Good Produce for All

We’ve mentioned before that your Peachtree Road Farmers Market is the largest producer-only market in metro Atlanta. The fact that everything at the Market has been grown, raised, or made by the seller is something we take pride in as a way to honor our vendors and our customers. You won’t find any products that were purchased elsewhere up for resale, ensuring that what you do find are fair prices and fair competition.

If you’re liking what we’re producing, won’t you please share the love and vote us as America’s Favorite Farmer’s Market? We’re currently in the top 20 with a few weeks to go! The contest ends on August 31, so take time now to click us up a notch.

Last week’s release of the Top 20 leader board was in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Farmers Market Week, bringing awareness to the more than 5,000 farmers markets across the country that are supporting local farmers and farmland. Also last week, Georgia Organics noted research that if each household in Georgia spent $10 per week on local produce, more than $1.9 billion would be pumped back into the state's economy. The new study, "The Local Food Impact: What if Georgians Ate Georgia Produce" – conducted by the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, funded by Georgia Organics, the Center of Innovation for Agribusiness, and other partners – goes on to say that for every 5 percent increase in local produce purchasing, the state would see 345 additional jobs, $43.7 million more in sales, and $13.6 million more in farmer income.

Now’s the time to support awareness of your Market and its impact on your community! At the end of the contest, one large, medium, small, and boutique-sized farmers market will win the title of “America’s Favorite Farmers Market” for 2010. The reward for the winning markets will be a promotional package including free printing and design services, a shipment of No Farms No Food® tote bags, and more to support their role in bringing farmers, food and the community together!

Cast your vote now at Farmland.org/vote


- Jennifer Maley

Now, that’s what we call a Farmers Market

Market shoppers know that supporting local is a good thing. The food is honest, fresh and it comes to us directly from the folks who produce it, the faces you see each Saturday. It’s a good thing for our health and a good thing for our economy, not to mention that it’s a deliciously fun way to spend a weekend morning. Like all good things, Farmers Markets are something to look after, to protect. Check out this article from the Farmers Market Coalition defining what makes a Farmers Market a Farmers Market.

Did you know that your Peachtree Road Farmers Market has grown from 12 vendors in its first year to 65 vendors in 2010, making it the largest producer-only market in metro Atlanta? Producer-only means that everything at the Market has been grown, raised, or made by the seller, ensuring fair prices for both the vendors and the shoppers.

Due to this year’s increased city regulatory costs, the Market needs YOUR help to continue its success. Please consider a tax-deductible gift to the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by the Zyman Family Foundation up to $5,000. We have raised nearly $3,000 of the $5,000 needed to meet the matching grant and cover city-required police officer and permit fees! Now is the time to save your Farmers Market when $1 = $2.

To Donate: Tax-deductible gifts to the Market can be brought to the Market or mailed to Peachtree Road Farmers Market, 2744 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta GA 30305. Please contact Market Manager Lauren Carey at 404-365-1078 with any questions or to learn more about Market sponsorship opportunities.

To be eligible for the matching program, the gift must be made by a check and be received by Dec. 1, 2010. Checks should be made out to Peachtree Road Farmers Market.

- Jennifer Maley

Kitchen Maestro

Join us for this week’s Chef Demo with
Gerry Klaskala of Aria – 10:00 am on 7/ 31
Chef Demos are sponsored by Whole Foods Market



Buckhead’s Aria is in its 10th year of serving up music to our palates in a dining room that’s a feast for our eyes. Owner and Executive Chef Gerry Klaskala’s menu reflects his passion for both art and food, and has earned him a spot among only five other restaurants in the city to have achieved five stars from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Klaskala’s love for food and art began early, with robust home-cooked meals prepared by his grandmothers and a talent for painting. But the culinary arts won out when he went in search of some extra spending money and found a job in a kitchen at the age of 15. He went on to attend the Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated with honors, and has been creating culinary masterpieces ever since.

In Atlanta, he earned national acclaim as Executive Chef of The Buckhead Diner before leaving to open Canoe, one of Atlanta’s most celebrated restaurants. It was at Canoe, where he’s still an owner today, where his career as chef and restaurateur began. Its success enabled Klaskala to plan and orchestrate an even more intimate dining experience, which became Aria. His principles of fresh ingredients, simple flavors, and time-honored techniques have been highlighted in Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Esquire and The New York Times.

When he’s not in the kitchen at Aria, Klaskala, donates his time to numerous food events benefiting organizations like the Atlanta Community Food Bank, American Cancer Society, Georgia Organics, High Museum of Art and Share Our Strength.

Join Chef Klaskala for this week’s Chef Demo and also for the Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival, benefiting Georgia Organics, on August 8. This is the last weekend to buy your tickets at the Farmers Market before prices go up on August 1 – the early bird gets the tomatoes, y’all!


- Jennifer Maley

Purple Power

It’s eggplant season! Part of the “nightshades” family, these bright beauties are related to other summer favorites like tomatoes, bell peppers and potatoes. Eggplant was first cultivated in China in the 5th century B.C., later introduced to Africa before the Middle Ages, and into Italy in the 14th century. It then spread throughout Europe and the Middle East and, centuries later, was brought to the Western Hemisphere by European explorers.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing for eggplant, though – early varieties’ bitterness gave it the undeserved reputation of causing insanity, leprosy and cancer. So, for centuries after its introduction to Europe, eggplant was purely used as garden decoration. It wasn’t until new, less bitter varieties came along in the 18th century that eggplant took its rightful place as just as good to eat as it was to look at.

We now know that eggplant is just plain good for us, too. It’s a great source of dietary fiber, potassium, thiamin, folate, magnesium, niacin, and vitamins B1 and B6; plus, it contains phytonutrients such as nasunin, otherwise known as “brain food.” Study up with this recent AJC article on eggplant, featuring Heirloom Gardens’ Paula Guilbeau, and look for fresh eggplant starting this month at the Market!


Photo by Flickr user jayluker


- Jennifer Maley

Market to Table

Check out this week’s Chef Demo with Ford Fry
of JCT. Kitchen & Bar - 10:00 am on 7/ 24
Chef Demos are sponsored by Whole Foods Market

Chef Ford Fry has a passion for “Southern Farmstead Cooking,” and his authentic, gourmet comfort food has made JCT. Kitchen & Bar a home away from home for many of us foodie Atlantans! A Houston, Texas native, Chef Fry puts it best saying, “Food is a necessary ingredient to our culture in the South. We want good, fresh foods that are expertly prepared and pleasurable, both in taste and from the social aspect.” His menu at JCT. elevates traditional family favorites through perfect preparation of the best ingredients our local farms have to offer.

Prior to the 2007 opening of JCT., Chef Fry spent nine years with EatZi’s Market and Bakery, developing gourmet meals for folks on the go. His extensive culinary background also includes stints in executive and sous chef positions at The Ritz Carlton in Aspen, where he was honored to work with some of the world’s top chefs, including Emeril Lagasse, Dean Fearing, Julia Childs and Jacques Pepin at the acclaimed Aspen Food & Wine Classic.

Since its opening, JCT. Kitchen & Bar has garnered accolades not just locally, but also nationally in publications like Bon Appetit, Gourmet, and Elle Décor and has been recognized by John Mariani and The Today Show’s food editor, Phil Lempert. Chef Fry’s “Angry” Mussels have even appeared on Food Network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”

Join Chef Fry for this week’s Demo and learn how to turn your Market groceries into the best thing you’ve ever eaten (and if rumors are true, famed mixologist Laura Creasy will be on hand to make the best virgin Bloody Mary you’ve ever had, too)! Don’t forget to ask them about the upcoming Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival, hosted by JCT. Tickets for the annual tomato throw-down are available for purchase all month at the Market – get yours before they sell-out, or risk being a rotten tomato!




- Jennifer Maley

On WABE: Sweet Sounds of the Ice Cream Social

July is National Ice Cream Month and, while it is clearly our duty to enjoy a bowl or two of this frozen treat as often as time and pant sizes allow, it’s even better to have enjoyed 30 fantastic flavors at last month’s Ice Cream Social! The fourth annual event benefiting Slow Food Atlanta brought together top chefs and home cooks, one delicious bowl at a time. Take a listen to the sounds of this year’s Social here, originally aired on WABE’s City Café. Warning: side effects to listening include hand to spoon reflexes and frequent trips to your freezer or local ice cream purveyor.

Celebrate National Ice Cream Month and the Farmers Market by making up a batch of homemade ice cream, yogurt or sorbet, like this easy Blueberry Sorbet, made with fresh berries from the Market!




- Jennifer Maley

Around the World with Okra

Photo by Flickr user NatalieMaynor

Most folks in the South think of okra as one of our native veggies, and rightfully so. The little green pods, belonging to the same family as cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus, were introduced to southeastern North America in the early 18th century and have been an integral part of our food heritage ever since. But okra’s history and uses go back much farther than just our ancestors here in the States. The plant is native to West Africa, first originating in the Ethiopian Highlands, and can be traced back to Egyptians and Moors of the 12th and 13th centuries. From Arabia, okra spread around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea eastward, and later was documented in India and Brazil.

As evidenced in the list of countries where okra thrives, it’s among the most heat and drought-tolerant vegetable species in the world – right at home here in the American South! And, if you’ve ever walked around Decatur’s ethnic grocery store, Your DeKalb Farmers Market, you’ll see the many other cultures that associate this tasty summer staple with home. Okra is a traditional food plant in Africa, India, Syria, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Palestine, among others. Preparations include usage in thick meat and vegetable stews (eastern Mediterranean); young pods cooked whole (Middle East); stir fried with spices, pickled, salted or added to gravy-based preparations (India and Pakistan); eaten as soup, often with fish (Caribbean); cooked with rice and maize (Haiti). And, at the end of the 20th century, okra became popular in Japan, particularly as tempura. We can relate.

Here are three great recipes with southern roots from Chef Steven Satterfield of Miller Union, including fried okra. Try them out with this week’s batch of fresh okra from the Market!

Pickled Okra
1 pound okra, washed
1 Yellow onion, peeled and sliced
6-8 Dried hot chiles
2 T. Coriander seeds
1 T. Black peppercorns
1/4 cup Kosher salt
3 T. granulated sugar
1.5 cups water
1 quart apple cider vinegar

Canning jars
Tongs
Clean towels
Large pot with lid
Extra water for boiling

In a large pot, boil lids, seals, and jars for several minutes. Remove carefully, drain, and place onto clean towels to dry. Leave the pot of water on the stove for future use.
Wash okra and trim any long stems. With clean hands stuff the okra into jars and pack tightly. Add 1-2 dried chiles 2-3 slices of onion per jar, and distribute the spices evenly among each jar. Meanwhile, bring the sugar, salt, vinegar and water to a boil in a nonreactive saucepot. Ladle the hot vinegar brine into the jars and quickly seal them. Then place the sealed jars into boiling water. Make sure the water is at least an inch above the top of the cans. Cover with lid and boil gently for 10 minutes. Pull the jars out carefully with tongs and then allow to cool. Check the lids to make sure the jars sealed properly, then once cooled, store in a cool dry place for a minimum of 5 days before opening.

Sautéed Okra
3 T. EVO
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 pound of okra, washed and trimmed
1 clove of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 ripe tomato, skin removed, and diced
1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes

Small pot of boiling water to remove tomato skins
Heavy bottomed skillet or non-stick sauté pan

In a small pot or medium sized saucepan, bring some water to a boil. Place the tomato into the boiling water for approximately 60 seconds or until the skin bursts. Remove the tomato immediately and plunge into ice water. Peel the skin off then trim and dice into medium sized pieces.
Wash and drain the okra, trim the tops off, and then cut in half lengthwise.
Heat olive oil in a wide skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes, stirring frequently, then add slivered garlic, hot pepper, okra, and season again. Cook for five minutes, then add chopped tomatoes, seasoning again. Serve as a side dish or add to pasta for a main dish. Also delicious if cooked with shrimp, added with the tomatoes.

Fried Okra
1 # washed and drained okra, cut crosswise into pieces as thick as the okra is wide
Cold water
Sea salt
2 cups finely ground white cornmeal
1/2 cup cornstarch
6-8 cups vegetable oil for frying (canola, safflower, peanut, etc.)

Skimmer or wire mesh basket
Thermometer for measuring oil temperature

Place okra into a container with cold water and add a pinch of salt. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. This allows the okra to produce a thick natural coating.
Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients in a bowl to make the dredge and heat the oil to approximately 350 degrees.
With your hands, pull the okra out of the liquid and allow to drip dry for a few seconds, then drop into the dredge. Toss to coat well. Pick up the coated okra and shake well in a sifter or mesh strainer basket.
Drop the okra carefully into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Using a skimmer or something similar, pull the okra from the hot oil and drip dry for a few seconds, then toss into a paper towel lined bowl. Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.



- Jennifer Maley