On Saturday, the plan was to get up at 6 AM to work a farm stand at the Clinton Bailey Market and arrive at 6:20 AM. Like I said that was the plan, but it didn't really happen that way . I did pack some snacks and ice tea the night before. I don't usually use an alarm clock to get up, I usually wake up between 6 or 7 each morning - but I was very nervous about oversleeping, so instead I would sleep for an hour look at the clock , sleep for another hour and so on. So guess what, I was late getting to the market.. I made it there around 6:45 AM, oh and in case you didn't know it is dark outside at that time during this time of year. So I wanted to work a farm stand with farmers at the market because I wanted to see what it was like... I had a great time. The family farm that I worked with is... a family of four and everyone was there. Dad and son got there around 6 AM to set up the tents and the display... when I got there I also helped set up too. Then a few hours later the mom and daughter show up with a truck of corn that the family picked the night before in the dark. So much effort goes into growing and selling food. This was the last week of the corn, I am so sad to see the corn go. I brought home a few ears and made fried corn with them. I did freeze some corn throughout the summer, But I am so going to miss corn on the cob until next year. I also brought home some carrots, swiss chard and celery... I knew I was going to make a pot roast when I got home.
I loved working the farm stand, it was kind of a long day 6:45 AM - about 1:30 PM, but I wasn't that tired when I got home. So what did I learn...... farmers... love to talk... Some customers have a relationship with their grower...I am not sure ... if it is just with this family or if the other farmers do it too... I think it might be the family, because I have been shopping the market for years- and half the time I do not know if I am buying from a huckster or the farmer--. hey isn't funny that the term huckster almost looks like hustler-- and well I my thoughts are the market is like a hustle...
So a farmer is a grower and a seller... a huckster -is someone who buys from a farmer and sell - often they are buying seconds from someone else.So what I am learning the more you talk to the person who is selling you the item you can tell if they are a farmer of a huckster. Pretty much at the Clinton market the first row are wholesalers (huckster) and the second row are farmers. All farmers at this market do not grow what they are selling. Maybe they grow garlic and buy tomatoes from a friend and they sell both. The farm family that I worked with grew everything that they sell. At this market I didn't see many people my age or younger shopping there. I think the average age of the shopper was 65 years old or they were immigrants. I also learned if you want to buy something you better get their early- we sold out of parsley, cauliflower, swiss chard, corn , carrots and celery. When I do shop the market I am usually there around 8:30 AM- after Saturday I would get there earlier, plus you get to miss the crowd. Well I think those are enough lessons for this posting. Oh and the pot roast I made was just great !!!
Pot Roast
Adapted out of Food Every Day Magazine, but I added and changed a few things
½ lbs bacon- cut into small slices
4 lbs beef chuck
1 large onion-diced
3 garlic cloves- diced
3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary or 1 ½ tablespoons of dried rosemary
1 cup of dry red wine
1 can 28 oz. of diced tomatoes
6 small carrots cut into 2 inches
3 -5 celery sticks cut into 2 inches
2 cups of pearl onions ( I used small onions and cut them into fours)
Montreal steak seasoning
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a Dutch oven pot fry the bacon, once the bacon is done take out and put a side. Make sure meat is dry and season both sides with Montreal streak seasoning. Take the meat and brown each side in the same pot then remove and put a side. Cook onions in same pot, you may need to add some olive oil, cook until the onions are truculent and then add garlic and cook for about 4 minutes. Add one cup of red wine, 1/2 cup of water and add tomatoes. Add rosemary then add meat and let simmer. Cover pot and cook in oven for 3 hours.
Take out of oven and place the vegetables around the meat and cover and place in oven for 1 more hour.
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