AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS
Cooking demos:
6 p.m. Friday: Chef Stacy Maple and the after school cooking club of St. John Neumann Regional Academy will demonstrate a fresh Tomato Basil Sauce and 10 ways to use it. Lilburn Farmers Market, Lilburn. www.lilburnfarmersmarket.org.
9 a.m. Saturday: Chef Robert Gerstenecker of Park 75, working with potatoes. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com.
10 a.m. Saturday: Chef Peter Dale of The National. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
4-8 p.m. today: Community Farmers Market 4th Annual Peach Jam. Peach cocktail competition at East Atlanta Village Farmers Market. www.farmatl.org/ai1ec_event/peach-jam.
9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday: Community Farmers Market 4th Annual Peach Jam. Peach jam and jelly competition at Decatur Farmers Market. www.farmatl.org/ai1ec_event/peach-jam.
9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sunday: Community Farmers Market 4th Annual Peach Jam. Peach cobbler competition at Grant Park Farmers Market. www.farmatl.org/ai1ec_event/peach-jam.
Chef demos are held at many farmers markets. Check your local market’s Facebook page or website for information.
FOR SALE
Just arriving at markets: bush and pole beans, Malabar spinach, padron peppers, rhubarb
Vegetables, fruit and nuts: arugula, Asian greens, asparagus, beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, fennel, garlic, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, Malabar spinach, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, peas, peaches, pecans, peppers, plums, potatoes, radishes, rhubarb, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, squash blossoms, sugar snaps, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips
From local reports
For some, the highlight of the summer produce season is the tomato. But for others, it’s the potato. Yes, the humble potato, available year round at your grocery store, is now in plentiful supply at your local farmers market. These locally grown potatoes are a far cry from the storage potatoes available at the store.
“Grocery store potatoes are stored at about 33 degrees and can be held for half a year and sometimes more,” said Cory Mosser, farm manager for Burge Organic Farm in Mansfield, about an hour east of Atlanta. That’s great for making sure you can have your mashed potato fix any time of the year.
But freshly harvested local potatoes are almost a different vegetable, full of moisture, juicy and tender.
Mosser is growing five varieties of potatoes this year: a purple-skinned potato called “Purple Viking,” Yukon Gold and russet potatoes, a fingerling called “La Ratte,” and “Mountain Rose” with red skin and red flesh.
He’s got about an acre planted and says that so far, this has been a great year for potatoes. “We had a cooler spring and rain at the right time. Last year it was really warm and really wet and potatoes don’t like either of those things. We had a crummy harvest.” Our harsh winter may also be contributing to a good harvest this year by reducing the number of potato beetles that survived.
His potatoes went in the ground the last week of February and he was harvesting Yukon Golds at the end of May. Potatoes harvested right now are gathered the “old-fashioned way,” as Mosser says, “with garden forks and bent backs.” When the main harvest comes in, they’ll save their backs by using a big potato harvester.
“Potatoes are so versatile and our customers love them,” said Mosser. Burge Organic Farm sells its produce at the Saturday morning Peachtree Road and Morningside farmers markets. The Yukon Golds were the first to get to market for the farm, the fingerlings were next to get harvested, with the purple and red varieties not far behind. The russets should be at the market just about now.
Fresh potatoes will keep three or four weeks if stored in a cool dark place, including just using a paper bag and keeping them on your counter. “These aren’t like storage potatoes that have been through dormancy and are just waiting to sprout,” he adds.
As for what to do with potatoes, Mosser laughs and says potatoes are so versatile, that if you have a hard time knowing what to do with them, you might just need to get out of the kitchen and go to a restaurant.
Just recently he served new potatoes sliced into rounds and sauteed with pastrami from Pine Street Market, Russian kale and spring onions. He added cilantro, pickled jalapenos put up last year and some homemade barbecue sauce for a one-dish supper. His kids like making mashed potatoes, of course, and another family recipe is tossing potatoes with olive oil, rosemary and garlic and baking them covered in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Then the potatoes are uncovered, the heat goes up to 425 and the potatoes roast another 10 or 15 minutes to get really crisp.
Joe Truex’ Purple and Gold Potato Salad
Hands on: 15 minutes Total time: 35 minutes, plus cooling time Serves: 10
This purple and gold salad pays tribute to Watershed chef Joe Truex’ home state of Louisiana.
Purple potatoes have a tendency to break down as they cook. Boiling them in their jackets and then peeling them when they’re cooled makes for neater pieces in your potato salad. Aim to use similar sized potatoes so they will cook at the same rate, and don’t be surprised when they dye the dressing a pale shade of lavender.
2 pounds small purple potatoes
Sea salt
1 cup sour cream or creme fraiche
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 or 2 lemons, to taste
4 hard-cooked eggs, whites and yolks separated
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup chives, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
In a large saucepan, bring lightly salted water to a boil and cook potatoes until just tender, about 20 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, make the dressing by whisking together sour cream, olive oil and lemon juice. Dice the cooked egg whites and stir into the dressing. Set aside.
When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and slice 1/4-inch thick. Add to bowl with dressing, then stir in radishes, mint and chives. Season to taste. Crumble the cooked egg yolks and sprinkle on top. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day.
Per serving: 227 calories (percent of calories from fat, 58), 5 grams protein, 19 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 15 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 95 milligrams cholesterol, 59 milligrams sodium.
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