By Lois Baxter
Special to The Weekly
Welcome to the Farmers Market Corner. This is a great time of year for enjoying fresh, local produce, baked goods, dairy, meat and more at local farmers markets. During the 2014 growing season, we wanted to share information with readers of The Weekly about the many farmers markets in this area. Each week, vendors or customers from local farmers markets will share tips about unfamiliar foods you can find at your local markets, fun recipes to try with seasonally available produce, and highlights about specific farms you can learn about at the markets.
Did you know there are 12 farmers markets in Penobscot County? Find out which ones they are at the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets at mainefarmersmarkets.org/shoppers/.
Three of those local markets offer a 25 percent matching discount for customers paying with SNAP/EBT (sponsored by Food AND Medicine). They are Bangor Farmers Market, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays at Harlow Street parking lot across from the library; Ohio Street Farmers Market, 2-6 p.m. Wednesdays at the Bangor Grange across from Finson Road; and Brewer Farmers Market, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Brewer Auditorium parking lot, Wilson Street.
The vegetable of the week is pumpkin.
With Halloween upon us, it seems like everywhere you turn there is something pumpkin flavored — from cookies to coffee. While I love the taste of pumpkin, it does tend to overwhelm me. I prefer the real thing rather than something artificially pumpkin flavored. With pumpkins readily available, there are many delicious things to be made from them, using either fresh and canned pumpkin.
Pumpkins are another member of the squash family. They come in all shapes and sizes — from the long pie pumpkins to the kind used for jack-o-lanterns. Pumpkins are one of the low calorie vegetables. They are high in antioxidant Vitamins A, C and B complex as well as an excellent source of fiber, and the seeds are very high in iron.
The most common method of using pumpkin is as a puree in pies, breads and cookies. It can, however, be used in soups or cooked following the same methods as other types of squash. Here’s hoping the Great Pumpkin has risen from your pumpkin patch so you can enjoy some, too.
This week’s recipe is one of my favorite fall recipes. It recipe has been a favorite of my
children for many years.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 eggs, beaten
1 can pumpkin or 2 cups pureed pumpkin
1 cup salad oil
2 cups sugar
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 12-ounce package chocolate chips
Beat thoroughly eggs, pumpkin, oil and sugar. Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin
mixture. Add milk, vanilla and chocolate chips, and mix.
Drop by teaspoonfuls on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 10-15 minutes. Make approximately 4 dozen.
Lois Baxter volunteers at Food AND Medicine, a nonprofit organization at 20 Ivers St. in Brewer. For information, contact fam@foodandmedicine.org or 989-5860, or visit foodandmedicine.org.