Finally! Vegetables come with instructions

By David Maurer

Published: April 22, 2008

If you don’t know what to make of a raw turnip, much less a robust rutabaga or bulbs of fennel, help is at hand.
As more people opt to purchase fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables at city markets, a failing of sorts is becoming apparent to some. The how-to knowledge needed to prepare and cook things that don’t come from a can or the frozen section of the supermarket is being lost.
Anne-Marie Parrish and her husband, Randy, spend their Saturday mornings at Charlottesville’s City Market selling produce they’ve grown on their Fluvanna County farm. The couple often see blank stares on the faces of potential customers when they eye a vegetable they’re not familiar with.
“It’s become a carrot, tomato and green bean-type world,” said Anne-Marie Parrish, who with her husband operates Randy’s Produce at area farmers
markets. “And yet there’s a lot of other produce around that’s very nutritious and has a lot of flavor.
“But if you haven’t been exposed to it, you won’t know how to cook it. People look at it, it’s pretty, and they want to buy it, but they don’t know what to do with it.
“Customers are always asking us how to cook things like beets or fennel. I think my new cookbook will help them with that and other lesser known vegetables as well.”
“From the Farm: A Cookbook” contains 187 recipes that for generations have made Parrish family members, relatives and friends eager to put their legs under the dinner table. In addition to main courses, the book includes desserts, breads, side dishes, appetizers and beverages.
Parrish has learned that people appreciate a bit of helpful guidance when it comes to preparing even common vegetables. Sharing information helps business, too.
“One day we had 30 pounds of fresh peas, and we were wondering how we were going to sell it all,” the mother of three said. “So I made up some recipe sheets on ways to prepare them, and everybody got excited about it.
“They were like, ‘Oh, wow. I can do this, I can do that.’ We also shelled some peas and had them in a bowl for people to taste test.
“Usually you get peas in a can or frozen, and they’re not as good as fresh. The whole thing went off really well, and that got me thinking about doing a cookbook.”
Parrish’s husband provided her with additional motivation to get her recipes down on paper. Because she never followed a recipe closely and abhors measuring, no two meals were ever alike.
“My husband would make fun and say, ‘This dinner is great, but I’m never going to be able to eat it again, because you don’t know how you made it.’ With his chiding, and our customers asking how to cook certain vegetables, I decided to make the cookbook.
“My grandmother [Agnes Moore Hughes] was a fantastic cook, and many of her recipes are in the book. My sister also contributed some recipes, as did her mother-in-law. And some of the recipes are my own.
“The chicken lasagna was something I made up myself, and it turned out really good. I was going to put my radish salad in, too, but nobody liked it so that got nixed.”
Parrish said she started the yearlong cookbook project by making a list of all the things that just had to be included. Things like corn pudding, tomato pie, zucchini fries and banana bread.
Originally the cookbook was intended for family members as a way to keep the tried-and-true recipes alive. When customer questions suggested a much larger audience would be receptive to it, the overall theme also became clear.
“At first I included some recipes that said to add a can of this or that,” Parrish said. “Then I realized that wasn’t in keeping with what I wanted to do.
“I wanted to do fresh foods, as if you were eating out of your garden. I didn’t want it to be a processed food-type cookbook.”
In addition to selling their produce at farmer’s markets, the Parrishes also supply a number of local restaurants with fresh produce. These include Oxo, L’etoile, Ivy Inn and Revolutionary Soup.
“Our chefs really appreciate the food they get from us, and they know what they’re getting,” Anne-Marie Parrish said. “When we started farming we wanted to do things all natural.
“We did spray our broccoli crop one year, but when we tasted it, it was really bad. So we decided we weren’t going to spray anything or use chemicals.
“Quality is big on our agenda. When you pick something when it’s ready, and it’s fresh when you get it to market, people notice and appreciate it.”
Included in the cookbook are helpful hints. For example, a little vinegar or lemon juice added to potatoes before draining will make them extra white when mashed. And a few drops of lemon juice added to simmering rice will keep the grains separated.
Sadly, there isn’t any advice on how to get kids to eat their veggies. But if Parrish’s three youngsters are any indication, it’s hard to turn one’s nose up at ripe vegetables fresh from the vine or ground.
“My kids don’t fuss about eating veggies, and my husband will eat anything,” Parrish said with a laugh. “When you have a great audience to cook for it makes it worthwhile.
“I never really started paying attention to cooking until I got married. Then we started farming, and I had all this great produce available.
“So, what do you do with a zucchini? Well, for one thing I just made some zucchini fries, which is a nice alternative to regular french fries. But of all the recipes in the book, the tomato pie is our favorite, hands down.”
Zucchini Fries
3 zucchini, small to medium size
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp. thyme
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash zucchini and cut in half or thirds. Then quarter lengthwise to make triangle shaped “fries.” Mix together bread crumbs, parmesan and thyme. Dip zucchini pieces in the egg, and then coat with bread crumb mixture. Place in a shallow baking dish in a single layer. Bake for 5-7 minutes, flip and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Serve with dip of choice — Parrish suggests bleu cheese or marinara. Note: To make into an appetizer, cut zucchini into smaller, bite-size pieces.
Tomato Pie
1 deep-dish pie crust
1 cup onion, chopped
3 to 4 large red ripe tomatoes, sliced
½ cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2/3 cup mayonnaise
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer sliced tomatoes, chopped onions and basil leaves into pie crust. Repeat layers to fill crust — press down slightly.
Mix cheeses and mayonnaise together and spread over entire pie, hiding the tomatoes to form a crust. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.