Buy Local = Buy Happiness

We're proud to report that the Smithfield Farmers Market will be back in operation tomorrow! Our vendors have been excitedly preparing and are looking forward to seeing past customers and meeting new ones. The Market will be open on Fridays and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. See you there!

2012 Season Coming Soon!

We're gearing up for the second season of the Smithfield Farmers Market. For information on the 2012 season, please contact Laura Crumpler at 919-934-2148 or lcrumpler-parks@ncrrbiz.com. What are you most looking forward to when the market reopens on April 13?

Fall has arrived in North Carolina!

First, I want to apologize for our absence from the blog -- it's been a busy month around here, and the blog has taken a back seat, but we're back today and hope to make up for the absence with an extended post! Oh, and I can give you all the exclusive news that the Farmers Market will reopen for the 2012 season on April 13!

Officially, my favorite season is Spring, but each year I find myself more appreciative of Fall, and the distance between the two seasons gets shorter. After hot and sticky North Carolina summers, those first cool and crisp days of Fall are a delight! I don't know about you all, but I've been sleeping with my windows open for the past month and actually using my down comforter, and it's heavenly! Other than the change in climate, for me Fall is a time for college football, baseball, the State Fair, and changing leaves. Speaking of changing leaves, I read yesterday that this year's colors are "among the most beautiful in recent years."

But you can't talk about Fall without talking about the food -- my favorites are pumpkins and apples, especially of the Honeycrisp variety! So today, I'm going to share two recipes with you. The first is a Pumpkin Torte, which has replaced our traditional Pumpkin Pies at Thanksgiving. It is delicious and impressive -- your guests will think that you were in the kitchen for hours! The second recipe is for Baked Apples, cooked in a crock pot, which is certain to become a staple in your household's menu.

Pumpkin Torte

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix

2 cups pureed pumpkin (or canned), divided

1/2 cup milk

4 eggs

1/3 cup canola oil

1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

16 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, eggs, oil and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, and remaining pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice; beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.

Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with a fourth of the filling. Repeat layers three times. Drizzle with caramel topping; sprinkle with pecans.

Baked Apples

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

2 tablespoons trans-fat free margarine

1 teaspoon cinnamon

6 Gala or Macintosh apples, cored

1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider

2 tablespoons orange liqeur (optional)

Preheat a large crock-pot on high heat and preset it for 3 hours. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts, margarine, and cinnamon. Fill the apples with the filling and place them in the crock-pot. Pour in the apple juice or cider and the liquor, if using. Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Enjoy! As always, please send recipes you would like to share to smithfieldfarmersmarketrecipes@gmail.com.

Spinach Salad with Peaches and Pecans

It doesn't get much more Southern than peaches and pecans! Make a meal of it by adding grilled chicken. Whatever you do, make sure to add this to your menu while locally grown peaches are still available!

3/4 cup pecans

2 ripe peaches

4 cups baby spinach, rinsed and dried

1/4 cup poppyseed salad dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange pecans on a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, until they just begin to darken. Remove from oven and set aside.

Peel peaches (if desired) and slice into bite-sized segments. Combine peaches, spinach and pecans in a large bowl. Toss with dressing until evenly coated, adding a little additional dressing, if necessary.

Enjoy! As always, please send recipes you would like to share to smithfieldfarmersmarketrecipes@gmail.com.

Closed Saturday, August 27

The Smithfield Farmers Market will unfortunately be closed on Saturday, August 27 due to Hurricane Irene. The market will be open on Friday, August 26. We appreciate all of your support and hope that everyone stays safe this weekend!

You Don't Have to Eat Like a Rabbit to Get Your Vegetables!

For many home cooks, it can seem difficult to incorporate the recommended daily servings of vegetables into meals without preparing the same old, boring foods. And you don't have to eat like a rabbit either!

Here are some simple ways to freshen up the food you already eat by adding vegetables to every meal of the day:

Breakfast

• In a bit of olive oil, sauté onions, peppers, zucchini and garlic for a few minutes and then add your eggs or tofu and spinach leaves for a healthier scramble.
• Add cubed pumpkin or butternut squash to your morning hot cereal. Pureed pumpkin is fine as well. Sprinkle with nuts, seeds and cinnamon.
• Add a handful of leafy greens to your morning smoothie.
• Cooked chopped kale, peppers and onions in some water in a saucepan and after it's softened, crack an egg in the center. Cover to poach the egg until it is done to your liking.
• Add shredded zucchini to your next muffin recipe.
• Add pureed pumpkin or other winter squash to your pancake batter in lieu of some of the fat. Less fat, more veggies!

Lunch

• On your next sandwich or wrap, add some grated carrots and zucchini, sprouts and lettuce. All of them, not just one of them.
• Add pureed peas to your next guacamole recipe.
• Steam the stems of the broccoli, puree and add to hummus to guacamole. Brocomoli!
• Add grated carrots and slices of cooked butternut squash to your next grilled-cheese sandwich.
• Add minced red peppers, celery, red onion and shredded carrots to your next tuna salad recipe.
• A big green salad for lunch is an easy way to add more veggies to your life. Go light on the high-fat salad dressing.
• Add some spinach leaves to your homemade hummus or place store-bought hummus in your blender and add spinach leaves yourself.

Snacks

• For a snack try sliced jicama with salsa. Also good is jicama rubbed with lime juice and sprinkled with chili powder.
• On Sundays and Wednesdays, you and your kids, if you have them, slice/chop carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli and any and all other seasonal vegetables. If they're easy to grab, you'll eat them!

Dinner

• Start your meal with veggie slices as an appetizer. Try cutting the carrot sticks into little rounds instead of slices, red peppers into squares, etc. It's a fun little change that kids especially like. Serve with your favorite dip if you like.
• Try to have half of your dinner plate as veggies; some cooked, some raw.
• Marinara sauce used for pasta or pizza is an easy way to add more veggies -- shredded zucchini, finely chopped broccoli, chopped spinach leaves, red peppers, onions and garlic. Yum!
• Add peas, chopped broccoli, and grated carrots to your next macaroni and cheese recipe.
• A meat loaf is an easy way to add more veggies to your life. Finely chop and add red pepper, onions, celery, carrots and any other favorite veggie.
• Next time you make a pot roast or stew think: Veggies and Pot Roast, not Pot Roast and veggies. Ditto for stews-heavy on the veggies, light on the meat.

As always, please send recipes you would like to share to smithfieldfarmersmarketrecipes@gmail.com.

Smithfield Farmers Market Celebrates National Farmers Market Week

Every day this summer, communities are converging to celebrate a simple miracle: farmers, as stewards of rural America, coming together to share a harvest that’s feeding local families. The result? More viable regional economies; increased access to fresh, nutritious food; and stronger social networks that help keep communities strong.

United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has proclaimed August 7-13, 2011 as National Farmers Market Week. This year marks the 12th annual National Farmers Market Week. Since 2000, the number of farmers markets has grown 150%, from 2,863 markets to 7,175 in 2011. These numbers continue to rise as farmers markets become fresh food mainstays for shoppers across all socio-economic, political, and ethnic ranges. Farmers markets bolster local economies, improve community health, and bring diverse groups of people together through a shared social space. North Carolina is home to 217 farmers markets.

In its first year of operation, the Smithfield Farmers Market currently has 20 farmers selling a wide variety of products, including sweet potatoes, melons, peaches, corn, eggs, beans and value added products such as soaps, jams and jellies. In the past four months, the Smithfield Farmers Market has generated $20,000 for these local producers, a valuable economic boost for the region.

“The farmers market has had a great first season,” states Laura Crumpler, Market Manager. “The committee is pleased with the market’s success and discussions about what can be improved for next year have already begun.”

“Farmers markets grow healthy farms, healthy people, and healthy communities” says Stacy Miller, Executive Director of the Farmers Market Coalition. “During a slow economic recovery, farmers markets are stand-out successes in delivering triple bottom line benefits while making entrepreneurship work in communities large and small. During Farmers Market Week, we invite everyone to celebrate their local farmers markets and enjoy fresh local food from America’s most innovative farmers.”