April 18th Newsletter
Bardstown Road Farmers’ Market Newsletter
Sarah’s Corner
From our friend Sarah Fritschner
Fifteen years ago, there were a handful of farmers markets and the market season lasted June through September.
Virtually everything sold at those markets was fresh produce, and with the short season, the produce was limited to what you’d call “summer garden vegetables:" tomatoes and corn, green beans and squash. Nobody sold asparagus. And farmers believed that nobody would come to a market for spinach and green onions.
But that was then. Now the sturdiest of Bardstown Road shoppers can be seen in the parking lot through January and February, and most are ready to bust out of the house in April when the market officially opens again.
And these days the Saturday market offers so much more than fresh produce, even in April. There’s a sophisticated and varied inventory: meat including beef, pork, bison, chicken and rabbit, plus eggs, mushrooms, honey, eggs, jams and preserves, vegetable and herb plants, and baked goods.
Even in the early season, there’s a pretty amazing number of vegetables, including the long-awaited asparagus. Onions, potatoes, salad mix, kale, mustard greens, broccolini, sorrel plants, kale, collards, spinach, cilantro, parsnips, parsley and other herbs give us a pretty wide selection for planning variety into our meals.
This is a season of interesting menus, mixing the leftovers from winter with fresh new growth – onions, potatoes and maybe even a little garlic could be at the end of their storage lives; kale and other durable greens are shooting up incredibly tender leaves from last year’s plants and the fresh, young leaves of spinach, and salad mixes are just about to take over. Radishes are everywhere.
I love this potato salad, which bridges the stodgier winter flavor of potatoes and onions with the fresh flavor of spring parsley and green onions.
Parslied potato salad
The dried tomatoes should be at least as moist as raisins. If they are drier, let them soak in hot water for an hour or more to rehydrate them.
4 medium potatoes, about 3 cups diced
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 green onions, trimmed and chopped (or to taste)
¼ cup chopped Kalamata olives
¼ to ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup chopped dried tomatoes
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Don’t peel the potatoes unless you prefer them that way.
Spread the olive oil on a shallow baking pan. Spread the potatoes in a single layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir to coat with oil. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pieces are tender and brown in places.
As the potatoes bake, chop the parsley, green onions, olives, feta and tomatoes into small pieces.
When the potatoes are cooked, scrape them into a serving bowl and add remaining ingredients. Stir to distribute evenly. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.