Vote for Mill City Farmers Market

I just cast my vote in the nation wide "Love your farmers market contest" It is no surprise that I voted for our favorite place the Mill City Farmers Market. Here is the link if you would like to vote as well

http://www.care2.com/farmersmarket/13617/?refer=29269.01.1246460041.149964

Rhubarb Strawberry Basil Fool

Rhubarb season is in full swing at the Mill City Farmer's Market and to celebrate we have dusted off our favorite Rhubarb Strawberry Basil Jam recipe and sent Amy's mom, Jackie, to round up any of the neighbors extra rhubarb. If you have grown rhubarb before, you know that there is always extra; the rhubarb have and have nots if you will.

If you are one of the rhubarb haves, then you probably will understand the search for recipes that answer the question, "What am I going to do with all of this rhubarb?" That is exactly the question that led us to find one of our favorite non-low fat, non-lactose free desserts. The rhubarb fool.

I have tried to find the origins of this tasty goodness and am afraid that I have come up short, other then that it is a delightful treat which seems to originate in Europe, though the exact country of origin is a bit of a debate. The Swedes have a version that is primarily served with milk, while the Scottish and English go all in for the whipped cream. In our house, the whipped cream one wins. The process, however can take a bit of planning, and I am staunchly opposed to too much planning during our short season of beautiful weather, and an embarrassment of riches of fresh foods, so I tweaked the recipe to make it quick, easy, and delightful. The best part is that you don't need to be one of the rhubarb haves to enjoy it!

I recommend that you serve it with Bramblewood Traditional Shortbread. Amy, the founder of Bramblewood, uses her great grandmother's recipe to create this delicious Scottish treat. It is available at the Mill City Farmer's Market in a variety of flavors, however my favorite is the simple, classic butter flavor the really pulls out the flavors in the Fool. We hope that you enjoy this rhubarb season, and this new twist on an old classic. We will see you at the market.

Rhubarb Strawberry Basil Fool
Ingredients:
Ø 1 Jar Lucille’s Kitchen Garden Rhubarb Strawberry Basil Jam
Ø One cup heavy cream
Ø 2 tbs Sugar
Preparation:
Ø Whip heavy cream and sugar to stiff peeks with mixer on high
Ø Gently fold in ¾ to 1 jar Lucille’s Kitchen Garden Rhubarb Strawberry Basil Jam into the whipped cream. You don’t want it completely mixed; just make sure that the jam is spread throughout the cream. A butter knife works best for this.
Ø Serves nicely in chilled Martini glasses and can be made several hours ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

For One Week and For Our Blog Readers Only

The Mill City Farmers Market has been in full swing for about a month now and we have been delighted to find that many of our blog readers are regular Mill City Farmers Market shoppers. In light of this information we have decided to offer a discount to our most loyal customers.

We are offering a pre-order special price of $4.50 per jar of your favorite Lucille's Kitchen Garden products on all orders of 4 jars or more received by June 5th, 2009.

You simply mention this offer when you pop us an email at lucilleskitchen@gmail.com , we will send you a pay pal invoice that you pay with your credit card or checking account, and we will have your jars of jam waiting for you to pick up at the Mill City Farmers Market on Saturday, June 6th between 8AM and 1PM.

You can order our regular online selection of Lucille's Kitchen Garden Products including:

Raspberry Pepper Jam

Garlic Pepper Jam

Green Pepper Jam

Blueberry Pepper Jam

As well as our farmers' market only flavors:

Raspberry Garlic Jam

Rhubarb Strawberry Basil

Market Supper June 26

We have survived our first real week of heat and humidity. For us it is like an instant diet. We find ourselves eating later, in the cool of the evening, and eating less. This week's market supper is a reflection of the lighter meals that our family enjoys during the summer. The potato cakes let you enjoy the new crop of farm fresh potatoes, while keeping it light by serving on a bed of fresh Minnesota greens. The dessert combines fresh fruit and balsamic vinegar, a pairing that we don't see a great deal of in America, but is a wonderful way to dress up a pint of strawberries. A word on balsamic; you can spend a great deal of cash on a good balsamic vinegar. The best balsamics are more similar to a syrup then a traditional vinegar. I was watching America's Test Kitchen on PBS (one of the very few reasons that I still have a television) and they recommended that if you simmer down the standard grocery store balsamic in a pan on the stove top, that you will end up with a vinegar that is similar in taste and consistency as some of the more high end balsamics.

Enjoy the heat and remember that the good news is that chilled white wine never tastes so good as on a hot muggy day that is finally giving in to the cool of sundown. See you at the market!

Market Supper June 20

Here is the new Market Supper for Grill Week at the Mill City Farmer's Market!!