The Goldilocks Option of Farmers' Markets

My theory of gardening was born of my East Coast heritage.  You stick the plant in the ground and if it grows, great.  If it doesn’t, that’s the plant’s problem, not mine.  This worked quite well in Pennsylvania and even in Los Angeles, but not in Elk Grove (or Jackson, the other place I tried to grow vegetables). 

This poses a problem because for me, spring is all about fresh veggies pulled from the loam in my garden. But the Elk Grove soil needs far more amending that I’m willing to give it. Last year I thought I would fool the plants by putting the tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini in pots, rather than the ground.  I think I got a couple of weirdly wizened cukes and some stunted, blackened tomatoes.

This year, I have determined to purchase my fresh-from-the-ground veggies.  Luckily, there are plenty of options for that here, including home delivery boxes from Farm Fresh to You organic produce.  My box came, I was overjoyed, and then I was overwhelmed.  How much collard greens and beets can a single woman living alone eat?  Not enough to justify that expense, and the limp broccoli and wilted lettuce made me sad.

That left me with a foray to the local farmers' market.  I’ve been to farmers' markets in all of the places that I’ve lived, and I definitely have opinions.  They shouldn’t be too big, because deciding whose Bibb lettuce to buy this week can, for me, turn into a nightmare.  They shouldn’t be too small, because I want some choice.   Elk Grove’s Certified Farmers' Market, held every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon in the parking lot of the Laguna Gateway Center, proved to be—like many things in our humble city—just the right size.

When I got there about 10:30 a.m., there were enough people to make it look successful but not crazy crowded.  About 20 vendors had set up, ten to each side, under perky little tents.  You could buy walnuts and almonds, fresh cut flowers or eggs and learn about natural grass fed beef raised in Elk Grove.  A variety of farms sold produce for Asian cuisine, as well as those offering Western fare, and two of the vendors were certified organic. 

I spent my money at Sun Shine Farms.  I’m a sucker for baby vegetables and for seven dollars, I got a bag of baby lettuce leaves, a bunch of baby carrots, baby leeks and baby celery (see photo).  When I got them home, I was so taken with the uniqueness of the baby celery—I never knew it existed before—that I set about creating a dish just to feature it. 

When I think of celery, I think of Bloody Marys and while it might seem like I was imbibing as I conceived this vegetable side dish, rest assured I was stone sober.

Bloody Mary’s Baby Celery

3 baby celery bunches

1-1/2 C tomato juice

1 T prepared horseradish

2 T lemon juice

1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Tobasco or other hot sauce to taste

1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped - This is the garnish so if you’re not into the peeling, etc. you can skip this ingredient.

Clean the baby celery bunches well and trim their bottoms.  Blend the next five ingredients together in a bowl, then transfer mixture to a skillet large enough to accommodate the celery.  Bring to boil, add celery bunches, cover and cook over low heat for five minutes.  Turn celery bunches over and continue cooking covered for another 5 minutes.  Remove celery bunches to a plate and cook down liquid in skillet till about 1/2 C is left.  Spoon this on top of the celery bunches and sprinkle the chopped tomato on top.   Serves 4-6.

Bon appétit!