News from the SVGM - July 15th

Susquehanna Valley Growers' Market
July 15th, 2011

In this week's email:

• News From The Market
  
• Seasonal Recipe
  
• On The Website

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News From The Market
The sun is out, once more, and this Friday you can expect to see just about everyone back at the Growers' Market! After a rainy Friday last week, with a few of our vendors unable to attend, we're back to full strength this week. White Frost Farm and Dreisbach Greenhouses are back from their time off, with fresh vegetables and other treats; Bella's Gardens is hoping to arrive with fresh peaches and plums; and Cow-A-Hen Farm will be bringing plenty of freshly cut pork.

In addition to that, expect to find Bill Vint with lots of gorgeous, sweet, and large blueberries; Gemelli Bakery with fresh breads; cheeses from Stone Meadow and Broadway Acres; a fine selection of fresh vegetables, including green beans, zucchini, and new potatoes, from Green Meadow Farm; local honey from Dawg Gone Bees; flower bouquets and handmade truffles from Fleur et Chocolat; and fresh chickens and pork from Beaver Run Farms.

With freshly dug potatoes at the market, you might consider serving them with a roast pork loin, like in this recipe for Roast Pork with Herbs and Potatoes. The sweet, tender flavor of early potatoes is wonderful this time of year, though this is the sort of recipe that'll be welcome any time of year. Try serving the pork with some fresh green beans (or wax beans, or purple beans, depending on your color preference) dressed with creamy homemade mayonnaise and fresh garlic, as in Green Beans with Garlic Mayonnaise. The mayonnaise is rich and tangy, and goes well with the less pungent flavor of freshly dug garlic.

Pass the newsletter along! If you've received a copy from a friend, and would like to get one each week during the market season, send an email to: svgmarket@gmail.com

Susquehanna Valley Growers' Market
July 15th, 2011
2pm - 6pm
Ard's Farm Market
4803 Old Turnpike Rd, Lewisburg
(Between Lewisburg and Mifflinburg, on PA 45)
Visit our website at http://growersmarket.blogspot.com/
Check us out on Facebook

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Seasonal Recipe
Roast Pork with Herbs and Potatoes
Adapted from How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman (Wiley, 1997)
Serves 6 or more

The best cut of pork for oven roasting might be the loin, which is a good combination of tender and flavorful, although you can use anything that you like. A tenderloin will cook more quickly, and so requires more vigilance to avoid drying out the lean meat. Shoulders and butts, while much more forgiving, tend to leave a fair bit of fat in the pan, and so should be roasted in a separate pan from any potatoes or other vegetables. (In this case, consider buttered, boiled new potatoes to accompany a shoulder roast.) Regardless of the cut, you can use bone-in or boneless, as you prefer. The latter is easier to carve, but the former tends to remain juicier after cooking.

Ingredients:

• One 2-3 lb. boneless pork loin roast (or 3-4 lb. bone-in)
  
• 2 lb. potatoes, cut into 1-½ inch chunks, smaller ones left whole
  
• 3 tbsp. fresh garlic, finely chopped
  
• 2 tbsp. fresh herbs, such as sage, rosemary, or parsley, minced
  
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, or as needed
  
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Mix together the garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Combine about ½ tbsp. of the garlic mixture with the olive oil, and toss with the potatoes to coat. Place the potatoes in a roasting pan, and slide in the oven while preparing the pork.
   
   
2. Use a thin knife to pierce the pork all over, rubbing the garlic mixture into the slits, and over the roast. Nestle the pork among the potatoes in the roasting pan, and drizzle a bit more olive oil over the top. Roast for 30 minutes, then stir the potatoes - scraping up any that stick - and baste the meat with any juices. Reduce the oven's heat to 325°F, and continue cooking until the pork is done, another 45 minutes, checking and stirring the potatoes every 15 minutes or so. Remember that the pork's temperature will rise another 10°F or so while resting, so you may wish to pull it before it's 100% done.
   
   
3. Check the potatoes when the pork comes out of the oven. If they could use a little more cooking, either for tenderness or extra browning, place them under the broiler as necessary; if they're perfect, turn off the oven and let them keep warm inside while the pork rests for 10 to 15 minutes. Carve the meat, and serve immediately with the potatoes.

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On The Website
Green beans are delicious when simply prepared, be it blanched, steamed, or stir-fried. A half-step more complicated is to dress them with a simple sauce, as in Green Beans with Garlic Mayonnaise. There's nothing better than a sauce that comes together in the time it takes to the green beans to boil, and this combination of mayonnaise, fresh garlic, herbs and lemon juice really can take less than a minute. Depending on your garlic-chopping skills, of course.

You can also check the website for a recipe for homemade mayo, made with oil and fresh eggs. It's rich and flavorful, and well worth the effort if you've got a little extra time.