I knew I was in for a muddy day after getting 3.5 inches of rain last night. We really needed the moisture but just not all at one time. At least things will dry out a little by the time everyone is ready to get in their fields to start picking for Saturdays market. I was a muddy mess by the time I finished visiting the last farm.

I started the day in Lee’s Summit visiting with a new Artist/Crafter vendor for the Sunday market. Before a new vendor is allowed to sell items at the City Market I must verify that they do make the items themselves. In this category the person making the item must be the person selling that item at the Market. Annette and Tom Helton upcycle used clothing items, do custom embroidery and a little quilting. Annette met me when I arrived and showed me her work area. She shares this area with a friend who makes quilts, not to sell but for her own enjoyment. The workspace would be the envy of most of the crafters I know. The space was filled with bolts of material, threads, supplies and various types of sewing machines. Annette showed me some very unique quilting squares she made out of used neck ties, she was not really sure how she was going to use them yet. She also uses old neck ties to add to used denim jackets, they were very cool. Annette uses parts of used clothing combines them with other clothing and ends up with very unique items. She also embellishes and embroideries tote bags and towels, she actually makes the towels herself. And just to mix things up a bit Annette decoupages wooden bowls and trays which are very cute. Did I mention she also makes themed pillow cases? The Helton’s will be at the market on Sunday’s off and on throughout the year. www.TheBestEmbroidery.com

 

After leaving Lee’s Summit I head towards Pleasant Hill, I was a little worried about this stop since this area has a tendency to flood thanks to a creek that sometimes comes over its banks. Luckily today this was not the case since it has been so dry the ground just sucked in the moisture like a sponge. I was out to this location a month or so ago but there was water over the road so I had to turn around, today I will just be dealing with lots of mud. The Market has three vendors who farm within a mile or so of each other. When I arrived at the first location Kaying Lor and Cher Chee Yang were busy working in the fields. Today was definitely a day to pull out the boots, I thought the mud would suck them off my feet a few times. This area was hit hard by the late frost and large amounts of rain we had in the spring so they have had to replant a few things but all in all it looks pretty good. Kaying is able to pump water from the creek when things get too dry, he won’t need to do that for a while. Cher Chee showed me the different types of flowers they grow to sell as cut flower arrangements on the weekends. She had cockscomb, zinnias, gladiolas, sunflowers, strawberry flowers (I am not sure of the actual name, but this is what all the vendors call them) black-eyed Susan’s and statice. In addition to flowers they had beets, bitter balls, bitter melon, Thai and Indian eggplant, water spinach, rice which will be ready in late September, Thai peppers, okra, three types of long beans, red and yellow beets, chives, basil and gongura. Gongura is a leafy green vegetable which is very good with fish. You will find Kaying Lor and Cher Chee Yang at the Market on Saturdays and Sundays until the first heavy frost. On Saturdays they are located in the middle farmers shed in stalls 53 and 54, Sundays the first shed in stalls 30 and 31.

 

Part of the same large field is sectioned off and is farmed by Pheng Her. You might remember I visited Pheng’s other plot of leased land last week in Kansas City, KS. She really only had a little okra and long beans, everything else had died out due to lack of moisture. In this larger section of land Pheng had a little lemon grass, Vietnamese spinach, bitter balls and long beans. Everything else was looking a little ruff and being taken over by weeds. Pheng did have a few flowers growing but very few. She had one small row of gladiolas, 4 rows of mixed zinnias, sunflowers and some marigolds. Unless Pheng replants a fall crop her year at the Market will be wrapping up. Pheng is a Sunday vendor in stall 9 and 10 in the first farmers shed.

Just up the road about 2 miles I arrived at the leased land of Dennis and Youa Thao. They have a small section on the corner and another off the road on top of a hill near a small pond. The section of land on the corner has for the most part been prepared to plant fall crops. Youa showed me the rows of long beans which they are growing for seeds since the cost of seeds for certain varieties are so expensive. They are doing this with a few of the items they are growing this year, very smart. They also have had a very difficult early summer due to the large amount of rain and late frost in the spring. Kaying has had to replant quit a few things. On the hill things looked much better. They were harvesting cucumbers, tomatoes, water spinach, round Thai eggplant, bush beans, Thai and Italian basil and bell peppers. The watermelon and cantaloupe are a little late since they had to be replanted but they should be ready in a few weeks. Kaying and Youa are planting fall crops so should remain at the Market through the first frost, let’s hope it is a late one. They have had enough challenges to deal with this year. Thao’s Farm Produce is located in the second farmers shed in stalls 66 and 67 on Sundays.

Last week I ran out of time before I could finish checking all the farms in Kansas City, KS so I headed back that way to finish up my day. Sai Lee’s backyard farm is located south of I-70. I am always surprised when I am in this area, the yards in the residential areas are sometimes very large. Sai was out of town but her husband showed me around. The heavy rain beat down some of her flowers but hopefully they will bounce back. Sai is a Sunday contracted vendor and sells mostly cut flowers. She was growing cockscomb, sunflowers, cosmos and zinnias. In addition to cut flower Sai also has a little produce which is still looking pretty good such as jalapenos, summer squash, basil and beans. Sai is at the Market most Sundays in the first farmers shed in stall 35.

 

Nhiaxiong Herr will be my last stop for the day and farms just a few minutes from Sai Lee. His farm is not even noticeable from the road and is much larger than I thought it would be. No one was home so I just showed myself around. The zinnia patch was abuzz with activity; I got a little distracted watching the hummingbirds, bumble bees, butterflies and hummingbird moths. I tried to catch it in a photo but failed miserably. Nhiaxiong had beans, basil, purple and green okra, dill, summer squash, lemongrass, cherry tomatoes sand melons ready to harvest. In addition to zinnias he also had rows of gladiolas and sunflowers. Nhiaxiong is a Saturday waiting list vendor and has been selling at the City Market for six years. As a waiting list vendor his stall location will change from week to week.

 

I am not sure where I will head next week. I still have quit a few farms to visit and I would like to get out and recheck some of the craft vendors. Tomatoes are now in abundance if you plan to do any canning or freezing. The sweet corn has been excellent this year. The peach crop is very small this year due to the late freezes we had in May, so get your peach fix before they are gone. I have started trying a few new items every year since I started working at the City Market in 2003. There are a lot of wonderful new locally raised produce being sold at the Market each weekend, just ask the vendor how to use them. We also have recipes available at the information tent on Saturdays and Sundays. I look forward to seeing everyone at the Market.

Lemongrass Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

·       2 lbs skinless chicken legs

·       4 lemongrass stalks, white and pale-yellow parts, smashed and chopped

·       4 green onions, halved crosswise

·       1 onion, halved

·       1 inch piece ginger, ½ thinly sliced and ½ cut into thin strips

·       1 fresh Thai or Serrano chile, seeded

·       1 Teaspoons black peppercorns

·       10 cups of water

·       5 stems of fresh cilantro plus 1/3 cup of leaves

·       3 stems of fresh mint, plus ¼ cup thinly sliced leaves

·       1 Teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce

·       1 cup sliced mushrooms

Directions

·      Place chicken, lemongrass, green onions, onion, sliced ginger, chile, peppercorns, and water in a large pot. Cover; bring to simmer. Gently simmer for 1 hour.

·       Add cilantro and mint stems; simmer 15 minutes, strain. Reserve broth and chicken; discard remaining solids

·       Shred chicken meat, discard bones. Refrigerate broth and chicken separately for 4 hours or overnight.

·       Skim fat from broth; reheat.

·    Combine chicken, thin ginger strips, cilantro leaves, thin mint strips, and mushrooms in a bowl. 

·       Divide broth among bowls and serve with chicken mixture on the side. 

Nutritional Analysis

Calories- 50 kcal

Total Fat- 0.77 g

Saturated Fat- 0.2 g

Cholesterol- 14.7 mg

Sodium- 113 mg

Carbohydrate- 5.6 g

Dietary Fiber 0.63 g

Sugar- 1.3 g

Protein 6.6 g