Recently a new farmer has been selling her wares at the Collingswood Farmers’ Market. Julie Pierre, the lone farmer of Our Yards Farm, has brought an assortment of produce and herbs to the market. She uses organic practices and grew, this year, about 4000 pounds of vegetables on nearly a quarter of an acre of private and public land. Essentially Julie Pierre grows vegetables in YOUR backyard.
Based out of Audubon NJ, Julie offers a 20 week CSA that runs from June to October. But, had Julie not brought a table to the market, I would have missed her beautiful vegetables and herbs.
Sadly last week was her last appearance for this year. The crops she offers are done for the season. She hopes to return to the market next season and make a bigger presence.
During the most recent weeks that Our Yards Farm has been a vendor I have purchased a variety of tomatoes (including green ones that I am letting ripen in my kitchen, bagged lettuce mixes, dried herbs, eggplant, peppers, butternut squash, and green and purple beans.
Everything has been fresh and delicious. And gorgeous.
Last week I bought some green and purple beans. I didn’t do anything special with them. I steamed them and tossed them with a little butter and salt. I’m sharing this with you for two reasons. One, as only my husband and I are home for dinner (empty nesters we) I use my steamer basket for more than one vegetable. On this night it was sweet potatoes (from Rick Hymer’s farm…the best!) and Our Yards Farm’s green and purple beans. Two, to show what happens to those beautiful purple beans…they turn green (unless you eat them raw). Still delicious though.
Ingredients:
green and purple beans, rinsed and tails snapped off
Hillacres Pride butter and salt to taste
Directions:
1. Rinse and tail the beans
2. Pile them in the steamer basket over an inch of water
3. Boil with a lid on, so the beans cook in the steam, until they are the desired tenderness . (A rule of thumb as to steamed vegetable doneness …when you can smell the vegetable it is time to check for doneness).
4. Toss with butter and sprinkle with salt (to your taste)
5. Serve.
yellow room upstairs 