Plant-based foods aren’t just a passing fad — and we’re here for it! There is a growing trend of consumers eager to eat healthier and more environmentally friendly foods — and it’s not just the Millenials. Dominating the list for produce, believe it or not, is not kale! Mushrooms are now growing at a rapid rate as the favorite among consumers. As detailed in this CNN Business article it’s not just the vitamins and other added health benefits that have people flocking to grocery store aisles and market vendor stalls, it’s also about the relatively small environmental footprint these fungi have on our Earth. Mushrooms can be grown both outdoors and indoors and grown on by-products from other farms — material that would normally take up a lot of space in landfills — and used for up to three growing cycles!
Right here in the market, we are lucky to have mushroom expert and farmer, Jen Macone, of The Mushroomery, an Oregon Tilth certified organic farm based in Lebanon, Oregon. The Mushroomery stall stocks a variety of grow your own kits, medicinal tinctures, as well as fresh and dried mushrooms for all your fungi culinary adventures. Jen also forages so her stall is packed full of both cultivated and wild mushrooms.
A wonderful way to use dried mushrooms is to enhance flavor in dishes that call for mushrooms as they impart a much richer flavor while using a lot fewer mushrooms. You will need to reconstitute the mushrooms before adding them to a recipe. The Kitchn has this great tutorial on working with dried mushrooms and reconstituting them. If you’re using them in a soup then the broth is a great addition full of flavor, and if you aren’t, don’t let that precious broth go to waste! You can save it in the fridge or freezer for a future recipe. The Market staff thinks it makes a great addition to ramen. This vegetarian ramen recipe from Umami Girl is a simple and rich ramen broth using dried shiitake mushrooms. Feel free to add any additional ramen toppings you can’t live without. Seasonal items like radishes and turnips are a great addition!
Warm Regards,
The Beaverton Farmers Market
We will see you this Saturday at the Market from 10:00 AM-1:30 PM.
These rainy early spring days call for comfort food. In her pursuit to find mushroom products and mushroom meal plans, Marketing Director Kate Laubernds, stopped by Esotico Pasta to chat with the owner, Barry Bronson, about mushroom and pasta dishes. Barry happens to have a Smoked Portobello Penne that is a customer favorite. It is filled with flavor from hickory-smoked Yamhill Portobello mushrooms. After ogling some delicately-flavored Winter Chanterelles and Hedgehog mushrooms from the Mushrooomery, Kate settled on the Butternut Squash and Sage Cavatappi for a comforting pasta meal. For this Saturday, Barry will be offering a special on both kinds of pasta mentioned in this newsletter, $11 for a one-pound bag (regularly $12).
Winter Chanterelle and Hedgehog Mushrooms with Leeks and Butternut Squash/Sage Cavatappi
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 T. olive oil
1 leek, white part only, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 cups mixed mushrooms, winter chanterelles, and hedgehog
1 lemon, halved
1 pound Butternut Squash and Sage Cavatappi
3 cups arugula (optional)
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salad and black pepper
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
½ to teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Preparation
Heat a wide, deep 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high. When hot, add the olive oil and leeks, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and mushrooms. Cook, undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir and cook until the mushrooms start to carmelize and stick to the bottom of the pan, another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the juice of one lemon half to deglaze the pan and stir to combine. Scoop out mushroom mixture into a separate bowl and cover to keep warm.
In the same pot, add the pasta and stock; stir well. Cover with lid and cook on medium heat, until pasta is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 6-8 minutes for al-dente. Stir often to prevent sticking.
Once the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat and add the butter and parsley. Fold in the mushroom mixture and arugula if using. Squeeze in the juice from the remaining lemon half and stir until butter is melted and dispersed. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, portion into separate bowls and top with ricotta, red pepper flakes.
New Merch!
We are excited to announce that we have new shirts available to purchase from the Market Info Booth! Every few years we refresh the design of our shirts and we are very excited about this botanical illustration-inspired design! The new design comes in green and grey unisex sizing, Small-2XL, and is printed on recycled cotton-poly blend so they are extra soft and pre-shrunk. The new shirts are $14. We have limited sizes of our last shirt available for $10. Merchandise sales are cash, check, or market tokens only.
Early Mom, growers of produce and fresh flowers will be back in the market this week.
Also joining us is Cranberry Kitchen with their healthy and highly addictive dried cranberry snack and dried cranberry and nut mixes.
Click on the map image for the farmers market interactive map to view which vendors will be attending the first market of the season. The vendor list will grow as the season progresses, so if you don’t see your favorite vendor this Saturday they will likely be at future markets.
