Dubuque Winter Farmer's Market
Dubuque Winter Farmers’ Market is inspiring.
We recently lost Pete Seeger who famously said “The world will be solved by millions of small things.” Each week it’s inspiring to see our hard-working vendors making those small (but meaningful) contributions in our community. Not only do they grow the food, but they take the time to teach us about it and provide a boost to our local economy. Our loyal shoppers are also making many small differences each week by spending their dollars locally and making home-grown, healthy food a priority. Hum “This Land Is Your Land” to yourself this weekend while you’re strolling through the market and think about how we’re all contributing to those million small things that will “solve” our world.
Keep Your Cutting Board Looking Sharp
Wooden cutting boards are resistant to most stains, made from a renewable resource, and gentle on knife blades. But without proper care, your trusty go-to can start to smell like your famous garlic chicken-permanently. Alas, you can’t just stick a wooden board in the dishwasher; it could warp and crack. Here are the best ways to keep it in business for life:
1. Rub down a new board with food-grade mineral oil to condition the wood; do this weekly for a month, then once a month going forward.
2. After general use, wash well with hot, soapy water, rinse, and pat dry.
3. After a particularly messy job (like peeling beets), do a deep-cleaning: Sprinkle the board with coarse salt (such as kosher); massage the salt in with the cut side of half a lemon. The acid in the juice will disinfect and deodorize; the salt will act as an abrasive, sloughing off bits of food and small stains. Rinse the board with hot water, towel-dry, and set it upright to dry completely.
Thai Mushroom Soup
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups veggie stock, or water
1″ piece fresh ginger, cut into thin slices
3 limes leaves, sliced if fresh, crumbled if dried
2 stalks lemon grass, chopped
5 stalks cilantro
1 tbsp oil
4 shallots, chopped
16 oz oyster mushrooms
1 tbsp soy sauce
green curry paste, to taste
1 14 oz can light coconut milk
juice of 1/3 lime
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Put stock, ginger, lemon grass, and lime leaves into a pot. Strip leaves from cilantro and add the stalks as well. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on a low heat for 20 mins. Strain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, the saute shallots for 5-7 mins, until lightly browned. Add mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are just releasing their water. Add strained stock to the pot, then add soy sauce and curry paste.
3. Add coconut milk and lime juice and mix well. Season to taste. Chop cilantro leaves and mix in. You can heat this up as much as you want before serving.
Credit: Vegan Dad
Make your own natural cleaning products
Many store-bought cleaners contain dangerous chemicals, are packaged in petroleum-based products and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions due to the extensive production, packaging and transportation process.
Common household products like vinegar, baking soda, lemons, nutmeg and cinnamon can be transformed into safe, effective cleaning products:
Floor Cleaner:
· 1/2 cup white vinegar
· 1/4 cup baking soda
· 5-10 drops essential oil(s) of choice
· 1-2 gallons hot water
Mix ingredients well, stirring until dissolved. Mop or scrub floors as usual.
Window Cleaner:
· 3/4 cup white vinegar
· 1 DROP Dawn liquid soap
· Fill remainder of bucket with hot water.
Wash windows with a soft reusable rag. Squeegee clean. (Best when done on a grey day). No squeegee? No problem! Used newspapers work great for this job.
All-Purpose Spray:
· 1/4 cup lemon juice
· 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
· 10 drops tea tree essential oil
· 5 drops sweet orange essential oil
· 2 cups hot water.
Mix ingredients well. Use a funnel to place in a spray bottle. Spray onto surfaces and wipe clean with a soft fabric towel.
Harvest Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 medium onion chopped
3 1/2 cups butternut squash, seeded and cubed
2 apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups chicken stock
Salt
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery and onion. Season with salt and allow to cook until soft, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and cut the butternut squash
When the vegetables are soft, add the butternut squash, apples and chicken stock.
Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the apples and squash are tender. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a blender.
Season with salt and purée soup in blender until smooth. Ladle in bowls and serve.
Credit: At Home with Gina C.
Dubuque Winter Farmers’ Market is educational.
It’s “back to school” on Saturday mornings at the Winter Farmers’ Market. Where else can you learn about heirloom varieties of vegetables, the history of Belgian waffles, growing bay leaf trees, and raising grass-fed beef? How do you cook blue potatoes? How do bees survive the winter? You can find the answers to all these questions and much more at the market. Our vendors want to help you understand how food gets to your table, so you’re sure to learn a thing or two next time you visit.
Kristi’s Perfect Produce
Kristi Bellmann is not a newcomer to farm and garden life. She grew up on a dairy farm and has led her family into the farmers’ market arena. After her son was born, Kristi began growing vegetables and selling them at market to supplement her income. A year later, her parents joined her, adding eggs, beef, pork, and chicken to her offerings. This addition made them the first meat vendors at Dubuque farmers’ markets.
Since that time, Kristi’s sale items and farming practices have continued to grow. She takes advantage of the many opportunities for education and improvement available in the region. Kristi has learned and implemented various methods of extending her variety of produce and the growing season. She has added hoop houses and high tunnels to accomplish that purpose.
Kristi does most of the work in her gardens by herself, with occasional help from her two children, ages 9 and 5. At harvest time, she sometimes hires a couple of high school students. To improve the efficiency of their operation, Kristi’s family is installing a robotic milking system this spring. It’s been a busy winter since they’re doing a lot of the construction themselves, but once the system is up and running it will help increase their quality of life and decrease some of the stresses of farming.
While many rush to market in order to buy Kristi’s prized spinach (expected again in March!) and salad greens, her stand boasts much more. During the growing season, there is hardly a vegetable she does not sell. In winter, carrots and root vegetables, including beets and turnips, blue, red, and white potatoes decorate her table. Even this late in the season she has a surprising amount of home-grown produce available. Kristi also offers a wide variety of jams and jellies. Year round, meats, eggs, and cheese are available.
Stop by Kristi’s Perfect Produce market stand any week, and you will surely find something to improve your week’s menus. If you plan your stop at a moment when they are not busy, you will find Kristi a highly knowledgeable, albeit humble, gardener, who loves sharing all that she has learned about growing “perfect produce.”
How to make your own chicken stock from scratch
One of the benefits of making your own broth, apart from having better control over the sodium, is that it can be cheaper than store-bought. Buying bone-in meat is usually cheaper than boneless skinless meat, and can give a meatier flavor to the broth. To save even more money, purchase a whole chicken and butcher yourself. If that’s too intimidating, just get the whole cut-up chicken.
Dubuque Winter Farmers’ Market is economic development.
Farmers’ Markets are thriving in Iowa. A 2009 study showed a 92% increase in farmers’ market activities over the previous five years, resulting in over $71 million of direct and indirect economic impact. With over 200 active markets, Iowa boasts the greatest number of markets per capita in the nation. Farmers’ Markets create opportunities for entrepreneurs and provide outlets for inventive, hard-working people to sell their goods. The vitality, energy and creativity fostered by our market is good for our economy. Connecting farm businesses directly to consumers eliminates the middle-man and brings you the freshest goods at the best price. Thank you for shopping at the market and helping our local economy grow.
Vegetable Soup with Kale and Lentils
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, sliced 1/8 inch thick
2 teaspoons garlic, peeled and minced (3-4 cloves),
or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cups water
1 cup dry yellow or brown lentils
1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon dried basil or Italian seasoning
1 can (14.5 ounces) no sodium added diced tomatoes
or 2 chopped tomatoes
1 bunch kale (about 7 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add onions, carrots, and garlic. Cook 5 minutes.
3. Add water to veggies in pot. Heat to boiling.
4. Rinse lentils in colander with water. Add lentils to pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not drain.
5. Add chicken broth, dried basil or Italian seasoning, and tomatoes. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes.
6. Rinse kale leaves, cut out the main stems and discard. Cut leaves into 1-inch pieces.
7. Stir kale, salt, and pepper into lentil mixture. Return to boiling. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 minutes.
TIPS
Skip soaking the lentils first for this recipe. It is not needed.
Use kitchen scissors instead of a knife to cut the kale.
Make kale chips from extra leaves. Drizzle a little oil on clean, dry leaves. Spread leaves on a cookie sheet. Bake 12-20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Leaves should be thin and crackly but not brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt.
Recipe from Iowa State Extension
Dubuque Winter Farmer's Market 