This Week at the Farmers Market

Rough Draft Atlanta is partnering with Community Farmers Markets to let you know what’s in season at your local market. Each week, we’ll share a list of ingredients that are farm fresh as well as a couple of recipes including those products that you can try at home. 

Here’s what we’ve got for you this week: Apples, sweet potatoes, various pumpkins and gourds like tan cheese pumpkins, sunchokes, garlic, lettuces, ginger, carrots, rutabaga, turnips, radishes, arugula, kale, collards, savoy cabbage, napa cabbage, green cabbage, radicchio and other chicories, microgreens, gourmet mushrooms like oyster and lion’s mane, herbs, breads, jams, pastries, GF treats, eggs, beef, pork, chicken, duck, shrimp, smoked trout and salmon, pecans, honey, teas, pickles, cocktail mixers, ghee, cooking oils, vinegars, hot sauce, pastas, spice blends, nut butters, rice, grits, cornmeal, pet treats, daffodils, tulips, anemone bouquets.

Atlanta non-profit Community Farmers Markets (CFM) has been building community through farmers markets since 2011. Operating five weekly outdoor farmers markets and seven farm stands at MARTA stations is one of the strategies by which the organization addresses food access in Atlanta. CFM also offers educational programming in the community, financial incentives to make local food more affordable, and professional development for small businesses. See you at the farmers markets!

Spicy Garlicky Greens Pasta Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 8 oz dry pasta, short or long, whichever shape brings you joy
• 2-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• olive oil
• nutritional yeast to taste
• salt & pep, smoked paprika, red pepper flake to taste
• 1 fresh lemon, sliced and squeezed over final dish to taste

Directions:

1. In a soup pot, bring salted water to a boil then drop in pasta, cook until al dente, usually 8-11 minutes.
2. While your pasta cooks, bring a wok drizzled with olive oil to medium-high heat. Add greens and saute until wilted and more tender, 2-3 minutes, then add your garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes more. Take off the heat.
3. Your pasta should be done at this point – scoop out a cup-ish of pasta water and then drain your pasta in a colander. Add the pasta to your wok with a heavy drizzle of olive oil, spoonfuls of nooch, a few heavy cranks of black pepper, a pinch or two of red pepper flake and salt. Add splashes of starchy pasta water as needed. 
4. Toss all that goodness and green together until well mixed and seasoned to your liking, and then squeeze a few slices of lemon (watch the seeds!) over top, as much juice as you like.

Grit Cakes & Gravy Recipe:

Ingredients:

• Breakfast sausage (plain ground pork) red corn grits | cornmeal
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Fennel | pea tendrils
• Fennel seed 1 TB | ground rosemary or fresh rosemary 1 tsp | paprika 1 tsp | garlic powder 1 tsp | onion powder 1 tsp | nutmeg 1/2 tsp
• Half/half milk
• Chicken stock
• Flour
• Butter
• Eggs

Directions:

1. In a medium sized pot, heat 2.5 cups of chicken stock and 1.5 cups of half n half on medium heat until a gentle boil and salt to taste. Pour in 1 cup grits and whisk vigorously for a couple minutes until no lumps are seen. 
2. Turn heat down to low and add lid to pot, sit for 20ish minutes until it becomes thick, add a nob of butter and give a good whisk. 
3. Pull a tray out (line with parchment paper or spray with oil if you are using a non-stick tray) and pour grits in. The grits should measure at least 1/2” thick. 
4. Set in fridge until the grits have completely cooled off – you can set overnight but this step takes around an hour minimum to cool off. Once cooled, cut grits in whatever shape you prefer. 
5. Make a dredging station with 2 eggs whisked and some cornmeal (add salt to taste). Dredge in cornmeal first, then egg, then back into cornmeal. 
6. Heat a frying pan in oil enough to cover 1/4” of your grit cake. Once oil is at sizzling point on med low heat, gently add grit cakes and fry on both sides until a light golden color, then set grit cakes on a paper towel or rack to cool off. 
7. For the gravy, use only 1/2 lb of ground sausage, chopped fennel, and sauté with salt and all the spices and their measurements listed above. 
8. Chop shiitake into small pieces and add right at the end of when the sausage is almost cooked. Transfer into bowl and set aside for now. 
9. In the same pan on med low, heat 1 TB of butter and flour to make a light colored roux (same color as pancake batter). 
10. On low, slowly start adding at least 1 cup of half n half and whisk until smooth. Turn heat a notch up and if needed, pour small pours of half n half for creamier texture and/or add chicken stock or water to loosen it up if too thick. For reference, sauce should stick to the back of a spoon. 
11. Salt & throw in spices listed above, measurements to your own discretion. Whisk until smooth and pour on top of your grit cakes. Top off with pea tendrils.

You can also find the recipes for Spicy Garlicky Greens Pasta and Grit Cakes & Gravy on Community Farmers Markets’ Instagram.