In season: broccoli

It’s the season for locally grown broccoli, and some farmers have had good success with it this year. But if you’re having a hard time finding it at your local farmers market, there’s a reason.

Barbara Mathis of Fox Hollow Farm has 10 acres in Rockmart with a market garden of about a half-acre. Back in the summer, she was game to talk about her broccoli crop this fall, but when I checked in with her in early November, she had nothing but a tale of woe.

“You do not know the meaning of havoc,” she said. “I have struggled with fall plants and deer until it is unreal. It has not rained at my house in two months. The creek has been dry for two months.”

The dry weather and lack of ready water means the deer out in Rockmart are eating, as Mathis says, things they normally wouldn’t be browsing on. “My famous egg wash spray does not stick to cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etcetera so the deer are enjoying what little is left of them. I am 70 years old and have never had such a pathetic fall garden in my life. Don’t know how but I guess it could be worse.”

Over in Cumming, Randy Gazaway of Gazaway Farm is farming 50 acres of hay and 1 to 2 acres of vegetables. He grew up on this land he inherited from his family and farmed some in all that time, but got into farming full time in 2011. He has a small orchard with apple and peach trees and a pecan grove as well.

When they have produce to sell, both he and Mathis are at the Sweet Apple Farmers Market on Thursday evenings. Gazaway is also the manager of the Cumming Farmers Market, which runs June through September, and takes his produce there.

“I set out 300 broccoli plants this fall and lost every one of them. I ordered broccoli in for myself and for Barbara and I set out all those plants. That’s when it turned dry. When the weather should have started cooling down, we had those 90-degree days. That and the drought just cooked the broccoli,” said Gazaway.

And he doesn’t mean the weather steamed the broccoli which is the way he and his wife enjoy that vegetable when they actually have a crop. “For the past few years we’ve had a pretty decent crop, but this has been a bad year. I was talking with a friend who’s close to 80 years old. He told me that he’d never seen it this dry in all of his lifetime,” said Gazaway.

Broccoli is one of the things Mathis and Gazaway’s customers look forward to. “They’re asking for it at market, but we’ve had to tell them pretty much all our fall crops are a disaster this year. For some reason I’ve got pretty turnip greens, but there are very small turnips under them right now. It’s been bad,” said Mathis.

AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS

Cooking demos:

4:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17. Chef Carolynn Ladd of A Date with Figs demonstrates dishes using market produce. East Atlanta Village Farmers Market, Atlanta. http://www.farmeav.com/

9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. Chef Ian Winslade of Murphy's. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com

10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. Chef Jeffrey Wall of Kimball House. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com

FOR SALE

Just coming in to market: endive, escarole, fennel, frisee, Napa cabbage, roselle

Vegetables, fruit and nuts: apples, arugula, Asian greens, broccoli, broccoli raab, cabbage, carrots, chard, chestnuts, collards, cornmeal, cucumbers, eggplant, field peas, garlic, ginger, grits, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, http://canoeatl.com, pecans, peppers, persimmons, pole and snap beans, polenta, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, summer squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turmeric, turnips, winter squash

— From local reports

Hilary White’s Roasted Broccoli Pasta

Consider this as an alternative for your Thanksgiving dinner table. It’s the creation of chef Hilary White of The Hil at Serenbe.

1 head broccoli, separated into small florets and stem trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces (about 1 pound)

1 lemon, sliced thin, seeds removed

2 tablespoons canola oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 pound uncooked rotini pasta

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons sliced or chopped almonds

2 cloves garlic, minced

Zest of 1/2 lemon

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1/2 cup fresh ricotta

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine broccoli florets, stem pieces and sliced lemon and toss with canola oil. Season with salt and pepper and arrange in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until dark golden. Remove from oven and set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Put pasta in a large bowl and cover to keep warm.

Make sauce: In a large skillet, warm olive oil. Add almonds, garlic, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Heat gently, then add reserved pasta cooking liquid. Uncover pasta and pour sauce over it. Add roasted broccoli and lemon slices and toss. Season with salt if necessary. Garnish each serving with ricotta. Serve warm. Makes: 8 cups

Per 1/2-cup serving: 109 calories (percent of calories from fat, 42), 4 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 4 milligrams cholesterol, 12 milligrams sodium.