Photos courtesy of Westerville Farmers' Market
What’s better than shopping fresh, local produce with a breeze in your hair, the kiss of the sun on your cheeks or the crisp fall air filling your senses? You can experience just that every Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Uptown Westerville Farmers’ Market.
As pops of orange, red, yellow and purple hues begin to sprinkle onto the trees, take a stroll down North State Street and East Home Street to take in the scenery and find fresh ingredients for those fall recipes you can’t wait to try. Parking is free around the marketplace and cyclists can use the convenient Rotary Park bike racks.
A homemade apple pie or butternut squash soup seems to be exceptionally flavorful and beautiful when it comes from the hands of farmers in your community. As you visit their booths at the farmers’ market, you not only get delectable, non-processed food, you also get to share a smile, shake a hand and hear about the labor of love behind each product. The market is run by volunteers, showcasing the commitment and bonds the community shares.
Here are some recipes to help get you inspired before your market adventure:
Chef’s tip: The bold ingredients are ones you’re likely to find at the Uptown Westerville Farmer’s Market!
Harvest Chicken Casserole
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dish
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ onion, chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. paprika
¼ c. Swanson Chicken Broth
6 c. cooked wild rice
½ c. dried cranberries
½ c. sliced almonds
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a nine-by-13-inch baking dish with oil. In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, heat one tablespoon of oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until it’s golden and cooked through (eight minutes per side). Let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut it into one-inch pieces.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add onion, sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts and season with thyme, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook until it’s softened (five minutes). Add broth, bring it to a simmer and cook covered for 5 minutes.
Stir in cooked rice, chicken and cranberries. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish, top it with almonds and bake it for 20 minutes.
Let the dish cool for five minutes before serving.
Where you can find some ingredients:
For onions, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and cranberries lookout for Bird’s Haven Farms, Doran’s Farm Market, Flying J Farm and Kingdom Fish & Kingdon Farms at the Uptown Westerville Farmers’ Market.
Apple Cider Mojitos
INGREDIENTS
Ice
Juice of 1 lemon
½ c. gold rum
Apple cider
Seltzer water
Mint, for garnish
Apple slices, for garnish
Cinnamon sticks, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Fill two glasses with ice. Add the juice from half a lemon to each glass. Divide the rum between the two glasses. Then, fill them three-fourths of the way full with apple cider. Top each with a splash of seltzer water and stir to combine the mixture. Garnish with mint, cinnamon sticks and a slice of apple.
Where you can find some of the ingredients:
To find apples at the Uptown Westerville Farmers’ Market check-out Branstool Orchards and Malabar Peach & Apple Orchard’s booths.
Also, while you are at the Uptown Westerville Farmers’ Market, stop at Annabelle’s Blooms booth for fresh cut flowers for your dinner table!
Recipes from Delish.com.
Mollie Shaw is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
