Stocking Up
recipes:
Saturday the 18th of November is a good time to stock up for Thanksgiving at the Belfast Farmers' Market's Winter Marketplace. Most of our members will be there, guaranteeing you a good selection of holiday goods and late season produce.
Appleton Creamery's goat cheeses, especially their marinated chevre, make wonderful easy appetizers to serve your guests. Soft and spreadable, these fresh cheeses are great on crackers. Cait Hunter also has a selection of hard aged cheeses and goat milk fudge.
Weeping Duck Farm is new this year. The Antakis make baked goods and very creative soaps using olive oil and herbs.
Freyenhagen Family Farm has maple syrup and maple products. Jim's syrup is locally produced in an old-fashioned wood fired sugar house. Not just for breakfast, maple syrup makes a great glaze for squash or sweetener for festive baked goods and pies.
Tom's Honey Farm offers a wide variety of bee products. Liven up your table with handmade beeswax candles and a pot of honey for the biscuits!
Meadowsweet Farm has beef and lamb to compliment your Thanksgiving turkey. Sumner also sells delicious mutton sausages, sheepskins, and wool blankets.
Peacemeal Farm has organic garlic, butternut squash, greens, dry beans, and lots of beets and onions.
Half Moon Farm's products are all very festive. The Spinneys make fine jams, jellies and chutneys, wreaths, and woodenware. Sandy also sells hot soup at market. John has some small wooden knives for spreads and jam that look great on the harvest table.
Fisher Farm has breads, jams, homemade flaxseed crackers (good with goat cheese), hand creams, hot pepper sauce, squash, parsnips, and spinach.
Preheat oven to 425. Mix together squash, syrup, milk and eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Stir in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Mix until well blended. Pour squash mixture into pie shell. Bake about 40 minutes until filling is firm and a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely before serving.
Add broth, vegetables and water to cover to a pot. Bring to a boil. Cook vegetables until tender. Drain and return to the pot. Mash with butter and milk.
Preheat oven to 350. Slice roots and stem ends from beets. Do not peel. Place the beets in a covered casserole dish and bake them until done, 45 minutes to an hour. Skin the beets, butter them and serve hot.
The Winter Marketplace is held Saturdays, 10-1 inside the Belfast Agway on Rte. 3 until Dec. 23.