Leelanau farmers markets yield fall bounty

John Hardy at Bareknuckle Farm offers delicious produce.

By Linda Beaty
Sun contributor

One of the highlights of living or vacationing in Leelanau County during the summer is the proliferation of fresh fruits and vegetables and locally produced meats, cheeses, honey, maple syrup, jams and jellies, flowers and baked goods found at roadside stands and farmers markets. For many, a weekly, or twice weekly, visit to one of the county’s five farmers markets is a tradition, not only for purchasing local products but for chatting with vendors, socializing with other customers (and dogs!) and taking photos.

It’s a bittersweet time of year when the kids return to school, the temperatures drop, the leaves begin to show tinges of red, and the farmers markets in Empire, Glen Arbor, Leland and Northport shut down by early September. (Empire’s market wraps on Saturday, Sept. 9; Glen Arbor closes on Tuesday, Sept. 12.)

But you’re in luck from not until Halloween, since Suttons Bay becomes the hub of county market activity each Saturday morning until Oct. 28. “Fall markets are some of our busiest markets,” said Noel Weeks, owner of Casa Verde farm in Cedar. “As the tourist business dies down, there are more local people getting back into a routine of regularly cooking meals at home once the kids go back to school.”

Autumn’s frost inevitably spells the end of heat-loving veggies such as corn, summer squash and tomatoes. But you don’t have to put away the grill just yet, because many crops mature in the fall, and others you’ve been buying all along taste best in cool—even frosty—weather. While you’ll see lots of summer standbys at the market this fall, including lettuce, potatoes, radishes, carrots and beets, some special produce to look forward to this fall are:

Pears. Cherries, peaches and nectarines are gone, or at least dwindling, but pears, along with blackberries and apples, are just beginning to appear, said Josiah Bakker of Bakker’s Acres. “We grow mainly Bartlett and Bosc.”

Bartlett pears are the most commonly grown pear in the United States. Picked green, they are eaten when the skin is yellow and the flesh slightly soft to a finger press. Bosc pears have a brown skin and are sweet even when the skin and flesh are hard. Both types of pears are wonderful eaten fresh, as well as in a fruit crisp, a pear and cucumber salad, or poached. You can also make a grilled stuffed pear by cutting it in half, grilling the cut side down for about five minutes, then turning and stuffing it with cooked quinoa or rice, pan-fried chorizo or freshly ground pork, and topping it with feta cheese. Lower the grill hood and cook until the pear is tender, about 15 minutes.

Apples. Apples have begun to mature, and you’ll find early varieties such as Jersey Mac, Lodi, Viking, Pristine and Zestar!® at Bakker’s Acres stand now, with as many as 40 more varieties to come, according to Bakker. Since each apple has its own flavor profile and its own uses, the best source of information is the farmer who grows them. They can tell you whether the apple is sweet, tart or a combination, whether the flesh is firm and does well in cooking, or soft and best eaten fresh, as well as which varieties store best.

Winter squash. You’ll begin to see a variety of winter squash once the weather cools and brings a light frost, said Weeks. While most people are familiar with acorn, butternut and buttercup varieties, don’t be afraid to ask about, and try, some less common varieties you’ll see at farmers markets, such as kabocha, a Japanese variety of squash with a nutty earthy flavor. The green kabocha are best used for savory dishes, as the flesh is less sweet than the red variety. Other popular winter squash are sweet dumpling, reminiscent in shape of acorn squash, with green stripes on cream skin and a sweet potato flavor, the mellow and sweet yellow striped carnival squash, which are a cross of acorn and sweet dumpling, and blue Hubbard, a large grey-blue variety with sweet flesh.

The first winter squash to appear, even before a frost, according to Weeks, is the delicata. Oblong, with green stripes on cream, it has a delicate, edible skin, and is a cinch to cut and cook, with a creamy, rich taste. One of the best ways to cook delicata squash is to roast them. Simply cut in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and discard, then cut each half into half-inch pieces (no skinning necessary). Toss with olive oil and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes.

All winter squash are delicious baked, stuffed, grilled and roasted. And if you’re looking to keep them around for a while, choose acorn squash, which will keep for 1-2 months in a cool spot, or better yet, butternut or buttercup, which will last through the holiday season.

Brassica veggies. Formerly referred to as “cruciferous vegetables,” named for the four equal-sized petals in the flowers that form a crucifix or cross shape, this family of veggies includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kale. While you may have been buying some of these crops during the summer, there’s no doubt that they taste better in the fall, because cold temperatures cause the plants to break down energy stores into sugar, leading to a sweeter flavor.

Spinach. You may or may not have seen spinach at the market during the opening weeks. This veggie can be tricky to grow in the spring months, because the long days that come as early as mid-May signal to the plant that it’s time to reproduce, and it quickly goes to seed. So if you didn’t get enough of this nutritious green during its fleeting spring season, you’re in luck, because spinach typically makes a fall comeback. The great thing about fall spinach is that it pairs nicely with fall fruits such as apples and pears for a delectable fresh salad.

Chestnuts. If all you know about chestnuts is the holiday song about roasting them over an open fire, you’ll be able to get up close and personal with the tasty nuts at Bare Knuckle Farm’s stand, hopefully by the last week or two of the farmers market season, said growing manager, John Hardy. Because they are harvested manually only after they fall from the tree, Mother Nature decides the timing. And once you taste them, you’ll want more; “We’re able to sell everything that we harvest,” he said.

Chestnuts can indeed be roasted over an open fire, but Hardy’s favorite way to cook them is to cut them in half, and pan fry them in olive oil. They can be eaten plain, or, according to Hardy, they are great added to stuffing and soups. You can also spice up your Brussels sprouts by tossing them with chestnuts.

If the nuts don’t make it in time for the outdoor farmers market by the closing date, you’ll find Hardy, along with several other Leelanau County farmers, at the Traverse City Village Farmer’s Market’s indoor market in the Mercato corridor on Saturday mornings between November and April.