By Sue Davis
For The Salisbury Post
Last Saturday, extension agent Toi Degree demonstrated how to prepare greens in 20 minutes or less, including washing and chopping. Correll Farm and Cress Farm provided the vegetables. The biggest hit was braised kohlrabi, a strange looking vegetable whose name means “turnip cabbage.” The bulb can be eaten cooked or raw. David Correll said the leafy portion is cooked like cabbage. Toi has recipes and an informational pamphlet which you can obtain by contacting the Extension Office (704-216-8970). Several of the recipes are on the Salisbury Farmers Market Website, www.salisburyfarmersmarket.com.
Local cole crops, lettuces, radishes, onions and strawberries will continue to be available this week. Each week something new from local gardens appears. Cherries and blueberries will be available within the next week. There is a nice selection of vegetables from South Carolina and Texas at the market as well.
Correll Farms continues to have a wide variety of lettuces. They also have cabbage, cauliflower and swiss chard. Spring beets and more favorites are coming soon. Cress Farms, Eagle Farms and Miller Farms have lettuce, strawberries, onions, and cabbage. Mr. Cress is back at the market with his smile and stories. Country Gardens has vegetable plants and herbs, along with cole crop vegetables. Kraus Family Farms offers lettuces, goat cheese, granola and baby squash.
Dawn’s Greenhouse, Country Garden Greenhouse and Bluebird Acres Farm have an array of herb plants. It’s a great time to select herbs to plant near your kitchen. Bluebird Acres Farm also has annuals and some interesting perennials. Garrett Owen has a great selection of unusual annuals. It is good to see him back.
Dawn’s Greenhouse will have tart pie cherries this week. She says the trees are loaded and hopes to be able to provide cherries for several weeks.
The Bread Basket, How Sweet It Is! and Carla Anne’s continue to surprise buyers with loaf breads, pastries and pies and tarts. Carla Anne’s and the Bread Basket have small loaves of yeast and sour dough bread for those who cannot eat a larger loaf between market days.
For your meat needs, stop by Wild Turkey Farms or T&D Charolais Beef. The Bread Basket, Wild Turkey Farms and other vendors have free range eggs. The Salisbury Farmers Market is open Wednesday from 7 a.m -1 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m.-noon at the corner of Bank and S. Main streets in downtown Salisbury. Visit the website www.salisburyfarmersmarket.com for complete information of what is available at the market, recipes and information about the vendors.