WHAT’S IT TAKE TO RUN A MARKET
Old Beach was founded in 2008 with the goal of providing a fresh outdoor market in the resort area. With your support, it quickly became the best place to connect to family farms and producers.
Run entirely by volunteers (and one part-time market supervisor), we rely mightily on the help of our supporters.
Volunteers greet you at the Information table each week, and volunteers put out all the parking signs. Volunteers work year-round with farms and producers to ensure high quality and honest presentation.
You can help the market in three important ways.
Volunteer for a couple hours on a Saturday morning
- Become a Friend (as low as $25 a year)
- Shop here each Saturday
Last week, for new and renewing Friends, our generous vendors donated items for a raffle basket of goodies and gift certificates.
Carol & Al Chewning of Virginia Beach, longtime market-goers, won the raffle. Special thanks to Ann Wright for her hard work on this! Your donations keep our vendor fees low and sustain the market.
Cromwell Farm is back, as is The Bakery at Riverside Farm.
Special note: In the future, “organic” in this newsletter will refer only to USDA-certified produce and plants. At this time, Mattawoman Creek Farm is the only vendor at OBFM with this hard-to-achieve official designation.
See you Saturday, friends.
RECIPE
SALAD DAYS:
APPLE, BACON AND PECAN SALAD
With Hot Bacon Dressing
From my “Nuts” cookbook, now on sale pre-order HERE
It seems that just about everyone loves bacon, and this salad (grab some great greens this weekend at OBFM!) not only has crispy, crumbled bacon on top, but those delicious bacon drippings mixed into a hot dressing that wilts the sharp-flavored greens. That, in turn, becomes the perfect platform for crisp, tart apples and crunchy, buttery pecans.
Salad Ingredients
2 cups escarole
2 cups friseé
2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Dressing Ingredients
6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped sweet onion
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Salad Method
Combine greens in a large bowl.
Peel, core and cut apples into 1/4-inch wedges. Toss in lemon juice and set aside.
Dressing Method
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the onion to the skillet and cook in the bacon fat, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, stir for 15 seconds, and remove the skillet from the heat. Add the vinegar, and scrape up all the brown bits in the skillet. Stir in the mustard, black pepper, salt, and sugar.
To assemble
Crumble the reserved bacon. Toss the greens in the dressing.
On four plates, evenly divide dressed greens and top with even amounts of apples, bacon crumbles, then pecans.
Yields 4 servings
