Farmers’ Market Round Up: Collingwood Childrens’ Farm
Saturday 12 June was a chilly and rainy kinda day – with enough sun peeping through to keep a smile on my face.
Anorak, scarf, produce bags and carry bags – CHECK!
It got a bit muddy as they morning progressed, but it was heartening to see the line up of folk waiting when I got there just before 8:00 am, and a bit frightening to see the guy in front of my wearing no shoes, at all.
Here’s a list of what I brought home with me (an anti-shopping list if you will)
- 5 large beetroot
- 3 small leeks from Sarah.
- 1 large bunch of Trevor’s rhubarb
- 6 Mildura Oranges
- 1 kg of “Easy Peel” chestnuts
- 1 punnet of SunnyRidge Strawberries
- 1 bag of Bellengen organics loose garlic cloves
- a Slice of Holy Goat La Luna ring from Anne Marie
- Bunch of Parsley and bunch of bay leaves from Jill and Andrew
- Bag of chicken frames and 500g Chicken thighs from Milawa Chicken
- 1 litre of milk, 250ml cream, and 500ml yogurt from Schulz Organic Milk
- 12 Champion variety quinces from John “The Quince Man”, to celebrate the end of the quinces. I do hope we see John and his quinces next year, these were the best I’ve ever eaten.
Now to feed myself for the next week.
I’ve roasted the beetroot and skinned them. They are sitting in the fridge.
- Beetroot, walnut and goat’s cheese salad
- Part of a steak sandwich (maybe – do I have steak anywhere?)
- Perhaps some Borsch?
- Beetroot and chocolate muffins maybe?
Chicken
- Frames and parsley wil go into stock.
- Thighs will become chicken soup (with the stock) and chicken and noodles.
Rhubarb will go into a breakfast crumble with some of the berries I have in the freezer, to be eaten with some lovely Schulz’s Yogurt for breakfast on these chilly mornings.
Chestnuts, having proven themselves to be truly “easy peel” were
- roasted and eaten with a bit of salt
- Sauteed with some Gypsy Pig streaky bacon and some Brussels Sprouts to have with soup for dinner
- Will be roasted for 20 mins at 200º and peeled, then frozen for further adventures.
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The strawberries will be eaten with the cream over the next 3 nights as dessert. It doesn’t do to try to keep the strawbs this time of year, I’m just happy to see them, and smell them. Forgot to ask what variety these are, last market they were Albions.
I’ll make some chicken soup with the Milawa chicken frames, and thighs, Sarah’s leeks and Jill and Andrew’s parsley (the stalks into the stock pot along with their fresh bay leaves)
The oranges will come to work with me to starve off office colds and afternoon snacks.
The quinces will get poached for 4 – 6 hours at 140º in a light sugar syrup with a star anise, some vanilla and a bay leaf. These will then keep until next week to top porridge and have warm for dessert maybe?
The garlic and the milk will just get used during the week.
What would you make with my haul? What did you buy this week that looked great!
Mmmmm thanks for the massive long reply to my comment!
It makes me feel special (sometimes i actually stop following blogs if they don’t reply to my comments hehe but i’m now loyal to your blog rofl!).
I might have to try and get quinces next season.. either that or i’ll give the collingwood farm market a go.. it’s not far from me!
I have found a list of what’s in season on Poh’s Kitchen website (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/pohskitchen/in_season/) …. it’s really helping me! But I am a bit of a newbie to cooking hehe. Is there a cool calendar or something that I can get to know whats in season? I’ve really been wanting to eat things based on when they are in season after watching Food Inc!
Beetroot is really good just to roast.. you can boil them first if you like… then just check it in a dish with some other roast veg eg.pumpkin, potatoes, carrots etc.. and its really quick healthy meal (minus the starch of the potatoes). But its good to get a natural source of sugar from the beetroot.
It’s strange how I love beetroots now… I never did like them for a long time growing up.
But yep, consider me a follower of your blog.. I feel I have a lot to learn in terms of cooking & blogging 😀
-Bex
Comment from: Bex
Lisette: Hmm.. I’m thinking of cooking up a sliced orange in quince syrup, and serving then together with some cream…
Penny: How did you find the chestnuts to peel? What are you cooking with the quinces?
Comment from: essjayeats
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Got ourselves some quinces, chestnuts, pressed tongue and loads of apples and vegetables. Over did it again. But I can’t help myself. Everything LOOKed GREAT!
Comment from: penny aka jeroxie
Hi Bex, Thanks for joining in. You can only eat quinces cooked (well, some hard core fans chew them raw, but I don’t advise it). They taste like a firm cooked apple, but much, much more fragrant – hints of pear even. They stay on the tree, never fall off even when they are ripe, so any you see will be OK to use, and they last for a long time off the tree and most varieties have a delicious perfume. I’ve been buying these particular quinces from this grower for the last 7 weeks. At first I thought they were very green, but they cooked up OK. This last lot (the last for the season I’m afraid) smelled divine, and even now are perfuming the house as I cook them.
Quince are in season in Autumn from about Mid-March until July, depending on where you are, the variety and the weather.
They are ripe when they start to change colour form green to yellow, but most noticeable is the scent. While “newly ripe” i.e bright yellow/green the fruit is very high in pectin as is good as a jelly, or in a jelly. The pectin level decreases as the fruit gets more ripe (golden yellow) but they are still high in pectin compared to other fruit.
Some quince I’ve cut up have a worm in them, I just discard that bit (they don’t usually get that far) and use the rest of the quince.
I’m not sure it’s a point of finding a good quince versus a bad quince. rather just finding ANY quinces!
I have decided that I like them best poached for 6 hours or more at 140 degrees in a cast iron casserole until they turn deep ruby red. They I serve them on porridge, or with creamed rice, like you would any stewed fruit. The texture is what wins me over, they aren’t “mushy” like stewed apples, and the variety I’ve been using “Champion” keeps its shape even after 6 hours of poaching.
I also try to make a batch of quince jelly/paste (two different products, from the same process) once a year if I have time. The jelly is good as a meat glazed (Christmas Ham especially) and mint sauce base. The paste is delicious with cheese.
What do you do with beetroot?
Comment from: essjayeats
Mmmmm I love roasted beetroot.
I have never eatten nor used Quinces.
Questions about quices:
What do they taste like?
When are they in season?
How do I know a good quince from a bad one?
What do I do with them?
Awesome post, I love your blog.
Comment from: Bex
Quinces and anything, probably with oranges…. Rhubarb and more rhubarb… So many choices!
Comment from: lisette