Payson Roundup

Courtesy photo

Payson Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturdays until sometime in October.

Garden fresh produce and fruit, along with artisan baked goods, jams, honey, goat’s milk fudge and cheese are now just down the way in Payson.

The Payson Farmers Market opened July 4 and was a real firecracker for vendors.

“We had an incredible opening day of the Payson Farmers Market. We opened with 16 vendors and between them, collected slightly under $6,000!

“Both sellers and shoppers seemed to have a really good time and got to see friends in the community that hadn’t seen each other in a while — which is my passion — the experience of ‘community.’

“We opened with two produce vendors from lower elevation areas and have five more joining us as their produce becomes ready for picking,” said Lorian Roethlein, Payson Farmers Market coordinator.

Hours are 8 a.m. to noon in the parking lot of the Community Presbyterian Church, 800 W. Main. The market will be open every Saturday until sometime in October — the end date depends on the frost this year, Roethlein said.

Jeri J’s Fruit Stand is in the southern parking lot of the Mazatzal Hotel & Casino, it is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Another local farmers market is in the parking lot of Western Village on the southern end of town on the west side of Beeline.

The second weekend at the Payson Farmers Market I bought some Payson-grown garlic and squash; tomatoes, onions and corn from the Hauser and Hauser Farms stand (from the Verde Valley); apricot jam from Kate & Susie’s of Payson; and Made by Bees Payson Wildflower Honey from Pine.

Having lived in the Verde Valley for nine years I am very familiar with Hauser’s corn — it is probably the best you can get (at least in my opinion). A couple of ears of that, with lots butter or margarine, salt and pepper, plenty of napkins and big glass of iced tea and you have a meal.

I learned to cook corn on the cob by putting it in boiling water, but it can be steamed, cooked in the microwave or grilled.

Get a pot big enough for the amount of corn you want to make, fill it with water, and bring to a boil.

As the water is heating up, shuck the corn, getting as much of the silk off as possible.

When the water is boiling put the ears in the pot and let boil until you can smell the corn — this usually takes about 7 minutes, but no more than 10. Use tongs or a strong fork to take corn out of the pot, drain on paper towels, and then transfer to your plate. Season to suit your taste and enjoy.

I plan to just sauté the squash (I only bought three), some of the garlic, and part of the onions and toss them with some cheese tortellini. Watching a lot of cooking shows has inspired me to try a combination of olive oil and butter for my sauté and season with a little Italian seasoning mixture or maybe Italian dressing (using dressing might make the dish too oily though)

I am not a big fan of raw tomatoes on their own, but combined with thinly sliced roast beef and a good, multi-grain bread spread with honey mustard they are a gift from the gods. So, after I bought my tomatoes at the Payson Farmers Market, I went back to the grocery store and bought some roast beef… my mouth is watering in anticipation of that sandwich right now.

In anticipation of having access to really fresh produce with the opening of the Payson Farmers Market I indulged my favorite habit and bought a cookbook, Taste of Home magazine’s The Market Fresh Cookbook. This is where I found this recipe for raw zucchini.

Sweet and Sour Zucchini

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

5 cups thinly sliced zucchini

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

In a large bowl, combine first six ingredients. Stir in the vegetables. Cover, refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Serve.