD-SQUAD@prodigy.net 06-05-1997 Recipe by: Emeril Lagasse Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

Copied From: http://www.bigoven.com/126101-Stuffed-Squash-Blossoms-recipe.html

Thanks for a great first week, What is up for next week?

I would like to say thank you to all the people who came down to support the Clay Center Farmers Market last Saturday. We had a great turn out of people. Our vendor numbers weren't as high as I had hoped, but this spring has been a difficult one.

We will be back on Saturday this week. We will have fresh produce, jams and jellies, tomato plants, flowers, crafts and much more expected. As I get a better handle on who will be coming each week, I plan on updating this blog to let you know what we are expecting to have each week.

Hope to see you Saturday, before or after, Big Truck Day at Lincoln School.

Farmers Market Starts on Saturday!

If you have seen the bright green posters around town and came to this website, WELCOME! We are happy that you came to check us out. Tell us where you saw our poster.

It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day for our first Farmers Market. I hope you are excited about local food as we are about growing it.

Help us make this year successful. If you don't see an item that you would like, ask a vendor if they are growing it or will they grow it. If you are a hobby gardener, please come and check out the plants that people will have for sale.

Hope to see you on Saturday!

ONE WEEK AWAY!!!

The official opening of the Clay Center Farmers Market is on May9th from 8-11 on the WestSide of the Courthouse. We have moved up the start date to include all those cooler season crops. It has been a very difficult spring for gardening. I know we will have some vendors with plants, hanging baskets, jams, jellies, craft items and probably a limited amount of produce. We are a "producer"only market this year. We hope that we can supply you with the best locally grown produce available. Tell everyone you meet about the market.