Flowers, new produce and farm-fresh goodness,
all at your fingertips!
What’s Fresh?
This week Squirrel is going nuts over more seasonings and sauces from Burning Asphalt, and sauerkraut, summer squash, kale, and Romaine lettuce from our new producer, Clarion River Organics, which you can learn about below.
New Producer Spotlight: Clarion River Organics
Clarion River Organics is a group of 12 certified-organic family farms working together near Clarion, PA. Established in 2009, the farms in this co-op value healthy soil, rich plant and animal life, and creating connections between farmers and their community. You can find their products at groceries throughout western PA.
New Producer Spotlight: LeBeouf Lasing
Eli Bukoski is the woodworker behind LeBeouf Lasing, which does custom laser-engraved wood products such as cutting boards, coasters and wall decor. Located in Waterford, PA, Eli sources his hardwoods sustainbly and locally. Be sure to visit his website and reach out if you’re interested in custom work!
New Producer Spotlight:
Windy Acres Farm and Gaden
From Wattsburg, PA, Windy Acres Farm and Gardens is a small flower farm run by Katie Scarabino and her daughter, Camille Flinn. They are committed to working with and supporting the soil structure on their farm and grow their flowers without herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers.
Food for Thought
The Farm Behind the Food: Live and Learn Farms
Last (but certainly not least) in the series of producer interviews filmed and edited by Allegheny College Biology Major and Video Production Assistant Mary Dosch is Live and Learn Farms. They offer microgreens, herbs, edible flowers, fresh-cut flowers and various produce at the market. Check out the video to learn how it’s done.
One of Live and Learn Farms’ specialties is fresh herbs and edible flowers, which grow quickly and consistently all summer long! In the next newsletter, keep an eye out for our suggestions on the best ways to preserve herbs like these so you can carry over some summer abundance into the colder months.
Recipe Corner
We know you’ve been wondering—now here’s what to do with fava beans!
Fat Hawk Farm has been bringing us fava beans, and we thought we would shed some light on this unique bean variety. Also known as broad beans, the tender beans in the pod can be eaten raw and used as a fresh ingredient in salads and dips, cooked, or dried for later use. Their buttery flavor makes them very versatile to cook with, so you could sauté, fry, stew, mash, or roast them. The pods aren’t edible, so they would be best as ‘food’ for the compost pile.
You can remove the beans from the pods by snapping the ends off and either slicing the pods lengthwise or pulling the string on the pod to split it in half. The beans themselves have a thin but tough skin around them. To remove that skin, blanch the beans (boil for 30 seconds), let them cool, and then use your thumb and forefinger to pinch them out of the skin. For more info on this preparation or nutrition facts, check out this article by the Spruce. Below are a few quick recipe inspirations. We have the recipes for the dip and the salad printed at the counter. Feel free to ask for them!
Our goal is to provide access to fresh, locally grown food while being an entrepreneurial marketplace for food producers; and an understanding of the importance of both.