Fresh Produce

Spring 2007

            Happy Spring!  This is the time of year when we all start to crave something fresh and green, with maybe some red and pink mixed in for strawberries and rhubarb.  One of the things I look forward to in the Spring is the opening of the farm stands and farmers markets.  I drive by their locations, craning my neck for signs of life, long before the daffodils are finished blooming. 

            My favorite farm stands are Juicy Fruits, just south of the corner of Pittsburgh Road and Applegrove, and Four Seasons, on Grove Street, just south of the corner of Easton (E. Maple) and Market Street (look for their sign on the east side of Market).  I also love the Canton Farmers Market, which opens in early June at Courtyard Plaza on West Tuscarawas St. downtown.  You can look for other nearby farmers markets at http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets.

            Another way to find some great produce, as well as meat and dairy products is to look for and join a CSA (for Community Supported Agriculture).  CSA farms offer subscriptions, where buyers receive a weekly or monthly basket of produce, flowers, fruits, eggs, milk, or any sort of different farm products.  Most CSA farmers prefer that members pay for the season up-front, but some farmers will accept weekly or monthly payments.  A CSA season typically runs from late spring through early fall.  You can locate a CSA in our area by looking at www.localharvest.org.

Perfect Muffins

Winter 2004

    --Preheat your oven at least 15 minutes before baking.  Muffins bake best when they are put in a hot oven.

    --Grease your muffin pan well with room-temperature butter or cooking spray. 

In most muffin recipes, you mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately.  Be sure to mix both thoroughly, to eliminate lumps of baking soda or bits of egg yolk.

    --When you combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix them gently or fold them with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Overmixing at this stage makes muffins tough, full of holes, lopsided--horrors!   (Wouldn’t it be nice if the worst thing we had to worry about was an overmixed batch of muffins?)

   --Unless otherwise directed in the recipe, fill muffin cups about three-quarters full.  Fill unfilled cups with water to keep the heat evenly distributed throughout the pan.  If you have more batter than the pan will hold, keep the leftover batter at room temperature for another batch.

    --Bake muffins until the center of a muffin springs back at the touch of your finger or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Serving Hors D’ Oeuvres

Spring 2004

        Hors d’ oeuvres, appetizers, small plates, tapas (Spanish), amuse-bouche (French for “amuse the mouth”) are all names for tempting morsels that precede a meal, or can become a meal on their own.  When planning an hors d’ oeuvre menu, look for fresh, seasonal flavors that play off of one another, and for contrast in color and texture.  For example, think of a crisp, salty homemade potato chip with a dollop of sour cream flavored with a little sherry vinegar, topped with a sweet sautéed scallop and a sprinkling of chives.  Or maybe a tender-crisp spear of asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and toasted buttered bread.  If you’re serving hors d’ oeuvres before dinner, plan 4-6 bite-sized servings per person.  If hors d’ oeuvres are the main attraction, plan 8-12 bite-sized servings per person per hour.