AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS
Openings:
Saturday, April 18, Downtown Alpharetta Farmers Market, Alpharetta. 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. http://alpharettafarmersmarket.com/
Saturday, April 18, Brookhaven Farmers Market, Brookhaven. 9 a.m.-noon, http://brookhavenfarmersmarket.com/. New location: 1375 Fernwood Circle NE, Brookhaven.
Sunday, April 19, Grant Park Farmers Market, Atlanta. 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., www.grantparkmarket.org
Cooking demos:
10 a.m. Saturday, April 18. Chef Steven Satterfield of Miller Union. Book signing. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
11 a.m. Sunday, April 19. Chef David Sweeney. Grant Park Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.grantparkmarket.org
FOR SALE
Just coming into season: asparagus, celery root, fennel, green garlic, kohlrabi, mache, morels, ramps, sorrel, strawberries
Vegetables: arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, broccolini, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, collards, endive, frisee, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, peanuts, pecans, radishes, rutabaga, spinach, spring onions, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter squash
From local reports
At first glance it looks like a frilly, fern-like bunch of parsley. Then a second glance reveals the bright green bunch is chervil. “For our customers who know chervil, they are really excited to see it. For others, it’s more like ‘Chervil? What’s that?’” said Dave Bentoski of Red Earth Organic Farms.
Chervil is one of the essential elements in the French mixture called “fines herbes.” Finely chopped and tossed with fresh parsley, chives and tarragon, chervil amplifies the flavors of the other herbs, creating a bright, fresh blend widely used to season mild-flavored seafood, poultry, spring vegetables or eggs. It’s also the classic flavoring for Sauce Bearnaise.
Dried chervil exists but bears only a dusty resemblance to the bright faintly anise flavor of fresh chervil. When his wife Belinda wanted fresh chervil for her cooking, she persuaded Bentoski to put it into his crop rotation.
“I love to try new flavors, and I am always experimenting with new combinations with fresh herbs and vegetables. It is never the same meal in our house. I wanted Dave to grow chervil because it was new and different and I wanted to learn more (about) this unique herb,” she said.
And so Bentoski put in his first crop of chervil.
Like cilantro, chervil grows best in the cool, moist growing conditions of spring. When the weather turns hot and dry, the plants quickly bolt, turning their energy to producing seed instead of feathery green leaves.
Bentoski started his chervil by planting it in trays in his greenhouse. Like parsley seeds, chervil takes a little persuasion to germinate, but once it starts growing, the plants develop relatively quickly. Transplanted to the field in December, chervil was ready for harvest in mid-March and Bentoski began selling it as his booths at the Saturday morning Morningside and Marietta farmers markets.
On a recent chilly Saturday morning, Belinda Bentoski offered Morningside market shoppers complimentary bowls of beet-chard-chervil soup. On the farm’s website, she offered a recipe for a fresh beet and chervil salad dressed with garlic, olive oil, vinegar and turmeric.
Fresh picked chervil will keep about a week, particularly if stored in a container of water much like a bouquet of flowers. The fresh leaves can be added to salads or used to make compound butters. Chervil loses flavor when heated, so add it to hot mixtures only at the last minute.
Sauce Gribiche
Sauce Gribiche is classically made with eggs, mustard, capers and herbs. This recipe simplifies the process by using prepared mayonnaise. The result is a delicious variation on traditional American tartar sauce. Use it as a dip for fried potatoes, as a topping for boiled eggs or to accompany a piece of sauteed fish.
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup packed roughly chopped chervil
2 cornichons, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon capers, drained
In the bowl of a food processor, combine mayonnaise, chervil, cornichons, mustard and capers. Pulse until ingredients are chopped but still a little chunky. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Makes: 3/4 cup
Per 1-tablespoon serving: 78 calories (percent of calories from fat, 95), trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 8 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 3 milligrams cholesterol, 80 milligrams sodium.
