Market Cookbooks

Beautiful as some of that produce is that we encounter in our farmers’ markets, sometimes a little inspiration is required. Such was my thought when I was handling some kohlrabi the other day: “If I buy this, what the heck am I going to do with it?”

I’ve similarly furrowed my brow over shell beans, beet greens and red cabbage, to name a few. There are always basic recipes – steam or boil or bake and eat it on the side – but the real fun, I think, is in creating something unexpected and exceptionally flavourful out of a simple vegetable you thought twice about buying in the first place.

Some of my favourite cookbooks – and certainly best-used (at least for half the year) – are those with a farmers’market theme. Here are a few that might generate some very tasty brainwaves as the farmers’ bounty starts rolling in:

The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market Cookbook
By Christopher Hirsheimer and Peggy Knickerbocker
I visited this market building every day when I was in San Francisco a couple years ago – my own personal heaven and a market so deluxe, it gets its own book. This little guide (designed that way so you can take it to market with you) is sectioned by seasons and alphabetically lists a variety of produce. For each fruit and veg, there’s info about how to choose and store it along with a couple of recipes. Beets with Blue Cheese and Candied Walnuts is cooking perfection.

Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets
By Deborah Madison
Madison, a Santa Fe chef, food writer and author known for her vegetarian cooking, traveled to markets all over the US in putting this book together. Many of them are profiled amongst the recipes, which are grouped according to category (greens, stone fruits, herbs and so on). There’s lots of useful info on fruit and vegetable varieties and some fun menu ideas, too. Last week I made Madison’s ragout with those aforementioned kohlrabis and some fresh peas, greens and herbs – yum. See the recipe below.

The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution
By Alice Waters
Another book from San Francisco – and not surprisingly, since the Californians have long been locavores. (A 12-month growing season helps). Much of the credit for that goes to Waters, founder of world-famous Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse. This book doesn’t focus solely on farmers’ market fare, but, then again, because Waters is who she is, it kind-of does by proxy. See also Waters’ Chez Panisse Fruit and Chez Panisse Vegetables.

Jamie at Home
By Jamie Oliver
Perhaps you’ve seen the TV show companion to this book, where Oliver and his gardener putter about his vegetable patches and Jamie does his haphazard thing with what he grows in his outdoor kitchen. There are lots of fun, unpredictable ideas here –Hot and Sour Rhubarb with Crispy Pork and Noodles beats rhubarb pie for creativity any day.'

Simply in Season
By Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert
This little book with its comb binding was commissioned by the Mennonite Central Committee and is written by two American Mennonite women who thought, and rightly so, that we all needed to be reminded to connect with what we eat. They compiled the 300-plus recipes according to season and include a guide to choosing, storing, handling and serving various kinds of produce.

The Farmer’s Market Cookbook
By Richard Ruben
Grilled Summer Corn and Sugar Snap Pea Salad. Sweet Potato Braised in Apple Cider. Need I say more? Lots of beautiful ideas here, again all organized by season and with lots of info on produce varieties.

Market Ragout of Turnips, Kohlrabi and Peas

1 tbsp butter

6 spring onions or shallots, halved (I used a whole bulb of young garlic, sliced thinly)

6 or more small turnips, scrubbed and quartered (I omitted the turnip and used more kohlrabi)

2 or 3 small kohrabi, about golf ball size, peeled and quartered (I used fewer larger ones and diced)

1 thyme sprig

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound pod peas, shelled

a few handfuls baby spinach (I used beet greens because that's what I had in the fridge)

dollop creme fraiche (I omitted it)

4 large basil leaves

1. Melt the butter in a skillet and add the onions, turnips, kohlrabi and time. Add water to cover halfway and a teaspoon of salt. Simmer while you shuck the peas.

2. As soon as the vegetables are tender, after 12 to 15 minutes, add the peas and spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted down, a few minutes more. Stir in the creme fraiche and add the basil. Tasted for salt and season with pepper. Serve as a side dish or a course by itself.

Serves 2 to 4.