Any chance that you can take today off? Really now, the entire state ought to be allowed a ‘sunshine day’! This is far more important than a ‘snow day’ in my book. I promise to make this quick, so that you can get outside and savor the sun. I awoke this morning to the prettiest sky- what my poetic mother called ‘the rosy fingered dawn’. So- make plans for clam digging, the low tides start tomorrow, and we should be able to dig without the encumbrance of multiple layers of wool and neoprene. The clams are at their absolute peak right now, as they have been fattening up in preparation for summer propagation. When I bite into a spring clam I wonder why we even bother to dig the poor things during the winter months. There is no comparison, you might be excused for mistaking winter calms for an entirely different species!
Most of us already have a favorite Clam Fritter recipe, but in case you don’t here is mine; 2 beaten eggs 1 tsp. Seafood seasoning ½ tsp. Celery salt 4 Tb. flour 2 cups ground clams ( necks only- don’t waste a digger on fritters!) 6 slices ( or more) of bacon, cooked and crumbled Mix these together and then gradually add; 2 cups Panko Adjust the amount of Panko according to how stiff your batter becomes. You don’t want it to be able to plop out of the spoon easily. Have a hot skillet waiting, seasoned with 2 tb. Of oil. Spoon your batter into the pan, squishing it together to form a nice even layer. Allow it to cook for about 5 minutes before you peak to see if it is browning. Now- have a pizza pan waiting. Place the pizza pan over your skillet, place your hand upon it holding it very firmly in place. With one deft move, flip the skillet over so that the fritter is on the pizza pan. Add more oil to the skillet and then slide the fritter back into the skillet to continue cooking. This recipe makes two large fritters. This is so much easier and more effective than trying to form individual fritters! Now that we have some decent weather, time to think about flower baskets, and the Hoquiam Farmers Market is so ready to make this easy for you! We have an enormous selection of stunning flower baskets which were grown by the Aberdeen High School students as a class project in the school greenhouse; geraniums and bacopa are the main stars, intermixed with lovely accent plants. Only $20.00 each, and sales will help ensure the continuation of the project. We also have hanging tomato baskets, which already have tiny green tomatoes! Ruth nurtured these in her greenhouse, you can be the envy of your friends by shyly presenting them with a basket of red or yellow cherry tomatoes long before their plants have even blossomed. The hanging basket keeps pests from invading and root rot from occurring! Anthony brought in a fresh batch of jalapeno Pepperoni and Summer Sausage- exquisite! I noticed that his case has Keilbasa, Harbor Hound, Cranberry and Razor Clam sausages also. He is doing his best to help you prepare for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Speaking of which- I expect to have organic greenhouse grown watermelon arriving next Wednesday. This weeks shipment (all organic!)included; Crenshaw Melons 1.49 lb. Roma Tomatoes 1.29 lb. Baby Carrots 1.50 per bag Fingerling Potatoes 1.59 per lb. Broccoli 1.39 lb. Acorn Squash 1.79 lb. Bosc Pears 1.59 lb. Apples 1.29 lb- Cameo, Fuji, & Braeburn Cauliflower 1.39 lb. Red Onions .99 lb. Yellow Onions .89 lb. Yams 1.59 lb. Rhubarb 2.89 lb. Carrots 1.49 lb. Beets 1.89 lb. Russet Potatoes .99 lb. Garlic 1.50 each Nancy is busy in the kitchen baking pies before the heat of the day becomes too intense :) and Deidra is back in the kitchen, recovered from the strain of becoming a grandmother. Jacque and baby are doing great, big sister is experiencing the typical surprise of no longer being the total center of attention. The Deli now has a phone line of its own, so jot this new number down; 538-5880 It may take a bit to get accustomed to this, so feel free to still call the market number and we will patch you through to the Deli- 538-9747 Okay now- get out your shorts and flip-flops, don’t forget the sunscreen. Our tender skin hasn’t seen sunshine in so long that we’re in danger of burning withing moments. See you on the beach tomorrow! Barbara Bennett Parsons, manager of the Hoquiam Farmers Market 1958 Riverside phone 538-9747, call for orders, questions, & great advice We’d love to have you ‘like’ us on facebook, I send out snippets of market news daily, such as Deidra’s soup of the day! copy and paste this link;
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