Zucchini, Anyone?

City Greeners,

If you've been keeping up with our haps you'll know that we're on a zucchini kick. At City Greens these babies end up costing less than $1.50 per pound, and we just want everyone to know what a delicious, versatile food they are. And they're in such abundance in the summer we don't want anyone getting tired of zucchini!

We've already posted a couple zucchini recipes, one for zucchini gratin and another for zucchini parmesan crisps. Well wouldn't you know, it's time for another?!

This recipe is for zucchini pancakes. It's the zucchini bread of the griddle. And this recipe can be jazzed up to fit however you're feeling. Looking for some sweetness? Top like you would with traditional pancakes, and serve with maple syrup or honey. Craving a savory flavor? Try grating some cheese into the batter, mix in spices (oregano, thyme, chives, grated onion, garlic/garlic powder), top with plain Greek yogurt or make a mushroom gravy to pour over them. So many options! This recipe comes to you from AllRecipes.com.

Zucchini Pancakes

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 3/4 cup all-purpose (or wheat) flour
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 teaspoons baking powder

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to 425 to 450 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, add shredded zucchini, and mix well using a fork. Add flour, sugar, salt, and vegetable oil and stir blend well. Finally, add baking powder and mix well using a large spoon. The batter's consistency should be like heavy whipping cream.
3. Spoon batter on hot grill (about 2 tablespoons for each pancake). Cook until there are no longer bubbles forming on the pancakes - about 2 minutes. Then turn over and cook for 2 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Recipe and photo courtesy of AllRecipes.com

...and the zuke recipes continue...

City Greeners,

As the warm weather finally persists, so do the cucurbits. That's right. The plant family that brings you the bounty of cucumbers, zucchini, squash, and melons are growing their massive vines in gardens and farms all over this time of year. While we have yet to see the first harvest of melons, the cucumbers are having their first showings, and squash and zucchini have hit the market. Boy is it summertime!

But as we well know, if we fail to be creative in the kitchen, yellow squash and zucchini can start to get old, especially as sweet neighbors drop off dozens of squash on your doorstep when they think nobody's looking.

Well City Greeners, we want to try to help you through these kitchen conundrums. We've already posted a recipe for zucchini gratin and want to keep this eight ball rolling. So here's another recipe coming to you from FoodNetwork.com.

Ellie Krieger's Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and a few turns of pepper. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisps, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.

 

Recipe and image courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

Camping Locally with CGM Food!

City Greeners,

Thinking of doing something fun for the weekend? Camping is a great way to escape the bustle of the city, and Missouri has a handful of state parks just a quick drive away! The Missouri State Parks website has an easy-to-use reservation system which is great for planning ahead. Many of the state campgrounds have non-reservable sites that are available on a first-come, first-serve basis as well.

If you're new to the camping scene, one of the crucial aspects of planning is making sure you have your meals covered. You can plan out your menu (based on what is in season!) and do some preparations ahead of time. Here's a sample menu for a weekend of camping - City Greens Market style!

Friday night supper: turkey burger made from Buttonwood Farm's ground turkey or a portabella mushroom burger from Ozark Forest Mushrooms (on rolls from Companion Bakery) and grilled asparagus from IISTL's Global Farm

Saturday morning breakfast: Granola from Companion Bakery, small yogurt cups from Windcrest Dairy, strawberries from Dry Dock Farm, and coffee from Stringbean Coffee

Saturday afternoon lunch: PB&J sandwiches! featuring bread from Red Fox Baking (or Companion), peanut butter from Eastwind Nut Butters or Mound City and jam from Hilty's Bee Yards. Serve with a side of Billy Goat Chips!

Saturday night dinner: Pork chops from Patchwork Family Farms or BBQ MOFU tofu with Freddie Lee's Ghetto Sauce (make then into sandwiches with some Companion bread!) and veggie skewers with fresh veggies from Dry Dock Farm.

Sunday morning breakfast: repeat Saturday morning breakfast, but with different flavors of yogurt!

Be sure to bring some bags of Grandma's Nuts and Singing Prairie Farm's pork snack sticks - these both make excellent snacks. Hummus or dip from del Carmen are a great way to spice things up around the campsite, too!

Also, we don't sell ingredients for the classic camping dessert, s'mores, but maybe try a twist on an old favorite - break one of the Angel Baked Cookies in half and use that instead of graham crackers!

If you do have any food that requires preparations, like the veggie skewers, plan ahead! Chop and skewer the veggies ahead of time so all you have to do is stick them on the grill or over the fire. If you're doing burgers, form the patties ahead of time. Marinade pork chops and portabella mushrooms the night before you leave, so those are ready for cookin' too.

Some folks don't like to, but you can chop up veggies and put them in foil packets to put over the fire. Pre-cut potatoes and put them in the hot coals. If you have leftovers, put them in the cooler and save them for breakfast potatoes.

Another tip - if you're planning on having some frozen meat or hummus, plan these for the second night. That way you can pack them in your cooler and use them as ice packs. Likely by the time you're ready to cook with them the evening of the second day, they'll be thawed out and ready for grilling.

Be sure to check City Greens and other local food vendors when doing your shopping, so you can get the most flavorful, freshest, and healthiest foods to make your camping trip outstanding!

See you at the market :)



Photos courtesy of Michelle Erhard.

Bring on the Zucchini Recipes!

City Greeners, it's that time. The summer squash is just starting to hit the shelves, and before you know it your neighbors will be leaving you phantom zucchini deliveries on your doorstep.

While starting preparations for the summer solstice, we thought it might be a good idea to start accumulating zucchini recipes early.

This recipe was sent to us from FoodNetwork.com. You can find zucchini, onions (we have green onions right now!), flour, milk, and cheese (sub the Gruyere for mild white cheddar, gouda, or Havarti) at City Greens. And you can use stale bread from Red Fox Bakery to make the bread crumbs! So here it is:

Ina Garten's Zucchini Gratin

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus a little extra for topping
• 1 pound yellow onions, cut in half and sliced (about 3 large onions)
• 2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 4 zucchini) - can also substitute summer squash!
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (sub whole-wheat for sure!)
• 1 cup hot milk
• 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup grated Gruyere

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) sauté pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 x 10 inch baking dish.
3. Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 Tablespoon butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubby and browned.

 

Happy cooking, and see you at the market, City Greeners!

 

 

Recipe courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

Zucchini photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart

Gratin photo courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

Chill Out!

City Greeners,

Looking for the freshest, most local, naturally-grown lettuce (and other veggies!)? Search no more. Our greens are staying super crisp now that they can CHILL OUT in their new home - a brand new refrigerator!

As you see here, we have lettuce, arugula, spinach, kale, and sorrel staying cool.
We also have some of the other delicious springtime veggies - beets, radishes, green onions, mustard greens, and turnips.

Plus, the start of the summer is upon us! We're seeing the first of the tomatoes, plus we got our first delivery of yellow summer squash and zucchini! Not to mention, fruit is starting to roll in - starting with strawberries!! There're the small, tangy ones, too - perfect to put on biscuits :)


Come on over to City Greens for your local, affordable, St. Louis foodie needs!

See you at the market!

Greens at City Greens

Oh boy, City Greeners.

The growing season is finally in full force! Our farmers have been hard at work making sure that we have the most epic selection for the season.

And by epic, we mean EPIC.

Not only are we seeing the first of the turnips and beets, but we also have radishes, red onions, and tomatoes. Plus chard, kale, pac choi, arugula, spinach, and amaranth.

And the lettuce. Oooooh the lettuce. We have leaf lettuce, miner's lettuce, fozzy lettuce, green romaine, blonde lettuce, red lettuce, and red romaine lettuce. It's all beautiful and it's all delicious.

 

Arguably the best part? Strawberries are here!!

We're open every week 10am-6pm Tuesday thru Friday and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.

See you at the market!

Happy Hour This Week!

City Greeners who come every week very well know we've had a lot going on.

The Grand Opening was a huge success! It was a beautiful day and we had community members speaking about the market, a ribbon cutting, lots of (delicious!) samples, and lots of shoppers in attendance. Thanks to all who came out and showed their City Greens love!

 

 

We've gotten in some new products, including lard, sliced deli ham (comes frozen), and pork snack sticks, all from beautiful Singing Prairie Farm, home of John, Holly, and family. Plus we have a few different whole-bean roasts from Stringbean Coffee (regular and decaf available!), roasted by Pete in super small batches. Also new to our shelves are Billy Goat Chips which come in original and kicker (a little spicy!) and in three sizes for your snacking needs. We're now carrying MOFU, Missouri tofu that's hand crafted in small batches, made from non-GMO, Missouri soybeans. We're also starting to get deliveries Wednesday and Friday afternoons from Red Fox Baking of fresh artisan loaves of bread. Finally, Buzz Broz Balm is now on our shelves, too! Luke and his brother have bee hives in Maplewood and Hermann, MO. Their lip balm goes on really smooth and there are great flavors!

 

Stay tuned for more info about that happenings at City Greens Market!