Nampa Market

Read past Pollination Moments including an essay about spinach varieties, and check out our recipes and links to nutrition information.

Naturally, with a name like Pollinator Paradise, I would bee the one to point out to everyone that this week, June 22 – 28, is the second annual National Pollinator Week. The Pollination Partnership web http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2008.htm has information about pollinators and National Pollinator Week. The Fish and Wildlife Service has a series of podcasts at http://www.fws.gov/pollinators

Why are pollinators important, and why should we, who enjoy local produce, care about pollinators?

If you are thinking honey, that’s a good start. But pollinators are far more important than that. One third of the food that we eat depends on pollinators, particularly bees (but also butterflies and moths, flies, wasps, beetles, hummingbirds, bats, and others). Most of our fruits (including cherries and strawberries, currently at local markets), and many vegetables that are actually fruits (peas, squash, beans) depend on pollination. Even leafy produce such as lettuce, spinach, radishes, turnips, broccoli, etc. don’t need pollination for the crop itself, but do require pollination to produce the seed that is needed to grow the crop. Even dairy products and meat depend on pollination because seed for alfalfa and other forage crops depend on pollinators.

This week at my market booth I’ll have some handouts on pollination, including the Pollinator Partnerships handout on “Pollinator Friendly Meal Ideas” and suggestions for gardeners for attracting pollinators. Here are some websites that have more information:

The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign: http://www.nappc.org/
The Pollinator Partnership: http://www.pollinator.org/index.html
The Xerces Society: http://www.xerces.org/home.htm
The Urban Bee Project: http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/index_research.html
US Forrest Service “Celebrating Wildflower” web pages include lots of pollinator information: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/index.shtml
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/index.shtml
The Great Sunflower Project, (San Francisco State University)

I will be at the Caldwell Farmers’ Market and the Nampa Farmers’ Market this week with:

Lots of head lettuces, including romaine, bibb, green and red leaf lettuces, Anuenue (a summer crisp lettuce that seems to be a cross between bibb and iceberg), and a gorgeous red summer crisp lettuce called Cherokee.

Salad mix.

Spinach – just about the last of it, so now is the last time to use fresh local spinach in quiche, omelets, crepes, salad or whatever you fancy.

Stir fry greens, including red and white turnip greens, mustard greens, bok choi, orach and a few snow peas. The greens are also available individually. Not the snow peas, however.

We have so many turnips and turnip greens that I’m offering a special deal on them. Fill a big bag for $1.00. I have scarlet, yellow, and white turnips with large greens.

The small sweet salad turnips are available separately.

bok choi, colorful carrots

cilantro, dill, rosemary, sage

Verdolaga (purslane)

We didn’t have time to pick strawberries this week. Sorry. If you are interested in arugula or snow peas, Sharon Johnson will have them. Lori Goettsche will have radishes, peas, and chiogga beets. Both Sharon and Lori have chard. This will be a great week to compare a diversity of greens.

Do you know which of these crops need pollinators, and which don’t? Let me know what you think.

Chef at the Market is Shelli Shear. She will cook from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Shelli is half of the Rockin’ Rudy’s Barbecue Sauce team with her husband Bryce. She will prepare Island Paradise BBQ Chicken. See the recipe in Friday’s Idaho Press Tribune.

Remember to bring a cooler when you come to market if you plan to purchase produce, and won't be headed home right away. Come early for the best selection. Bring your friends!

Show up at the market without enough cash? Many people don’t realize that the Nampa Farmers’ Market takes credit cards. Bring your master card, visa or
American Express card to the market manager’s booth and purchase wooden market tokens, which can be used for your purchases at most vendor booths. Also at the market booth, you can get a large ecologically friendly canvas shopping bag with our market logo and tee shirts with the market logo in a variety of colors. Plus you can sign up for our monthly gift basket drawing again this year.

The market is located in Historic Downtown Nampa, on 12^th Ave. between 1^st St. and Front St., in front of the old railroad station/historical museum. The market takes place every Saturday from 9am until 1pm, rain or shine, through October 27. Check out the Market web site for more information: www.nampafarmersmarket.com

Below are photos and descriptions of some of the items that we had for sale previous seasons. We hope to have the same or similar produce during the 2005 season. If there is something that you could not find at our market last season and would like to have available this season, let us know. We'll consider growing it, or will suggest it to the other vendors. Sometimes it's a matter of coming during the appropriate week, since some produce has a short season. If we know of your interest, we may be able to contact you when your favorite produce is in season.

Pollinator Paradise at Nampa Farmers' Market
			Pollinator Paradise sells produce at Nampa and Caldwell Farmers' Markets and by special order. The Nampa Farmers' Market is held Saturday mornings on 12th Ave. between 1st St. and Front, in downtown Nampa, Idaho. Hours are 9am to 1pm. The 2008 Market Season runs from April 26 until Oct. 25. Our booth is at the entrance to the west parking lot off 12th St. near Front St. Look for the banner with the leafcutting bee. The Caldwell Farmers' Market is held Wednesday evenings at Serenity Park, 12th and Dearborn next to the Caldwell Library, 5:00pm - 8:00pm. We will be at the Caldwell Market starting June 18. Occasionally we also sell at the Middleton Farmers' Market, Thursdays, 4:30 - 7:30pm, in the Ridley parking lot. Produce can also be delivered in the Parma area on special order. Contact us by phone to arrange delivery: 722-7808.
Read past Pollination Moments including an essay about spinach varieties, and check out our recipes and links to nutrition information. From other farmers' markets, read "The Hows and Wise" of shopping at the market, and a slide show on farmers market shopping and food safety. Naturally, with a name like Pollinator Paradise, I would bee the one to point out to everyone that this week, June 22 – 28, is the second annual National Pollinator Week. The Pollination Partnership web http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2008.htm has information about pollinators and National Pollinator Week. The Fish and Wildlife Service has a series of podcasts at http://www.fws.gov/pollinators Why are pollinators important, and why should we, who enjoy local produce, care about pollinators? If you are thinking honey, that’s a good start. But pollinators are far more important than that. One third of the food that we eat depends on pollinators, particularly bees (but also butterflies and moths, flies, wasps, beetles, hummingbirds, bats, and others). Most of our fruits (including cherries and strawberries, currently at local markets), and many vegetables that are actually fruits (peas, squash, beans) depend on pollination. Even leafy produce such as lettuce, spinach, radishes, turnips, broccoli, etc. don’t need pollination for the crop itself, but do require pollination to produce the seed that is needed to grow the crop. Even dairy products and meat depend on pollination because seed for alfalfa and other forage crops depend on pollinators. This week at my market booth I’ll have some handouts on pollination, including the Pollinator Partnerships handout on “Pollinator Friendly Meal Ideas” and suggestions for gardeners for attracting pollinators. Here are some websites that have more information: The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign: http://www.nappc.org/ The Pollinator Partnership: http://www.pollinator.org/index.html The Xerces Society: http://www.xerces.org/home.htm The Urban Bee Project: http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/index_research.html US Forrest Service “Celebrating Wildflower” web pages include lots of pollinator information: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/index.shtml http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/index.shtml The Great Sunflower Project, (San Francisco State University) I will be at the Caldwell Farmers’ Market and the Nampa Farmers’ Market this week with: Lots of head lettuces, including romaine, bibb, green and red leaf lettuces, Anuenue (a summer crisp lettuce that seems to be a cross between bibb and iceberg), and a gorgeous red summer crisp lettuce called Cherokee. Salad mix. Spinach – just about the last of it, so now is the last time to use fresh local spinach in quiche, omelets, crepes, salad or whatever you fancy. Stir fry greens, including red and white turnip greens, mustard greens, bok choi, orach and a few snow peas. The greens are also available individually. Not the snow peas, however. We have so many turnips and turnip greens that I’m offering a special deal on them. Fill a big bag for $1.00. I have scarlet, yellow, and white turnips with large greens. The small sweet salad turnips are available separately. bok choi, colorful carrots cilantro, dill, rosemary, sage Verdolaga (purslane) We didn’t have time to pick strawberries this week. Sorry. If you are interested in arugula or snow peas, Sharon Johnson will have them. Lori Goettsche will have radishes, peas, and chiogga beets. Both Sharon and Lori have chard. This will be a great week to compare a diversity of greens. Do you know which of these crops need pollinators, and which don’t? Let me know what you think. Chef at the Market is Shelli Shear. She will cook from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Shelli is half of the Rockin’ Rudy’s Barbecue Sauce team with her husband Bryce. She will prepare Island Paradise BBQ Chicken. See the recipe in Friday’s Idaho Press Tribune. Remember to bring a cooler when you come to market if you plan to purchase produce, and won't be headed home right away. Come early for the best selection. Bring your friends! Show up at the market without enough cash? Many people don’t realize that the Nampa Farmers’ Market takes credit cards. Bring your master card, visa or American Express card to the market manager’s booth and purchase wooden market tokens, which can be used for your purchases at most vendor booths. Also at the market booth, you can get a large ecologically friendly canvas shopping bag with our market logo and tee shirts with the market logo in a variety of colors. Plus you can sign up for our monthly gift basket drawing again this year. The market is located in Historic Downtown Nampa, on 12^th Ave. between 1^st St. and Front St., in front of the old railroad station/historical museum. The market takes place every Saturday from 9am until 1pm, rain or shine, through October 27. Check out the Market web site for more information: www.nampafarmersmarket.com Below are photos and descriptions of some of the items that we had for sale previous seasons. We hope to have the same or similar produce during the 2005 season. If there is something that you could not find at our market last season and would like to have available this season, let us know. We'll consider growing it, or will suggest it to the other vendors. Sometimes it's a matter of coming during the appropriate week, since some produce has a short season. If we know of your interest, we may be able to contact you when your favorite produce is in season.
Spring Crops			click on photo to see a larger image.
Hand crafted Salad Mix - of about 9 different lettuce varieties, including buttercrunch, black seeded simpson, red sails, and heirlooms such as freckles, speckles, rouge d'hiver, red oak-leaf, and others. Depending on availability it may also include some baby spinach leaves, and a little tat tsai and other mild unusual greens. I make it no more than 48 hours before it goes on sale, and it lasts for about two weeks.
Head and leaf lettuces - I sell head lettuces in late spring, in addition to salad mix. Heads are washed, but the leaves may still have some soil and an occasional earwig, because I use no pesticides. Right: Red Iceberg. Below from right: Jericho Romaine, Speckles, Slowbolt Simpson type, Buttercrunch.

arugula a spicy green with a nutty, radish-like flavor. Tear it up and add it to salads for pizzazz, or use it alone in a salad with fruit and toasted nuts to tone down the heat. It can also be used in cooking like spinach. I usually sell small and large bags at a fraction of the grocery store cost.			Arugula salad
Washed Spinach, with little stem. Several varieties are usually available, including semi-savoyed and smooth leaves, and oriental types. They are great for cooking, or tear them up in a salad or add to a sandwich. Very healthy!
Other spring crops include, red mustard greens, kale, pak choi, tah tsai, and purple mountain spinach (orach). Sometimes I put together stir fry mix with a variety of these greens. Also available is fresh cilantro, rosemary, and tarragon. Pictured: Red mustard greens
Late Season Crops (Generally available no earlier than August through frost.)			click on photo to see a larger image.
French Filet Bean Medley: French Filet beans, yellow wax beans, and burgundy beans. The burgundy beans turn green when they are cooked. Beans are harvested two or three times a week so they are very tender. Steam for about 5 minutes, until the burgundy beans turn green, and add a bit of butter, pesto, rosemary, or just eat them plain.
Roma Bean Medley These are flat, Italian beans, a bit meatier than snap beans. They are particularly good with pasta dishes. The medley contains green and dragon's tongue, a pale yellow pod with purple speckles. When cooked, the Dragon's tongue loose their purple and turn pale yellow. Cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces and steam until the burgundy color fades. (burgundy varieties not available in 2005)
Summer Squash - Picked daily so they stay small. Some elongate zucchini varieites, including sungreen, raven, butterstick and zephyr. Patty Pan types include Peter Pan, early white, sunburst, starship, papaya pear, flying saucer. Also Geode and Eight-ball, light and dark green round zucchini. New: Read about our 2006 Summer Squash Research Project: Harvest Frequency, Yield, and Economics of Summer Squash
Basket of mini squash, with a mixture of varieties. Summer quash are great steamed, sautéed, or grilled with or without herbs. Or sauté with eggplant, tomatoes and herbs in ratatoulli.
Fresh Edamame, the Japanese snack, is high in protein, lower in fat than peanuts, and high in isoflavones, which help prevent cancer and the symptoms of menopause. Boil the pods in salted water for 5 minutes, then drain and cool. Then pop the beans out of the pod and eat. The pods are compost, like peanut shells. These are small bags, about 4 oz. Larger bags are available during peak seasonl
Cherry tomato medleys: Varieties include Sungold (bright orange when ripest), yellow pear, white currant, gold nugget, large red cherry, and red and green grape tomatoes. These look great in a salad, or eat them like candy right out of the basket.
Tomatillos I grow traditional large green tomatillos, as well as purple de milpa and pineapple tomatillos. They are great in salsa and chutney, or cut them up and put them raw in a salad.			Green tomatillo salsa
Lemon Cucumbers - shaped like lemons but taste like cucumbers -always sweet and juicy, never bitter. I pick them small before the seeds take over. and Orient Express Cucumbers - thin and crisp, few seeds.			no photo available
Eggplant, including white "Snowy", "Lilac Touch", the thin pale purple "Bride", and green "Italian White". Ratatouille is our favorite dish with eggplant. Eggplant can also be baked, and the pulp mixed with tahini and herbs to make baba ghanouj (pronounced baba ganoosh), a Middle Eastern spread that is used for dipping pieces of pita.
sweet peppers, and cayenne peppers. These generally aren't ready for sale until September.			Jacque Scott's roasted peppers
fresh basil: Genovese, lemon, purple and mammoth.			Pesto season starts in July! Try a Caprese salad.
Italian flat leaf parsley More flavor than curly parsley, very nutritious, low calorie. (not available in 2005)			tomato marinara on pasta Tabouli salad

New: Read about our 2006 Summer Squash Research Project: Harvest Frequency, Yield, and Economics of Summer Squash

Pollinator Paradise at Nampa Farmers' Market

New: Read about our 2006 Summer Squash Research Project:
Harvest Frequency, Yield, and Economics of Summer Squash

Pollinator Paradise
at Nampa Farmers' Market