MANSFIELD, Ohio – With an abundance of fresh produce and vegetables surrounding them, Anne Massie and Aaron Schopp of Altered Eats showed patrons of the North End Farmers Market how to incorporate fresh vegetables into recipes at their chef demonstration on Tuesday.
Massie and Schopp created June Pickled Veggies and a Berry Salad Dressing for guests of the market to sample and try to recreate themselves. The chef demonstration was just one of many the North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC) plans to bring to the market.
“We’re trying to incorporate chef demonstrations at several of our markets to increase attraction and also get the community to realize what they can do with the produce purchased at our market,” said Melissa Freeman, local food intern with the NECIC. “We are good friends with Altered Eats so they volunteered to do the chef demonstration.”
“NECIC is a great organization, we’ve worked with them before and they actually helped us get our truck started,” added Massie. “They’re really supportive of us and we like to give back and help them out as much as we can.”
Altered Eats’ colorful menu on Tuesday was inspired by the fresh produce of summer, and came about by simple experimentation.
“I got some strawberries earlier this season and thought this would be really good in a salad, but they sort of get mushy in a salad so I threw it in a blender,” said Massie. “That’s kind of how we cook, we experiment and try things out. We used it in our food truck and it was pretty popular.”
Tuesday’s Berry Salad Dressing used raspberries for a light pink color, but Massie emphasized any kind of berry could be used. Some of the ingredients could be found just by walking around the Farmers Market, where homegrown produce and homemade bakery items and crafts are plentiful.
“We have raspberries in season as well as the beets and the other produce they’re using here at the market,” said Freeman. “Everything we have here is locally grown and locally made by North End residents and people around the community.”
While chef demonstrations aren’t a common practice for Altered Eats, both Massie and Schopp said they were happy to attend the market and share their recipes.
“We’ve just done a couple food demonstrations, but when they asked us to do it we said yes because we get to make good food,” said Schopp.
“That’s the best part of having a food truck. When I’ve worked at other places as a chef you’re trapped in the kitchen, but with a food truck you get to interact with people,” said Massie.
The North End Farmers Market also hosted the Mansfield Richland County Public Library on Tuesday, where kids were able to create spin art crafts for free. Freeman said the library is part of the market’s effort to attract more kids.
“We’re trying to get kids to come to the market so they can really see where the fresh produce comes from,” she said. “We have a teaching garden, we want kids to be excited about produce and fresh food.”
The North End Farmers Market, sponsored by NECIC, is held at the Gateway Resource Center at 486 Springmill St. from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday through October. Ohio Direction Card users can double their benefits up to $20 for the purchase of fresh produce.
• Peel 3 kohlrabis and 3 beets, slice off ends, cut into 1-inch matchsticks
• Core 3 apples and slice into 1-inch matchsticks
• Put the kohlrabi, beets and apple matchsticks into a bowl
• Add: 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, 2 diced cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon of ground coriander seeds, 4 sprigs of fresh oregano, 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of rice wine vinegar
• Toss together and pack into a mason jar
• Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks, shake jar a few times a week, or serve as soon as three hours after packing into jar. Drain liquid before serving
• Great on burgers, brats or tossed with salad greens and raisins
In blender, put:
• 1 and 1/2 cups of berries – strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, or any kind of berry; 3 cloves of garlic; 4 tablespoons of honey; 3 sprigs of mint; 3 sprigs of basil – pick mint and basil leaves off the stalk; 1 tablespoon of lime juice; 1 cup of cold water; 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar; 1/2 tablespoon of salt; 1 and 1/2 cups of oil – sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
• Blend together
• Taste test and add more vinegar, honey or salt to taste
• Toss dressing with salad greens and almond slices
The next Altered Eats chef demonstration date is July 14 at the North End Farmers Market. Follow Altered Eats on Facebook for updates on chef demonstrations and kids programs throughout the season: www.facebook.com/nefm2014
