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If you've been perplexed by this vegetable at the Market, don't worry - you're not the only one confused. Broccoli raab and rapini are just two of the names for this assertively flavored vegetable. (Broccoli rabe, rapa, Chinese broccoli, Italian turnip… where does it end?!) While distinct from broccoli, raab is also a member of the brassica family, along with kale, turnips, cauliflower & many others. When shopping for this green, avoid leaves that are wilted or have yellow patches.

Very popular with both Chinese and Mediterranean cooks, rapini is loaded with potassium, and vitamins A, C and K. It’s also very easy to prepare -- simply sauté rapini with garlic, salt and pepper for a weeknight side dish. Or, try the classic Italian preparation, braising it in olive oil and flavoring it with garlic, anchovies and breadcrumbs.












 

The 16th season of the Portland Farmers Market continues to unfurl with the opening of the downtown mid-week market on Wednesday, May 2. Stop by between the hours of 10am-2pm each Wednesday through October 31 and peruse, nibble and shop the aisles of local produce, flowers, nursery stock and baked goods, set up along the Park Blocks at Shemanski Park between SW Salmon and Main Streets.

Join us at 10am on opening day when City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, along with Betty Berry and Carrot Top, ring the opening bell and dish-up slices of carrot cake (while supplies last).



Chef in the Market is a longstanding tradition at the Portland Farmers Market. Each week, a Portland-area chef shares his or her culinary expertise using fresh-picked produce, meats and fish from the market vendors to create dishes that market shoppers can duplicate at home. Join us at 10am each Saturday at the PSU market or on festival evenings at the Eastbank and Ecotrust markets.

The 2007 Chef in the Market program is generously sponsored by New Seasons Market; a longtime PFM supporter. New Seasons Market is a locally owned chain of grocery stores committed to sourcing local products and actively engaging in each community where they do business. For more information go to www.newseasonsmarket.com.



For a schedule of upcoming Chef in the Market demos go to
www.portlandfarmersmarket.org



Scott Dolich is at home in the kitchen – his professional kitchen at Park Kitchen where he cooks up Pacific Northwest inspired cuisine, and the outdoor kitchen that houses the Chef in the Market program at the Portland Farmers Market. He has no shortage of superlatives when it comes to his experience as a Chef in the Market.




Gray Nieland, the smile behind the Spunky Monkey coffee cart on Saturday, brings his caffeine-pumping operation to our Wednesday market beginning opening day 5/2.

Bison, elk and buffalo vendor, Pine Mountain Ranch, joins us at the Wednesday market. Mid-week meat eating will never be the same! For more information about our buffalo vendor from Bend, visit their website at www.pmrbuffalo.com.

Where is Shepherd’s Grain with their garbanzos, lentils and flour? They’ll return 5/5 for an appearance, and we will keep you posted on their schedule as it firms up. If your grain craving gets the better of you, you can special order your beans through their local rep, Mark Bulka, via email: mark_bulka@fsafood.com. For more information about the wonders of fresh grains and this unique farm venture, visit www.shepherdsgrain.com.

How’s your spring planting?

Your last chance to enjoy nursery stock from Amber Hill Nursery (at the market) is 5/12, amberhillnursery.com. Garden Color’s last market with his hardy perennials is also 5/12. Enjoy Maple Valley Nursery, grower of beautiful Japanese Maples, at Wednesday’s opening.

Westwind Gardens will be at the market until mid-June, with their amazing array of certified organic vegetable starts for your garden (including the sought-after garden green for 2007- arugula).

For your medicinal garden, Mostly Medicinals grows all types of herbs and will be selling on Saturdays through the end of June. Visit their website www.mostlymedicinals.com.

French Prairie Perennials will be at the Saturday market all season with beautiful shrubs, trees and unusual perennials!

In addition, many vendors carry heirloom tomato and other veggie starts including: Loibl Farm, Gardenripe www.gardenripe.com, Rainyway, Pitkin-Winterrowd Farm, Spring Hill Farm and Vicki’s @ Sungold Farm www.sungoldfarm.com.

We’ll have to wait for 2008 for the return of Western Oregon Organic Farm’s succulents and starts, Laurel Valley’s parrot tulips www.laurelvalleyfarm.com, and PDH Nursery’s ornamentals.

Saturday Vendors Moving to Mid-Week Markets
As our growing season progresses, some of our Saturday April vendors will move to mid-week markets:
Nonna’s Noodles (Thursdays at Ecotrust) pasta
Sweetpea Baking Co. (Wednesdays in May) www.sweetpeabaking.com
The Crabapple Co. (Wednesdays in May, Thursdays at Ecotrust) dips and spreads
Two Tarts (Wednesdays in May, Thursdays at Ecotrust) artisan miniature cookies
Zuppa (Thursdays at Ecotrust) www.zuppasoups.com

Please understand that the business of farming is subject to the elements. This information was current at the time of press but - just like the weather, is subject to change!


Carlo Petrini, Slow Food International president and founder, will speak to a Portland audience on how we can change “From Fast Food Nation to Slow Food Nation” at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Tuesday, May 8, from 7:30-9pm.This event is open to the public and is free, but tickets are required. Please send an e-mail to sawardlecture@kpchr.org with your name, mailing address and number of tickets requested or call 503-335-2466.

Petrini will challenge his Portland audience to change the paradigm of the United States’ industrialized food system that has helped to create an obesity epidemic that threatens to overwhelm our health care system. Listen to Petrini share his views on how we can move from being a fast food nation to slow food nation by reforming the way food is grown, transported, prepared and eaten.

To learn more about Carlo Petrini and the Slow Food Movement he helped create in 1986, please go to www.slowfood.com