Column: Verlys Huntley, Notes from the Garden

The local farmers market is now well into its main season, with more and more vegetables arriving each week.

Also, new vendors are arriving throughout the season, so be sure to walk through the whole market so you do not miss anything. The Albert Lea Transit free bus service offered through the generous funding from the Mayo Health Clinic System in Albert Lea offers a great way for you to get to the market. Call Joanne at 379-1111 to get more details. Sign up for the free basket of products donated by vendors each Wednesday. Enjoy the meal being served by nonprofit groups from 4 to 6 p.m. each Wednesday. Look for new recipe cards each week, featuring seasonal produce, and look us up on Facebook, and our website at www.albertleafarmersmarket.com. Lots more pictures and current information have been added recently. And today the Albert Lea Parks and Recreation will have their kids carnival in the grassy area to the north of the market, so there will be lots of activity in that whole area.

Some of the vegetables you can now find at the market are lettuce, beets, carrots, peas (edible pod and shell), green beans, bok choy, kale, kohlrabi, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onions (green and large sweet), new potatoes, rhubarb, summer squash and zucchini. You will also find lots of raspberries and gooseberries. You will also find farm fresh eggs, local meats, lots of home baked goodies, candies, jams, jellies, honey, maple syrup, salsa, pickles and other canned foods, crafts and lots more (each week there are more new and different things).

Featured produce of the week

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and kohlrabi, all members of the cole family of vegetables, are now available. The consumption of these vegetables has risen dramatically as people are becoming more aware of all the health benefits they provide. Broccoli contains a substance called sulforaphane, which has been shown through animal studies to dramatically reduce the number, size and reproduction of malignant tumors in animals, and this appears to relate directly to tumor risk also in humans. The antioxidants in these vegetables also are believed to prevent damage to cells caused by free radicals, which are believed to be a factor in causing many cancers. The University of Minnesota experiment station at Waseca is working on developing varieties of some of the cole crops that provide even higher levels of these beneficial elements.

It is believed that cabbage and kale may have originated in western Europe and that cauliflower and broccoli came from the Mediterranean region. Prior to being consumed as a food, they were used mainly for medicinal purposes. In the seedling stage, these different crops look very similar. They can all be planted fairly early, as they tolerate cold temperatures quite well.

Broccoli is actually a tight cluster of flower buds, and should be harvested when these buds are still tight and about the size of a match head. If left to mature further, it becomes lacy, yellow flowers. It has a fantastic nutritional makeup, including lots of vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium and iron, sulforaphane and antioxidants.

Cauliflower is derived from Latin, meaning cabbage flowers. The edible portion is a tight head, usually white (but can also be yellow or purple). It is one of the more temperamental and difficult to grow of the cole crops.

Cabbage is the most ancient vegetable known today, dating back 4,000 years, and a direct descendant of the wild cabbage of western Europe. It was brought to Canada in the 16th century and is now the most globally cultivated of all the plants in the brassica family. The three main types are the smooth leaf green, the purple and the savoy (crinkled leaf). Different varieties have different characteristics, but in general, the heads should be fairly firm and solid before being harvested. Cabbage has fairly good storage qualities if kept in a root cellar or under cold storage. It also can be made into sauerkraut and preserved that way.

Quick microwave creamy cabbage

1/4 cup butter

1/2 small head cabbage, shredded

1/4 cup light cream

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

In a two-quart casserole, melt butter on high for 40 seconds. Add cabbage, stirring to coat with butter. Cover and cook on high for two minutes. Stir in cream. Cover and cook on high for three minutes, stirring once. Sprinkle with salt, seasoned salt and pepper. Let stand several minutes before serving.

Broccoli au gratin

1 bunch broccoli, cut, cooked and drained (or use cauliflower)

1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp. buttered bread crumbs

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Put cooked broccoli in baking dish. Blend soup and milk and pour over. Top with crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Garnish with crumbled bacon.

Verlys Huntley is a master gardener and the president of the Albert Lea Farmers Market.