Reflections on My First Farmers Market Season with VIP Pork

As our first farmers market season comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what a rewarding experience it has been. While this side of our pork production is just a small percent of what we do on the farm, it has been so meaningful to connect with our community in a new way — by offering VIP Pork directly to customers.

One Pan Pork Egg Roll Bowl

It’s National Farmers Market Week, and there’s no better way to celebrate than by shopping local and letting the season’s freshest ingredients inspire your next meal. That’s exactly what I did at the Hampton Farmers Market this week — and the result? A flavorful, One Pan Pork Egg Roll Bowl!

#Celebrate365 Farmers Market Inspiration

Did you know that this week is National Farmers Market Week?  My Celebrate 365 co-hosts (Carlee from Cooking with Carlee, Jan of The Tip Garden and Nicole of Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom) and I were so excited to find out about it that we decided to host a blog party full of garden fresh and farmers market inspired recipes!

Easy Freezer Sweet Corn

The beginning of August in Iowa might as well be known as "sweet corn freezing" season, because by this time everyone has been eating corn on the cob for about a month, the sweet corn left in your patch is nearing being too done, and you don't want to pass up not being able to have sweet corn all year long.  So you gather some friends, family, neighbors, etc. and you have your own little "Freezer Sweet Corn Party".

The party starts in the sweet corn patch picking your ears of sweet corn.

After you pick your sweet corn you then need everyone to help husk it.

Age doesn't matter.  You can find a job for everyone.

Next, the party can move home so you can start cutting off all of the kernels of sweet corn.

My preferred method for cutting the sweet corn kernels off the cob is the "bundt pan" method.

Watch out for people eating on the job...

Then you take all of your sweet corn kernels and mix them with sugar, salt and ice water.

Then you place the mixture in freezer bags.

After a days work of freezing sweet corn, a nap might be in need.

So, there you have it - how to throw your own "Freezer Sweet Corn Party".  We enjoy doing this every year and the work of one day pays off when you're able to enjoy sweet corn all year long.

Recipes for freezing sweet corn can be more work than they need to be, but mine is simple and gets the job done.  There is no need to cook the sweet corn - you'll do that when you get it out of the freezer in the winter to enjoy it.  Also, add to your sweet corn as you prepare it from the freezer anyway you like - butter, pepper, seasonings, etc.

Easy Freezer Sweet Corn

20 cups sweet corn kernels
1 cup sugar
1/8 cup salt
5 cups ice water

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl or pan.  Mix and Freeze.  It really is just that easy and simple.

What do you like to freeze and can?  Remember to Comment for a Cause and check out all of the other great recipes being shared this week in celebration of National Farmers Market Week!

#FarmersMarket Thursday Recipes

Easy Freezer Sweet Corn by Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
Farmers Market Freezer Fruit Cocktail Mix by Frugal Pantry
Crisp & Spicy Cucumber Salad by Jolene's Recipe Journal
Pecan Honey Butter by Family Around The Table
Pasta with Saffron Pepper Sauce by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
Santa Fe Pork with Peach Salsa by Palatable Pastime
Summer Vegetable and Chicken Stir Fry by Cooking with Carlee

Aunt Mary's Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles

Did you know that today is the start of National Farmers Market Week?  Farmers Markets stimulate local economies, increase access to fresh food, and support healthy communities.  I personally love going to my local Hampton Farmers Market as much as possible, and a heads up for local readers - I'll have a booth at tomorrow night's market celebrating National Farmers Market Week by passing out cookbooks, grocery lists, and other goodies!

I'm also celebrating this week by sharing some recipes inspired by the fresh fruits and vegetables you can find at farmers markets with several other bloggers.  Be sure to follow along all week by checking out the #FarmersMarketWeek hashtag!

Now onto today's recipe!  For the last few weeks making my Great Aunt Mary's Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles has been part of my weekly routine.  My family loves these pickles and prefers them over store bought.  Each summer I try to plant enough cucumbers in my garden and make enough trips to my local farmers market so I can make enough jars to last us a year.

These Bread & Butter Pickles are quick, easy and crunchy!  I love their slightly sweet flavor, yet still have that salty tangy flavor you crave from a pickle.  My family loves these sliced pickles on any sandwich - pork loin, shredded pork, and I wouldn't hold it pass any of them eating these simply with bread and butter.  Suppose that is how they got their name?  My family has been making this recipe for generations, so you know it's good and a recipe you need to keep!

Aunt Mary's Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles

4 cups sugar
4 cups vinegar
1/2 cup salt
1 1/3 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/3 tsp celery seed
1 1/3 tsp mustard seed
3 yellow onions, thinly sliced
10 cucumbers, approximately, thinly sliced

In a large saucepan mix the sugar, vinegar, salt, turmeric, celery seed and mustard seed.  Bring pickling liquid to a boil, making sure the sugar and salt have dissolved.

Layer sliced cucumbers and onions in an alternating pattern in your canning jar til the top.  Ladle in the pickling liquid til the cucumbers and onions are covered.  Wipe the rim of your jar, place the lid on top, and secure with metal screw band.

This recipe makes approximately 5 pints of pickles.  Pickles will be ready to eat after a week.  Store pickles in a refrigerator up to 1 year.

What is your favorite thing to can?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

#FarmersMarketWeek Monday Recipes

Aunt Mary's Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles by Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
BBQ Corn on the Cob with dilled butter by Red Cottage Chronicles
Beef Tacos with Peppers, Onions & Salsa Verde by Books n' Cooks
Blistered Tomato Dutch Baby by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
Blueberry Crisp for Two by Family Around The Table
Blueberry Scones by The Freshman Cook
Cherry Stout Jam by The Redhead Baker
Farmer’s Market Breakfast Casserole by New South Charm
Freshly Dug Potato Salad by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Intro post by Bear & Bug Eats
Israeli Salad by Caroline's Cooking
Marinated Mozzarella and Tomato Appetizers by Jolene's Recipe Journal
Peach and Blueberry Overnight Oats by Simple and Savory
Peach Bourbon Jam by Feeding Big
Peaches and Cream Overnight Oats by Cooking with Carlee
Strawberry Mango Jam by Palatable Pastime
Summer Veggies & Kielbasa Sheet Pan Dinner by Tip Garden

Farmers Market Quiche

* This post has been compensated through the AE Dairy Blog Ambassador program.  All views and opinions shared are my own. *

One of my favorite things to do each summer is visit Farmers Markets.  If you live in Iowa, there is a good chance that you have one close by.  In fact, Iowa ranks second in the number of farmers markets per capita.  While I love exploring some of the larger city farmers markets like Des Moines or Clear Lake, my favorite one to go to is my local Franklin County Farmers Market.

The Franklin County Farmers Market
in Hampton, Iowa, August 2016

The Franklin County Farmers Market takes place every Tuesday and Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. from May through October at the Main Street Square in Hampton, located on the corner of 1st Avenue NW and 1st Street NW.  There are up to ten different vendors at the market who sell products that range from fresh produce, baked goods, jams and jellies, honey and flowers and plants.  August is one of my favorite times to travel to the Farmers Market because there is a large variety of vendors and produce available.  But I love visiting all season long to support my community.  Even though I plant my own garden, the Farmers Market offers a diverse collection of produce from what I grow at home and it always leaves me inspired.

After visiting the Franklin County Farmers Market last week, I was inspired to come home and make a delicious breakfast with the variety of vegetables I bought.  I don't know what it is about Farmers Markets but my first instinct is always to make something fresh and delicious for breakfast with my finds.  

Some of my produce finds
from the Franklin County Farmers Market

In order to make these vegetables into a savory breakfast I decided to create a quiche.  To start your quiche, you have to start with a good base, and by good base, I mean my recipe for lard crust!

A lard crust is the best base for any type of pie or quiche!

Then it's time for the filling!  I decided what would really bring my egg-based filling up a notch, and add that creamy texture and richness I was looking for, would be to include AE Dairy's Heavy Whipping Cream.  AE's Whipping Cream adds to the freshness of the dish, and helps makes the filling nice and smooth.  Just like how my Farmers Market veggies were freshly picked that day by the vendors, in less than 24 hours, the raw milk at AE dairy is changed into any number of AE's product line and is on its way to your local grocery store.

Besides being a quality product, I love how AE Dairy's
Heavy Whipping Cream comes in the perfect Half Pint sized container

To top it off, my inner pig farmer had to shine, so I added a bacon lattice!

Oh, yeah!  Give me some BACON!

So are you ready for the recipe?

Have I tempted you long enough?

Well, without further ado...

Farmers Market Quiche

9" Pie Crust

1/2 large Zucchini, cut into 14 slices

1/2 Onion, chopped

12 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

1/2 Green Pepper, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, grated

6 Eggs

1 cup (Half Pint) of AE Dairy's Heavy Whipping Cream

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

8-10 slices of Bacon

Salt and Pepper

Prepare Pie Crust and place in pie plate or quiche pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes with foil or pie crust shield.  Then press down crust and bake additional 2 minutes with no crust shield.

While crust is baking, saute Zucchini slices with butter, salt and pepper.  After crust is baked, place 7 slices of Zucchini evenly on the bottom of the pie crust.

Mix Eggs and Whipping Cream.  Stir in Onion, Tomatoes, Pepper, Garlic and Cheese to egg mixture.  Pour filling into pie crust.  Place the final 7 slices of Zucchini on top of the quiche.

Bake quiche at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.  

Take quiche out and assemble the Bacon lattice.  Don't be afraid if the bacon lays over the sides of the quiche as it will shrink some in the baking.  Place the quiche with bacon lattice back in the oven at 450 degrees F for an additional 15 minutes.  Place a baking sheet under the pie plate or quiche pan to collect bacon grease.

Slice and enjoy!

I love the layers of flavor in this quiche.  The crust, the veggies, the eggs with whipping cream, and the bacon all blend so well, and at the same time give bursts of new flavors in each bite.  I hope you get inspired by your local farmers market and make this quiche soon for breakfast (or dinner or supper...) soon!

Have you attended a Farmers Market this year?  What is you favorite thing to buy at the Farmers Market?  What's your favorite way to use Whipping Cream?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!