The South Estes Farmers' Market, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
All Photos Copyright Sandra Gutierrez, 2009; All Rights Reserved.
This gorgeous Saturday morning, lifted my spirits as I happily trekked to one of the farmers’ markets in my area. The sun was out on this perfect Carolina springtime and it caressed the pavement at the South Estes market in Chapel Hill,where busy and eager shoppers went in search of local treasures. The thing about shopping at the farmers’ market is that you just never know what you are going to find, making having a set recipe in mind is useless; the asparagus found last week may be replaced by green garlic the next and beautiful radishes may welcome you instead of baby beets. This might throw new locavore shoppers off but an open mind is exactly what you need to shop at your own market. It requires a new way of thinking and cooking but it is ideal for culinary adventurers who thrive on creating food on a whim.
The Triangle area (short for ResearchTrianglePark and now more of a rectangle, if you ask me, due to the insane growth of recent years that has swallowed up many large towns in its midst) is ripe for the locavore movement. The Carrboro-Chapel Hill area per se, has found itself mentioned in national food magazines, lauded as “the new Berkeley” and as one of the foodiest places in the nation. It is no wonder, as more and more restaurateurs and chefs join the movement, which strives to cook with local ingredients.
The truth is that locavores are not new in this area. What has happened in recent years is that we have finally been joined by more conscious cooks, numerous enough to make a real difference. This is such an exciting time to live in North Carolina, as more and more markets are being formed to keep up with the demand. We love our farmers and soon they will love us, as we bring back a lifestyle that had been dormant too long; one that will hopefully (and I do hope so with all of my heart) continue to trickle down and replace the preservative-rich chain restaurants with more Mom and Pop’s eateries, as foodies demand healthier, local and cleaner foods. The pendulum is about to turn direction and I, for one, am excited to see it happen. This is culinary revolution at its best!
Next week, I shall report on the exciting new opening of a farmers’ market in my area! I invite my readers in the Triangle to head down to the Western-Wake Farmers’ Market (in the parking lot of CarpenterVillage neighborhood, in Morrisville) and welcome this new venture with enthusiasm. Don’t forget your cash and your sunglasses! Be prepared to change the way you shop and cook! Bring your children along; they are the catalyst for change in the future, so teach them how to shop in a place where their land and local climate dictate what they will see on their plates for supper.
These are some of the goodies I found at the Estes market this morning and some of the wonderful farmers who were selling today. Meet your local farmers and get to know them well. They are the source of healthy food for you and your family! For more information on this market go to
Farmer Dan Shields, owner of Contrarian Farm with a beautiful bouquet of local radishes. Local brides should consider walking down the aisle with a new kind of natural bouquet, don't you think?
Farmer Noah of Fickle Creek Farm and friend, Eva Green, basket weaver, sharing a pint of local strawberries. For those of you who love to bake with lard, this is a great place to purchase quality lard (check previous post on lard biscuits: Biscuit Time!).
Miss Eva's ( of the Rabbit Patch) handwoven baskets! Just beautiful! Imagine them filled with those juicy strawberries!
Belo
Green Garlic, one of my favorite sights during Spring here in the Triangle, from Seeing Stars Farm. Owner Jeffrey Goodrum offered great culinary ideas for these yummy stalks of pure goodness (frittata, anyone?)
Green and brown eggs from Scrambled Acres Farm. Owner Rita Deimler set up this great picture for me. I'm thinking of making pasta alla carbonara for supper tonight (recipe might follow soon)!
Vicki Roberson, owner of Roberson Creek Farm, poses with her grandson, Dylan, and some of her delicious aquaponic lettuce, which she told me she grows in tanks; fish emulsion fertilizes the lettuce. "This lettuce has never seen dirt!" she said. Some of it made it into my lunch salad today! Delicious!
This was the line at the stand of Dorian West's Hillsborough Cheese Company. And you better believe they all had good reason to stand there, as Dorian was giving out samplings of his Jalapeno Chevre and Sun Dried Tomato Goat cheese! I bought one of each (and then some...)
I often use Coon Rock Farm's sausages for my cooking classes. I was enamored of the delicious Mexican chorizo they had today and bought a couple of pounds! Latin flavors have permeated the South and everyone is loving this!
My menu is starting to come together, with a frittata with green garlic and chorizo making images in my mind...biscuits and strawberry butter will be at my table tomorrow morning!
The Smith family, owners of Smith Angus Farm from Snow Camp, NC have delicious beef every week at this market. The ground beef I bought today is going to make us some scrumptious hamburgers for supper on Sunday!
What are you eating this weekend?
Copyright Sandra Gutierrez, 2009. All Rights Reserved.
