Loading...
Eating locally-grown food means eating with the seasons, and as we become more attuned to nature’s rhythms, we may find ourselves drawn to precisely those foods of the season that nature offers us. The desire for the light, clear flavors of spring fades, and we hunker down with hearty, long-simmered stews, gratins, and anything roasted. A visit to the Brighton Farmers’ Market right now will make local, seasonal eating a pleasure that will sustain us as the days grow shorter and the nights longer and colder. Our local farmers are bringing in the wonderful fall harvest, with the rich hearty flavors that sustain us as the seasons change. Imagine grass-fed beef, braised with onions and fragrant herbs in red wine until it falls apart in a tender stew, served with a root vegetable gratin and a lovely apple galette. Each season offers delights to those who seek them out, and the riches of the fall table help us prepare for the season to come.
Ida with amber necklace
Featured Vendors
Anne, our market intern, offers her latest report on getting to know the vendors at the market:
The week that I interviewed Brian’s Kitchen, Chickory Blue Gardens, and Flour City Bakers, I had a helper. Maude, age 12, walked around the market with me and was my designated taster of any samples we came across.
Brian’s Kitchen
Maude and I first spoke with Brian of Brian’s Kitchen. When Maude tried a sample of Brian’s chocolate chip cookies, she exclaimed, “Mmm it’s really good.” I wasn’t the least bit surprised because I have noticed many people with similar reactions at Brian’s booth. Not only does he offer regular chocolate chip, molasses, and oatmeal raisin cookies for 3.50 a package, he also offers gluten free ($4 a package) and diabetic cookies ($4.50 a package). If you have trouble deciding what kind you like best, or have people with different preferences to share with, you can purchase a variety package, which Brian says is very popular. I was curious to know what kind of cookie Brian likes best. He confided that if he’s only having one cookie, he prefers the molasses because it has a strong taste, but if he is going to eat a dozen cookies, he prefers the chocolate chip because it is milder. The only flavor he doesn’t like is oatmeal raisin because he doesn’t like raisins.
I was also interested in how Brian got started making cookies for the market. I, like many people Brian has encountered, thought that it would be difficult to start a cooking business from home because the kitchen needs to be inspected (and I think it would be hard because I am such a bad cook, but that’s a different story), but he said it isn’t very difficult at all. He started his business by simply making cookies. Then he experimented and tinkered until he liked the results, and then was nice enough to share with colleagues at his work, who encouraged him to sell the cookies as a side business. He got his kitchen inspected, which he said wasn’t a difficult process, and he was in the cookie business.
Brian is continuing to experiment. He is striving to make the best cookies he can so he can share them with others. Right now he’s experimenting with a shortening alternative, which he hoped at the time of the interview would be a great substitution in some of his cookie recipes.
Chicory Blue Gardens
Maude and I then made our way through the market so we could talk to Dana of Chicory Blue Garden. Before even getting to the booth, we saw all the beautiful late summer flowers. Most noticeable at a distance were the sunflowers, which were plentiful.
Once we got to the booth, the sunflowers were hard to keep out of the conversation. Their bright yellow petals and black centers seemed to be begging for our attention, so naturally I found out a lot of information about them. The sunflowers are 75 cents each and can last a good week. Chicory Blue Gardens had the earliest sunflowers around this season. They’re also Dana’s favorite flower, even though she said that she loves all flowers.
The love of gardening and flowers is apparent just by looking at the beautiful bouquets that Dana puts together. Each bouquet is $6 and definitely worth the money. My household bought a bouquet for the kitchen table. The entire bouquet was beautiful for almost a week and then flowers only had to be picked out a couple at a time. We were able to add other flowers to some of the bouquet and enjoy it for even longer. When you buy a bouquet, Dana is happy to give you instructions on how to make it last the longest it can.
When I asked about sustainable practices, Dana was eager to tell me that Chicory Blue Gardens follows organic practices. They don’t spray chemicals. They use a milk-based spray and organic fertilizer. They use mulching for weed control and provide air circulation.
Flour City Bakers
It’s not easy to catch Keith of Flour City Bakers when he isn’t busy, so when I saw an opportunity to speak with him, I took it. Regulars at the market know that there is often a line at Keith’s booth for at least the first hour of the market. If he and his family are only a couple of minutes late, people will already be assembled around his usual spot, waiting for him to arrive. Even I leave my market duties behind for a couple minutes each Sunday to ensure I get a baguette before they are gone. As I give Keith or his wife the money for the bread and one of their children puts the baguette in a bag and hands it to me, I really do get excited to think of how I will eat it.
Although baguette is my bread of choice, there are many different breads and pastries to choose from at the booth. The three usual breads are baguette, sourdough, and ciabatta, but there are also other more specialty breads that appear. I watched a customer buy the last Semolina with golden raisins and fennel seeds while I was interviewing Keith. One thing that really impressed me while I was watching Keith interact with this customer was that he complimented her for trying the bread she had never tried before. I could tell that he really enjoys sharing his food with people in the community, at our market exclusively, and we’re grateful that he does.
Along with breads, Keith and his family also sell pastries. Plain, almond, and chocolate croissants are all available, but they’re probably the first products to sell out because people enjoy eating them as they walk around the market. Bagels and chocolate chip cookies are also available.
Keith, when asked how he got started making bread for the market, said that it was Sue’s fault. Sue, the Market Manager of our market, encouraged Keith to sell bread at the market after he left his job as a chef in order to be more available to his family. Keith built a brick oven in his garage, I learned through talking with him and from an article that was written by Karen Miltner on June 9 for the Democrat and Chronicle. I suggest you look up Miltner’s article to find out information about how the brick oven works, or you could ask Keith if he ever has a free minute at the market (which is rare and usually only happens near the end).
