At Farmers' Markets NOW

Photos from a visit to historic Findlay Market, in downtown Cincinnati, on Saturday morning May 17. If you live anywhere in the middle of the country -- East, Midwest, or upper South -- these crops should be available in your own markets. And handcrafted, handmade foods and crafts shouldn't be hard to find, either.
Let the growing season begin!

Asparagus and other spring crops

Hothouse tomatoes

Pretty planters for the front porch

Local honey: super healthy!

Go crazy for your yard

Wash up when you're done

What's STILL at the farm markets....

If you've stopped visiting your local farmer's market(s) for the season, you're missing out on some great produce, baked goods, non-industrial eggs, poultry and meat -- just to name a few!
Cincinnati's historic Findlay Market in the middle of a 'hood known as Over-the-Rhine is always part of my my Saturday morning routine, year round.
Here are photos taken 11/10/12 of what the local farmers and bakers are selling. The weekend before Thanksgiving will bring in huge crowds -- what better place to get fresh (not frozen) turkey, Eckerlin's terrific fresh cranberry salad, fabulous pies of every variety, and a cheese platter to die for?

Persimmons--they grow wild here!

Hothouse tomatoes still available

Blue Oven Bakery--come early if you want some!

Fall Food Festival -- and pie-baking contest

The Fall Food Festival is coming up soon -- Sunday October 28 -- at our own Findlay Market from 12-4 PM. This year the fun will include a "For the Love of Pie" contest. (Pies, mmmmm.....)
The contest rules include that you have to bake the whole thing from scratch, use a 9-inch pie plate, and it must be a dessert pie (not savory, such as quiche).

The festival also includes children's activities and games, four bands performing and of course plenty of FOOD.
For more information about the pie contest or anything else about the festival, go to www.findlaymarket.org or get in touch with Karen Kahle, a Market organizer, at keeskale@mac.com.

Eat Local for the Globe

Attention all fans of Findlay Market -- or of farm-to-table, locavore, locally sourced food, farmers' markets, and every healthy foodie within driving distance of downtown Cincinnati:

This Thursday, September 13, try to attend this year's top find-raiser for the Market. It's called "EAT LOCAL FOR THE GLOBE," and it happens from 6 - 9:30 PM.
They've planned a two-tiered event this year. One (for $50 per person) is a casual, walk-around affair where patrons go from station to station around the market (outdoors, I'm told) to taste all kinds of foods from local farmers and the Findlay Market vendors. 
The latter include Bouchard's (known mostly for its fresh pasta and pasta sauces), Dojo Gelato, Fresh Table (gourmet-to-go prepared foods), Skirtz & Johnston (my own favorite bakery at the Market, and there are many rivals) and Pho Lang Tang (delicious Vietnamese cuisine), among others. 
Patrons also will enjoy live, access to the Biergarten, and sampling of craft cocktails made on-site and to order by the peerless Molly Wellman.
For those who want to really live it up, the second tier is a Chef's Table for an eye-popping $175 per person. That blowout includes a seven-course meal prepared by many of Cincinnati's top chefs along with wine pairings for most if not all the courses.
Click here to buy tickets. (I'm about to order mine now, for the $50 deal though....)
I hope to see a lot of you there!

At the market -- even in the cold

I'd like to share a few photos from the farmer's market this morning. Findlay Market in downtown Cincinnati is not a roadside stand or tailgate affair; it's a year-round, elaborate, you-can-find-everything place to shop, six days a week. (They're closed on Mondays, most of the time.) And there's way more than food to choose from -- although that's what brings me down almost every weekend.

But at least until Thanksgiving, it's also a place where farmers from three states bring their autumn produce. I even saw fresh asparagus down there today.

And you can find wonderful Christmas gifts and decorations at our market, as well.
These are just a few of the goodies I saw today -- and there's a whole lot more inside the main market and in the storefronts around it.

Wheatgrass juice and other good-for-you treats from Hunter Greengrass

Barbara and Edward Hunter have been growing, processing and delivering fresh wheatgrass around the Cincinnati area since the late '90s. Earlier this month, they opened a juice bar and vegan deli inside Findlay Market. It's right near the center of the market, adjacent to Bean Haus -- a great location!

Barbara and Edward Hunter at Findlay Market

Huntergreengrass is the name of their company and their juice bar. Check out their website to learn the health benefits of wheatgrass. There's quite a list of good reasons to include it in your diet, most of which seem to revolve around the "living chlorophyll" it contains. Barb mentioned that to really get the full nutritional wallop, you should consume the juice within a few minutes of its being juiced. Their website notes that one ounce of the juice has "the same nutritional value as 2.5 pounds of green garden vegetables." Wow!

Their market stand specializes in juices, smoothies, homemade soup and daily specials. Everything they sell is 100% vegan.

Good luck to the market's newest purveyors of interesting, healthy and locally grown products!

Gourmet-to-Go at the Market

Cincinnati's historic Findlay Market draws hundreds (thousands?) of shoppers every weekend, especially in the growing season, for the farm-fresh produce and top-quality meats and cheeses. It's also home to an array of fine bakeries, from artisan bread-makers Blue Oven Bakery to the gourmet pastries of Skirtz and Johnston, among several others.

But you can also find a nice selection fully-cooked, wonderful dishes that need only to be reheated (or served cold), as well as entrees and side dishes that require just a little bit of extra work.
For instance, Bouchon sells this array of raviolis, pastas and pasta sauces -- everything from the luxe crab and lobster ravioli to the vegan black bean ravioli.

Pasta and sauces at Bouchon, inside Findlay Market

  Grandma Debbie's Kitchen, which I've blogged about before, has everything from a selection of salads (chicken salad, bean salad, rice salad and so on) to unusual meats (I bought a stuffed lamb roast for Easter dinner) and soups and stews.

Grandma Debbie's roasted sweet potatoes/beets (C)

My favorite gourmet-to-go at Findlay Market, though, is Fresh Table.
A few of their offerings are in the final three photos.

Panko-coated chicken (front) and Gazpacho

I bought some of the cous-cous salad, back left

Craft Cocktails a Highlight at "Eat Local for the Globe"

Molly Wellmann with Woodstone Creek Vodka

We may all have melted at Findlay Market's fundraiser if not for Molly Wellmann's refreshing, from-scratch cocktails. Although the temperature was at or above 90 all evening -- the event ran from 6 - 9 PM -- Molly juiced countless citrus fruits and mixed Norwood's own Woodstone Creek vodka with many other interesting ingredients to cool us all down while we sampled food treats from several of Findlay Market's vendors. In the photo, Molly is holding a bottle of this locally distilled vodka. (Check out the Woodstone Creek website to see the other liquors they make, and find out where you can buy some.)
Her Summer Breeze was based on grapefruit juice and lavender,  Johnny Iced Tea had fresh apple juice among its ingredients, and (my favorite) China Garden combined cucumber juice and lychee nuts with some of that local vodka.
Beyond the cocktails, we liked a bison ribeye salad from Fresh Table best of the several food choices. Dojo Gelato also had an interesting "float" with fermented pineapple (from Fab Ferments) and basil gelato.

Pretzel Bites

Vietnamese Sandwiches

Molly's Table

Eat Local for the Globe -- June 9th

Here's an upcoming evening of fun and really, really good food. Mark your calendars!

The rich flavors of Ohio’s oldest public market will be on proud display at Findlay Market’s second annual Eat Local for the Globe event to be held on Thursday, June 9, 2011 from 6 PM – 10 PM. The event will feature locally sourced food, wine, beer, and Findlay Market fare. Tickets are $50 per person and all proceeds benefit the Findlay Market Fund. Public markets serve a public purpose and are operated to pursue civic goals. Support for Findlay Market ensures that Cincinnati’s great public market will be here for generations to come, generating a wide range of public benefits from small business incubation to food waste composting to cultural enrichment activities for shoppers to enjoy.

Event Highlights:

- Dinner by the bite prepared by the talented chefs at Findlay Market, including chefs from: Fresh Table, Skirtz & Johnston, Bouchard’s, Gramma Debbie’s Kitchen, and Pho Lang Thang

- Exciting wine pairings from regional wineries Kinkead Ridge, Harmony Hill and Equus Run plus plenty of Christian Moerlein beer and craft cocktails by Molly Wellmann

- Dessert provided by Findlay Market’s own Dojo Gelato and Taste of Belgium

- Cash bar after dinner with music by the WNKU’s ever-popular “Mr. Rhythm Man”

- Each guest will receive a silkscreen printed poster created especially for the event

- Guests will have an opportunity to tour the Findlay Market District and learn about plans for its continuing revitalization

A weekend worth of dining -- and marketing

Here are photos from (top to bottom):

Friday lunch at Take the Cake (Northside) -- terrific, top-quality quiche in foreground, with a salad, and chicken stew with a biscuit. It was packed, and for good reason: they do everything right. I hear their Sunday brunch is the best in the in-town/uptown area, and after this yummy lunch, I don't doubt it.

Saturday morning scenes at Findlay Market (downtown)-- A woman from Crete (Greece) is selling locally bottled olive oil imported from Greece, which she says is pure and undiluted with lesser oils. You can sample before you buy. Also a shot of some of the produce now plentiful at our local farmers markets.

Dinner at Bonefish Grill (Hyde Park) -- I can't get past ordering the seared ahi tuna (beautiful presentation); my daughter and her husband had the other fish preparations, which were daily specials.

Gramma Debbie's Kitchen

Among all the wonderful businesses at my favorite Saturday morning shopping destination, Findlay Market, a recent favorite (and relatively new discovery) is called Gramma Debbie's Kitchen inside the main market building.
I don't believe they have a website, but you can find some info about them from the market's website itself.
My take on this place is a bit "gourmet to go" but with a little down-home kick, and a definite nod to healthy choices, as well.
The menu is divided into Sides, Skillet/Grill Ready, Oven Ready, Heat and Eat,Soups, Breakfast, Vegetables, and Seasonal Salads.
More traditional comfort foods (not the healthy-foodie faves) includes baked beans with sausage and pepper bacon, macaroni and cheese (a couple of versions), stuffed peppers (with sausage and other ingredients), meatloaf, pulled pork barbecue and chicken wings. The there's goetta, buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy on the breakfast list.
So what does the healthy foodie like here?
All the vegetables pass muster: roasted beets and sweet potatoes; potatoes, carrots and parsnips (also roasted); and my overall favorite, braised kale with cannelini beans--really yummy.
The other section to focus on is the soup list. Try chicken chil, vegetarian chili and vegetarian vegetable. I also like their (raw) chicken burgers.
On top of that, they're carrying some of World Food Bar's stuff. I go for their veggie burgers, and my husband is nuts for their chickpea salad.
Gramma Debbie's is open when the Market is: Tuesdays through Fridays 9-6, Saturdays 8-6 and Sunday 10-4.
Check it out!

Christmas Shopping at Findlay Market

Don't forget Cincinnati's downtown gem of a market for your holiday gift shopping. Despite the cold, there are plenty of local vendors this weekend and next week.

Pictured here are some goods I saw Saturday morning. Most of these folks will be there on Sunday and all of next week, through Christmas Eve at about 3 pm.

Santa works for Blue Oven Bakery -- peerless artisan breads -- and that's his real hair and beard.

The handmade soaps make lovely, fragrant stocking stuffers. There's some unique jewelry, baked goodies of all kinds to serve your family, and delicious locally made foods for gifts or for your own enjoyment.

Gourmet-to-Go -- new @ FIndlay Mkt

Just opened this weekend: Fresh Table, a chef-owned gourmet-to-go business inside Findlay Market.
I tried several dishes, which graced our table on Saturday night, and everything was delicious.
We loved the panko-crusted boneless chicken breast, which I reheated in a warm oven for about 10 minutes -- it was like having fried chicken without the guilt. My kind of entree!
Not as guiltless but at least as yummy was the savory bread pudding, with ingredients that included leeks (a magic ingredient in my book) and a touch of cream. It was so tasty, I think we might have to get some for a holiday dinner for company!
Fresh Table also had some vegan offerings, including mashed potatoes made with soy cream and soy butter, and macaroons.
I'll be back!!

My Saturday treat

For the past couple of months I've been having breakfast at Findlay Market on Saturdays. Instead of my usual super-healthy home breakfast of oatmeal, cold cereal or whole wheat toast -- always with plenty of fruit and a pot of loose-leaf black tea, I bring some fruit with me and head to the market after an early morning exercise walk.
I buy coffee from either the Bean Haus or Skirtz & Johnston, and then select a breakfast pastry treat from among many wonderful choices.
Here are photos of some of those possibilities. The crepes from Taste of Belgium (bottom photo) might be the healthiest choice, but I might also go for one of the scones, croissants or Danish pastries offered by the other vendors.
It's quite a treat and a break from the ordinary!