"FarmersMarket" news and stories

Momofuku Milk Bar Volcano Photo: Kat Kinsman

A few of the best stories spied elsewhere on the Web this week:

A new study from the University of South Carolina finds comfort food not as comforting as you'd think.

A snacking-while-driving invention makes talking on your cell phone while driving seem positively safe and sound.

Despite the recession, consumers are still willing to shell out as much as $999 per person to rub shoulders with celeb chefs at food festivals across the nation.

David Chang, of Momofuku fame, may open a Milk Bar in Georgetown.

More Americans are starting small farms, sometimes called 'hobby' or 'lifestyle' farms, which provide much of the food found at the nation's farmers' markets and roadside stands.

Now you can get your candy fix and your rock on with Kiss-branded M&M's.

Le Bernardin reservations out of your reach? Chef Eric Ripert launched a wine club, giving the average Joe access to his vino-expertise and recipe pairings to use at home.

Tagine and vegetables. Photo: jkdjulia, Flickr.

• On pulling out the tagine and delighting in an all-day cooking class in Morocco, while a taste of the country will hit Pittsburgh and a recipe for Cucumber Mint Salad/Sorbet.
• Roasting? That's so last year. Care to try an electronic turkey fryer this Thanksgiving?
• Writer Miriam Rubin muses about this summer's farmers' market gems and the joys of canning.
• Beer bits: The Steel City Big Pour is over, but some brews live on, and more beer festivities are on the way.
• Be still our vino hearts -- the grapes are overflowing, which means falling wine prices and great grabs.

Harvest vegetables. Photo: Brent Ridge, Beekman 1802.

Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell are the farmers and innovators behind Beekman 1802, a 200-year-old estate and farm in upstate New York. We'll be running recipes, photos and tales from the farm as their crops come into season.

When we first moved to the Beekman Farm, we knew really nothing about farming. Most of what we now know we learned from talking to our neighbors, local farmers with years worth of experience. We felt it was time to say "thank you," so the Beekman Farm is hosting a Harvest Festival in historic Sharon Springs, N.Y., to celebrate local farmers. The festivities will conclude with a five-course meal at the American Hotel , with primary ingredients (from the butter to the bourbon) that are all locally sourced.

While the festival was a year in the planning, there are some very worthwhile things that you can do to say "thanks" to your own local farmers. Here are a few ways to get started:

• Didn't even know there were farmers in your neck of the woods? Then a good place to start is at localharvest.org. Plug in your ZIP code and in an instant see what's growing near you.

Eastern Market Photo: ngolebiewski/Flickr

Attention, residents of the nation's capital: After two long years of waiting, Washington, D.C.'s historic Eastern Market re-opened this morning.

The Capitol Hill market, which had been in continuous operation since it opened 1873, closed in 2007 after a devastating fire. Home to many farmers and a wide range of culinary delights that included everything from buckwheat blueberry pancakes (known in local parlance as "bluebucks") and cured meats to pumpkin ravioli and crab cakes, the market was the shining jewel in its neighborhood's crown.

While the fire that closed the market was a blow to a historical site, it also presented what some considered a long overdue opportunity for improvement.

Learn more about the opening party and $22 million renovation after the jump.

Strawberry Salad Photo: Rebecca Flint Marx

Farmers markets are now brimming with boxes of strawberries, and most people's natural inclination -- aside from eating them all before getting home -- is to turn the berries into pies, cobblers, crumbles and strawberry shortcakes -- in other words, dessert.

While their tart sweetness makes them shining stars of the seasonal baked goods line-up, strawberries also make great supporting players in savory dishes. They pair well with cheeses, nuts, salad greens and even some meats, and can be as versatile as they are irresistible.

One way to introduce them before the dessert course is in a salad, not only as whole fruit but also as a tangy vinegar. Though you can buy bottled strawberry vinegar (as well as other fruit vinegars), it's plenty easy to make your own. It adds bright layers to the following recipe for spinach salad with toasted pecans, strawberries and ricotta -- and can be added to as many other salads, entrees and yes, even desserts, throughout the rest of the summer and beyond.