Pawtucket Winter Farmers Market - Eco-Mothering

Yesterday Sofie asked me to play dolls with her — as she often does these days — but this time I took the dolls’ conversation to a new place. It went something like this:

Daisy (Sofie’s doll): “Hi. How are you?”
Tiana (my doll):”I’m upset.”
Daisy: “Why?”
Tiana: “I’m worried about fish.”
Daisy: “Fish?”
Tiana: “Yes. I don’t know which fish to buy. Is it better to get the wild caught fish from Alaska or the fish that might contain mercury but is caught locally?”
Daisy: {hesitates} Hey, let’s go shopping!”

Discussion Courses from the
Northwest Earth Institute

OK, so obviously it was over her head, but these types of conversations, spoken regularly, might actually work their way into her daily vernacular.

Fish, and food in general, was on my mind as I had been reading the first chapter in Menu for the Future, the book for a bi-monthly discussion group that Mike and I have organized through the Northwest Earth Institute.

Since we’re hosting the group at our house, Sofie is inevitably a part of it all. She and her playmate Ella (the daughter of another group member) will be present for discussions regarding the state of our food: what we buy, where we buy it, how even the way we eat food affects us… The girls might not really be paying attention to what we say, but I believe the mere act of bringing people together to talk about and share food makes a strong statement.

Fresh, local food from the Pawtucker Winter Farmers’ Market

Sofie’s at that finicky age where she’d probably live on macaroni and hot dogs if I let her. So anything that introduces her to new foods and creates an atmosphere encouraging her to try them is alright with me.

We’ve already had success with this method when we made an outing of the Pawtucket Wintertime Farmer’s Market. Sofie was hungry; farmers offered free samples; she tried (and appeared to like) a watermelon radish. (It probably helped that it was pink.)

The food book discussion group will hopefully encourage Mike and I to try new things as well. For us, it’s less about new food as it is about new food practices: finally joining a CSA, starting a vegetable garden or asking the man behind the meat counter for details about the chicken we’re buying. It’s educational, it’s social, it’s fun. And it’s all part of my master plan to teach Sofie the value of conscious food choices.

I want to tell you about the most delectable meal I had this weekend.

Having only recently discovered the existence of the Winter Farmers’ Market in Pawtucket, we took a family trip on Saturday. Yum! Here’s my first impression of the market, located inside Rhode Island’s Hope Artiste Village: smiling families and eager vendors; the smells of fresh lemon basil pesto, pungent coffee beans and rich chocolate; the sounds of live music; and a visually sensual display of leafy and surprisingly colorful winter vegetables (who knew cauliflower came in orange and purple?).

What Sofie loved most about the market were the free samples. We tasted watermelon radishes, a variety of cheeses and apples, fresh breads and fruit honey sticks. I bought a collection of winter veggies (bok choy, radishes, carrots, turnips) that came with its own stir fry recipe, fresh spinach pasta from Nonni’s in Tiverton and — because it is Sofie’s new favorite color — the purple cauliflower from Wishing Stone Farm.

These were the ingredients for dinner that night. And oh! what a difference freshness makes! We also had grilled steaks on the side, but the pasta and veggies were so flavorful and filling on their own. Plus we fulfilled our dietary needs by eating according to color. I love that we made an event out of buying local and cooking together.

Here are two yummy vegetable recipes, one from a farmer and one from my sister:

Winter Stir-fry

1 turnip / 2 large radishes / 1 small bok choi / 2 small carrots
2 Tb butter or olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp tumeric
dash of cayenne

Thinly slice carrots (1/4”). Quarter or halve turnip and radish, and thinly slice. Chop bok choi into 1/2” pieces. Keep leaves separate from stems. Heat butter or olive oil in skillet. Add carrots to pan and sauté 5 min. Add turnip and radish, sauté another 5-10 min until they begin to get tender. Add sea salt, tumeric and cayenne. Add bok choi stems, sauté 5 min. Add bok choi leaves, stir and sauté 2-3 min more. Add more seasoning as desired. Serve over bed of rice, quinoa or pasta.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower
2 Tb olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 450. Cut cauliflower into florets and place in large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Transfer to cookie sheet and bake for 20 min, stirring once at 10 min. Sprinkle with garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder and bake 5 more min. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese in a large bowl and serve.