This past Saturday’s market was quite the success!   Pies were selling out like hot cakes, milk and eggs were a hot commodity and the strawberries…oh the strawberries!   To my surprise, I learned that this is the last official week for strawberries! In a fruit lovers panic, I came home with 3 quarts of beautiful ripe strawberries.  If you’re looking for a fun way to use your strawberries, here is a step by step recipe of how to make homemade strawberry sorbet.  Its so easy!!  (no ice cream maker required, hallelujah)

You need 3 ingredients:

• 1.5 cup of water
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of strawberries (actually any kind of berry would work!)

STEP 1: Bring to a boil 1.5 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar in a large sauce pan to make a simple syrup.

STEP 2: After the sugar has dissolved, pour in 1 cup of strawberries.  Continually stir until the strawberries become almost translucent or have cooked down quite a bit (about 5 minutes).

STEP 3: After your strawberries have cooked down, strain the liquid and strawberries into a bowl using a fine mesh sieve.  Press the berries with a large spoon to get all the strawberry goodness you can!  Discard the pulp and seeds.

STEP 4: Cover the bowl with plastic and place in the freezer to cool for 1 hour

STEP 5: After an hour, transfer the cooled mixture into a smaller freezer safe container.  Place into freezer for 2.5 hours stirring mixture every hour.  Freeze until firm..if it takes a bit more than 2.5 hours, leave it in there for a little while longer.

STEP 6: Enjoy your homemade strawberry sorbet!!  See how easy that was?

Share on Facebook

Grab your bags, start your engines because the Market will be open this Saturday, May 14th for our 1st day! It will be a perfect day for the whole family to come out and enjoy shopping for local groceries!

Here is what we have lined up:

Teaching Kitchen

Brought to you by the Vanderbilt South Nashville Family Resource Center and the CASTLES Program

Led by Carlos Davis of Riffs: Fine Street Food

First Demo at 9:45am, Second Demo at 10:45am

Menu: (Featuring Local and Seasonal Food)

• Breakfast: Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
• Lunch: Arugula Salad with Strawberries and Fried Goat Cheese Balls
• Dinner #1: Seared Chicken Breast with Arugula and Basil Pesto, Red Potato Hash, and Sauteed Swiss Chard
• Dinner #2: Stir Fry with Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Radishes and more

First 25 people to pre-register get $5 in Market bucks to spend at the Market! You can pre-register by clicking here

Live Music:

Featuring Robby Hecht

Robby will start playing at 10am

Bilingual Story Time:

Starting at 11am

Story Time for Children in English and Spanish brought to us from Progresso Community Center

Share on Facebook

This article was written by Dan Shapley from the Daily Green News blog

Fruits and veggies are an essential part of a healthy diet, but many conventional varieties contain pesticide residues.

And not all the pesticides used to kill bugs, grubs, or fungus on the farm washes off under the tap at home. Government tests show which fruits and vegetables, prepared typically at home, still have a pesticide residue.

You can reduce your exposure to pesticides by as much as 80% if you avoiding the most contaminated foods in the grocery store.

To do so, you need the latest info from the why the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list of foods most likely to have high pesticide residues. Since 1995, the organization has taken the government data and identified which type of produce has the most chemicals.

This year, celery takes the number one spot and both blueberries and spinach make an appearance (displacing lettuce and pears).

The best way to avoid pesticide residue on foods is to buy organic produce — USDA rules prohibit the use of pesticides on any crop with the certified organic label.

Here’s a closer look at the 2010 Dirty Dozen:

1. Celery
Celery has no protective skin, which makes it almost impossible to wash off the chemicals (64 of them!) that are used on crops. Buy organic celery, or choose alternatives like broccoli, radishes, and onions.

2. Peaches
Multiple pesticides (as many as 62 of them) are regularly applied to these delicately skinned fruits in conventional orchards. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include watermelon, tangerines, oranges, and grapefruit.

3. Strawberries
If you buy strawberries, especially out of season, they’re most likely imported from countries that have less-stringent regulations for pesticide use. 59 pesticides have been detected in residue on strawberries. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include kiwi and pineapples.

4. Apples
Like peaches, apples are typically grown with poisons to kill a variety of pests, from fungi to insects. Tests have found 42 different pesticides as residue on apples. Scrubbing and peeling doesn’t eliminate chemical residue completely, so it’s best to buy organic when it comes to apples. Peeling a fruit or vegetable also strips away many of their beneficial nutrients. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include watermelon, bananas, and tangerines.

5. Blueberries
New on the Dirty Dozen list in 2010, blueberries are treated with as many as 52 pesticides, making them one of the dirtiest berries on the market.

6. Nectarines
With 33 different types of pesticides found on nectarines, they rank up there with apples and peaches among the dirtiest tree fruit. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include, watermelon, papaya, and mango.

7. Bell peppers
Peppers have thin skins that don’t offer much of a barrier to pesticides. They’re often heavily sprayed with insecticides. (Tests have found 49 different pesticides on sweet bell peppers.) Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include green peas, broccoli, and cabbage.

8. Spinach
New on the list for 2010, spinach can be laced with as many as 48 different pesticides, making it one of the most contaminated green leafy vegetable.

9. Kale
Traditionally, kale is known as a hardier vegetable that rarely suffers from pests and disease, but it was found to have high amounts of pesticide residue when tested this year. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include cabbage, asparagus, and broccoli.

10. Cherries
Even locally grown cherries are not necessarily safe. In fact, in one survey in recent years, cherries grown in the U.S. were found to have three times more pesticide residue then imported cherries. Government testing has found 42 different pesticides on cherries. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include raspberries and cranberries.

11. Potatoes
America’s popular spud reappears on the 2010 Dirty Dozen list, after a year hiatus. America’s favorite vegetable can be laced with as many as 37 different pesticides. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include eggplant, cabbage, and earthy mushrooms.

12. Grapes
Imported grapes run a much greater risk of contamination than those grown domestically. Only imported grapes make the 2010 Dirty Dozen list. Vineyards can be sprayed with different pesticides during different growth periods of the grape, and no amount of washing or peeling will eliminate contamination because of the grape’s thin skin. Remember, wine is made from grapes, which testing shows can harbor as many as 34 different pesticides. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include kiwi and raspberries.

Share on Facebook

Original Post on April 4, 2011 by Jill Ettinger from Organic Authority

A herd of more than 200 cows have been genetically modified so that their milk contains characteristics most similar to human breast milk, according to Li Ning of the China Agricultural University, as reported in the Times of India.

Human milk is obviously critical for newborns, containing vital nutrients essential to immune and central nervous system development. Other mammal milks such as cow, goat, sheep and camel—all consumed by humans for thousands of years—contain nutrients vital to the maturation of their respective offspring, lacking key nutrients for humans. Despite this, the global market for non-human milk continues to grow every year.

The genetically modified milk product would be most similar to human breast milk, which would make it an appealing option to work into rotation for nursing mothers, and for those having trouble nursing. But the researchers say that it’s not just designated for infants; Chinese emperors and empresses were reported to drink human milk over the course of their entire lives, and the market may be ripe for a considerable interest by adults, especially those suffering from lactose intolerance to cow’s milk.

The idea is being met with both praise and criticism. But it’s not the first effort to market human breast milk. An NYU grad student has been making human breast milk cheese, and an ice cream maker in the UK recently sold a human breast milk flavor.

Come to the West Nashville Farmers Market this Saturday to taste test local milk from Gammon Family Dairy to pre-order your gallon for the following week. (Starting in May, their milk will be available at the Woodbine Market)

Share on Facebook

So what’s the big deal about Kale? If you have your pulse on any of the latest food trends, Kale is at the top of the list. Once used as only a plate garnish, Kale has skyrocketed in popularity and is making it’s way to the family table all around Nashville. As I started doing a little research I was expecting to find Kale ranked in nutritional value next to spinach, swiss chard, turnip greens, or lettuce. Man was I mistaken! Not that those other leafy greens don’t have significant value, but Kale was off the charts. What I found out was that Kale is considered a superfood. It is said to lower the risk of several cancers including breast, ovary, prostate, colon and bladder cancers. It is an anti-inflammatory and rich with antioxidants.  It is said to lower cholesterol, helps your body detox and aids in digestion. Plus did I mention that it is very high in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese; and is a very good source of copper, tryptophan, calcium, vitamin B6, and potassium; and a good source of iron, magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin B2, protein, vitamin B1, folate, phosphorous, and vitamin B3. If this isn’t enough to convince you to try it, I urge you to give it a chance and try out one of the delicious recipes below. It is sure to become a dinner staple.

Where do I get it?

• Farmers Markets – the West Nashville Farmers Market is going on during the winter from 10-12 indoors every Saturday at the LOVE Building.
• Grocery Stores – Whole Foods, Turnip Truck

How do I cook it? (Here are some recipes I have personally tried and can vouch for)

• Cannelloni Bean and Kale Soup with Ham and Sherry Vinegar recipe
• Sauteed Kale recipe
• Baked Kale Chips recipe (Just like popcorn, you’ll LOVE this preparation)
• Massaged Kale Salad recipe
• Berr Battered Fried Kale recipe

For your information: There are several different varieties of Kale. When in doubt, just choose the one that looks freshest to you. They all carry that same benefits and I typically like to mix them together. However, curly kale is usually used to decorate your plate, the other ones are great for recipes.

• Red Kale     
• Green Kale
• Dino Kale    
• Curly Kale  

Share on Facebook