Kamms Corners Farmers Market

I was lucky enough to participate in the opening of what should become a very wonderful community event, the Kamm's Corners Farmers Market. The market is both conveniently located and scheduled for Sundays 10 am till 2 pm with not only farmed produce and products but entertainment and cooking demos each week-end.

My sister was quite happy to snap these photos of the market as my hands where full, as you can see in the last photo, so I'm very thankfull to my sister, Michelle for helping me on this day. Everyone attending the market was wonderfully plesant, and the event was very well organized and prepared as we barely dodged some serious rain squalls. In any event, rain or shine, the crowd was plenty and I sincerly hope grows in the future as I plan to return this next week, as only a shopper this time.

The following three items are what we talked about during my demo at the market. I common question concerned how I decided to prepare what I did, which is a good question. The answer, and recipies follow:

Strawberries have a rather short local season but are very a highly sought after product. Like tomatoes and corn to come, within a week we have more strawberries than we know what to do with. These are two strawberry recipes to help us along

Cucumbers are abundant at the farmers market until the hottest days of the summer hit. While always good raw, or in a salad, pickling gives a twist to the likeable cucumber flavor and crunch. The pickle recipe is very versatile and should be explored far beyond cucumbers.

Local Honey is a very precious ingredient. Wherever you have used plain white sugar in the past is a good place to try some flavorful local honey. While this artisianal honey still brings an inherent sweetness, this is accompanied by a floral, herbal, wholesome flavor that helps almost every recipe it’s used in.




Strawberry Lemon-Aid
1 quart water
1 quart ice
1 quart strawberries, sliced
8 lemons, sliced
3/4 cup locally produced honey like Jorgensens
3 drops Vanilla Extract
Combine everything except ice and let rest for an hour allowing for the flavors to combine. Serve over ice, and nibble on the strawberries.

Strawberry-Goat Cheese Brushcetta with Local Honey and Thyme
1 quart strawberries, quartered
2 tablespoons fresh goat cheese like Lake Erie Creamery Chevre
pinch fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons locally produced honey like Jorgensens
Using a non-stick pan heated to med-high heat add the chopped berries. They will give up some liquid, and soften in about 3 minutes, off the heat add the goat cheese, and thyme. This mixture can be spread over your favorite bread and drizzled with local honey.

Pickled Cucumbers
Equal parts Sugar, Vinegar, Water
Optional flavorings include dill and raw garlic, or a mixture of cinnamon stick, whole cloves and coriander.
Cut the fruit or vegetable into an appropriate shape, smaller cuts will finish faster, whole small gherkin cucumbers take up to a month while ½ in slices take about 3 days. Cover the cucumber with pickling liquid and refrigerate. Remember that the pickling liquid does not expire and can be reused the next time.