July 11, 2018 at 6:16 p.m.
Golden beets and other vibrant vegetables
Golden beets and other vibrant vegetables
By Cassie Shefcik-
So many vegetables come in a delightful, rainbow of colors. They always have and they always will. The main reason we don't often find these other colors on the shelves of local grocery stores is because large production farms tend to grow only basic vegetables.
Evolution, either by the slow march of nature or rapid acceleration of man, has changed the visual palette of the vegetables I learned about as a kid.
Beets have not always been red. The red hue became more dominate due to human involvement in the mid 1700s. Beet colors range from white to yellow, orange, red, and Candy Cane striped (red and white). The deep red from beets has been used as a dye throughout the ages.
Carrots, tomatoes, peppers, the ribs of Swiss Chard and lettuce (to name a few) all come in a variety of colors.
I've noticed that some people stay away from the different, more unusual, colors because they fear the produce won't taste the same and might require a different method of preparation. Yes, the beet will taste different, much like a Red Ace beet purchased from the store will taste different from a Red Cylindra purchased at the farmers' market. The taste difference will be subtle and almost (for some people) unnoticeable. And yes, preparation is the same regardless of color. On the up side, Golden Beets won't stain other vegetables red when cooked together.
I'm happy to say the Golden Beets only stayed on the producer's table for about 30 minutes longer before they were purchased.
Identifying homemade and homegrown items
Our humble farmers' market is quite unique in the sense that it is a "producer only" market; all produce, canned goods, and crafts have to be from the toil of the seller.
It's easy to tell if the produce is from a specific seller. First, look and see if there are multiple boxes with the name of the product printed on the side or if the name of the grower doesn't match the name of the seller. We don't allow any item to be bought from a distributor and then resold. The second thing to look for is if the item does not normally grow here. In other words: Yes, we have no bananas.
Home-canned goods are easy to identify. All canned goods have to be canned in mason canning jars. If an item is in plastic it wasn't made at home. Factories are the only places that can produce in plastic. Home- canned items also use a two- piece lid: ring and seal. I've been at other markets where they try to fool you into thinking the product was made in their own kitchen, but if any of these tell-tale signs are present they are being dishonest.
Honey and maple syrup can be placed in regular jars, plastic, and have a one-piece lid. They are the only exception. We don't allow items to be purchased from a distributor and then resold.
Identifying handcrafted items is also fairly easy.
There should never be a sticker with the name of another country on the item and each item should never look exactly like the next.
These and other rules differentiate the Hodag Farmers' Market from flea markets.
New member
A new member joined our farmers' market last month. They were greeted with a rousing chorus of "Hooray" led by me, of course. Naturally, I said "Huzzah" because I watch too much BBC and thus caused much confusion among the vendors in the participating group.
But I digress, yet again.
Three Sons LLC, from the Hazelhurst area, sells pork and greens.
They raise Berkshire pigs, a heritage breed of hog that is pasture-raised and prized for its fat to meat ratio. The perfectly marbled meat is noted for great flavor and tenderness, as well as its pink hue when fully cooked. Their many pork products include breakfast sausages, bacon, pork chops, fresh picnic hams, brats, and ground pork.
Three Sons also sells aquaponic and hydroponic greens: salad and micro. Loose heads of lettuce with the roots still attached show the freshness of the product.
They also sell premixed lettuce packages that includes chives and edible flowers for an added delectable punch of flavor. The best part of their growing system is the fact that no herbicides, or pesticides, or chemicals, of any sort, are used.
Three Sons won't attend the market every week, but they will let you know the next time they plan on being back.
Now for a pop quiz. What's the difference between aquaponics and hydroponics? Both systems use water that is constantly moving because stagnant (non-moving) water will grow pathogens: a very bad thing that causes illnesses. Constant moving, or circulating, water eliminates pathogens. The difference between the two systems: aquaponics uses fish in a tank where water is pumped out from the bottom and used to fertilize the plants.
I used aquaponics on a small scale as a means to water my house plants. I purchased a siphoning gadget to clean the bottom of the goldfish tank. The saved dirty water was given to the plants; they grew and flourished to the envy of all my friends!
The Hodag Farmers' Market is held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at Pioneer Park.
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