The North End Farmers Market runs today, Friday from 10-2 in front of It's Only Natural Market, 575 Main St.
Today at the market, we'll have a great line-up of produce and dessert vendors, and our special guest lunch will be the Caseus Cheese Truck! Check out the website of this New Haven favorite. It looks REALLY good.
NEAT's Annual Garden Party is this evening at 5:30. It's such a great party, and a wonderful time for our community to celebrate. If you haven't seen how beautiful the Erin St. Garden is, now is the time. The sunflowers are literally 12 feet high.
The North End Action Team Cordially Invites you to the
*Tenth Annual*
Erin Street Community Garden Party
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Five-thirty in the evening
This is a very special party...it's NEAT's TENTH garden party and we'll have 10 years of memories displayed and a beautiful birthday cake donated by Sweet Harmony Cafe.
The Suggested donation (tax deductible) is:
$30 individual, $50 family
The party is free to North End residents and NEAT members or anyone who wants to volunteer at the party. Come help out, meet new people, catch up with old friends or experience what the North End has accomplished in 10 years!
Heavy hors d’oeuvres provided by area restaurants
Featuring a performance by Bill Carbone and Friends
The party will be held in the Erin Street Community Garden on the corner of Erin and High Streets in Middletown.
You can RSVP to NEAT, 668 Main St., Middletown, CT 06457
or donate online at http://neatmiddletown.org/
Call NEAT for more details: 860-346-4845
Citizens Bank is proud to be the Signature Sponsor of the North End Action Team’s Tenth Annual Garden Party.
The North End Farmer Market will run today, Friday, from 10-2 in front of It's Only Natural Market, 575 Main St.
I can't believe it's already August! Watermelon is finally in season, and we're beginning to see pears and apples. We have the same great line-up of farmers returning to the market this Friday, as well as Starlight Gardens, which sells heirloom tomatoes, O'Rourke's, Linda's Sweet Memories, and Crystal Pistritto's hula hoops. The Cardinals Nest will sell delicious homemade pizza for lunch, and Vecchitto's truck will be back.
Looking for interesting ways to prepare your vegetable purchases? 'Recipes for Health' from the New York Times, featuring a lot of the local produce we have at the market, is a great resource. This week's recipe, Zucchini "Pasta," is from this collection.
NEW: North End Farmers Market tote bags are now available! They are
printed on ECOBAGS® 10 oz. Recycled Canvas Tote with double stitched seams and stress points. Super-sized to hold all your market goodies, this bag folds easily to fit into smaller spaces and will last for years. You can get a bag for $10 at the market, or donate $15 to NEAT and we'll mail you one. (You can always give more to support the market. Your contribution is tax deductible.) Visit neatmiddletown.org for more info and to order your bag!
Also, if you haven't already, please join us on facebook! "Like" the North End Farmers' Market and use this as a forum to discuss recipe ideas and share photos.
The restaurant of the week is CARDINALS NEST and guest vendors are STARLIGHT GARDENS, CRYSTAL'S HULA HOOPS and VECCHITTOS ITALIAN ICE.
Click Here for the recipe of the week: Zucchini "pasta"
Meet Your VendorEach week we profile a vendor from the market. This week, it's Tom from Ceccarelli Farm.
Farmers' markets are all about knowing where your food comes from. Whereas supermarkets shelves are stocked with produce that was likely picked from industrial-scale farms up to two weeks in advance, farmers' markets are much more intimate. The produce is local and fresher, and you are free to talk with the person who grew your food. Here we feature an interview with a vendor from the North End Farmers' Market, seeking to promote connections between buyers and sellers.
Name: Tom Dilella
Farm: Ceccarelli Farms
Location: Old Post Rd, Northford, CT
Tom's favorite product: Can't choose
Customers' favorite: Corn
Why are local farms important?
"The reason local farms are important is because it's just not natural for food to come from far away. Food that is closer is more nutritional, and it allows you to better connect with your surroundings. People easily forget where their food come from. Lastly local food is better, fresher, and something all the people from the community can share."
How is this growing season?
"The weather has been real erratic--heavy rains, hot periods. But the farm is doing really well even with the unpredictable weather. It is what it is. If it's always hot no greens, rainy no corns. The weather has been extreme."
What do you like about the North End Farmer's Market?
"You get in touch with different people and vendors, great coming out and having fun, and being in a new location."
Directions
1. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into lengthwise ribbons. Peel off several from one side, then turn the zucchini and peel off more. Continue to turn and peel away ribbons until you get to the seeds at the core of the zucchini. Discard the core. You can also do this on a mandolin, adjusted to a very thin slice.
2. Cook the zucchini strips in two batches. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the zucchini ribbons and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, tossing and stirring the zucchini, for two to three minutes, until softened and beginning to turn translucent. Adjust salt and add freshly ground pepper to taste, and transfer to a serving dish. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and zucchini. Serve, topping with tomato sauce and freshly grated Parmesan if desired.
Yield: Serves four
Advance preparation: This dish is best served right away. But you can enjoy leftovers, which I like to eat cold, doused with lemon juice and a drop of olive oil
