Articles By Pascale Beale

One of my greatest pleasures is discovering a new farmers market wherever I happen to be in the world. Having long meandered through the markets of Provence, savoring local delicacies in sun-dappled squares, it is wonderful to experience the aromas and peculiarities of a new locale.  In Venice for example some of the daily markets are set up on floating barges tied up alongside the various canals. You jostle with the locals and chat with the vendors to find the choicest bunch of grapes, fresh figs or local lagoon fish. It is unusual (for us) chaotic, charming and delicious.

Our local markets are no different. If you arrive early in the morning as the fruits, vegetables, flowers and myriad other products are being unloaded you will be witness to a pastoral scene that in some respects has remained unchanged over millennia - Local farmers bringing their seasonal wares to market. Granted the ‘local’ farmers travel further than there horse-driven centuries-old brethren, but the tradition is the same. Over the course of the year, we see the season’s cornucopia of produce as it is unveiled on the market stalls. What better way to mark the passage of time than to anticipate the six weeks of luscious apricots or savor the last of the season’s peaches?

In Europe this is a weekly if not daily ritual, repeated throughout ancient small villages and large cities alike. Many are known for their abundant markets: Aix-en-Provence has daily markets on the Place Richelem, Nice has its Marche aux Fleurs, London’s Borough Street Market is a veritable treasure trove of epicurean delights, and Paris has its sumptuous daily markets dotted throughout its various arrondissements.  They provide a common meeting ground where the dishes of the day are discussed with farmers, and purveyors of all the produce are always offering a tip on how best to prepare any given food.

Farmers markets have also been a part of US history but after WWII and the advent of large commercial supermarkets, outdoor farmers markets dwindled. There are a few that have survived. The market in Richmond, VA for instance, opened in 1779, and has remained in operation in one guise or another ever since. The Farmer’s Market in Portland, OR has been in operation since 1768, has moved location at least six times in its 242-year history and survived, but these are the exceptions.

Indeed in California it was illegal (for a period of time) to sell produce outside of a commercial market. The law – that controlled amongst other things, how food was sorted, packed and transported for sale - remained in place until the late 1970’s.  In 1977 farmers faced with a huge surplus of peaches forced the hand of this legislation by dumping rotting fruit on the lawn of the state capitol. Then Governor, Jerry Brown compromised, and the law was modified to allow the sale of produce in farmers markets.

Although there have been a handful of long running farmers markets in California, notably the market at Fairfax and 3^rd in Los Angeles, which has been in operation since 1934, long standing open farmer’s markets have been limited in this state.

This has radically changed over the last three decades. In 1979 there were only 12 certified farmer’s markets in California. There are 540 today – more than in any other state in the nation - and over six thousand in the US. There has also been a 16 % increase in farmers markets since last year alone, interestingly, mostly in the central, farm-belt part of the country.

As Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivores Dilemma said “Going to the farmer’s market, meeting farmers and learning what to do with an unfamiliar vegetable, is one of the most pleasurable things I do every week—infinitely more stimulating than going to the supermarket.” 

As consumers become more aware of their food sources and question the practices of large commercial farms, the demand for locally grown, healthy, organic produce has risen steadily over the past decade.

A fact that is born out here in Santa Barbara, as our own Farmers Markets have steadily grown over the past 27 years. The Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market was formed in 1983 and now has venues every day of the week but Monday. There were open markets before in Santa Barbara, notably during WWII. In 1943 local Victory gardeners and local farmers argued with the Santa Barbara Home Food Production Committee that their surplus produce would be plowed under unless they were given the opportunity to sell it to the local population. A month of negotiations followed when the local city council announced that the first farmers market would take place on Wednesday July 7^th 1943 in the 700 block of Anacapa Street. Although the first market was not a success, local support was enthusiastic and so the market was given a second try.  A newspaper article from July 10^th 1943 reported “Not since the days of the famed Old Spanish Days Fiesta has Santa Barbara seen the equal of the festive gaiety that attended the Farmers’ Market here today. That was the opinion of hundreds of shoppers who came to buy and returned with shopping bags and baskets heaped with dewy-fresh vegetables and fruit right out of the gardens and groves of the area” A comment that would be apt today.

Despite the fact that the population of the United States now spends less of their disposable income on food than at any other time in its history and less than any other people on earth – less than ten percent – it is heartening and encouraging to see that farmers markets are flourishing.

Wendell Berry once wrote “Eating is an agricultural act”. As you walk down State Street on a Tuesday afternoon, serenaded by the sounds of the market, entertained with the voices of street musicians and caressed with ocean breezes as they drift up the white tented thoroughfare, you are an active participant in that very special act.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND PUMPKIN SOUP

I adore this soup. The aroma when the butternut squash and pumpkin are roasting is sweet and tantalizing. The color is beautiful and the taste is rich, unctuous and evocative of everything to do with the flavors of the season.

Serves 6 – 8 people

1 medium butternut squash - halved and seeded

1 small pumpkin – halved and seeded

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion - thinly sliced

5 cups vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Brush a little olive oil on a baking sheet and place the squash and pumpkin cut-side down. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes. When cool enough to handle, scoop the pulp out of the shell. You should have about 6-7 cups of pulp. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the sliced onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 8 – 10 minutes.
4. Add the squash and pumpkin pulp and vegetable stock and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup or puree it in a blender or food processor and then strain through a medium strainer into a warmed soup tureen. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Origins: Butternut squash is a type of winter squash. Sweet and nutty in flavor it is similar to a pumpkin. Its orange colored pulp becomes more pronounced as it ripens. It originated in Mexico. The ancient Indians called it ‘The apple of God’ as the seeds were believed to increase fertility. It was one of the first foods cultivated by Native Americans and the Inca. It was only introduced to Europe during the 16^th century.

ROASTED HEALTHY FAMILY FARMS CHICKEN

Serves 8 people

4 large sprigs rosemary – leaves removed

4 sprigs thyme – leaves removed

1 bunch chives – finely chopped

1 small bunch parsley – finely chopped

4 spring onions – finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon – quarter the zested lemon and set aside

3 cloves garlic – peeled and minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 organic chickens

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients (except for the chickens) in a small bowl and mix well to form a thick herb mixture.
3. Using a small spoon which you slip under the skin of the chicken, carefully spoon a little of the herb mixture under all the skin (between and skin and the breast meat) Do this carefully so as not to break the skin.  Salt the inside and outside of the chicken and then add in the lemon quarters.
4. Place the chickens in a large roasting pan and rub the outside with a little olive oil. Roast in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and roast for a further 1hr 15 minutes, turning the chickens once or twice so that all sides a re evenly browned. When the chickens are cooked, remove them from the roasting pan and set aside to rest before carving, loosely covered with foil.
5. Cut the chickens and serve on hot plates with the vegetables – see recipe below.

TOMATO CRUMBLE

Serves 8 people

16 medium sized tomatoes – cut in half cross-wise

olive oil

fresh thyme and rosemary – a few sprigs of each, stems removed and coarsely chopped

salt and pepper

4 oz flour

3 oz bread crumbs

3 oz grated parmesan

4 oz butter – cut into small pieces

2 oz pine nuts

6 oz soft goat cheese

2 Tablespoons yogurt

2 tablespoons crème fraiche

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Place the tomatoes cut side up in an oven proof dish that is large enough to hold all the tomatoes in one layer. Drizzle some olive oil all over the tomatoes and then add the chopped thyme and rosemary over the top of them. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 2 hours.
3. To prepare the crumble, place the flour, bread crumbs and half the parmesan in a medium sized bowl, mixing them together. Add the butter and using the tips of your fingers slowly incorporate it into the flour mixture. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil as necessary and continue to mix the flour mixture. The flour mixture should resemble a traditional crumble.
4. Remove the tomatoes from the oven (there should be no liquid around the bottom of the tomatoes) and then turn the oven up to 425 degrees. Spread the crumble mixture all over the tomatoes. Sprinkle the pine nuts and the remaining parmesan over the crumble and drizzle a little olive oil over the whole dish.  Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown.
5. Whilst the crumble is in the oven whisk together the crème fraiche, yogurt and goat cheese in a small bowl. Serve with the hot tomato crumble.

 
GOLDEN PHYLLO APPLE AND PEAR PIE

I delight in dishes with phyllo dough and have long been inspired by Greek food. When I lived in Los Angeles, I spent many a Sunday lunch at a Greek restaurant owned by my lovely friend Sofi, savoring the dishes of the Aegean.  She made heavenly puddings such as ‘glactoboureko’ and ‘bougatsa’. I was hooked and as I started to explore the dishes of the islands I came across an apple pie called ‘milopita’. From the traditional base I made this version that has three or four varieties of apples in it – the addition of pears is also delicious, and true my Gallic origins I also added in some Grand Marnier. It is an ideal dessert to end up sitting in front of a log fire with and then perhaps an afternoon snooze.  

Serves 8 people

8-10 apples of at least 3 or 4 different varieties – peeled, cored and thinly sliced (If you are using pears as well then reduce the number of apples accordingly)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon clove powder

1 package phyllo dough – thawed

4 oz butter

1 cup sugar

Grand Marnier

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and set aside.
3. Roll out the phyllo dough and cover with a slightly damp cloth (the dough dries out very quickly) Place one sheet of phyllo dough onto a large baking sheet and brush lightly with the melted butter. Sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar evenly over the dough and then drizzle a little of the Grand Marnier over that. Repeat this four more times giving you a total of 5 layers of phyllo dough.
4. In a large bowl toss the apples, cinnamon, allspice, clove and two tablespoons of sugar and a good drizzle of Grand Marnier and mix well. Place all the fruit in the middle of the dough and form the fruit into a large round dome.
5. Cover the fruit with one layer of phyllo dough and brush lightly with some of the melted butter. Sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar over the dough and then drizzle a little Grand Marnier over that. Repeat another 6 times, giving you a total of 7 layers of phyllo dough. Roll up the edges of the dough towards the fruit all the way around the dome. The finished cake will look like a domed hat with a thick rolled rim. Brush the top layer of the dough with a little of the melted butter and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake in the oven for 40 – 45 minutes. Serve Hot.

Note: This is very good served with vanilla ice cream!