Rough Draft Atlanta is partnering with Community Farmers Markets to let you know what’s in season at your local market. Each week, we’ll share a list of ingredients that are farm fresh, along with a couple of recipes that include those products.
Here’s what you’ll find in the way of produce at the farmers market this week: Peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, winter squashes (pumpkins, butternut squash, candy roaster squash), muscadines, apples, beans, garlic, onions, arugula, kale, potatoes, microgreens, turnips, radishes, okra, sweet potatoes, gourmet mushrooms (oyster, chanterelles, lion’s mane, shiitake, chanterelles), pears, corn, persimmons, and herbs (basil, mint, lemon balm, wormwood, cilantro, oregano, parsley, chives, dill).
Look for these specialty items: Pecans, smoked salmon and trout, flowers (marigolds, sunflowers, cosmos, mixed flower bouquets), pastured pork, wild caught shrimp, eggs, goat + sheep cheese, milk, jam, chocolate, honey, oils, tea blends, cold pressed juices, hot sauce, vinegars, nut butters, spice blends, ghee, pickles, pasta, and tortillas.
Atlanta non-profit Community Farmers Markets (CFM) has been building community through farmers markets since 2011. Operating weekly outdoor farmers markets as well as rotating farm stands are strategies by which the organization addresses food access in Atlanta. CFM also offers educational programming in the community, financial incentives to make local food more affordable, and professional development for small businesses.
See y’all at the farmers market!
Curried Squash Fritters Recipe:
Ingredients:
Fritters (yield: 18):
- 2 cups spaghetti squash, roasted and cooled
- 2 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup greens, finely chopped (collards or kale, arugula, dandelion greens)
- 1 ½ cup crumbled feta
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp yellow curry powder
- 2 tbsp preserved lemons, minced
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Sunflower oil for sautéing
Yogurt Sauce (yield 1 cup):
- Yield: 1 cup
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- ½ lemon
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Fritters:
- Make sure to shred the spaghetti squash with a fork when removing it from the skin.
- Place the squash in a mixing bowl along with all the other ingredients except for the olive oil. Mix well until combined.
- Heat a skillet to medium high heat and add a drizzle of sunflower oil. Form the fritters into patties. Fill a ½ cup measuring scoop and then tap it into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Work in batches as necessary.
- Cook the fritter for 5 minutes on the first side, until golden brown, and then continue to cook for 4 more minutes.
- Remove the fritters from the pan, and serve with yogurt sauce.
Yogurt Sauce:
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Creamy Squash Soup Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Walnut cranberry bread (or close substitute)
- 2 small butternut squash, garlic bulbs
- 2 apples
- Crème fraîche
- Butter
- Vegetable stock
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Cinnamon
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the end of the squash stem off, and if you want better stabilization, slice a small piece of the other end off too. Make sure your knife is sharp, as you’ll need to put effort in slicing this gourd.
- Stand the squash on the bottom-heavy end and start slicing directly in the middle from the very top. Rock your knife carefully back and forth if you find that it gets stuck.
- Take 4 small garlic bulbs and slice the skinny ends off.
- Oil your squash and garlic bulbs until completely covered, then salt and pepper the squash. Cook until fork-tender. This may take up to an hour for the squash, give or take a few minutes.
- The garlic should take 20-30 minutes or until it’s tender. Allow to cool off.
- Peel 2 apples and chop into pieces. In a bottom heavy pot, sauté apples with oil until soft.
- Squeeze garlic and scoop squash into pot. Add 4 cups of stock and 2 tsp cinnamon. Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to blend the ingredients smoothly.
- Heat on medium low for 15 minutes, then add 1/2 cup of créme fraîche and mix until smooth. Salt to taste.
- Cut bread loaf into bite-sized cubes. Add a good knob of butter into a medium heated pan and add the bread. Sauté until crispy on the outside.
You can also find the recipes for Curried Squash Fritters and Creamy Squash Soup on Community Farmers Markets’ Instagram.