April 19th Newsletter

Bardstown Road Farmers’ Market Newsletter

Sarah’s Corner

From our friend Sarah Fritschner

Shopping for bargains?

Many people new to farm markets sometimes expect the food to be less expensive than comparable food found at the supermarket.

But the real purpose of farm markets is to give consumers the best possible product (freshest, picked close to or at peak, unusual varieties) while giving the farmer the most he can earn for his labor.

Though total farm economy was up in 2007, many of the benefits went to growers of crops to make ethanol, not to the folks growing your organic greens, or your humanely-raised pork. Organic growers don’t get federal subsidies; growing corn for ethanol does.

Buying from local farmers maintains a way of life that is as valuable to city folk as it is to the farmers. Consider these words from Kentucky author Wendell Berry in his book “What Are People For?”:

“if agriculture is to remain productive it must preserve the land, and the fertility and ecological health of the land; the land, that is, must be used well. A further requirement, therefore, is that if the land is to be used well, the people who use it must know it well, must be highly motivated to use it well, must know how to use it well, must have time to use it well, and must be able to afford to use it well. Nothing that has happened in the agricultural revolution of the last 50 years has disproved or invalidated these requirements, though everything that has happened has ignored or defied them.”

Buying local, and paying a fair price to a farmer for his work, helps preserve the farm, the greenspace surrounding our cities that make them habitable. If we reward our farmers with a fair price, they are more likely to farm well so the land continues to produce food for generations.

  
LENTIL SORREL SOUP

This plain-looking soup--neither lentils nor sorrel boasts stunning color--is light, nourishing, and surprisingly delicious.

1/2 cup lentils

1/2 small red onion, finely diced

1 bay leaf

Salt

3 handfuls sorrel leaves, shredded

1 to 2 tablespoons cream or creme frache

Freshly ground pepper

Rinse the lentils and combine them in a soup pot with the onion, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 6 cups water. Bring to a boil; then simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes or until the lentils are completely soft.

Purée half the cooked lentils in a blender until smooth; then return them to the pot. Add the sorrel and cook for another 10 minutes; the sorrel will turn olive green. Stir in the cream, taste for salt and serve with freshly ground pepper.

SAUSAGE-SPINACH SKILLET DINNER

Tips for cooking this dish: One medium onion equals about 1 cup chopped. Or you can use 1 cup of frozen, chopped onion, if you have it.  Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the sausage if it doesn't give off much fat, otherwise your onion and garlic will cook unevenly.
Be sure to start cooking your rice before you begin the sausage mixture.

1 pound bulk sausage, any flavor you choose
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, about 2 teaspoons chopped
10 ounces (or so) baby spinach or other tender greens
2 cups cooked rice

Place the sausage in a wide skillet. Cook over medium heat, breaking it up with a fork or spoon until it is a loose mixture. Add onion and garlic. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. Add spinach; cover and cook until wilted, 2 minutes or so. Serve over rice. Makes four servings.