It’s the middle of Spring and our farmers markets are in full swing now. I visited our local market in Waverly last weekend and was struck by the sheer abundance of everything. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, everywhere you look you see amazing possibilities.
Of course, all of the Springtime standards are there: strawberries, asparagus, rhubarb and lamb. And speaking of lamb, I asked my friend Shane Hughes of Liberty Delight Farm what cuts of lamb people should be paying more attention to. It was easy: the lamb shoulder, available as a roast or as chops. Coming in a close second are lamb shanks, the meaty succulent shin of the lamb that is ideal for braising.
Looking around from stall to stall I always keep an eye open for something new. This year Bartenfelder’s Farm is featuring flowers, in a big way. Floral baskets and bouquets galore were on sale, as well as market packs for transplanting.
Everywhere you looked there were peppers, bell peppers of green, red, yellow and orange. Billy Caulk of Pine Grove Farm had tiny Scotch Bonnet peppers, which are pretty darned hot.
All sorts of green vegetables are crowding the stalls: big green heads of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale and collards, yellow and green summer squash.
This is a great time to take home some herbs for your garden. Pine Grove has dozens of varieties. And if you want them already harvested, Martin Farms has basil, oregano, sage, orange mint, tarragon and dill, all ready for your kitchen.
Eden Farms has bok choy as well as regular cabbage. They also were offering ginger roots, sprouts and freshly picked garlic.
A good market will always have good bakery and Waverly has no fewer than three:
Atwater’s, Uptown Bakers and Little Paris Crepes. This last one, Little Paris has what I consider to be the best bread in Baltimore, their whole grain loaf. Not only is it delicious in every way, but it stays fresh for a week.
King’s Mushroom Farm is always a treat this time of year, because this is when they will have morel mushrooms for a couple more weeks. I also spotted table top of exotic shapes: lion’s mane, Maitake, huge Portobellos, oyster mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns.
At Gardner’s Gourmet, where Cinda presides, has their usual wide assortment of greens including baby spinach, arugula, mesclun and that Queen of the greens, sorrel.
It’s still a little early for peaches, but places like Reid’s and Black Rock Orchard still have carefully tended apples from last year. As usual there were varieties I hadn’t heard of, including Swiss Gourmet, Snow Sweet and Black Twig.
And finally, our friends at Charlottetown Farm have fresh mozzarella for sale, something I haven’t seen at the market before.
All this, and so much more. Swing by with a big market basket and enjoy the good things Maryland has to offer.
