The Dirt: What To Get At The Farmer’s Market This Weekend


Rumor has it that there’s some kind of significant football game this weekend. Despite being born into the Steeler Nation, I don’t follow that kind of thing, but I do love the kind of food that people seem to serve when such sporting enterprises are happening. It tends to be indulgent, stick-to-the-ribs food that has undeniable (if somewhat unhealthy) appeal, and much of it can be local-ized if you so desire.

German Butterball Potatoes An heirloom potato variety with thin, non-leathery skin makes these sweet, golden-fleshed, oval-shaped spuds perfect for making potato skins. Even loaded up with bacon and cheese, these potatoes might just steal the show.

Beets Though the typical superbowl spread is long on wings and short on vegetables, beets are a great option for getting something nutritious into the mix, and golden, red and candy-striped chioggia beets still abound. Slice them into wedges and pickle them for a perfect, if non-traditional, accompaniment to the carrot and celery alongside a platter of wings. Shred them raw into a salad for a pop of color, or steam them and puree into hummus with a little yogurt for a hot pink, super nutritious dip or spread.

Shallots Last week we talked about how versatile onions are in the kitchen, and shallots, their milder, more diminutive relatives, offer just as many options. Thinly slice and caramelize the two together and mix in sour cream to make a bodacious onion dip that has never seen the inside of a packet of soup concentrate.

Hot Dogs & Brats Pigs in a blanket, people! Just because you’re spending the better part of a day nibbling from a spread of junk food doesn’t mean that you have to buy ‘dogs and ‘brats that are full of junk. Look for nitrate-free options made with pastured pork.

Pretzels & Potato Chips If you’re gonna eat snacks for dinner, make them them good ones. Slow Rise Bakery has awesome pretzels for sale at the Clark Park Market, and Roundtop Farm in Honey Brook, PA, makes potato chips from chemical-free potatoes fried in the rendered lard of pastured pigs, available at the Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal Market.

Find something great at your local market? Instagram it and tag accordingly: @foobooz #fooboozthedirt