Historic Roanoke City Market

Creasy Greens

2012-02-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

(Courtesy of http://naturalfarmacy.com/blog/?p=414)

Eating with the seasons just makes sense. For instance wild greens that can be picked this time of year called creasy greens not only have nostalgic importance but are packed with nutrition our bodies are craving in the winter months.

They contain more Vitamin C than oranges and more Vitamin A than broccoli.

You can find creasy greens growing wild alongside the road or pick them up at the Roanoke City Market this Saturday. As with any green be sure to rinse thoroughly to remove dirt then pat dry with a paper towel. After this the possibilities are endless.

Some tasty things to make using creasy greens:

· (My favorite) Chop, sauté a little garlic, add the greens, a little water or beef broth. Turn down heat, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or until tender. Top with pepper vinegar.

· Use as an omelet filling

· Put in smoothies or salads

· Add to vegetable beef soup

· Make savory skillet cakes to have at dinner time-add chopped greens, garlic powder, s/p to pancake mixture

Winter Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup

2012-01-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe I adapted from several soup recipes I have used before. I love using store bought cheese tortellini in soups because they are so easy to cook and add a ton of flavor.

Winter Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup

1 pound regular or hot sausage from the Roanoke City Market (two vendors offer this, Martins Farm and Sandy River Pork)
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1 14 ounce can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 TBS dried basil
1 TBS dried oregano
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
8 ounces fresh tortellini pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large soup pot brown sausage. Remove sausage and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings.
Saute onions and garlic in drippings. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
Skim fat from the soup if necessary. Stir in zucchini and parsley. Simmer covered for 30 minutes (adding up to 1/2 cup of water if too thick). Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes. Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

Soup of the Week: Bacon Apple and Tomato Soup

2012-01-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

Bacon is definitely one of my favorite foods and this Saturday at the Roanoke City Market you can find two vendors selling the freshest local bacon in Roanoke Valley, Martins Farm and Sandy River Pork. Start with a no-hormone, free-range product from one of our farmers and you're guaranteed to cook up a wonderful filling soup!

Bacon, Apple and Tomato Soup

Ingredients

7 slices bacon

½ tablespoon butter
1 small white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup beef stock
½ cup of apple cider
1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 medium to large apple, sliced in 1 inch cubes
½ cup red wine
1 TBS. of chili powder
1 TBS. of brown sugar
½ tsp. of cinnamon
½ tsp. of nutmeg
Shake of red pepper flakes if you like spice
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, coarsely chop, and set aside.

2. Add ½ TBS butter to bacon pan and sauté white onion and celery for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté about 2 minutes more. Stir in beef stock, apple cider, pinto beans, tomatoes, and bay leaf and other seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer.

3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir the apple in the red wine until soft and wine is slightly reduced.

4. Mix bacon, apple, and red wine into the soup mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until well blended. Top with shredded mozzarella.

Serve with a smoked Gouda grilled cheese and you have a great winter meal.

Black Bean Soup

2012-01-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

A great recipe that will warm you up and keep you full! Come down to the market on Saturdays to visit the Martins at stalls 12 and 13. They have the freshest local ham and pork around.

Ingredients:

1 pound dried black beans (about 2 cups), rinsed, soaked in 4 quarts of water overnight or 6 hours, drained
1 lb smoked ham hock or shank
2 bay leaves
5 cups water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

4 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped fine
1 medium sweet potato, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 carrot, chopped fine
1 celery rib, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp molasses
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp lime juice (can substitute lemon juice)
Salt

Toppings:

Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream
Avocado, peeled and chopped

Method

1 Place beans and ham hock in a 4-quart pot. Add 5 cups water, bay leaves, salt and baking soda. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and let cook about 1 hour 15 minutes, until beans are tender. Remove bay leaves. Remove ham hock from the pot. Cut ham meat away from the bone and cut into small, bite-sized pieces, set aside.

2 Heat olive oil in a large 8-quart thick-bottomed pot on medium high until the oil is hot, but not smoking. Add the onions, celery, sweet potato and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and softened, about 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the cumin, chili powder, and garlic, cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

3 Add the beans, their cooking liquid, chicken stock, molasses, and bell pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes.

4 Add back the ham pieces to the soup. Add 3 Tbsp of lime juice. Adjust seasonings. Salt to taste.

Serve with garnishes. Makes 8 cups. Serves 6.

Kale and White Bean Soup

2011-11-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

Too many shoppers pass by all the wonderful greens on the market simply because they don't know how to prepare them. This is quite a shame because produce like turnip greens, mustard greens and kale are so nutritious. For example, one cup of kale contains only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6, 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Whew! Need I say more?

I personally love kale. Try this easy, inexpensive soup out and you might just have to add it to your farmers market shopping list.

If you ever need any tips on cooking greens feel free to ask me a question, tracieh@downtownroanoke.org

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dried navy beans, soaked overnight
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 1/2 to 2 quarts of chicken stock
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon each of dried oregano and basil
1 can of (drained) tomatoes, roasted, stewed, or crushed
1 large bunch dinosaur kale (also known as Tuscan kale, black kale, and Lacinato; but feel free to sub in any variety of kale you may have)
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

PREPARATION

Drain beans, then transfer to a medium saucepan and add cold water to cover by 2" (at least six cups). Add bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil and cook until beans are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain beans and add chicken stock (reserve half cup and add if you need more liquied), tomatoes, oregano and basil. Bring back to a simmer for about 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, 1 tsp. salt, and 3/4 tsp. pepper and saute until onion is soft and garlic begins to brown, about 6 minutes.

Add onion mixture to beans in saucepan. Tear kale leaves into large pieces, discarding stems, and add to soup. Boil soup until kale is tender, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve soup sprinkled with cheese.

Happy Halloween weekend!

2011-10-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

I am really excited about being on the market tomorrow. We have so many activities going on that we get to block off Market Street. Trick-r-treating for the kids starts around 1:00 and ends at 4:00. We have the Mello Yello tasting tour coming through and they are bringing retro games to play like Simon and Pac-Man, a vintage VW van and of course samples of Mello Yello. Another cool stop will be the photo tent where you can pose on bales of hay while a family member or friend snaps a great picture of your costume. There will be plenty of pumpkins on hand so be sure to get the perfect one to transform into a scary (or funny) jack-o-lantern. Also some of the farmers and craftsmen are dressing up! It should be interesting to see what they choose. If you are scared of the weather, don't be. The market is covered and there are plenty of great local shops and restaurants to warm up in. See you tomorrow!

Squash Skillet

2011-10-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my recipes today and trying to decide what I could post for this week. I think this tasty dish called Squash Skillet is simple enough for a novice cook and only takes about 15 minutes to make. Feel free to spice it up with your own special blends.

Squash Skillet

    ½ cup Martins' Farm Onion -- chopped
    ½ cup Guthrie Farm Green Pepper, Bell -- chopped
    2 cup Rolling Meadows Patty Pan Squash -- cubed
    2 med Charlie Lavinder Tomatoes -- quartered and deseeded
    2 tbsp Butter
    1 tbsp Sugar
    ¼ tsp Pepper, Black
    1 tsp Salt
    1 tsp Flour, Plain

    Saute onion and green pepper in butter, cook for 3 minutes. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and sugar, cook for 2 minutes more. Add squash and tomatoes and cook only until tender.

Remember, for the freshest taste possible shop the downtown Roanoke Market! (Had to throw that in there ;-) If you need any help on the market Friday and Saturday, look for me. Your Market Manager is always available for questions.

Today's recipe is Haluski

2011-10-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

I was sitting at my desk this morning and my boss said something to the effect of "it's perfect weather for Haluski"! This is a dish I had never heard of so I was immediately intrigued. Five minutes spent with Google and I learned Haluski is an Eastern European dish consisting of egg noodles or dumplings, cabbage, butter and onions. My boss Sean is from Pittsburgh where many Eastern European immigrants have settled and given us some great comfort food recipes, including Haluski. Simple, clean flavors and extremely easy to make, this dish is something we should all try this weekend. Pick up some local grown cabbage from the market with a few onions and your halfway there.

Ingredients

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1 head cabbage
1 large onion
1 small package (~8 oz) egg noodles
1/2 stick butter
Salt and Pepper

How to make it

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1. Cut up the cabbage and chop up the onion.
2. Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
4. Add the onions to the pan and cook until translucent.
5. Next, reduce the heat to low. Add the cabbage to the pan and stir until cabbage is well mixed with the onion.
6. Cover the pan with a lid, and cook until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

(Optional) If you like your cabbage caramelized, take off the lid once it is tender and continue to cook until the cabbage is browned.

7. Mix in the noodles and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve this with a crusty loaf of bread from On the Rise at 3 Market St., Roanoke, VA 24011 and you’re all set!

Vegetable of the day: Beets!

2011-09-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

Beets are one my favorite root vegetables. They are highly nutritious and contain certain unique pigment antioxidants that have been found to offer protection against coronary artery disease and stroke, lower cholesterol levels in the body and have anti-aging effects.

I picked up a small basket of beets from farmer Harold Nichols for only $2.00 and here is what I decide to do with them.

Beets with Honey
1 buch of beets (4-6)
1 orange zested
1/4 cup local honey
1/2 TBS butter

1. Lightly cover the beets in olive oil and wrap in foil. Roast beets in oven for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees. The size of the beet will determine the roasting time. They are ready when soft after being pierced with a fork.
2. Let beets cool for a bit and then cut into halves and rinse under cool water. The skins should slide right off. I advise wearing gloves or you will have pink hands. Chop beets into cubes.
3. Place honey, zest, and butter in small saucepan and heat on low till it forms small bubbles. Remove from heat and toss in the beets.

All these things can be picked up at the Roanoke Farmers Market.
Enjoy!

Recipe: Farm Stewed Tomatoes with Butter Croutons

2011-09-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

Try this recipe with tomatoes from our farmers, you won't be disappointed!

3 cups of cored, roughly chopped farm fresh tomatoes (about 2 lbs)

2 TBS unsalted butter

4 tsp of sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

6 basil leaves, torn

Croutons:

3 slices of crusty French bread cut in 3/4 inch cubes

1 TBS butter

Garlic Salt

1. Combine tomatoes, butter, sugar, salt and pepper into a saucepan. Heat to a simmer, then reduce to medium-low. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until tomatoes are cooked and soft.

2. Add basil, and add more butter, sugar, salt and pepper if needed.

3. Melt 1 TBS butter in small frying pan on medium heat. Add bread cubes and arrange in single layer. Toast on one side, then flip and top with garlic salt. Cook for about 1o minutes.

4. Serve stewed tomatoes in bowl, topped with croutons.

The perfect warm comfort food to take you into fall.

Enjoy!

After Hours Market

2011-09-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

This Thursday, September 8th, from 5pm to 8pm the Market will be open for evening shoppers during the Cellar Door wine tasting event hosted by Downtown Roanoke, Inc. Items such as fresh produce, seafood, and unique gifts will be available. This is a great opportunity to visit the market after work and see a slice of what we have to offer.

What's Fresh August 5th

2011-08-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

Planning your list for Market trip this week? Here are some highlights to get you started:

Peaches! (it is the Peach Festival after all)
Damsons
Heirloom Tomatoes
Squash (pick your favorite kind!)
Crowder Peas
Shrimp (from Pamlico Sounds, NC)
Eggplant
Farm Fresh Eggs
Black Peas
Watermelons & Halifax Cantaloupes

And Haley Toyota City Market Saturdays this week features the music styling of Barefoot West!

See you on the Market...Live Healthy, Eat Local

EBT program at Roanoke City Market taking off

2011-08-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

We were happy to spend some time with WSLS's Meagan Farley yesterday to talk about the succesess of our EBT and credit card programs.

EBT program at Roanoke City Market taking off: "Since the launch, the city has collected close to $1000 in EBT transactions"

We hope to see you again on the market soon Meagan!

Saturday June 18, 2011

2011-06-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

Ah, don't you just love summer in the early morning?

On my morning stroll through the Market while all the vendors were setting up their tables, here are a few things that I found....

On the table of The Dancing Chicken - Fresh eggs snagged from the coop just this morning!

Brian Seckinger, one of our talented artisan vendors, decided to try out his green thumb and has branched out to offer a variety of produce like hydroponic lettuce (pictured above) and some fresh cut herbs (pictured below). He's got quite a set-up in his backyard garden, and it's amazing how much food can be produced on a small piece of land. Be sure to keep an eye on his table- you never know what he'll come up with next!

Our Market family was devastated in January when we lost one of our beloved long-time vendors, Julia Light. We are so happy that her son, Joe Light, is continuing her legacy of bringing some of the most stunning flowers around to the Market.

I found a lot of sweet goodies when visiting with Tim Belcher from Rolling Meadows Farm. Tim has quite a wide selection on his table, but what really caught my eye this morning was the lovely display of fruits pictured above. Plums, sweet cherries, and the first apricots of the season grown in Franklin County (with no sprays)!

Did you know...?

2011-06-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

You can now use your SNAP benefits or Credit Card at the Farmers Market!

Have you ever been strolling down Market Street not really intending to buy anything ('cause hey, we're all on a budget these days) when all the sudden the most vibrant tomatoes catch your eye from a nearby vendor stall? Ok, so maybe you don't like tomatoes (weirdo) but just go with it. You have to have some. You've even got the B & L waiting at home for that PERFECT summer sandwich. You open your wallet, and to your dismay you find it empty. Why oh why did you spend that last little bit of cash on (insert frivolous item no one really needs)?

Well, you're in luck. You can still make frivolous cash purchases and not have to scramble around to find an ATM (that most likely has a ridiculous surcharge) in order to buy those tomatoes. How, you ask? This season we launched an exciting new program with the hopes of diversifying payment options for customers.

Here's the deal: On Friday and Saturday from 9am-2pm, all you have to do is look for the tent pictured below in Market Square.

Due to the dynamic nature of the market, it may not be in the EXACT same spot every week, but all you have to do is look for the tent with the Market banner or ask any vendor to point you in the right direction. Once you find the tent, let me break down the process for you. Now, pay close attention because it might get a bit overwhelming:

STEP ONE: Hand me your credit card or EBT card.
STEP TWO: Tell me how much money you would like to spend.
STEP THREE: I will swipe your card & hand you a stack of wooden tokens.

Yep, that's pretty much it.

Wooden tokens, you may ask? You have probably also heard them called wooden nickels. Well, I thought I'd alleviate any confusion by showing you EXACTLY what you will be getting when you swipe your card.

EBT tokens are red in color, available in one dollar amounts, may only be used on eligible items*, and change cannot be given. These tokens do not expire, so feel free to buy more than you need and save for later!
Credit tokens are green in color, available in five dollar amounts, may be used on any market item, and change CAN be given. They don't expire until December 31, 2011, so if you don't spend them all in one day, no worries!

Now, I know at the beginning of the post I only mentioned Friday and Saturday. Although our Market is open 7 days a week, we typically have the most variety of vendors present on those two days. However, do not fear. If you are down here during the week, the service is available on demand in the Downtown Roanoke, Inc. office. Our office is right above Horizon Bar and Grill (on Market Street) and the entrance is off Kirk Avenue. Having trouble finding us? Ask one of the vendors to point us out, or give the office a call at (540) 342-2028 and someone will bring the device right down to you. Now that's service.

*What are eligible items, you ask? In fact, what is an EBT card? Well, EBT cards are the new electronic version of food stamps, now called the SNAP program. Stay tuned for a post all about the program and how excited we are to be a part of it!

Market Minutes

2011-06-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

Despite these tricky summer storms, this past Saturday was another enjoyable day on the Market.

As part of Haley Toyota's City Market Saturdays, Norah's Cafe stepped out of their posh setting in the Taubman Museum of Art to bring us a little taste of their culinary expertise. While Chef Jerome Bonds held down the fort at the Cafe, Chef Alexis Hinchey trekked over from Salem Avenue to prepare a delicious dish: Fresh Cherry Bruschetta.

With our cooking demonstrations this year, we really hope to not only feature what is fresh and in season that month on the Market, but also to showcase the wonderful talent we have populating our downtown restaurants. Since June is still pretty early here in the growing season, Alexis and I struggled a bit with what to feature. I was sitting up in my office one day when one of our farmers came up with a bag of fresh cherries for us to enjoy (yes, this is a wonderful perk to working with a farmers market- they often bring us treats). Then it hit my like a ton of bricks (or a bag of cherries). OF COURSE!

So, since I am certainly not a chef and have no ability to create beautiful things with food, I pretty much left if up to Alexis. Cherries. That's all the help I gave her. And, as expected, she came up with this scrumptious recipe:

Fresh Cherry Bruschetta

Ingredients:
1 french baguette
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz goat cheese, room temperature
1.5 cups rainier cherries
1.5 cups cherries
2 green onions
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1.5 tsp. honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Slice baguette into thin slices. Spray baking sheet and arrange slices evenly. Spray slices & sprinkle with salt & pepper. Toast in oven until crispy (5-10 minutes). Beat together cream cheese & goat cheese until smooth; add black pepper to taste. Set aside cheese mixture. Wash, pit, & chop cherries. Add green onions & fresh basil, sliced thin. Toss together and drizzle with dressing (for dressing, combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, and salt & pepper to taste). To assemble, spread toast with goat cheese mixture and top with cherry topping. Serve immediately.

Now, I know I am biased. I admit it. But trust me... this concoction was AMAZING, and a great light summer snack or appetizer.

One of the great things about these cooking demonstrations is their flexibility. With this particular recipe, it turned out to be more of a tasting while Chef Alexis hung around to answer questions and explain how she made it. Sometimes (like our first demonstration of the season in May with Blues BBQ) you get to watch, smell and hear things cooking on a grill. Either way, FREE SAMPLES are available at all our demonstrations. And I don't know about you... but I know very few people who will turn down free food, especially when it's prepared by an amazing chef with fresh, local ingredients from our Market.

Welcome, Friends!

2011-06-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Dear cyberspace friends,

I feel the need to make an apology. Although there have already been a couple posts made to this blog, there has been no formal introduction, and for that I hope you will excuse my rudeness.

Welcome to the blog for The Historic Roanoke City Market, the oldest continuously operating open-air market in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This blog was created with a few goals in mind. As we all know, what's available & fresh can often be difficult to predict, mostly due to this strange phenomenon called "weather" (which has been acting a little crazy on us lately). As this blog grows and posts become more regular, this will be a place to find out what our farmers have on their tables. If you're wondering what kind of entertainment Haley Toyota's City Market Saturdays has to offer each week, we'll keep you in the loop on that as well. Recipes, tips from our vendors, photos, and general information about local foods and agriculture should help round things out.

One of the wonderful things about the Market is its fluid nature. Every experience is different. Even if you've lived in Roanoke your whole life and visited the Market with your parents since you were a small child, there is always something new to discover. This juxtaposition of rich history & tradition with new vendors, products, and events is something to be treasured.

Ok, now get up from your computer (you know that screen is terrible for your eyes, right?) and come see what we've got to offer.

See you there!

Market Minutes

2011-05-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

Market Minutes

Let me paint a picture for you: The sun is shining. You are strolling down Market street when someone opens the door of a restaurant and the cool air wafting out towards you not only refreshes you but also brings with it the delicious smell of lunch cooking. You wave at the farmer you usually buy your tomatoes from and keep walking, now wondering where you should eat lunch today. You hear the sound of WROV playing nearby and when you reach Market Square, you stop and look up because this is the image that awaits you:

"Wait... What? That's not in the middle of Downtown Roanoke. Isn't all that Market Building construction making things a mess down there?"

Ah, my dear friend... That is where you are wrong. The Market area is alive and well and summer is here! Haley Toyota's City Market Saturdays is in full swing and today we have a climbing wall (sponsored by Roanoke Outside... they are pretty awesome you should check out their website to find out more about what they do). It'll be set up from 11:00am-2:30pm TODAY and it's FREE!

Today The Dancing Chicken (also known as The Muffin Man) has a special treat... he brought one of his Polish Hens to the Market for everyone to check out! This breed of chicken is known for its unique crest of feathers.

You never know what you will find down here.

Did you know...?

2011-05-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know the Campbell Court Transportation Center (17-31 West Campbell Avenue) is located just a block away from the Historic Roanoke City Market? The terminal serves as a central hub for easy transfer onto Valley Metro buses or other modes of transportation.

If you visit the General Route Info page on Valley Metro's website, they make it easy to find out exactly what bus to get on and which route is right for you! You can view the schedules for more detail- just look for the best way to get to Campbell Court. Once you've arrived, you're just a short stroll away from the Market!

Also, don't forget about the Star Line Trolley! The trolley provides FREE transportation within the core of Downtown and the surrounding areas.

These are just a few of the options you have when planning your trip to the City Market. Despite popular belief, there are other ways to get around (aside from a single occupancy vehicle). That's right- I know it's a shock... but repeat after me: I AM NOT A SLAVE TO MY CAR.

Stay tuned for more of these revolutionary ideas (buses... trolleys... bicycles... walking... it's MADNESS).