Kate Payne quick pickled carrots at the Cedar Park and Mueller Farmers’ Markets last weekend. Here’s the recipe for you to try it out.

Quick Pickled Carrots

yields 1 quart or 3 half pint jars of pickles

1. Chop 1lb carrots into pickle sized pieces. Slice them in thin rounds for sandwiches or in sticks to munch right out of the jar or off the pickle platter.

2. Combine in a stainless steel saucepan 2 cups white wine or distilled white vinegar with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons salt. Dissolve sugar over low heat and then bring to a boil. Add flavors of your choice directly to the pan. I made two flavors at the markets, one jar had a 1″ piece of thinly sliced ginger and 2 Thai chiles, slit lengthwise; the other had 2 Thai chiles, slit lengthwise and  5 green onions chopped roughly.

3. Add carrot pieces to the boiling brine and allow pan to reach a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer carrots for 5-8 minutes.

4. Ladle all solids into a jar(s) and pour brine over the top to cover. Allow jar to cool on the counter for 1 hour and then refrigerate pickles for up to 6 months.

Photo courtesy of World Wildlife Fund

Help us feed and house the monarch butterflies–the Texas state insect–during their migration to and from Mexico. During January and February the butterflies travel back from their wintering grounds in Central Mexico and during October and November they head out on their long journey to Mexico. It takes four generations for the monarchs to reach their winter home in Central Mexico.

The butterflies only eat varieties of milkweed and lay their eggs on the plant as well. Often considered a weed, milkweed has been destroyed and GMO-seeded fields with heavy herbicides and pesticides cover the monarch’s migration pathways, leaving the butterflies nowhere to eat and live in transit. Extreme climate variations during the fall and summer also affect the butterflies’ reproduction.

Texas Farmers’ Market (Cedar Park & Mueller) has teamed up with Lone Star Nursery to help these creatures on their way through Central Texas. Lone Star Nursery will offer three varieties of milkweed seedlings (available in January for sale at each market) and offer advice on growing milkweed successfully. The markets will provide families free seed packets to encourage market goers to plant their own butterfly garden. The first feed the monarchs events will take place at Mueller on December 15^th and at Cedar Park on December 21st. At each market, kids will be able to select, package and label their seeds and the entire family can help them plant them at home.

Help us plant a butterfly farm across Central Texas for the beautiful monarchs as they travel to and from Mexico! For more information, check out this post from Monika at Texas Butterfly Ranch, which details the situation with the monarchs. Here are some highlights:

• Only 3 million butterflies made it to Mexico this year, down from 60 million last year, and an average of 450 million in a normal year.
• Encourage monarchs in their migration through Central Texas by planting milkweed, which is a host plant for the monarchs.
• Support legislation that will ban neonicotinoid pesticides, which have a devastating effect on bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

An organization called Monarch Watch is producing milkweed transplants for specific regions of the country and using seed that was originally sourced from each respective region and they have a wealth of knowledge available about monarchs on their website.

Our thoughts are with Mueller Farmers’ Market vendor Kathleen of EIEIO Organic Farm, whose home and farm flooded last week. You can donate to their rebuilding fund by visiting their website and clicking the donate button.

The Wimberley community is putting on a benefit for EIEIO Organic Farm at Cypress Creek Cafe on the square on November 17th from 1-5pm to help owner, Kathleen Mooney, rebuild her farm and property after much of it was washed away in the flash flooding on October 31.

There will be great music, a silent auction, and drinks and eats. Music confirmed so far: Kevin and Dustin Welch, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Kelley Mickwee and Andrew Hardin, and others joining in for a song or two.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Zucchini Fritters with Goat Feta Cheese

by Chef Brittan Wilson Egbert

Ingredients

• 3 cups of raw zucchini, grated and drained of excess liquid
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 2 tablespoons of chopped carrot tops
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 eggs
• 6 tablespoons of flour
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch of baking powder
• Cooking oil for frying
• Goat feta

Instructions

Wash squash and pat dry, cut off both ends. Peel and chop one small onion. Grate squash with a box grater.  Break two eggs into a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk with a fork.  Add grated squash and carrot,  add chopped onions and carrot tops. Then add all the seasonings and baking powder.  Add flour as needed (more if your squash is wet and less if it is dry).  Heat a skillet to medium heat, add 2 Tbs vegetable oil.  Drop the squash mixture by spoon into hot skillet, cook about 3-5 minutes on both sides until brown.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate and let drain.  Top with Feta.  Serve warm and enjoy!

Sweet Egg Scramble with Purple Paneer Eggplant and Purslane

by Chef Brittan Wilson Egbert

1 dozen eggs 

2-4 tbsp of sugar (to your taste, you can always sprinkle some on at the end if needed)

1 tbsp salt

3 small Purple Paneer eggplants, small dice

1-2 cups purslane leaves

1 clove of garlic, minced

Olive Oil

Method: Blend together the first 3 ingredients and set aside. Saute the eggplant in a little olive oil until soft then remove from pan. Add a little more olive oil and saute purslane and the garlic until the purslane is wilted until then add it to the eggplant.  Lastly make the scrambled sweet eggs in the same pan you cooked the veggies in. Do not over cook, eggs should be slightly runny. Fold in the veggies and taste for final seasoning and salt, pepper or sugar as needed. Enjoy warm.