Market opening this year is set for Wednesday, the 17th of May. The first few markets of the year, though not as abundant with the diversity of mid- summer, are particularly thrilling as they announce the arrival of the fresh flavors and vibrant colors of Spring! The intense emerald greens, oranges and red-hued tinges of May bring cool fresh flavors with them. LOOK FOR peppery wild watercress, crispy pastel “Easter egg” radishes, tender sweet baby lettuce varieties, tangy magenta rhubarb, grassy wild asparagus, fresh mint to accompany new red potatoes, and –if the weather cooperates—spicy-sweet baby arugula or even pea tendrils. Yumm.

Green City Market Website

The wild Alaskan Halibut season is well underway and the wild King Salmon season has just begun. It's great to be in the kitchen working with these beauties! Halibut is one of the premier eating fish of the springtime, sustainably monitored by the Alaskan fishery. Unfortunately, though, this year the majority of the wild salmon fisheries in the Pacific Northwest (OR & WA) have been closed and will remain so, due to the dangerously high mortality rate of spawning salmon in those regions. Expect higher- than-normal pricing on the Alaskan salmon at your favorite fishmonger.

L.A. Times - "Halibut's big moment"

Celebrate warmer weather with our refreshing take on an old favorite.

5-6 sprigs mint, muddled
½ oz simple syrup
2 oz (Maker’s Mark) Bourbon
1 oz (Argyle Brut) Sparkling Wine
1 oz Fresh Squeezed Pineapple Juice

Garnish: Mint Sprig

Chefs Collaborative is a national network of members promoting sustainable cuisine by celebrating the joys of local, seasonal, and artisanal cooking. The organization seeks to support local farmers and economies - preserve diversity and traditional practices - and educate the community on how our environment and our food choices are connected. For more information, contact Chef's Collaborative at 617-236-5200.

Chef's Collaborative Website

Father and Mother, Lloyd and Doreen, and sons Chad, Nick and Todd farm an incredible array of vegetable and fruit varieties on their northern Illinois property. They - like many other of the farmers we work with - began their professional careers in other fields (non-terrestrial!) before gravitating to the farm. The Nichols family grows a diversity of fruit and vegetable varieties virtually unmatched most of the local markets, some strains in as small a quantity as one or two plants or trees. Each Nichols family member is intimately familiar with the varieties, textures, flavors, and growing needs of each particular vegetable and fruit - willing and eager to tell you about each type of item. Don’t forget to ask for a taste, too!

Nichols Farm Website

Ingredients

For tart:
1 kg rhubarb (about 15 stalks), peeled and cut into 2” batons
1/4 c sugar
1 tbl butter
2/3 c sugar
1/3 c flour, sifted
1 ea orange, zested and juiced
½ tsp cardamom powder
¼ tsp nutmeg powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 ea pastry shell, pre-baked

For ice cream:
1 c heavy cream
½ c sugar
6 ea egg yolks
2 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

• In a sauté pan, cook the rhubarb sticks in the butter and tablespoon of sugar until they just begin to soften up.
• Remove to a bowl, let cool and then combine with the other ingredients.
• Fill a pre-baked pie shell with the cooled mixture, and if desired, lay a lattice top over the tart.
• Paint with a beaten egg and bake in pre- heated oven at 325 degrees, 40-50 minutes, or until done.
• For the ice cream, heat cream to a boil. Combine yolks and sugar and whip until pale yellow ribbons form.
• Temper yolks with a bit of heated cream and then reverse process back into pan.
• Place back over moderate heat and stir constantly, until mixture thickens and coats spoon.
• Remove from fire, strain, and cool down.
• Add the buttermilk and vanilla. Chill and freeze in machine according to manufacturer’s directions.

I've included below a link to a speech made by Frederick Kirschenmann, the director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State, at a Food Alliance banquet in Portland last March. Dr. Kirschemann comments eloquently on how eating is one of the most intimate acts humans know, and how dysfunctional our relationship to the food we eat has become over the past fifty years. But more importantly, he lays out a simple, lucid plan for how we can fix it. I hope you will enjoy the professor's thoughts as much as I did.

Frederick Kirschenmann's Speech