AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS
Cooking demos:
6 p.m. Friday: Chef Carlin Breinig, working with okra and tomatoes. Lilburn Farmers Market, Lilburn. www.lilburnfarmersmarket.org
9 a.m. Saturday: Chef Todd Richards of The Shed and The Pig and The Pearl, working with field peas. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com
10 a.m. Saturday: Chef Seth Freedman of Forage & Flame. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
Chef demos are held at many farmers markets. Check your local market’s Facebook page or website for information.
FOR SALE
Just coming to the markets: apples, edamame
Vegetables, fruit and nuts: arugula, Asian greens, Asian pears, beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, cabbage, carrots, celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, fennel, field peas, figs, garlic, ginger, ground cherries, herbs, kale, lamb’s quarters, lettuce, Malabar spinach, melons, mushrooms, okra, onions, peaches, pecans, peppers, potatoes, radishes, shallots, sorrel, spaghetti squash, spinach, summer squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, winter squash
From local reports
Paula Guilbeau of Heirloom Gardens in Dahlonega has been growing Malabar spinach for the past seven years. She started off growing it as an ornamental vine, letting it scramble happily over a trellis. It can grow up to 14 feet long, if it’s not killed by frost, and produces glossy dark green leaves and tiny flowers that turn into small dark purple seed pods. Those attractive berries can be saved and sown for next year’s crop.
Guilbeau quickly discovered the leaves made a great late-summer and fall substitute for traditional spinach. Although called “spinach” for the leaves’ resemblance to that vegetable, it’s not a spinach at all, which is why it does well in hot Atlanta summers. Spinach tends to melt in metro Atlanta’s summer heat and humidity.
Malabar spinach is Basella alba (with green stems) or Basella rubra (with red stems), native to India and other areas of east Asia. The leaves are thicker than spinach leaves, with an almost succulent texture. They taste a bit like Swiss chard and can be eaten both raw and cooked.
Guilbeau grows two 50-foot rows in her unheated greenhouse where it will thrive until temperatures reach about 30 degrees.
When Guilbeau started bringing Malabar spinach to market, she had to do a little customer education, but now her customers have come to expect it and look for it each year.
She prefers to eat her Malabar spinach raw, and recommends using the larger leaves as a wrap for cold quinoa or rice salads.
Mary Moore’s Malabar Spinach Green Drink
Mary Moore, owner of Cook’s Warehouse, adapted this recipe from one that came with her Vitamix. She’s a huge fan of Vitamix, using one at home every day for her morning smoothie and then to make soups, pestos, sauces and more. It’s the best-selling blender at her shops.
Hands on: 5 minutes Total time: 5 minutes Serves: 1
1 cup grapes
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
2 cups packed, fresh Malabar spinach
1/2 ripe banana, peeled
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ice cubes
In the jar of a Vitamix or other blender, layer grapes, pineapple, spinach, banana, water and ice, in the order listed. Cover and begin blending on the lowest setting. Slowly increase speed to highest setting. Blend for 30 seconds or until desired consistency is reached. Serve immediately.
Per serving: 167 calories (percent of calories from fat, 3), 3 grams protein, 43 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 1 gram fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 51 milligrams sodium.
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