This month has gone by fast. Between the market, Little League games and other spring things, I still haven’t gotten all my vegetable starts in the ground. Given the cool nights we’ve had the past week, I am glad the tomatoes are still easily transportable. But next week, they go in the ground.

A few vendors are off this week. The list can be found below. The cool weather will have an effect on the return of your favorite fruit vendors. Cherries and June strawberries will both be a bit late, probably a week or so. So it will be a bit longer before you see Unger Farm, Baird Family Orchards and Liepold Farms. But not too much longer.

It’s the 4th Sunday of the month so the Master Gardeners will be at the market this week. They are ready for your questions. If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, be sure to ask about the program.

See you Sunday,

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What’s Coming To The Market This Week?

Snow peas and snap peas started showing up last week. There should be more available this weekend. Rick Steffen Farm has greenhouse grown zucchini for those who can’t wait for summer. Strawberries, asparagus and morels are still plentiful and greens like lettuce, arugula, spinach and chard will be available too. Roots like carrots, turnips, radishes, onions (including sweet onions) and beets should be in good supply.

Check the availability list (link) for the complete list of who’s coming this weekend and what they expect to be selling. The list is posted Thursday afternoon and updated through the weekend. For Sunday morning updates, check Twitter feed either on our website sidebar or on our Twitter page.

IN
Fraga Farm
Happy Harvest
Vanveen Bulb


OUT
Ayers Creek Farm (back July 4)
Bigfoot Bread (back May 30)
Blossom Vinegars (back May 30)
Full of Life Farm (back June 13)
Kookoolan Farms (back May 30)
Packer Orchards
THINK Unique Gardens

Labels and Markets

Farmers markets showed up in the Complaint Desk in last Sunday’s Oregonian. Laura Gunderson addressed (link) a complaint about differing labeling standards for items sold at markets. As explained in the article, most prepared food vendors are licensed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Food Safety Division. ODA inspects the production facilities and has clear labeling guidelines which all vendors follow. The Health Department licenses restaurants and other ready to eat sellers including your favorite market hot food vendors. The statutes and rules defining the Health Dept licenses do not include the same labeling requirements as the ODA licenses.

Bakeries can be licensed by the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture (ODA) or the Oregon Health Department. Bakeries at markets can and will have different labeling standards based on which department issues the license. Yes it is a bit confusing and this confusion likely led to the complaint. Bottom line, there is no farmers market exception. All prepared food vendors are complying with the standards of their issued licenses, are inspected regularly by their licensing authority to insure that compliance.

Cooking Ideas – Lentil-Rhubarb Stew

I started the week know that I wanted to come up with something using rhubarb. Rhubarb is a somewhat maligned vegetable. I like its versatility. It can be used in sweet or savory dishes. As the temperature dropped this week, I decided to go with lentil-rhubarb stew The astringent qualities of rhubarb work really well in recipes where you might want to add vinegar. Enjoy!

Lentil-Rhubarb Stew

Ingredients
3 rhubarb stalks, strings removed, chopped
1 cup red lentils, well washed
2 Tbsp. minced ginger
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
~ Salt
~ Chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

Steps
Combine all ingredients except salt and cilantro in a saucepan and add water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil then simmer until lentils and rhubarb are quite soft, about 25 minutes. Salt to taste. Garnish with cilantro and serve.