Ignorance can be bliss. Certainly, when one starts delving into commercial food practises, one sometimes looks back wistfully on those days when one wandered the supermarket aisles wearing oblivious rose-tinted blinkers.
On the flip side, knowledge is power. And there is something empowering about knowing what goes into the food we eat, and making positive choices about what we put in our own mouths and the mouths of our kids.
What’s surprising – and spooky - is the extent to which commercially-produced food is fiddled with. We’ve included one example below; this is the very tip of the iceberg and we’ll be bringing you more examples in future editions of Fresh.
Not that we want to come over all earnest and righteous (we like wine, coffee and sticky pastries far too much for all that). But we feel passionate about food quality and sustainable production – that’s what the farmers’ market movement is all about – and, as market shoppers, chances are you do too. We stand by the quality of all the produce sold at the Clevedon Village Farmers’ Market – and we’re proud to be able to say that. Enjoy!

IN SEASON
Spring truly has sprung and the shopping is fabulous at the Clevedon Village Farmers’ Market. This month – in addition to all our non-seasonal produce – you’ll find strawberries; oranges; tangelos; courgettes; salad greens; fresh herbs; beetroot; broccoli; cauliflower; lemons; watercress; collard greens; turnips; leeks; radishes; carrots; spinach; kale; telegraph cucumbers and bok choy. Please see overleaf for a full list of stallholders and their produce.

WELCOME
A big market welcome to Zorba’s Greek Food, purveyor of delicious authentic Greek dishes including tzatziki, feta spreads, stuffed vine leaves and baklava. Pop by and sample Alex’s wares two down from the coffee stall. Yum.

GREEN AROUND THE GILLS
Bagged supermarket salad greens. Not up to farmers’ market standard, clearly, but still handy when you’re caught short, right? Maybe not, once you know how your bite-sized mesclun’s been treated on the way to the chiller.

You may have wondered how the supermarkets manage to keep their bagged salads fresh from grower to packhouse to shelf. Even when you get them home, bagged salad greens can last for an impressive length of time in the vege basket of your fridge.

Firstly, commercial growers manage this by packaging their greens the MAP way – that stands for Modified Atmosphere Packaging. What this does is reduce the oxygen content and raise the carbon dioxide content around the greens, which slows any visible deterioration and discolouration. Those ten-day-old leaves might taste a bit grotty, but they’ll look OK, which is a number one consideration for volume food retailers like supermarkets. MAP packaging is so effective, in fact, that it extends the life of salad greens by up to 50 per cent (some of the bagged salad greens sold in the UK are four weeks old). Not great, you might think, but not particularly sinister.

Unfortunately, the prepping process doesn’t stop at clever packaging. Most commercially-produced salad greens are also ‘flushed’ in a chlorine solution to destroy any bugs (the chlorine volume is about 20 times higher than in the average swimming pool). Research suggests that, in addition to leaving chlorine residue on the greens, this process saps flavour and destroys many of the vital nutrients in salad – including vitamins C and E.

Makes those handy packs a bit less appealing, yes? No problem – visit Fancy Lettuce (spray-free) or Sunset Organics (certified organic) at the Clevedon Village Farmers’ Market for salad greens the way they should be. Fresh, washed in plain old water and full of flavour. There’s no comparison.

“I’m at the age when food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I’ve just had a mirror put over my kitchen table.”
– Rodney Dangerfield

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Smoked kahawai pate with watercress, spinach & orange salad

Pate

• 200gm Piako Pete smoked kahawai (about half a medium sized fish)
  
• 100-150gm Matatoki organic Greek yoghurt (Clevedon Valley Cheese stall)
  
• Quarter of a small red onion, finely diced
  
• Small bunch of Italian parsley, chopped
  
• Juice of one lemon
• Good pinch cayenne pepper
• Good grind black pepper
  
• Sourdough loaf

Method:
Flake the fish into a bowl removing any bones or skin. Mix with remaining ingredients and spread generously on sourdough toast (kumara sourdough from the Wild Wheat stall pictured).

Watercress, spinach and orange salad

• One bunch of watercress
• One bag of baby spinach
• 4 oranges or tangelos
• Handful of Alvita roasted almonds

Dressing

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp orange juice
• pinch of sugar
• 1 tsp sherry (optional)
• Good grind of pepper
  
• Good pinch of salt
• Quarter of a small red onion, finely chopped

Wash spinach and watercress and mix in a bowl. Peel oranges and cut into segments. Toss oranges and almonds through greens. Combine dressing ingredients and whisk. Dress salad and toss to combine. Serve slabs of crunchy pate toast with tangy salad on the side for a superb spring lunch or light meal.

CLEVEDON VILLAGE FARMERS' MARKET VENDORS & PRODUCE

• Dullumbunda Farm - kale and collards; root vegetables; sprouts; oyster mushrooms; carrots; culinary herbs; watercress
• Pacific Skye - seasonal fruit; fruit juice
• Fancy Lettuce - lettuce; bok choy; broccoli; spinach, living herbs, tubs of mesclun

  Get inspired in your garden this Spring!

• Sunset Coast Organics - certified organic fruit and vegetables, including culinary herbs and gourmet salad mixes
• Cuconics - telegraph cucumbers, courgettes
• Wild Bee - fresh local bush and field honey
• Nature’s Corner - free-range eggs
• Hungarian Deli - traditional air-dried meats and gluten-free sausages
• Waiuku River Wines - merlot and cabernet Bordeaux-style blends
• Paella Pan - traditional paella cooked on-site; fresh crepes
• Cathedral Cove Macadamias - fresh macadamia nuts and macadamia nut products
• Heart of the Globe - Highland beef products; salami; fresh artichokes; marinated garlic; fruit pastes
• Blackwood’s Gourmet Breads - freshly-made bagels and flatbreads
• Bentru - Smoked specialty meats and sausages; traditional proscuitto
• Clevedon Valley Cheese - handmade cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk cheeses
• Piako Pete - smoked fish; fresh flounder and snapper; smoked eel (when available), whitebait (when available)
• Salmonman - hot smoked salmon cured in a variety of ways
• Strawberry Corner - fresh strawberries
  
• Zakar - BioGro beef cuts; premium beef mince and sausages
• Running Brook Seeds - quality heritage flower and vegetable seeds
• Wild Wheat - artisan bakers of traditional and sourdough breads
• Market Espresso - great coffee and refreshments
• Sweet Art - cakes and biscuits
• River Estate - premium olive oils and table olives
• Zorba's - authentic handmade Greek dishes
• Tasty Morsels - fresh gluten-free baking
• Alvita - fresh nuts
• Avoculture - avocados
• Tipaka Moana - subtropical fruit
• Estuary Orchards - citrus fruit
• Philippe’s Chocolate - handcrafted chocolates and patisserie
• Soggy Bottom Holdings - purveyors of rare breed free-range meats
• Pilgrim’s Certified Organic Lamb - certified organic lamb cuts
• Hungarian Twisters - ‘Kurtos Kalacs’ traditional Hungarian pastries
• Clevedon Animal Farm - pony rides for the kids
• Alison’s Pony & Trap Rides - pony & trap rides for kids and adults
• Willow Brook - lavender products, Iris plants and daffodils
• Sylvia Sandford Limes - fresh locally-grown limes
• Ken’s Orchids - Orchids
• Hamlin Nursery - perennials
• Dig This - Eion & Ann Scarrow’s garden plants
  

Clevedon Village Farmers Market
Every Sunday 8:30am-12 noon, Clevedon Showgrounds, Monument Rd, Clevedon.

Visit our website at www.clevedonfarmersmarket.co.nz
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