Crazy for cauliflower

The cauliflower at the Caradonna Farm tent is hard to miss these days: it comes in three colors, neon purple, pumpkin orange and creamy white and each head is as big as a basketball.

One head could easily stretch over two meals and recipes. Use half of your cauliflower for this Alison Roman recipe for cauliflower steak with feta and garlic. And the other half to make these cauliflower apple fritters with mixed greens, which make the most of what’s in season right now, from apples to arugula and the last of the cherry tomatoes.

Or, with the temperatures taking a noticeable dip this week, make this carrot and cauliflower soup, which is not only delicious but is a pretty pumpkin orange—perfect for an October weeknight.

Speaking of orange, Fresh Meadow Farm will be absent this week, but Titusville Farm

known for its beautiful organic produce and sunny orange tents will be filling in for them. You may know them from our sister Irvington, Hastings and Pelham markets. Please give them a warm welcome! Fresh Meadow will be back next week!

Craving protein and a real steak instead of a cauliflower steak? Pick up some flank steak or rib-eyes from R&M Farm or Le Roux Trading Co. and serve with a side of wilted Titusville Swiss chard or kale—and maybe some cauliflower-potato mash.

Speaking of protein: R&M has something new up their sleeve. They now carry ground beef with organ meat—aka, the “ancestral blend”! It’s exactly what it sounds like: high-quality ground beef with heart and liver mixed right in, the way people ate for most of human history before we got squeamish about offal. Organ meats are some of the most nutrient-dense foods around, and Ryan says you can’t even taste them! So if you’ve ever been curious about eating more nose-to-tail but haven’t been sure where to start, now's your chance. Try some on your next burger night, and don’t forget the side of Doc Pickles gherkins and slicing tomatoes and gem lettuce from Obercreek.

We have a new sourdough bakery joining us this week: Lagomberry Bakery. Based in New Windsor, this small bakery gets RAVE reviews for its earthy, homespun sourdough loaves and for their exquisite rye bread. They use locally stone-milled grains exclusively. We LOVE that. 

How many apple varieties will Mead Orchards be bringing this week? 14 to be exact! They are: Cortland, Crimson Crisp, Empire, Gala, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, King of the Pippins, Macintosh, Macoun, Pomme Gris, Shizuka and SnapDragon plus, two new varieties: Ludacrisp apples which tend to be quite sweet and crisp with a unique tropical fruity flavor and, Sweet Zingers which are firm and crisp with distinct citrus floral flavor. They get their name from the “zing” they deliver at the end of each bite. Both are good for baking and eating out of hand. Speaking of apples...La Petite Occasion will have both cider caramels and caramel apples this week!

Also, Italian plums are still making it to the market so if you thought you'd missed your chance this season to make Marion Burros' famous plum torte you're in luck!

See you at the market