orchards and for some it’s only from our kitchens. The lack of their produce-in my experience
day off. Even so, some of the varieties and types of veggies they are only too happy to talk
stallholders would have up since available at the supermarket has to you and offer advice on what
the early hours of the morning resulted in limited cooking styles, variety of potato or type of mush-
gathering, packing and prepar- techniques, and methods. Sup- room is best suited to your pur-
ing their produce for its trip to the porting your local farmers’ market pose. You may also run into your
market-the evidence will be the will not only have a positive friends and neighbors so seize
dirt on their hands. These people impact on local farming econo- the opportunity to have a relaxed
are dedicated to growing food with mies but ultimately guarantee chat and even exchange some
care and concern for the environ- the diversity of food available to recipe ideas for all the wonderful
ment and respect for the seasons. us over the years to come-surely things you have just put in your
This, in turn, has a positive effect an investment worth the return. basket. No fl uorescent lights, no
on the quality of the food you Okay, so the farmers’ market piped music, no shopping carts,
buy. I do believe that the resulting may not be as convenient as a and food encased in plastic. In
produce is vastly superior to that supermarket. It might be tough to this fast -paced modern world
which is produced using methods fi nd parking, but you could walk. the marketplace is where we can
that meet a fi nancial bottom line or It might be raining, but you could indulge in a little nostalgia for a
grown on a huge, unnatural scale carry an umbrella. The food more traditional way of life.
to meet consumer demand. might be dirty but this ensures The most colorful and exciting
The other main problem with a greater level of intimacy with stalls at any farmers’ market are
a globalized market is that it has the food as you have to spend undoubtedly the fruit and veg-
also gradually and systemati- time washing and preparing it etable ones. They are a theater
cally eliminated local producers yourself. It might only be open of color and every few weeks,
and in doing so has also dimin- one or two days per week but as the curtain closes on one
ished many of the unique foods who wants to go shopping more class act it opens on another.
are fl avors that were at one time than that anyway? The process We drift through the fresh, green
available to us. In being denied a is slower and more relaxed. For days of early spring, when pick-
choice of quality produce it seems me, the market becomes a place ings are relatively slim, but we
we have also been alienated to escape from the fast pace of have shoots and stems such as
modern life and when it comes asparagus and forced rhubarb to
to food I’m all for slowing things keep us entertained. We gradu-
down a little. It’s so much fun to ally see the arrival of the peas,
go to a local market, meet the beans, and pods of late spring
growers and talk to them about and then the jewel-like vine fruits
eggplant, tomato, and red lentil curry
Eggplant is probably the vegetable I cook with most often, as it
works so well with all of my favorite Asian and Mediterranean fl avors.
Serves 4
Heat the oil in a skillet set over high heat.
When the oil is smoking hot add the eggplant to the skillet and
3 tablespoons light olive oil
cook for 5 minutes, turning the pieces often so that they cook
1 large eggplant, cut into 8 pieces
evenly. At fi rst the eggplant will absorb the oil, but as it cooks to
1 red onion, chopped
a dark and golden color, the oil will start to seep out back into the
2 garlic cloves, chopped
skillet. Remove the eggplant from the skillet at this point and not
1 tablespoon fi nely chopped
before. Add the remaining oil, onions, garlic, and ginger to the
fresh ginger
pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook
8 oz. cherry tomatoes
for 1 minute, until they just soften and collapse, then remove
6-8 curry leaves
them from the skillet before they break up too much and set
1 teaspoon ground cumin
aside with the eggplant.
teaspoon chili powder
Add the curry leaves and cumin to the pan and cook for a couple
1 tablespoon tomato paste
of minutes as the curry leaves pop and crackle. Add the chili
2/3 cup red split lentils
powder, tomato paste, 2 cups water and the lentils and simmer
1 handful of fresh cilantro,
for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are tender but retain some
roughly chopped
“bite”. Stir in the eggplant and cherry tomatoes and cook the
boiled or steamed basmati
curry for a couple of minutes just to warm through. Stir in the
rice, to serve (optional)
cilantro and spoon over basmati rice to serve, if liked.
18 Organic Shopper Summer 2009
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