We stopped by the Downtown Greenville Saturday Farmer’s Market this weekend and had a blast! My kids were pretty mopey at first because they thought that I was dragging them shopping. Once they tasted the Oatmeal Strawberry Bar from the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery and washed it down with some Passionfruit Iced Tea from Tealoha Eats and Treats they were singing a different tune.
The market is open from 8:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. each Saturday through October. There are tons of vendors that sell just about everything– vegetables, fruits, chicken, free range eggs, goat cheese, grass fed beef, fresh fish, honey, fresh bread, honey, soap, candles, photography, pottery, breakfast, and more. Plus there is plenty of free parking.
The produce was so fresh and prices were pretty competitive on many items.
I found kohlrabi, salad greens, baby beets, and spring onions. Next week I am going to grab one of the Nappa cabbages pictured below for my favorite Asian Chicken Salad with Nappa Cabbage, Cucumbers, Mandarin Oranges, and Almonds.
Here is the Asian Chicken Salad with Nappa Cabbage. Nappa Cabbage doesn’t get soggy like lettuce so this salad can be made once and enjoyed over the next day or two:
I picked up a huge bag of fresh kale and made Kale Chips and Kale Salad with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts. Tonight I am going to try Kale Salad with Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Strawberries, Feta, and Pecans.
So what did I end up with? I tried some fresh arugula, local strawberries, pac choi, kale, baby beets, hakurei turnips, broccoli, and sugar pod snow peas.
First up were baby beets- super sweet and tender. This was definitely my favorite find of the day. When you slice through them they look like peppermint candies. They can be eaten fresh and added to salads. I peeled them, sliced them thinly, and sauteed them in a little bit of olive oil with salt and pepper. I trimmed the stems from the leaves and sauteed the beet greens also. Oh my word… they were delicious. I didn’t get a picture after they were sauteed because they were quickly scarfed down by my daughter. Amazing.
My next find was Hakurei turnips. I like to roast turnips in the fall with other root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, and rutabaga. This variety was not familiar to me. Hakurei turnips are very mild and tender and slightly sweet. I scrubbed them and peeled a few little tough spots off with a vegetable peeler. Then I sauteed them the same way as the beets- just with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
They were delicious and scarfed down just as quickly as the beets:
I tossed the kale with olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese to bake them in the oven for kale chips.
But honestly, my new favorite way of eating kale is fresh in salads– just toss with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and let it marinade in the refrigerator until ready to eat. It seems to get a little better each day. Here we paired the Lemon Kale Salad with Watermelon Fennel Salad. The Portobello Mushroom “Burgers” were marinated in a little bit of reduced sodium soy sauce and balsamic vinegar and roasted in the oven for 15 minutes (it was too rainy to grill). Then they were topped with a thin slice of Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and caramelized onions and served on a whole grain bun.
These sugar pod snow peas are kind of a cross between snow peas and sugar snap peas. I washed and trimmed them and my kids ate them raw. Next time I may stir fry them with mushrooms, bok choy, red peppers, carrots, garlic, and ginger.
The pac choi pictured below was also new to me. I am a big fan of bok choy, particularly the tender little baby bok choy varieties. I frequently use them in Sesame Chicken Noodles with Bok Choy, Red Peppers, and Mushrooms.
This weekend, I washed and thinly sliced the pac choi. Then I separated the delicate green tops from the hardier white bottom portion. I sauteed the white portion with garlic, ginger, reduced sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil for a few minutes. Then I added the green portions and continued cooking until they were tender too (the green leaves cook faster than the white portion). Delicious.
We tossed the broccoli with olive oil, salt, and pepper and grilled it. Then we served it with grilled BBQ salmon, smashed potatoes, and steamed cabbage for one of our backyard Memorial Day meals:
Want to learn more about Farmer’s Markets?
Check out this website for farmer’s markets across the state of South Carolina.
Also, mark your calendars for the 8th annual Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Upstate Farm tour that is coming up June 7 and 8. You can visit farms all around the Upstate to learn more about sustainable agriculture. Bring a cooler because farm fresh products are available for purchase. Many farm sites will be featured including our very own Furman Farm! Download the brochure here.