Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
Aug 28, 2008 issue
Compiled by Kathleen McFadden
What’s for supper? Local markets have just about everything you need for every course—from appetizers to salads to main dish to side dishes to desserts.
The fresh produce is plentiful and varied at Watauga County Farmers' Market. Charles Church will have plenty of Silver Queen and yellow sweet corn this week, along with broccoli, cabbage, white and red potatoes, white and yellow onions, and patty pan, spaghetti, and eight ball squash. Matt Cooper will be at the market Saturday with rainbow chard, tomatillos, pesticide-free Shizuki and Gala apples, Dyno Red kale, fingerling potatoes, zinnias and basil. Richard McDonald will be sitting in for Brad Hinckley again this Saturday with plenty of garlic and Kennebec and Yukon Gold potatoes.
Kenneth Oliver has beans all covered with blue lake and half runners available. Kenneth also will be harvesting Silver Queen and Silver King corn, yellow and red bell peppers and Passion Pink, Hillbilly and Delicious tomatoes. Richard Boylan will have leeks, Summer Varsity onions, lots of herbs, rhubarb, baby greens, garlic and mint. Bill Moretz should have plenty of apples to choose from throughout the season; this week’s harvest will include several Macintosh-type varieties. Bill will also bring Blue Damson plums, clover and sourwood honey, squash, cucumbers, red and green bells and various eggplants.
Susan Graham has returned for the second half of the season with hand-woven scarves and hand-knitted felted hats, mittens and pocket books. You can watch Susan demonstrate her spinning wheel techniques at the market any time the weather is favorable.
The folks at Watauga County Farmers’ Market are pleased that Sheri Castle will return for a cooking demo on September 6. Sheri will prepare several recipes from produce that will be available at the market that day and provide visitors with both samples and recipes.
Watauga County Farmers’ Market will be open on Wednesday mornings through September 10 at the same location as on Saturday mornings at the Horn in the West in Boone rain or shine. Turn next to First Citizens Bank on Highway 105 Extension and go to the top of the hill. Call Market Manager Karen Bauman at 828-355-4918 or click to www.wcfm.info for more info.
The Ashe County Farmers’ Market is located on the Backstreet in downtown West Jefferson and is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:00 AM until 1:00 PM. All items sold at the market are homegrown and handmade in Ashe County. The Ashe County Farmers’ Market is located on the Backstreet in downtown West Jefferson is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
The Todd Sustainable Market is Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the parking lot of the Todd Mercantile. The market features locally grown produce, grass-fed meat, handcrafted lotions and soaps, fresh-baked bread, pastries and cookies, and artisan crafts. For more information about the Todd Sustainable Market or to sell at the market, contact Stacy Martin at 336-709-6541 or yellowwolffarm@yahoo.com.
The Original Mast General Store in Valle Crucis hosts a Farmers’ Market each Wednesday from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the parking lot behind the store. Visitors will find fresh produce, baked goods, crafts, plants, ready-to-serve salads and more. The Farmers’ Market will continue until October. For more info, contact Lisa Jeffcoat-McNeal at 828-963-6511.
Lansing has a farmers’ market every Tuesday from 2:00 until 6:00 p.m. in the parking lot of the Lansing Volunteer Fire Department. Vendors can sell at no charge, and produce available this week included several types of summer squash, onions, tomatoes, kale and cucumbers—all priced at $1 per pound because it is very local for transport. Pork and pork sausages were available as well, as were bushels of green beans for $15 each from another farmer. Next week, lettuce will be available at the market. The produce and vendors are under a shelter and people stop every five minutes or so to buy and or look.
The High Country Farmers’ Market will be open this Sunday, August 31, in the parking lot of the Watauga County Human Services Center at 132 Poplar Grove Road from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The market has lots of parking and bicycle parking, covered and open seating and an accessible ATM.
Available will be plenty of fresh produce including tomatoes, corn, beans, peaches, blueberries, apples, salad greens, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and broccoli. Also available will be fresh local pork, honey, plenty of baked goodies, jams and jellies, stir-fry vegetable blend, culinary vinegars, handcrafted necklaces, handmade soaps and body products, and more.
For more info, contact Bill Moretz at 828-264-3424, Carol Miller at 336-385-9419 or email pfvinegars@yahoo.com.
Southwest Corn Custard with Roasted Peppers
Here’s something a little different to try with all the fresh corn available at local markets. This recipe is meant for a side dish or even a main dish if you want to go meatless, but it is almost sweet enough to be served as a dessert.
2-1/2 cups of fresh corn kernels
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 eggs
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped, or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to touch
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped green chile peppers (2 or 3 roasted Anaheim or poblano chiles), peeled, and seeds removed
1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
Roast chiles by piercing them once with a small knife and placing them on a cast iron griddle or skillet over high heat until the skin has charred and appears loose on the pepper. Wrap the peppers in a slightly dampened paper towel until they cool to touch.The skin should peel easily from the chile pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 1-1/2-quart shallow casserole or quiche dish.
In a food processor, pulse half the corn until it forms a paste. This will take approximately 8 to 10 pulses on most food processors.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the corn paste, the remainder of the whole corn kernels, sugar, salt, milk, cream, eggs and vanilla seeds or extract. Mix well, making sure the processed corn paste is mixed in thoroughly or you will have clumps in your finished dish. Add the flour, butter and diced green chile peppers, stirring until combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole or quiche dish. Sprinkle the nutmeg over the custard and bake on the middle rack of your oven until the center is just set, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the corn custard to set for approximately 5 minutes before serving.