Portland Farmers Market: August 9th, 2006 - MELON MADNESS & CORN ROAST

Whether you eat it on the cob, canned, or frozen, corn rates as a good source of potassium and a fair source of fiber, folic acid, niacin, phosphorus, and magnesium. Folic acid is a player in preventing heart attacks and may help prevent or stall dementias such as Alzheimer’s Disease. Phosphorus is important for calcium and Vitamin D regulation and magnesium is a component in more than 300 metabolic functions in our bodies. One medium cob or 1/2 cup of cooked corn has about the same amount of calories and carbohydrates as a slice of bread. It is also low in fat and sodium.

Information
provided by:

The Portland Clinic

Corn Tips

How to Select
Make sure the husks are green, tight and fresh looking. Pull the husk open to make sure that the ear contains tightly packed rows of plump kernels. The kernels should be smaller at the tip of each ear. Large kernels at the tip is a sign of over-maturity. If you pinch a kernel, milky juice should spurt out. Corn should be stored in a cool area. Warmth causes the sugar content of corn to be converted into starch. This process will cause the ears to become less sweet.

Storage
If the corn is not cooked shortly after it is purchased, then it should be stored in refrigerator. Refrigeration helps the corn retain its sugar and vitamin C content. If you buy unhusked corn, keep it in its husk until you are ready to cook it. This will help the corn retain its moisture content. To fully enjoy the great taste of sweet corn, cook it as soon as possible. The sooner the better is a good "rule of thumb."

This seasonal salad only takes a few minutes to prepare. You can use dark balsamic vinegar in place of the white, though the salad won’t look as pretty.

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup basil leaves
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced Vidalia or sweet onion
1 cup fresh white corn kernels (about 2 ears)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl; stir well, and set aside. Combine basil and remaining ingredients; toss well.
Drizzle vinegar mixture over salad and toss gently.
Yield: 4 servings

CALORIES 89 (32% from fat);
FAT 3.2g (satfat 0.4g, monofat 1.9g, polyfat 0.6g);
PROTEIN 2.3g;
CARBOHYDRATE 15.5g;
FIBER 2.9g;
CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg;
IRON 0.7mg;
SODIUM 52mg;
CALCIUM 17mg.

Cooking Light, JUNE 1997

Too much to carry? We have a simple solution - just drop your purchases off at the PFM Information Booth. We will store your goodies and give you a claim ticket. When you are ready, just drive up to the Veggie Valet location and one of the market volunteers will help you load your purchases into your car.

The Veggie Valet and PFM Information Booth can be found at the following locations:

Saturdays at PSU
NW corner of the market

Wednesdays Downtown
NE corner of the market

Thursday at Ecotrust
SE corner of the market

Thursday at Eastbank
NE corner of the market

THANK YOU 2006
SEASONS SPONSORS:

What says summer more than a slice of mouth-watering local melon or just picked corn-on-the-cob roasted in its husk? We’ll have plenty of both on hand for the Melon Madness & Corn Roast festivals at the Thursday farmers’ markets.

Pick-up a coupon with a $5 minimum purchase from any of the evenings vendors and you can sample a wide range of local melons and nosh on sweet corn grilled at the market.

Carve a zucchini hot-rod or carrot Cadillac and compete in the Veggie Mobile Derby. You may take home a PRIZE!

Chef demonstrations:

Eastbank: New Seasons Market chefs
5 p.m. The dynamic duo of Matthew Bussetto and Matt Johnson
6 p.m. The excellent Paul Ornstein

Live music will add to the festivities!

“Hayat” is a Turkish word meaning New Life. The Meskhetian Turks are political refugees who arrived in Portland in late 2005 from Russia. Farming is in the blood of the four extended families that comprise Hayat Farm. These farmers grew produce in Russia for 16 years, and are now farming five acres at Malinowski Farm, which is certified organic by Oregon Tilth. The farm is located approximately six miles west of downtown Portland near Beaverton.

Mercy Corps Northwest is sponsoring this effort and is assisting with their relocation by providing business training, start-up supplies, a range of market connections and a matched savings program to assist their efforts next growing season. The refugee families hope to make farming a full-time job in the future in order to support themselves and their families and become a part of the region’s farming community.

If you’d like to support Hayat Farm you can purchase their organic produce at the Portland Farmers Market on Thursdays and on Saturdays starting in late August.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10th
5:00 pm - Michael Abelman at the Ecotrust Market
with chef: Cory Schreiber, Wildwood Restaurant

Michael Ableman, is a farmer, photographer and author of Fields of Plenty: A farmer's journey in search of real food and the people who grow it. He is the founder of Fairview Gardens, an education center and working organic farm in southern California that has become an international model for small scale urban agriculture. Michael currently lives and farms on an island in British Columbia with his wife and two sons.

Michael will be joined by Cory Schreiber nationally recognized chef, cookbook author and local food movement pioneer.

6:00 - Chef in the Market Scott Dolich, Park Kitchen

As well as running an excellent restaurant and being an award winning chef, Scott is a strong local food advocate and Portland Farmers Market Board member.

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 19th
Market Move

The Saturday market at PSU will move south on 8/19 to make way for PSU graduation ceremonies. The market is not going far - just sliding south two blocks. You can find us in the Park Blocks, between SW Hall and Jackson streets. The following week we will be back in our normal location. We realize this is an inconvenience for our customers (and vendors) and thank you in advance for patience and continued support.

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL SCHEDULE OF AUGUST SPECIAL EVENTS www.portlandfarmersmarket.org/?sm=festivals

Country Charm Farm Tour is presented by a group of like-minded small scale farms in southwest Washington working together to promote sustainable agriculture by providing educational opportunities for city folks. The 2006 tour dates are:

AUGUST 19 and 20
SEPTEMBER 16 and 17
Visit www.countrycharmtour.com for complete details.

It’s simple to take part in the challenge –
just commit to the following for at least one week:

• Spend 10% of your grocery budget on local food –
food grown within a 100-mile radius of Portland

• Try one new fruit or vegetable each day

• Preserve food to enjoy later in the year

Participants interested in testing their mettle against the ever increasing industrialized food system can head to Ecotrust’s Food and Farm Program sponsored website, www.eatlocal.net, for sustenance during their week-long challenge. The site offers bite-sized pieces of information on how to best stick to an eat local routine, including farmers markets schedules, a chart showing when locally grown products are available, links to u-pick farms, food preservation information and more. Use the Eat Local Challenge Scorecard posted on the program’s website to track your progress.

Governor Kulongoski recently proclaimed August 6-12, 2006 as FARMERS MARKET WEEK, recognizing the outstanding achievements of Oregon's 78 farmers' markets. (The number of markets in Oregon has doubled in the past 10 years.) Our markets serve over 90,000 customers each week during the season and provide substantial income for over 1,000 family-owned farms. To learn more farmer's markets across the state visit: www.OregonFarmersMarkets.org.