Saturday means the Farmer's Market. I am always amazed by the great quality of produce here in Eugene (though I would love to see a larger and cheaper selection of veggies used in the various Asian cuisines). My only complaint is the cost. Part of the reason why I started taking trips to the Sacramento Farmer's Market was that the goods and produce were a lot less expensive than at the local Safeway store. Any type of squash - $1/lb, Herbs $1/huge bunch, etc. Here, they same produce costs anywhere between two to three times as much. In fact, the expensive "high end" Whole Foods/Market of Choice type grocery stores price on point (or cheaper) than most of the farmers. That being said, the produce at the farmer's market tends to be a bit fresher, and it can be fun to interface with the individuals that produce what you eat. Below is the price board for Sweet Leaf farms which represents about what you'll expect to pay at any stall in Eugene.
The quality is amazing, but when you have to pay so much for the ingredients, it really stifles one's ability to experiment. For example- paying $7 for a bunch of asparagus when they're in season is absurd. Now, I highly doubt that these prices are a reflection of greedy farmers collusively setting a price floor to gouge the common Eugenian. But it makes me wonder why food in Oregon in general, one of the most fertile places on earth, just seems so much more expensive than any other place I have lived. Maybe it's simply that Eugene's population cannot support the larger market of farmers to increase food supply and thereby drive down the price? I don't know. My favorite thing used to be to pick up some veggies I had never used before (i.e. a japanese eggplants, a bunch of long beans, or Chinese broccoli - gai lan) and just try to cook with them in different ways. Worst case scenario- you didn't like what you made/bought and you were out a $1. At the market today, there was one vendor selling gai lan, and it was $3 for effectively a single portion.
Despite my griping, I picked up an oz of winter chanterelles and a huge bunch of collards from Lost Creek each for $2.50. I then hit up the Kiva to pick up some remaining supplies and see what kind of produce they had available. They had some tasty looking heirloom tomatoes, so I picked one up for lunch. I was hoping some chicken breasts I put in the fridge last night had defrosted, but they were still rock hard. Consequently, the protein component of lunch was covered by 2 duck eggs. I ended up eating 2 scoops of the Zucchini side from last night, topped with the tomatoes and a little olive oil and red wine vinegar, some spring greens, and the two eggs.
Today I also picked up a microwave, bringing me one step closer to having a complete apartment. Now I don't have to cringe about creating an extra mess of pots and pans when I want to reheat leftovers.
The game plan for tonight is to change it up and cook with some Chinese flavor. I picked up some soy sauce, sambal paste, ginger, and scallions from Kiva, and still have some Napa cabbage and other assorted veggies in the fridge.
What I ate today:
Breakfast:
- Double Cafe Mam "Breakfast Mix" espresso (starting to really like coffee)
- 2 duck eggs - hit with some of my favorite Mexican hot sauce - Tapatia
- 1 smoked pork chop
Lunch:
- Double Cafe Mam espresso
- 2 duck eggs
- 1 medium heirloom tomato- I think it was a brandywine but hard to tell
- handful of mixed spring veggies
- 2 cups Green veggie side
Update:
I started marinating some chicken thighs in soy, sambal, garlic, scallion, rice vinegar, ginger, and Shaoxing Rice Wine. I am going to let them marinate overnight and cook them tomorrow. I used a similar flavor combination to make a stir fry. Ground beef, firm tofu, napa cabbage, carrots, etc. Finished with some siracha and green onion. Would have been nice to have my wok, but worked ok in my dutch oven. I have found there are two keys when making a stir fry:
First, it is important to understand the relative cooking times of the ingredients. A lot of people just throw everything in at once - which invariably results in over-cooked/under-cooked items, or just a mass of overcooked mush. Its also good to mix up textures and colors to make it interesting.
Second, it is important to cook out most of the liquid that accumulates as everything in the pot or wok starts to break down. The last thing you want is a soupy stir fry- especially since most of vegetables' nutrients will be contained in that liquid. I normally try to push everything in the pot to one side, flip the burner on high, and tilt to the opposite side so that liquid can reduce. Eventually it starts to darken as most of moisture evaporates, and at that point I combine the reduced sauce back in with the rest of the ingredients.
The quality is amazing, but when you have to pay so much for the ingredients, it really stifles one's ability to experiment. For example- paying $7 for a bunch of asparagus when they're in season is absurd. Now, I highly doubt that these prices are a reflection of greedy farmers collusively setting a price floor to gouge the common Eugenian. But it makes me wonder why food in Oregon in general, one of the most fertile places on earth, just seems so much more expensive than any other place I have lived. Maybe it's simply that Eugene's population cannot support the larger market of farmers to increase food supply and thereby drive down the price? I don't know. My favorite thing used to be to pick up some veggies I had never used before (i.e. a japanese eggplants, a bunch of long beans, or Chinese broccoli - gai lan) and just try to cook with them in different ways. Worst case scenario- you didn't like what you made/bought and you were out a $1. At the market today, there was one vendor selling gai lan, and it was $3 for effectively a single portion.
Despite my griping, I picked up an oz of winter chanterelles and a huge bunch of collards from Lost Creek each for $2.50. I then hit up the Kiva to pick up some remaining supplies and see what kind of produce they had available. They had some tasty looking heirloom tomatoes, so I picked one up for lunch. I was hoping some chicken breasts I put in the fridge last night had defrosted, but they were still rock hard. Consequently, the protein component of lunch was covered by 2 duck eggs. I ended up eating 2 scoops of the Zucchini side from last night, topped with the tomatoes and a little olive oil and red wine vinegar, some spring greens, and the two eggs.
Today I also picked up a microwave, bringing me one step closer to having a complete apartment. Now I don't have to cringe about creating an extra mess of pots and pans when I want to reheat leftovers.
The game plan for tonight is to change it up and cook with some Chinese flavor. I picked up some soy sauce, sambal paste, ginger, and scallions from Kiva, and still have some Napa cabbage and other assorted veggies in the fridge.
What I ate today:
Breakfast:
- Double Cafe Mam "Breakfast Mix" espresso (starting to really like coffee)
- 2 duck eggs - hit with some of my favorite Mexican hot sauce - Tapatia
- 1 smoked pork chop
Lunch:
- Double Cafe Mam espresso
- 2 duck eggs
- 1 medium heirloom tomato- I think it was a brandywine but hard to tell
- handful of mixed spring veggies
- 2 cups Green veggie side
Update:
I started marinating some chicken thighs in soy, sambal, garlic, scallion, rice vinegar, ginger, and Shaoxing Rice Wine. I am going to let them marinate overnight and cook them tomorrow. I used a similar flavor combination to make a stir fry. Ground beef, firm tofu, napa cabbage, carrots, etc. Finished with some siracha and green onion. Would have been nice to have my wok, but worked ok in my dutch oven. I have found there are two keys when making a stir fry:
First, it is important to understand the relative cooking times of the ingredients. A lot of people just throw everything in at once - which invariably results in over-cooked/under-cooked items, or just a mass of overcooked mush. Its also good to mix up textures and colors to make it interesting.
Second, it is important to cook out most of the liquid that accumulates as everything in the pot or wok starts to break down. The last thing you want is a soupy stir fry- especially since most of vegetables' nutrients will be contained in that liquid. I normally try to push everything in the pot to one side, flip the burner on high, and tilt to the opposite side so that liquid can reduce. Eventually it starts to darken as most of moisture evaporates, and at that point I combine the reduced sauce back in with the rest of the ingredients.
With enough left over for a couple of meals =)
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