A Cornucopia of Produce at the Market

Atchison Farmers’ MarketFresh, Friendly, LocalMarket E-Newsletter, Saturday, September 20, 20148 a.m. to 12 noon Did you make it to our table at the Taste of Atchison, this past Thursday evening (September 18) on the Mall. We had watermelon from Jirak Farm and honey sticks from our Board member, Mike Sinclair. We also had a large number of people sign up for our last Market Bundle Give Away the first Saturday of October. Reminder: the Market is able to accept credit, debit and SNAP cards. Just go to the Market Manager, Lyn Hoffman, and she can process your card. In exchange for a particular amount, she will give you tokens that can be used at any of the vendors. Sign up for the last Market Bundle Give Away in October. Lyn has registration forms. See you at the Market. Note: The Market officially runs through Saturday, October 19. But if vendors still have produce, they can sell beyond that date. Visit us on www.atchisonfarmersmarket.com and www.facebook.com/AtchisonFarmersMarketVendor Produce (Saturday, September 20): Cedar Lane Farm (Carrie Kesse and Kirk Russell) Plants and produce, grown chemical free. Earl Farms (Dan and Trina Earl) Spaghetti squash, butternut squash, green beans, eggs, watermelon, green peppers, banana peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes. Elias Honey (Chuck Elias) Honeycomb squares. Honey in 2, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, and 80 ounce sizes and honey straws in 10 flavors. Emilie Koehn – The Pie Lady Breads, rolls, and pies. Genova Farms (Debbie and Mark Genova) Green beans, okra, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, cucumbers, sweet Red Candy onions, carrots, melons, and squash. Gilbert Gasper – The Tortilla Man A variety of fresh, homemade tortillas. Ghost Roast Coffee (Brad and April Pietzyk) Locally roasted Costa Rican and Guatemalan coffee beans and cups of fresh hot or iced coffee to drink. Jirak Farm (Mark and Teresa Jirak and Children) Sweet corn, watermelons, cantaloupe, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and squash. L&R Farms (Monie Frakes) New: Apples, ornamental gourds, miniature pumpkins, pie pumpkins, as well as conatinuing with acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and Indian corn, as well as continuing to have Green beans, tomatoes, sweet candy onions, kale, zucchini, new potatoes, patty pan squash, eggplant, Italian eggplant, cucumbers, burpless cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, bell peppers, sweet and hot banana peppers, yummy snack peppers, zucchini, okra, and yellow squash. Linda’s Apples (Steven and Linda Trog) Yellow and Red Delicious apples, and McIntosh apples. Long View Farm (Gunther and Betty Fischer) Yukon gold potatoes, radishes, cherry tomatoes, green beans, broccoli, zucchini, a variety of jellies, jams, and fruit butters, brown eggs, whole wheat bread, French bread, fresh herbs, and fresh flowers. Lyn Hoffman (Market Manager) Asian Plum sauce and Elderberry jelly as well as quick breads, a variety of jams and jellies, and dog treats. Rootin Tootin Acres (Theresa and Eric Root and Family) Artisan and whole grain breads, tomatoes, peppers, okra, and potatoes. Other vendors may be present also. Recipe: This is the time of the year when all the late summer vegetables are plentiful at our market (and perhaps in your own garden). But what can you to do with so many??? Here is a great recipe from Alice Waters' 2007 cookbook The Art of Simple Food: ratatouille that fusses only where it needs to fuss (over the eggplant), and adds a few smart, modern details -- red chile flakes, a basil bouquet -- that improve on a well-worn classic. Note: All vegetables conveniently work out to about a pound. Serves 6 to 8

• 1 medium or 2 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch dice

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more to taste

• 2 medium onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice

• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1/2 bunch of basil, tied in a bouquet with kitchen twine + 6 basil leaves, chopped

• pinch of dried chile flakes

• 2 sweet peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice

• 3 medium summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice

• 3 ripe medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice

• Salt to taste

1. Toss the eggplant cubes with a teaspoon or so of salt. Set the cubes in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Pat the eggplant dry, add to the pan, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden. Add a bit more oil if the eggplant absorbs all the oil and sticks to the bottom of the pan. Remove the eggplant when done and set aside.

3. In the same pot, pour in 2 more tablespoons olive oil. Add onions and cook for about 7 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, basil bouquet, dried chile flakes, and a bit more salt.

4. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir in peppers. Cook for a few more minutes, then stir in summer squash. Cook for a few more minutes, then stir in tomatoes.

5. Cook for 10 minutes longer, then stir in eggplant and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, until all the vegetables are soft. Remove the bouquet of basil, pressing on it to extract all its flavors, and adjust the seasoning with salt.

6. Stir in the chopped basil leaves and more extra virgin olive oil, to taste. Serve warm or cold.