The NYT's Cityroom blog offers some hopeful news on getting more healthy food into low-income neighborhoods:

Food stamp purchases at the city’s Greenmarkets have more than doubled in the last year, due in large part to publicity campaigns and the addition of more farmers’ markets to the program.

Food stamp sales from July to November, when the stamps are valid at the markets, doubled to $226,469 in 2009 from $100,772 in 2008, according to numbers released by the City Council on Sunday. While that is but a small fraction of the $200 million that New York’s surging food stamp population receives in benefits each month, it can represent a significant portion of business for farmers. In some low-income neighborhoods, food stamps can make up 70 percent to 80 percent of sales at the markets, according to the report.

A drop in the bucket compared to total food stamp sales, yes, but a solid demonstration that farmers markets can play an important role in getting more fresh food into the hands of inner city residents. These figures were helped, no doubt, by a "coupon" program that gave food stamp recipients $2 for every $5 they spent at the farmers markets. Cityroom may call it a coupon, but it's a healthy food subsidy pure and simple. And that kind of subsidy program is absolutely key to changing buying patterns on a larger scale.

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Michelle Obama at White House Farmer's MarketPhoto: Obama Foodorama

Cross-posted from Obama Foodorama.

Despite rain and cold temperatures, today's opening of the new White House Farmers Market drew quite a crowd.

"I've never seen so many people so excited about fruits and vegetables!" First Lady Michelle Obama told the crowd gathered a few blocks from the White House.

Agriculture Secretary Secretary Tom Vilsack turned out for the Market's debut, along with White House chefs Sam Kass and Bill Yosses. The White House Farmer's Market will run through the fall.

Mrs. Obama selected some fresh produce from The Farm at Sunnyside, an organic producer from Rappahannock, Va. "A farmers market is not just about vegetables, it's about community," said the First Lady, who was, in fact, the First Customer.

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Michelle Obama working with local students in the White House garden.Photo: The Official White House PhotostreamPresident Obama said on Thursday that he and the First Lady are looking into setting up a farmers market just outside the White House, which might sell food from the White House garden or from local farmers.  The president said it could give the city of Washington, D.C., “more access to good, fresh food, but it also is this enormous potential revenue-maker for local farmers in the area.”

Obama mentioned the idea while answering a citizen question at a health-care forum; here’s the transcript:

Q. I have a two-part question.  One is choice, the choice that we make to eat the foods that we eat and the lifestyle that we choose to engage in.  And the second part, your family is very fit.  What do you and the First Lady and the girls do to encourage physical fitness, and what can we—not the government, not private corporations—do to encourage activity in the public-school system and in young people?

A. PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, this—this is a great question.  Look, if—this is an interesting statistic.  If we went back to the obesity rates that existed back in the 1980s, the Medicare system over several years could save as much as a trillion dollars.  I mean, that’s—that’s how much our obesity rate has made a difference in terms of diabetes and heart failure and all sorts of preventable diseases.

And so what we want to do is to first of all, in health-care reform, in the legislation, encourage prevention and wellness programs by saying that any health-care plan out there has to provide for free checkups, prevention and wellness care.  That’s got to be part of your deal, part of your package.  And that way nobody’s got an excuse not to go in and get a checkup.

Now, even if we do all that—and there are a lot of—there are a lot of businesses out there that, on their own, are already providing incentives to their employees.  Safeway, for example, is a company that has given financial incentives to employees to make sure that they are taking care of theirselves (sic) and getting regular checkups and mammograms and colonoscopies and so forth.  And it has saved them a lot of money in terms of their premiums.

So there’s a—there’s a financial incentive for a lot of businesses to get in the business of prevention and wellness.

But you’re absolutely right that, even if we’ve got legislation, even if companies are encouraging it, part of what we also have to do, though, is teach our children, early, the importance of health.  And that’s—that means that all of us have to, in our communities, in our places of worship, in our school systems, encourage nutrition programs, provide young people outdoor activities that give them exercise.

And Michelle and I always talk about the fact when—when we were kids, during the summer, you know, basically, mom just said, “See ya!” after breakfast.  You were gone.  (Laughter.)  You might run in, get some lunch, go back out, and you wouldn’t be back till dinner. And that whole time, all you’re doing is moving.

Now, unfortunately, times have changed.  Sometimes, safety concerns prevent kids from doing that.  Sometimes, there are a lot of kids just don’t have a playground.  Little leagues may be, you know, diminished.  That means that, you know, we as adults in the community may have to provide more and more outlets for young people to get the kind of exercise that they need.

When it comes to food, one of the things that we are doing is working with school districts.  And the child nutrition legislation is going to be coming up.  We provide an awful lot of school lunches out there and—and reimburse local school districts for school-lunch programs.  Let’s figure out how can we get some fresh fruits and vegetables in the mix.  Because sometimes you go into schools and—you know what the menu is, you know?  It’s French fries, Tater Tots, hot dogs, pizza and—now, that’s what kids—let’s face it, that’s what kids want to eat, anyway (Laughter.)  So it’s not just the schools’ fault.

A, that’s what kids may want to eat.  B, it turns out that that food’s a lot cheaper, because of the distributions that we’ve set up. And so what we’ve got to do is to change how we think about, for example, getting local farmers connected to school districts, because that would benefit the farmers, delivering fresh produce, but right now they just don’t have the distribution mechanisms set up.

So, you know, Michelle set up that garden in the White House?

One of the things that we’re trying to do now is to figure out, can we get a little farmers’ market—outside of the White House—I’m not going to have all of you all just tromping around inside—(laughter)—but right outside the White House—(laughter)—so that—so that we can—and—and—and that is a win-win situation.

It gives suddenly D.C. more access to good, fresh food, but it also is this enormous potential revenue-maker for local farmers in the area. And—and that—those kinds of connections can be made all throughout the country, and—and has to be part of how we think about health.

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Photo: tobiaseigen via Flickr.It's a mid-week summer evening, and you're making the commute back home to Bainbridge Island wondering what's for dinner. You're craving fresh, local produce, but you're on a boat (you're on a boat, everybody look at you!).

Lucky for you, this is a dinner dilemma no longer: Starting June 25, the Ferry Farm Stand will set up shop at the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal Wednesday evenings to serve commuters headed home on the busy 4:40 and 5:30 p.m. sailings. They'll be offering convenient $5 bags of fruits and veggies picked from Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap farms.

The farm stand is a project of local nonprofit Sound Food and aims to encourage residents to eat foods grown closer to home while giving local farmers 100 percent of the proceeds. So do the ripe thing and grab a bag -- your tastebuds will thank you.

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Tip #7: Be a picky eater. Pare down the pesticides in your diet (without cutting too far into your food budget) by focusing your organic purchases on the “dirty dozen” fruits and veggies that tend to be chem-laden to the core.

Buying local and organic as often as possible is a good way to help the planet and, more importantly, your health, but that doesn’t always mean it’s the easiest on your wallet. Organic foods can cost twice as much as conventional goods, but not all organics are created equal.

Put a paltry paycheck to good use by being picky about what you purchase. You can get the most bang for your organic buck by pocketing this handy-dandy guide of the most pesticide-prone fruits and veggies (as well as some of the safest). Says the Environmental Working Group of their “dirty dozen” list: “[P]eople can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 80 percent by avoiding the top 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead.”

Here’s the list:

If you can’t afford to buy those guys organic, try switching them out for less scary, but similarly nutritious substitutes.

Screw Earth Day: Check out tips #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 for more advice on how to make every day Earth Day.

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Produce at a farmer's market in North Carolina

Courtesy RICHIR on Flickr

Editor's Note: This is a version of an address delivered before the High Country Local Food Summit on March 26, in Boone, N.C., organized by Appalachian State University's Sustainable Development Department. The High Country is a three-county region in the mountains of western North Carolina.

I've been asked to talk about how to create a robust, diversified food system here in the High Country.

Now the High Country is a largely rural area, constructed around a relatively small town called Boone. But I'm going to start by doing something odd. I'm going to quote someone who's probably the most famous urban theorist of our time: Jane Jacobs, who died in 2006. Don't worry, I will circle back to what an urban theorist's work has to do with our situation here in rural north Carolina.

In her great book, The Economy of Cities, Jacobs praised what she called the "valuable inefficiencies and impracticalities of cities." To illustrate her point, she invited readers to consider two examples from Victorian England: Manchester and Birmingham -- or as she put it, "Efficient Manchester," and "Inefficient Birmingham."

A 19th century marvel and widely hailed as the "city of the future," Manchester represented a break from the past. What Manchester did that was so new and different was simple -- it specialized. The city threw its lot with one industry -- textiles. Jacobs refers to the "stunning efficiency of its textile mills." By the 1840s, the textile industry dominated the city entirely, Jacob tells us. The industry was brutally competitive; less efficient producers got swallowed up by larger, more streamlined players.

Contemporaries were impressed. For boosters, Manchester's textile industry represented the triumph of the industrial revolution, the vindication of the power division of labor and specialization. As for detractors, a German writer named Karl Marx witnessed Manchester's boom period and loathed the inequality he saw -- a few wealthy mill owners and the thousands of impoverished mill workers. He also deplored the dehumanization of labor -- the need to force humans to behave repetitive-motion machines. But like the boosters, Marx saw Manchester as a portent of the cities of the future -- places that consolidate economic activity into a single industry, and then produce a single kind of product with terrible efficiency.

Now, a little ways to the south of Manchester lies a city called Birmingham. By the mid-19th century, Birmingham looked mired in the past. No one gaped at its "terrible efficiency." Birmingham had a few relatively large industries, Jacob writes, but nothing to compare with Manchester's textile behemoth. What really made Birmingham's economy tick were its small operations. Jacobs tells us that "most of Birmingham's manufacturing was carried out in small organizations employing no more than a dozen workman; many had fewer."

There was a competitive spirit in Birmingham, but also plenty of cooperation. "A lot of these little organizations," writes Jacob, "did bits and pieces of work for other little organizations." In other words, they worked together; they formed networks, loose informal cooperatives.

And unlike in Manchester, there wasn't a lot of big fish swallowing little fish. Birmingham's little organizations "were not rationally or efficiently consolidated," Jacobs writes. "There was a lot of waste of motion, duplication that could certainly have certainly been eliminated by consolidation." In fact, organizations were more likely to spawn new organizations then to swallow old ones. "Able workman were forever breaking off from their employers … and setting up shop for themselves, compounding the fragmentation of work," Jacobs adds.

She says few people took time to comment on Birmingham's economy -- and those who did were puzzled that it worked at all. Observers scratched their heads about why the people of Birmingham weren't striving to imitate the emerging textile barons to the north.

Jacobs didn't mention, but I will, a key difference between the two cities: Manchester geared its economy outward; it sought to maximize trade, to import what it didn't produce, and export what it did produce, which was textiles. It strove to be the textile supplier to the British Empire and beyond. Meanwhile, humble Birmingham was mainly taking care of its own needs, turning to outside trade only at the margins.

Of course, as you've probably guessed, things turned out quite a bit differently than most 19th century observers predicted. Efficient Manchester turned out to be a bust. In short, people in other places -- namely, in Britain's colony on the Indian subcontinent -- learned how to churn out textiles more cheaply. The city's textile industry peaked quickly, and then entered a long and slow phase of decline. Manchester was built not for the future, but rather for obsolescence.

Meanwhile, inefficient Birmingham thrived. "Its fragmented and inefficient little industries kept adding new work, and splitting off new organizations, some of which are very large but still outweighed in total employment and production by the many small ones," Jacobs writes. She adds that by the middle of the 20th century, "only two cities in England remain[ed] vigorous and prosperous. One is London. The other is Birmingham."

Now, there are many lessons and analogies we can draw from this tale of two cities. One obvious analogy from our own time is Detroit. That one-time city of the future threw its lot with the automobile. Today, Detroit is hollowed out and economically depressed. Ironically, its greatest physical asset is not its rusted and shuttered car factories, but rather the prime prairie soil it stands on top of.

While Detroit's car industry lurches to oblivion, its community gardens thrive. Citizens are claiming abandoned land and using it to grow food and a time when cash is short. Pondering the city's budding urban farms, the writer Rebecca Solnit recently went so far as to declare Detroit a kind of city of the future. She writes: "Detroit may be the shining example we can look to-the post-industrial green city that was once the steel-gray capital of Fordist manufacturing." [Harper's]

What I really want to talk about, though, is our own economy here in the High Country. Since moving here five years ago, I've seen our economy specialize in three separate but related industries -- construction, tourism, and real estate. We've allowed box-like condos to line our ridge tops so tourists can gaze at Grandfather Mountain. We've cleared productive forest stands from mountaintops to plunk down second-home McMansions with "360 degree views."

As old tobacco farms shut down because of low prices, gated "communities" sprouted up in their place -- swallowing farmland while often preserving the word "farm" in their names. Today, according to Watauga County economic development sources, about half of properties in the county are absentee homes; a third of new building permits relate to seasonal housing.

No doubt, this flurry of activity has brought thousands of jobs to our area. Construction has been a massive employer, as have the restaurants, hotels, and country clubs that cater to the second-homers and vacationers. Many of my friends -- including excellent artists, musicians, and farmers who contribute mightily to our community -- supplement their incomes by working in construction and tourism-related trades.

But just like Efficient Manchester, the High Country is learning that booms that rely on external forces can quickly lead to busts. It turns out that engine for growth in our area was fueled by a gusher of speculative cash, essentially funny money -- a gusher that has now run dry.

The U.S. government is now preparing to use your tax dollars to coax hundreds of billions of real estate-related "toxic assets" off of bank balance sheets; that effort may or may not stabilize teetering megabanks like Citigroup and Bank of America, and it may or may not bail out the investors who took home billions in profit from those deals in the first place. But what the government's program most certainly won't do is restore the flow of easy money that has been clearing ridgelines and mountaintops for second homes -- and employing a huge swath of our population.

Happily, I've also witnessed another economic trend since I moved here -- the gradual, steady build out of alternative food networks. I'm thinking about institutions like the Watauga County Farmers market, which started decades ago but has experienced rapid growth in recent years; New River Organic Growers, a cooperative of small farmers that band together to market their produce to restaurants that care about quality and want to buy local.

And then there's Maverick Farms, which I helped start, which started the High Country's first CSA in 2005. This year, with a grant from the NC Rural Center, Maverick is rolling out High Country CSA, a multi-farm effort designed to open the CSA model to more consumers and more farmers. We're partnering with New River Organic Growers for the effort; small-scale farmers learn the hard way that cooperation, both among farmers and with the broader community, are key to survival.

These efforts, while growing fast, remain micro-scale. The great bulk of the High Country's food supply comes from the outside, dominated by a few supermarket chains and Wal-Mart. There's not a slaughterhouse in our area that can legally process meat from local farms for sale, but we do have a McDonald's, a Burger King, and a Wendy's -- all highly efficient operations. These large companies dominate our food supply. They create some low-skill, low-wage jobs, but they carry most of the food dollars we spend off the mountain, to distant shareholders.

But what if much more of our food dollars stayed within the community -- and got cycled through organizations like New River Organic Growers and the Watauga and Ashe County Farmers markets? Here's a rule of thumb: Communities spend about $1,000 per person on food. About 83,000 people live in our three-county area full time. That means we're spending something like $83 million every year on food. And that doesn't even count the money that tourists and second homers spend eating. The great bulk of that money drains out of the community and into the pockets of the people who own Wal-Mart and McDonald's and Lowes Foods.

Now imagine we had a locally owned slaughterhouse that could process the pastured cows that so many people grow here -- and now send off to feedlots in Kansas to fatten on corn. If you can access a nearby slaughterhouse, you make a lot more money selling grass-fed beef to your neighbors than selling cows to the meat industry; wouldn't that draw more folks in?

And imagine a locally owned dairy processing plant, that could give a decent price to our few remaining dairy farmers. Given the popularity of real milk from grass-fed cows, wouldn't that be a booming market -- and draw more new dairy farmers in? And imagine a community-owned food co-op that could sell all of this stuff at a central place, and maybe a farmer-owned restaurant that could give community members the freshest food possible, while giving farmers a cut of the value that gets added to their produce?

Suddenly, we'd start looking less like Efficient Manchester, relying on outside forces for our economic well-being, and more like Inefficient Birmingham, with a set of thriving, interlocking, highly creative crafts based around food. And we'd eat a lot better, too.

And think how much more robust our economy would be. At a certain point, people stop thinking they need a second home. But they don't typically decide to stop eating. Because of the natural beauty of our area, we'll always draw tourists. A vibrant, accessible, delicious local food economy could be a new calling card -- and a way to get tourist dollars flowing broadly through the economy, and not siphoned off to a few resorts and lodges.

The question becomes, how do we get there? I know from hard experience that profit margins on farming tend to be relatively low. There's no way one farmer, or even a group of farmers, can make the investments we need to bolster our food economy. This is a community-scale opportunity that requires community-scale efforts. That means farmers, consumers, elected officials, and landowners working together to harness our assets and overcome our obstacles as a food community. And that is a process that can gain force today.

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Before moving on to the more glamorous spring harvests of asparagus, sweet peas, and strawberries, let us first praise the pastured farm egg. That’s right: Eggs, too, have a season.
Spring has long represented the beginning of a new cycle, and eggs are the epitome of rebirth.  Easter egg huntshave their origins in ancient Pagan spring traditions associated with the Goddess of Fertility.

In natural conditions, hens’ egg production is dependent on hours of daylight. During short winter days, egg production slows down drastically or even stops. Come spring, longer days spur egg production. Plus, increased sunlight means lots of new growth for the hens to graze. Even the organic "free-range" eggs that you can buy in grocery store are fed grains and are rarely, if ever, allowed to peck and forage grass or bugs. Common sense tells us that chickens that eat healthier, more diverse diets produce more nutritious eggs, and recent studies  confirm this traditional wisdom

First-time eaters of eggs from pastured chicken immediately recognize how different they are from their caged-hen-produced counterparts. Charming on the outside, they range in color from blue to brown, some with freckles and others with textural bumps. The vivid mango-colored yolks are startling at first, and when you crack them in a pan the yolks stand up high, rounded and firm. Your troubles of breaking the yolk when frying or poaching eggs, or when separating eggs from whites, are virtually over, since farm fresh eggs are stronger, denser, and more intact. Restaurant cooks and pastry chefs love pastured eggs for this reason. And let us not forget their superior taste. The eggs are richer and tastier, reflecting their grassy terroir.

Egg It On

As people increasingly participate in feeding themselves, backyard chickens are becoming more common in cities across the United States. In some cities like my neighboring Durham, North Carolina, citizens have successfully organized to overturn rules forbidding urban hens.  The benefits of backyard hens are many, including mosquito and tick control, providing fertilizer for backyard gardens, and increasing household food security.

Much roosting, but no roosters.

Photo: April McGreger

Backyard eggs also stimulate neighborhood-scale barter economies. In my baking-oriented household, eggs are as good as hard currency. Our most recent negotiation involved farm eggs in return for one of my husband’s paintings; and we’ve been known to trade anything from kimchi to cooking lessons to banjos for them. Trade economies foster relationships and strengthen communities.
The internet offers a plethora of information to help you raise your own urban hens with no less trouble than a cat or a dog, but with the added benefit of fresh eggs. But you don't need to create a "barnyard in your backyard" to enjoy spring eggs. Early-season farmers markets typically offer sufficient eggs to supply even the latest riser; and flock-tending neighbors are likely looking for a good trade.

Once procured, the freshest eggs need little adornment, but a few simple techniques deliver transcendence. Soft scrambled eggs on buttery toast are a revelation to many. Somewhere along the way, I learned to toss a few tiny cubes of very cold butter into my eggs to produce super creamy eggs without ultra-slow cooking. (You still want to use only moderate heat, however.) A perfect 6-minute, soft boiled egg on tender spring lettuces with chewy chunks of bacon and sharp vinaigrette is worthy of stellar glass of wine and a starched white tablecloth -- but requires neither. A bowl of buttery, artisanal grits with an over-medium egg and a drizzle of red-eye gravy is perfection. Decidedly restrained devilled eggs made with only a bit of powdered mustard, the finest grated shallot, a dab of homemade mayonnaise, salt, and snipped chives are my go-to spring potluck dish. More elaborate dishes, such as quiches, savory bread puddings, and frittatas, combine fresh spring produce and farmstead cheeses with pastured eggs for elegant casual dinners and lazy brunches.

For home bakers, an abundance of high-quality eggs invites new perspective as well. So often relegated to the supporting role, now is the egg’s turn capture the spotlight. This calls for egg-y custards, buttery curds, and meringue pies. I can think of no better ode to the spring egg than a vibrantly yellow lemon meringue pie. Just add a bouquet of butter-yellow daffodils and the sound of chirping birds for an instant spring garden party.

Spring Onion, Bacon & Herb Bread Pudding

Slice o' spring

Photo: April McGreger

I first enjoyed a version of this deeply satisfying and beautiful savory bread pudding baked in the bread crust as a staff meal made by my friend Monica Segovia-Welsh when we worked together in the kitchen at Chapel Hill-based Lantern. This recipe is meant to be a guide, as it is endlessly adaptable to whatever moves you at the market. It is delicious made with mushrooms or asparagus or various greens and is equally at home on the brunch or the dinner table. Serve alongside a salad with mustard-laced vinaigrette.
1 loaf of day old country or sourdough bread or 5 cups 1 ½" bread chunks

Filling
5 slices bacon, chopped OR 3 Tbsp olive oil
6 young spring onions, scallions, or small leeks, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 fresh eggs from pastured hens
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup Gruyere, Fontina, or other melting cheese, grated
2 Tbsp Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Topping
1/4 cup grated Gruyere or other melting cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut a circle out of the top a round loaf of sourdough or country bread. With your hands, hollow out the bread, leaving the sides and bottom of the crust intact. Cut or tear the bread into 1 ½-inch pieces. Measure 5 cups of the bread chunks and set aside. Reserve the leftovers for another purpose. If your bread is fresh, toast it in the oven for a few minutes to dry it out.

Butter the inside of the hollowed out bread bowl or a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.

If using the bacon, sauté it in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Saute’ the spring onions in the bacon drippings (or olive oil) for 3-5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, parsley, and thyme and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make the custard, in a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cheese. Toss the bread with the custard. Then stir in the spring onion mixture and the reserved bacon. Fill the buttered bread mold with the bread custard filling. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and place on a baking sheet to catch any overflows. If you have any leftover filling, you can butter a small ramekin and bake it separately.

Bake until the custard is no longer runny, about 45 minutes. If the top starts to get too dark before the custard is fully baked, cover with aluminum foil.

The dish is delicious hot or at room temperature.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Pie oh my

Photo: April McGreger

Come spring, my Southern roots demand all sorts of little celebrations. I want garden parties complete with daffodils and tulips, minted iced tea, chicken salad tea sandwiches, devilled eggs, salads of tender butter lettuce and chive dressing, and most of all I want dramatically swooped & mounded lemon meringue pies. I am partial to the intoxicating fragrance of Meyer lemons but they offer a slightly sub par pucker to the standard lemon.One pre-baked 9-inch pie crust (see the crust recipe from this previous column.)

Lemon Curd
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 large eggs
4 egg yolks
Pinch salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into ½" pieces

Swiss Meringue
1/2 cup egg whites, (3-4 whites)
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Pulp of ½ vanilla bean, split and scraped

To make the curd, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Turn down to a steady simmer. Combine the sugar and the lemon zest in a stainless steel bowl and rub together between your fingers. Whisk in the lemon juice, eggs, yolks, and salt. Place the bowl over the simmering water and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk or rubber spatula until the mixture is very thick, coats the back of a spoon and/or registers 170 degrees F on an instant thermometer.

Set the mixture aside, stirring occasionally until it cools slightly, about 7 minutes. Then whisk in the butter 1 Tablespoon at a time until it is thoroughly melted. I like to use an immersion blender or food processor to do this, especially if I am doing a larger batch.

Fill pie or tart shells immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to one week. The curd is also delicious with toast or scones.

To make the meringue, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Turn down to a steady simmer. Combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, and vanilla bean pulp in a the bowl of a stand mixer or other stainless steel bowl. Rest the bowl securely on the rim of the saucepan of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Whisk the egg whites over the water until they are hot to the touch (around 120 degrees F). Remove from heat and beat with a whisk attachment until the mixture is thick and holds stiff, glossy peaks.

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Daniel Duane in Mother Jones warns you about farmers markets becoming "farmers markets":

This should come as no surprise. Honestly, what do you expect when the local chamber of commerce is put in charge of food? You get a yuppie food mall, of course. "The market" gave us Wal-Mart, the Twinkie and Wonder Bread. When you put farmers markets at its mercy, this is what happens. Needless to say, the worst aspect of this development is the idea that commercial growers are taking (some might say "stealing") the farmers-market price premium from those whom it's meant to benefit. That's the worst kind of cynicism, on the one hand, and par for the market course, on the other.

The fact is that if we want farmers markets to accomplish particular policy ends -- whether it's to bring affordable fresh fruit and vegetables to cities or to provide dedicated outlets for small, local farms to sell their wares or both -- government has to be involved. To see what I'm talking about, check out what's going on in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Or see Scott Stringer's plan for NYC's local foodshed.

And I'm not arguing that farmers markets should be one thing or another, but when "the market" is in charge, the result will naturally be a place where space goes to the highest bidder. If the goal is to maximize profit, that's great. But if the goals are different -- and are meant to align food distribution in the public, rather than the private, interests -- then we'll have to put the chamber back in charge of glossy marketing materials and let food policy experts design some more appropriate incentives for our farmers markets.

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More NYC farmers markets accept food stamps and sales soar

On a recent trip to the farmers market, I found a mountain of leafy greens of all different hues and textures. I couldn't resist buying four varieties: rainbow chard, red Russian kale, an Asian green similar to spinach, and escarole. Cooler weather also means the arrival of cooler-weather herbs like cilantro, and I tucked a bunch into my market basket too.

Later in the week, when it was time to make dinner, I surveyed the contents of the refrigerator and the pantry. I realized I'd gotten a little carried away buying greens, so I knew I'd need to make a dish that used a lot of them.

Many of my friends want to shop at the farmers market, but they complain that they end up with drawers of rotting produce. It's a common problem with an easy solution: a well-stocked pantry.

Shopping at a farmers market means access to bounty, but it also means accepting limits: the limits of what your region produces and what your culture supports. But within those limits, serious pleasure and depth are possible. If you don't understand what I mean, taste a tomato in February and then one in July. This is not about Puritanism or being a good person -- this is about pleasure, and the comfort of geographic and social bonds that you simply can't find elsewhere.

A good pantry does not need to be huge or expensive. But it does need to be smart, and you need to understand how it works. If you feel like a beginner, it's best to keep it simple and look to local traditions as a guide. Here's a look at what's in my pantry, along with a few pointers and thoughts on how these ingredients can help you turn market goods into good eats.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison

Other than a well-stocked pantry, you need to master some simple cooking fundamentals: seasoning, sautéing, roasting, blanching, and broiling. As far as recipes go, it's best to master a few with endless variations; soups, pasta, frittatas, tacos, open-faced sandwiches with salads, and simple vegetable plates are forms that I regularly use. Try to rely on one cookbook for advice on particular ingredients and culinary technique. For me that book is Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I turn to it for inspiration when I get tired of staring blankly at the butternut squash on my countertop.

The last necessity of transitioning to market-inspired cooking is assembling allies. Your allies may be friends or family members who are good cooks, your favorite vendors who provide you with cooking tips while your shop, or a canning buddy. There is no better way to learn how to cook than to watch those who can.

So back to that evening when I'm staring at too many greens. In the pantry, the salsa verde that I put up two weeks ago looks good to me. I think of my husband's favorite dish of spinach enchiladas at our local Mexican restaurant. I've never made them, but I think they'll be even more satisfying with my hearty mix of greens, homemade salsa verde, smoked farmer's cheese, and homemade crème fraîche. I send Phil out to grab some tortillas while I get to work.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the tough stems from the greens and add the greens to the water in three batches and blanch for 15 seconds to two minutes depending on toughness. Spinach will take only seconds, collards a few minutes. Remove the greens with a slotted spoon or tongs and plunge in ice water. Squeeze out the excess water and chop the greens.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter and sauté the garlic until golden with a pinch of salt. Add the greens and toss to coat in butter. Cook for two minutes until some of the water is evaporated. Set aside.

Traditionally tortillas are softened by frying them in hot oil for a few minutes before assembling the enchiladas. I like to take an easier and healthier approach and heat the tortillas over the open flame of my gas stove with tongs, about 15 seconds on each side. You can also steam the tortillas for a few seconds or wrap them in a clean, damp towel and microwave them for one minute.

Transfer your tortillas to your work surface. Fill each with 1/2 cup of sautéed greens and roll up.

Place the enchiladas seam side down in a single layer across the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with 2 cups of salsa verde (see below) and crumbled cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese begins to brown and the sauce is bubbly.

Drizzle with Mexican crema or your own homemade cultured cream and top with thinly sliced radishes and torn cilantro. Serve hot with refried beans.

This is a salsa verde recipe adapted to make use of the loads of green tomatoes left hanging on the vines, refusing to ripen this time of year. Of course, you can also use the traditional tomatillo. I like to can at least a dozen jars of this delicious green tomato salsa to last the whole year. To do the same, just multiply the recipe. (Makes 2 pints)

In a cast iron skillet or under the broiler, cook the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chiles, turning frequently, until they begin to blacken all over and are soft. The garlic will likely be ready before everything else. Alternatively, you can boil the first four ingredients in salted water for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and squishy. Next, transfer all to a food processor or blender and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add the cilantro, salt, and lime and process into a coarse purée.

Thin with several tablespoons of water if a thinner salsa is desired.

Use immediately, refrigerate for up to two weeks, or freeze for up to six months. To can, ladle salsa into sterilized pint jars leaving 1/4 inch of head space; top with clean and sterilized two-piece lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Store in a cool, dark place.

This cream is similar to the both Mexican crema and French crème fraîche. Not as thick or as sour as American sour cream, it is delicious and easy to make.

Place cream in a clean jar or container and stir in the buttermilk. Loosely cover and set aside at warm room temperature for 24 hours or until thickened. Stir to combine and store in the refrigerator for several weeks.

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