May 6th from 2-5pm at the Margarita at Pine Creek

• Join us for a fabulous local foods feast prepared by the talented Chef Eric, Cathy, and the staff of the Margarita
• Connect with the farmers, artisans, and food producers of the market, and get all the latest news and updates for the market this season
• Live music
• Free plant starts for your garden
• Silent auction

Tickets on sale now!

Season Kickoff Party Tickets

Adult $25.00 USD Uniformed Service $20.00 USD College Students $15.00 USD Kids 12 and under $0.00 USD

Don’t delay, applications are due by March 31st, 2012, and applicants will be notified of acceptance into the market no later than April 15th.  We do expect to sell out our spaces this season, so please apply early if you are wanting to participate.

Complete application information can be found on our Vendors page.

The Solanaceae family, better known as the Nightshade family, is an important group of about 2600 species of plants.  Historically, nightshades have been popular for two very contrasting things: their poisoning ability and their high yield vegetable plants.  The poisonous plants in this dramatically named family are potent, most notably, the dreaded belladonna plant which requires a trip to the emergency room!  But we are going to focus on the edible plants: tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplant.  If you are interested in more information about solanine, the compound that may perpetuate arthritis, read through to the end of the article…

Tomatoes

I think most people can agree that tomatoes at the grocery store are not really tomatoes. Sometimes they look like a tomato but they hardly ever taste like one. That’s why they are one of the best sellers at the Colorado Farm and Art Market. Luckily, we have farmers who have done their best to bring you very flavorful, heirloom tomatoes even in this difficult climate. We recently had a tomato tasting contest at the market with tomatoes generously donated from Country Roots, Larga Vista and Vennetucci farms. The winning variety, Paul Robeson, was amazing!

Tomatoes have received a lot of hype for their content of lycopene. Lycopene is a carotene that has been shown to to be extremely protective against breast, colon, lung, skin and prostate cancer. Being an anti-oxidant, lycopene also reduces the risks of heart disease and eye disease. Interestingly, the redder tomato, the higher the level of lycopene. Yellow tomatoes have only a tenth of that in the reddest tomatoes. Lycopene is not destroyed by cooking! In fact, when eating raw tomatoes you should drizzle a little olive oil on them to liberate the fat soluble lycopene.

We have already established that good quality tomatoes are very hard to find at the grocery store. Take advantage of those at the market while you can. They should be well-formed, plump, firm, heavy and sweetly fragrant. Store fresh tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. If your tomato is getting too ripe, place it in the door of your refrigerator for one to two days but allow it to come to room temperature before eating to maximize flavor. When purchasing canned tomatoes, look for those produced in the United States in ceramic lined cans. The high acid level in tomatoes can cause corrosion of lead and plastic lined cans that should not be ingested (Muir Glen uses US produced, organic tomatoes in ceramic lined cans). Tomatoes are close to the top of the list of foods high in pesticide residue, so choose organic whenever possible.

Peppers

The versatile pepper comes in many colors (green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown and black) and can be sweet or hot. All peppers are members of the Capsicum annuum group in the nightshade family. Sweet peppers are usually plump with 3-4 lobes. The red, yellow and orange variates have the sweetest flavor. As with most vegetables of these colors, red, yellow and orange peppers also have high levels of carotenoids. Carotenoids are antioxidants that help to maintain cell health and reverse the damage of oxidation and aging. There are over 30 different anti-oxidants in bell peppers! These colorful peppers are also high in vitamin C, A and B6. Much of the nutrition of the pepper lives in the white membranes inside the lobes, try to keep this intact when dicing for your salad.

While sweet peppers are an excellent addition to our diets, it is really the hot peppers who steal the show in the health benefit category.  The heat of a pepper is determined by its level of capsaicin.  This compound is well recognized in clinical research as an effective pain reliever, a digestive and anti-ulcer aid and for its cardiovascular benefits.  Capsaicin creams and gels are readily available and can be used to treat the pain of arthritis, sprains, strains and soreness.  Capsaicin has also been shown to reduce triglyceride levels and prevent the formation of blood clots.  Interestingly, many tropical cultures use hot peppers in their cuisine.  This may seem counter intuitive, but peppers can actually lower the body temperature by stimulating the cooling center of the brain.  Most of the heat of these peppers lives inside the seeds and white membranes-remove these if you are trying to keep the heat to a reasonable level.  Be careful not to rub your eyes after handling hot peppers (protective gloves are recommended, especially with the ghoulishly hot Ghost pepper).

Potatoes

Potatoes are a good example of a food that has followed the civilization of man and become an important dietary component in many cultures. There are about 100 varieties of potatoes and they can be harvested mature (with thicker skins) or immature (also called “new” with very thin skin). While we all know those meat and potato people, white potatoes do pump up your blood sugar and many times are served fried or smothered with butter making them a high calorie food. Enjoy them occasionally but know that there are many other starchy vegetables that carry more health benefits.

Potatoes are high in potassium and vitamins C and B6. They also contain lysine, which is an important amino acid that is often lacking in grains. It is important to note that the fiber, protein and many of the important nutrients are found in the skin of the potato. This skin has become its own star, as boiled potato skins are being used as bandages in third world countries where modern skin grafts are not available!

When purchasing potatoes, look for those that are firm and blemish free. It is very important to avoid sprouted or green tinted potatoes. This is a sign that they have excessive amounts of toxic alkaloids. Ingestion of these alkaloids can result in stomach upset, diarrhea and headaches. New potatoes are most susceptible to these toxins.

Potatoes should be stored in a dark, dry place between 45-50°. Anything higher could result in sprouting. Most refrigerators are kept around 40° and this low temperature can cause the starches in potatoes to turn to sugar resulting in an inferior flavor. Properly stored mature potatoes can last for 2 months (check weekly to root out any party poopers as they will infect the others) and new potatoes will last for about 1 week.

Side note: Sweet potatoes are not members of the nightshade family, they are members of the morning glory family. They are a good replacement for white potatoes as they actually help to stabilize blood sugar and improve the bodies response to insulin.

Eggplant

While the eggplant is popular in other cultures, it is fairly unappreciated in the United States.  Eggplants are an excellent source of dietary fiber but most of the research on eggplants has been targeted towards a flavonoid called nasunin. A powerful anti-oxidant and free radical reducer, nasunin has been shown to protect the lipid in brain cells and remove excess iron from the body. Excess levels of iron can cause increased risk of heart disease and cancer. Men and post-menopausal women are at a higher risk for excess iron levels.

When purchasing eggplant, the skin, cap and stem should be smooth, vividly colored and free from blemishes and scars. They should be heavy for their size and spring back to the press of your finger. Eggplants are fairly delicate and will last for only a few days in the refrigerator. Choose a size that will be appropriate for immediate use as cut eggplants decay quickly.

The skin of larger, more mature eggplants is generally bitter, and should be peeled away. If you desire, you can remove more of the bitter flavor of the vegetable by slicing it and sprinkling salt on both sides of the flesh. A little water, along with bitterness, will sweat off and can be rinsed away before cooking.

Solanine

Solanine is one of the alkaloids present in the nightshade plants. It is not the most toxic but it can cause significant GI distress if ingested in large amounts. More recently it has been the subject of great debate concerning joint pain. There has not been any true scientific research on this hypothesis, but this simply means it hasn’t been proven or dis-proven. The bottom line is that if you suffer from arthritis or general muscle aches and pains you may want to avoid all nightshades for 2-4 weeks.  Keep a little journal and put a little note each day as to how you are feeling. Continue to note your pain level after your reintroduce these vegetable.  If you pain is lessened and then comes back you may be more sensitive to solanine and may feel better by avoiding these vegetables.

Here are some photos that I took, you can see more on my blog.

Winter Squash

The other night my friend drove over to my home on her way home from picking up her CSA. She had three different squashes in her basket and had no idea what to do with them. And it wasn’t like she she came over for inspiration or ideas, she had no interest in using these huge vegetables for food and was looking for a new home for them. She did choose the right person, as I am always up for the challenge of an under-used local vegetable, but I can understand her hesitation.

On the bright side, the great thing about winter squash is they are easy to store and can string along your local food diet when the availability of other vegetables begins to thin. They offer all of the same anti-oxidant and nutritional benefits of our other orange/yellow foods including beta-carotenes. These carotenes help prevent many cancers, especially lung cancer, and eye diseases. The seeds of squash, especially pumpkin seeds, are very helpful in reducing the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

So, lets take on the challenge….below I have listed some of the common squash you will find at our local farms.

Types of Winter Squash

Acorn-These are one of the most popular and familiar squash. There flesh is moderately sweet, tender and slightly fibrous. They are a great size for smaller families and couples. While the skin is too difficult to remove prior to cooking, try roasting whole or in halves (I like to flatten the tapered ends as well so it sits flat on the plate). Traditionally, the butter and brown sugar treatment may satisfy the kids, but they are also delicious stuffed with grains and veggies or with some delicious local sausage!

Buttercup-These dark-green squash are part of the Turban family (named for their shape). They are very sweet and can be used as an alternative to sweet potatoes in recipes.

Butternut- The other most popular, these are the sweetest of all winter squash. The skin is reasonable to cut or peel off. I like to peel it, toss it in olive oil and salt and roast it till it is slightly caramelized. It is easy to roast whole as well and purees very smoothly, making it great for soups.

Cheese- Also known as Cinderella or Fairytale, these are pretty, often large, squash that have a nice sweet flavor and a firm flesh. You can find them in many colors: blue, green, ranges of orange or yellow. They are also a beautiful additions to your table’s centerpiece, especially if you use them to serve your squash soup!

Delicata- The flavor of these small, oblong and beautifully striped squash is sweet but nutty and said to have a corn-like flavor. It is very delicious roasted, or stuffed and baked. You can eat the skin, which is not very common with the winter group. As their name describes, these are not good for long term storage and should be eaten within a few weeks.

Hubbard- These blue/gray squash with tapered ends are very large and store well. They can be kept for up to 5 months if properly stored. They are extra-thick skinned so roast them whole and use them as you would a pumpkin. They tend to be very moist and may require a longer than usual cooking time (90-120 minutes depending on the size).

Kabocha- Kabocha is the Japanese word for squash but is known here as a smaller, green, flattened squash. They have become more popular over the past few years and are definitely one of my favorites. They are small, making them reasonable to peel and the flesh is very sweet. The Japanese eat the skin, which I have done, and would be reasonable if the skin is fairly thin. I love to roast them with other root vegetables.

Spaghetti- While these are readily available, my experience is that most people shy away. I am not going to try to convince you that you can trick your kids into believing this is really pasta, but it can be a very tasty addition to your meals. There is quite the discussion about the best way to cook them to optimize long, noodle-like strands. Your options are steaming, roasting (whole or in-half) or boiling. My preference is to cut in half, scoop the seeds, place cut side down on a baking sheet and add 1 cup of water. Bake for 45-60 minutes at 350 and then allow to cool a little. The cooling allows the flesh to firm up a little and resulting in a longer “noodle”. Then, I like to saute the “noodles” in a little butter or olive oil to give some crisp-ness and add your choice of toppings.

Sugar Pie/Pie Pumpkins- Take note, these are not field pumpkins, they are specific varieties that are grown for culinary use. I like to use other squash for soups and savory meals, keeping these guys for pie. I am not talking about just any pie! Fresh pumpkin puree will result in the best pie you have ever eaten. Add some fresh grated ginger and you are on you way to impressing the new in-laws, guaranteed! Roast them whole, with a few knife pokes for steam, at 350 for 60-90 minutes. Allow to cool, peel and remove seeds (keep them for roasting) and puree flesh until smooth. You’ll never go back to canned pumpkin again!

Field Pumpkins/White Pumpkins/Gourds- these are not optimal for the culinary world. The flesh is too stringy and dry with minimal sweetness. They lend themselves best to decorative use and, of course, for carving.

Pumpkin/Squash Seeds- Here is a simple way to get the health benefits of these little seeds. Scoop them out, rinse and remove the flesh. Allow them to dry (this is critical, I throw them in my dehydrator for a few hours). Store them in the fridge until ready to eat. Once ready, heat up a pan with a pinch of butter (optional), salt and toast them until they just begin to pop.

Storage Notes

Delicata and Spaghetti should be eaten within a few weeks. Other, harder skinned squash can be stored for 1-5 months. Optimal temperature range is 40-45 degrees (garage/basement). The less imperfections on the squash, the longer it will keep. Since the stems can be a source of rot, cut them down as close to the skin as possible. Since squash grow on the ground, it is a good idea to scrub them with a vegetable brush and water before storing or cooking. Leftovers? The best way to freeze squash is to cook and puree it first.

Wellness page information provided by:

Heather Mitchell, BS, Certified Natural Chef

Change – Personal Chef Services and Consultation

Please contact me with any questions about this article, classes or cooking for your family or guests!

naturalchefheather@gmail.com

Join us for live music, handmade arts and crafts from local artisans, gourmet foods, and tasty prepared food and warm drinks prepared by Chef Eric and staff of the Margarita at Pine Creek.  This will be an outdoor food and art festival, so be sure to dress for the weather!  It is sure to be a fantastic time, so mark your calendars to join us.

Vendors:  Please submit your application for the Holiday Festival no later than November 15th.  Thank you!

2011 Holiday Market Vendor Information and Application

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