Maggie Valley Farmers Market

Spring greetings from the Maggie Valley Farmers Market team!

My name is Adam Capparelli and I am thrilled for the opportunity to “guest post” on Buy Haywood’s Farm Fresh blog to share some exciting news about the new Maggie Valley Farmers Market.  We will be opening bright and early on May 2, 2014, at 8am for our first season.

Our market will be located on Soco Road in Maggie Valley—right beside the Organic Coffee Bean Co.  We will be open on Fridays & Saturdays, from 8am-Dusk throughout the growing season, and feature certified local North Carolina grown produce and a variety of local artists selling paintings, ceramics, native woodwork, jewelry, live music and more!

We are currently looking for vendors!  Please help us spread the word about the opportunity to join this energetic community by contacting me directly by calling 828-209-8061828-209-8061 or via email at adam@organicbeanscoffee.com

Join us to celebrate our opening day on May 2nd!

We look forward to seeing each of you this season,

Adam Capparelli, Maggie Valley Farmers Market Manager
828.209.8061828.209.8061
adam@organicbeanscoffee.com

Recipe for the Perfect Garden Fresh Brunch

Like many women, my life has been heavily influenced by my grandmother.  One of the most beautiful traditions that she taught me is the love of garden fresh flavors.  On Easter Sunday, I drew on those lessons learned to create a recipe for a garden brunch perfect for any season.  Enjoy the photo galleries throughout to see how we celebrated al fresco with a family meal made from the freshest flavors of spring!

— MENU—
Mixed Greens Salad with Grilled Scottish Salmon & Honey-Thyme Vinaigrette

Served with Dijon Deviled Eggs topped with garden Chives
and Coconut Cake for dessert

Step 1: Choose the menu from what’s in season to get the freshest flavors.

At my house, we have a plentiful selection of mixed salad greens growing in our garden.  Some were “volunteers” that grew from last year’s lettuce gone to seed.  Others were purchased this spring from our friends at Grass Root Gardens (1368 Dellwood Rd, Waynesville NC or 828.926.0925).  So, I decided that our Easter brunch would center around a hearty salad topped with grilled Scottish salmon from Sentelle’s Seafood & Specialty Market (8275 Carolina Blvd, Clyde NC or 828.627.2177) — a new listing on our 2014 Agritourism Guide.   Since local eggs are in plenty, we served an old family favorite on the side – Dijon Deviled Eggs with Smoked Paprika (from Pineapple Sage Herb Farm) & Chives

Step 2: Dressing the perfect dining table

One thing that I learned from my Grandmother is that dressing a beautiful dining table doesn’t have to be expensive or a time consuming endeavor—but a little extra effort can elevate any meal to memorable status.   I love a table that reflects the season.  For me, Easter calls for a crisp green & white scheme anchored with artfully decorated Easter eggs from my daughters and a floral arrangement cut from around the garden.

Hover over the photos in this gallery to see how we created a beautifully dressed dinner table for any season!

Step 3: The Recipe

This Easter happened to arrive on the heels of a very busy couple of weeks.  I hadn’t had time to do a lot of grocery shopping, so I looked in my pantry to see what ingredients I could use to layer the salad and create a hearty dish.

Garden fresh salad with Blackened Scottish Salmon
Garden fresh salad with Blackened Scottish Salmon

We started with a bed of mixed spring greens and romaine hearts.  To that, we added:  Craisins (dried cranberries), toasted pecans, sliced pear and gorgonzola cheese (an Italian blue cheese) to compliment the richness of the salmon.   We grilled the salmon to perfection then topped it all with a homemade Honey-Thyme Vinaigrette.

Honey-Thyme Vinaigrette Recipe

2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 cup of Balsamic Vinegar (equal parts = Aged Balsamic + Pomegranate Balsamic)
3 Thyme sprigs, cleaned
Handful of Italian flat leaf Parsley
1 green onion
1 teaspoon local honey, or more to taste
Salt & Pepper

Combine ingredients using an immersion blender or food processor.  Taste for salt & paper.  Adjust acidity if needed.

*Chef’s Note:  The herbs could be finely chopped along with the green onion and added to the liquids after they have been hand-whisked until thick.

Step 4: Serve & Enjoy!

Enjoy the meal!

This wonderful dish was perfectly at home under blue skies, surrounded by the people we love most, infused with Easter excitement and hope for the season ahead!

I hope this menu inspires your own seasonal traditions!
Tina Masciarelli, Buy Haywood Project Coordinator

Cook. Share. Enjoy!

Farm Fresh Blog

Embarking on any new journey is both exciting and terrifying.  This season, Buy Haywood embarked on a complete “make over” of both our website and our 2014 Agritourism Guide!

When we thought about our new website design & content, we wanted to create an interactive user-friendly space that reflects our vibrant community of agripreneurs!  We added updated project information, more photographs and the opportuntity to highlight the season’s best flavors through our Cooking Local recipes.

Lastly, we wanted to create a space to dialog about all the uniquely local qualities that makes farming and agriculture in Haywood County so extraordinary.  We are starting the conversation with our Farm Fresh blog and then holding that space open for you to join in.  Sign up to receive a notification about  new blog posts!

We hope that you will visit both our website and Farm Fresh blog often to explore our community of agripreneurs— where heritage meets modern convenience .  Immerse yourself in the rural beauty, authenticity and unique qualities of the mountain community that we call home!

Tina Masciarelli, Buy Haywood Project Coordinator

 

April Madness!

Kale salad by Chef Jackie Blevins, 2012 Cooking Local Project event
Kale salad with Grilled Chicken by Chef Jackie Blevins, 2012 Cooking Local Project event

We all know what March Madness is it involves a heated tournament, brackets and that pool of money you don’t mind losing if your inner sports guru is off the mark.

April Madness is a phenomenon that regularly occurs every spring among local food lovers.   Everything that was canned, preserved or frozen from last season is nearly gone and the promise of the season ahead is still weeks away.   Essentially, we find ourselves so hungry for the bold flavors of a bountiful growing season that a sort of madness sets in.

Just when you think you are ready to breakdown and buy produce grown thousands of miles away, spring wakes up in Haywood County.  Luckily, we have the luxury of enjoying four beautifully balanced seasons each with something unique to offer.  Early spring is no exception.  Enter cool weather crops like garden fresh kale!

Some varieties of kale winter-over better than others.  If you have some growing in your garden, this is the time to enjoy the small tender leaves raw.  Hearty kale is easily elevated to dinner status by adding grilled farm-raised chicken.  For a twist on local, try infusing your salad with Asian flavors by adding honey, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds to your vinaigrette.  Throw in spring onions or green garlic, dried cranberries, crunchy Asian noodles and top with grilled chicken (optional).

With each bite, you will feel your spring madness slowly transform into spring delight!