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North Country Kitchen, by Yvona Fast

Garlic scapes

I bought garlic scapes at the Farmers’ Market last Saturday. Many shoppers are still unfamiliar with this relative newcomer to American cuisine. However, these hardneck garlic flower stalks are common in Chinese and Korean cuisines. Curling as they grow, they make one or two graceful loops ...

Things to do with lettuce

Right now, our farmers’ market offers abundant fresh greens and many types of lettuce. Lettuce salads make a light, nourishing and tasty lunch or supper on hot June days. Four main types of lettuce include crisphead, butterhead, romaine and looseleaf. There are many varieties among these, ...

Strawberry season is here

It’s time for Strawberries! At last Saturday’s Farmers’ Market, I bought strawberries. Surprise! They were red all the way through. Delicious. Fragrant. Sweet. Fresh. No resemblance to those white berries from the supermarket. Delicious. On Tuesday, the strawberry full moon was low ...

Kohlrabi, the ‘turnip-cabbage’

I bought some kohlrabi last Saturday at our farmers’ market. I was surprised to find kohlrabi this early in the season — but this hardy vegetable can be left in the ground when frost hits and harvested in the spring. I’m acquainted with kohlrabi from my European roots, but many ...

The scoop on komatsuna

At the farmers’ market, I encountered a vegetable I was unfamiliar with. Komatsuna, a Japanese leafy green, is one of the earliest vegetables available because it is very fast-growing. In more moderate climates than ours, it can be grown year-round and is more heat and cold-tolerant than ...

First farmers’ market of the season

The first Farmer’s Market of 2025 was damp and chilly, with threatening thunderstorms. The weather kept some of the regular shoppers away. It was good to see old familiar faces again. A few were missing. Blue Pepper Farm wasn’t there with their delicious sheep yogurt. There were some new ...