New Veggies
On Wednesday mornings from 8am-12, I sometimes head to the Dunwoody Farmer’s Market. I usually buy fresh farm hen eggs with a beautiful orange color. Duck eggs are sold too but I’m not keen on those. Anyway the fresh hen eggs taste so different from the kind you buy in the grocery stores even different from the store organic brands. You can really tell the difference even if you’re not a health fiend like myself. What also makes them lovely is that one egg will satisfy my tummy needs. When I buy commerical ones I need 2 eggs to feel satisfied. I’ve never heard anyone state there’s no difference in taste between commercial and fresh farm eggs. If there is, that person is mental.
This market also introduced me to 2 exotic greens. One is mizuna aka Japanese mustard green. Mizuna has a milder flavor so I enjoy it raw. It’s beautiful as well as tasty making for a great salad, stir fry, or in soups. The other is amaranth leaves. I had already been eating the amaranth grain, a grain that was a staple among the Aztecs and Incans (known as kiwicha). I buy a bag at the Buford Highway Farmer’s Market in the Peruvian section. It’s high in protein, fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins A and C. Anyway I just tried the amaranth leaves and like it. It has a strong flavor when raw but similar to spinach flavor when cooked. Callaloo is a Jamaican stew made from the leaves. Admittingly I don’t eat it raw because it’s spicy. I prefer sauteeing in olive oil or simmering.
