Tuesday Takehome- My Haul from the Market & What I'm Making!

Today was the first day of our Farmers' Market season here in Ypsilanti!! We have two great markets, the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers' Market and the Depot Town Farmers' Market. My workplace runs the Downtown Mkt, so I was there early today helping to set up, getting things ready, and catching up with vendors after a winter "off".

It's an unbelieveably nice priviledge to live so close to a farmers' market. All kinds of people come down to shop, chat, and support local food. I always see at least 15 different people I know- owners of businesses downtown, work colleagues, fellow alumni from the local college, neighbors, and more. While I am really thankful for our local food co-operative and I am a proud member, there is something to be said for interacting directly with the farmers that grow your food- that just can't be replicated. 

Another reason I was at the Farmers' Market was to pick up my CSA share! As previously mentioned, a CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture membership that you buy into for the season. I chose to go with a nearby farm called Bridgewater Barns, run by Janet and Tony. My co-worker and I are splitting a Half Share- that way we can still go around to each vendor every week and buy a little something: I really feel like that's important.

Our Half Share today included:

1 bag Spinach

1 bunch Radishes

1 large bunch of Kale

6 Rhubarb stalks

1 small bag of Basil

1 small bag of Pea shoots

1 small bunch of Sorrell

1 bunch of wild Green onins

2 stalks green Garlic

2 stalks Lovage

I also picked up:

2 lbs ground beef

mini shallots

more amazing rhubarb

I'll openly admit that I don't even know how to cook or make a dish with half of those things! Luckily, we recevied a generous amount, but since we split a half share, I don't have a TON of anything that's new to me. Sorrel? Lovage? Pea shoots? No clue, folks. But my mission this week is to find a dish to include each of them. As I experiment, I'll share the successes (& the failures) that I have, through a new feature on my blog, Tuesday Takehome- My Haul from the Market & What I'm Making! If I've never had Sorrel I'm assuming there have to be a handful of folks out there who are eager for an idea of how to use it- I know I am!
Tune in on Tuesdays for ideas on all these new veggies I come across and how to prepare them :)

In the mean time, if you have any amazing recipes, out with them!

Sharing and Trading in the Garden

An aspect of gardening that I really appreciate is the desire to share with others. Sharing tips, sharing tricks, sharing tools, sharing plants. When I began to get more interested in gardening, as an adult, my mom dug up a bunch of starter plants for me to transplant to our front yard- Hostas, Burning Bush, Echinacea, and more. These became the foundation for our garden.

I have shared seed starting knowledge and supplies with my mom, carting down shop lights, pots, and trays for her to start her own seeds this season. I call my granddad, whose family owned a tree nursery for many years, to see what his plans for growing topsy-turvy tomatoes are this year.

The act of sharing these items and tips goes beyond the thankfulness I feel in that moment. It's the stories that are shared while gardening, the mutual knowledge that is gained, the plants that have a chance at new life and propagation elsewhere that means the most.

On our most recent visit, my mom brought with her some leeks- lots of leeks! Wrapped in a plastic bag, like a weird black-market type of trade, they got passed from my car to hers. Upon returning home, it was easy to see that I don't have a need for literally 100-150 leeks.

I put the word out on our city's Transition Town facebook page, and that day, I had at least 5 responses, from people who like to take a few leeks for their own garden! Again, the actual giving of the leeks was nice enough, but the generosity I got in return was unexpected.

My neighbor two doors down traded me leeks for some heirloom spring onions. They're from her partner's family's farm, and now they are here, planted in my garden. It's nice to think that we'll have leeks from the same place, growing at our respective houses, and it was a nice way to start up a conversation about gardening and family.

A friend who is involved in the donation garden at our local college also messaged me- she'll be pick up leeks for The Giving Garden EMU on Saturday, and the students and the community will get to enjoy them!

I conversed with a nice guy from Transition page on facebook, and he stopped by yesterday. I gave him some leeks, and he brought some Wild Chicory and Annise Hissop seeds to share. I'll be researching to learn more about these plants, where to plant them, how to use them.

Not only was the sharing I benefited from thoughtful, but these are three new plants I wouldn't not have otherwise discovered. The fact that each plant I've just added to my garden has a story that can be passed on to the next person that I share these things with- I just love that! You don't get into gardening for the sharing- or at least most don't. But the generosity of people who share that value of growing and cultivating things from seeds- sometimes it will surprise you!