-
I was just listing some of the fresh herbs that we will bring to market for the "In Season" section of this web site. The spell checker didn't like the word "Arugula". When I right-clicked for its suggestions, I got "argyle", "regular", and "Uruguay"! Obviously my spell-check program needs to get a little more hip! With the growing interest in fresh vegetables and traditional cuisine, Arugula, though admittedly more popular in Europe, has become at least familiar to many American shoppers.

We were the first growers to bring Arugula to the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market. Sometimes we called it "Rocket", which is an English version of the French name, "Roquette". Arugula is the Italian name of this tantalizingly spicy/nutty flavored herb, and this is the name that seems to be winning out.

I remember early days offering customers a taste of this unfamiliar green. I also remember the customer who, after her first taste, widened her eyes, screwed down the corners of her mouth, and announced I had ruined her day! And then there was the customer who was delighted to find bunches of Arugula on our table after just returning from Italy. When I asked her how she ate Arugula in Italy, she lowered her voice, dropped her head, looked side to side, and whispered, "With raw meat." I think she was worried about being carried off by the Veg-Police in this vegetarian-friendly town. Despite never tasting the dish, I can see how the sprightly flavor of Arugula could share the plate with a raw meat dish and not get upstaged.

We mostly take our Arugula in salads. It is one of the key ingredients of our salad mix, which is also an item that we were first to introduce to the Farmer's Market. But that's another story. For now, I'll just appreciate those bright little red lines that embellish the word "Arugula" each time I type it. They remind me how special this herb is, and also let me feel a rare superiority to my computer. Substitute "Argyle" for "Arugula"? Now really!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My road to Frog Holler, by Paul Burger

-
I graduated from Michigan State in 2010 with strong passions for local organic food, community development, and a healthy (or maybe unhealthy) fear of not making enough money in the career path that I would eventually be forced to choose. The looming decision often weighed on me heavily as my inner self struggled to put a value on working with my passions vs. working for a salary. Towards the end of my college career, I spent weeks toiling over the situation. After contracting shingles and likely straining many of my interpersonal relationships, I still felt as if I had not made any progress in terms of knowing what was right. I eventually decided that I would “sacrifice” a year in order to pursue work that I really loved before zeroing in on a more lucrative desk job. I was lucky enough to find a dream job in my hometown of Ann Arbor working for Avalon Housing in coordination with Growing Hope on gardening and nutrition education for low-income Ann Arbor residents. I loved my wo
Read more

Humble beginnings

-
Image
We mixed our first batch of soil this week. There it sits in the wheelbarrow in the greenhouse. Nothing too special -- peat and vermiculite for the most part. But we'll start our first batch of seedlings in that soil. Once they have two or so "true leaves", the tiny plants will be transplanted to their little compartments -- three or four to a "cell". They will continue to grow in their new quarters until the stems are stocky and the roots established. When the weather welcomes, we will transplant the young sprouts to the field. There, good Lord willin', they will thrive in the springtime sun, rains and gentle breezes. When they have come into their varieties of vegetal fullness - mostly green and leafy - we will harvest them, wash, pack and transport to market. They will shine on the market table, waiting for you to put them in your basket. They'll ride home with you, to be washed, prepared and set on your table. From there to your plate, and then your
Read more

Miracle of Holler Fest

-
Image
It was Friday morning, August 22, and Holler Fest would begin in a few hours. I had lots to d0 - I had more things to do than I even knew I had to do! I was up at the barn "doing" - focused, intent, and looking down at the task at hand. Something made me look up. The barn overlooks the garden, and as I straightened up and looked out, I caught a glimpse of the new lettuce patch. This is the patch that we seeded weeks ago in order to have a fall crop. We planted it in our best ground, watered diligently, and waited...and waited. This year's drought seemed too much for us, and we had all but given up the possibility that those tender seedlings could or would even want to germinate into the relentless sun and heat that has characterized the summer of '08. Daily we would check for seedling emergence and daily we saw only dirt. Maybe they knew best. But my glance toward the garden that busy morning caught a faint glimmer of green coming from the lettuce patch. I stopped, lo
Read more