Low and slow, price vs value, pro-tips, plus we’re famous now.
“Why does this lettuce cost $11.99?” is not a phrase you’ll ever hear at Harvest Market. One criticism that is often levelled at farmers’ markets is that they are pricey and inaccessible. A little la di da, if you will. The reality though is quite different. Every one of our producers delivers their very best, at their fairest price, every Saturday, straight to you. By buying your fresh food at a farmers’ market, you are putting money directly into the pockets of the people who grow it. As opposed to the coffers of a dubious duopoly and their vast logistics networks and or shareholders. You may be familiar with the phrase ‘let thy food be thy medicine’ (Hippocrates, 470-360 BC). Looked at this way, your purchases at Harvest are considerably cheaper than private healthcare.
In a time where all of us are conscious of our cost of living, Harvest represents not just good price, but great value in every sense of the word.
Remember that we promised you shiny new high-def content? Well, for once we have delivered! On our website you will find the amazing little video that is the result of our work with Ideasbanq. It is mint. As is all the other amazing content that has been coming our way lately. We so enjoy sharing it with you and hope you enjoy consuming it.
Set it and Forget it
Speaking of consuming, who has plans for dinner? Do you tend to make plans about what is for dinner on a Saturday night? Or do you roll up at Harvest and see what inspires you on the day? We know some people that plan their next meal immediately upon finishing their last. We also know some that have never planned a meal in their life. Both approaches are equally valid. For our part, we are non-planners. We find joy in not knowing what is going to catch our eyes and inspire our next meal on any given Saturday. What inspires one week will not even register the next. If variety is the spice of life, we are a heady masala ready for toasting.
With that in mind, and having mastered the benny last week, let’s move on to some more kitchen wizardry through braised meats. There is no right or wrong here. Whatever you so choose at Harvest is certain to produce a memorable meal. Braised meats are amazing for many reasons. They’re versatile, think pasta, pies, toasties, croquettes, pithiviers. They’re “set it and forget it”. You can literally chuck a bunch of amazing ingredients in an oven dish and then walk away for the day. Plus they’re transformative. The long cooking time transforms tough collagen into silky gelatin, chewy cuts are transformed into tender bites. Finally, they’re endless. Wine, stock, passata, stout, cider, or good ol’ fashioned water are the base from which to explore this culinary universe.
It’s all good
You don’t need to be a whiz either. Good meats, enough fat, careful with the salt, cook low and slow don’t let it dry out. Easy. How about pork butt with cider, cipollini, sage and caramelised apple? Or perhaps lamb shoulder and parsnips with stout and thyme is more your speed? If you don’t feel like thinking about it too much, there is always the classic beef, red wine and mushrooms. Knock that up and you’ve got a gnocchi sauce, a pie filling, a tartine topping and a standalone meal with mash and greens. However you so choose to braise, follow the pro-tips and you can’t lose. Who’s hungry?
We feel morally obligated to inform you that there will be some notable absences at Harvest over the next couple of months. Felds Farm, Thirlstane Gardens, Tassie Hemp and TNGT are all taking their well-earned seasonal breaks, and there may be some intermittence from other primary producers here and there. We promise to keep you duly informed.
That’s it for now, thanks for reading. We’ll be back next week.