Fresh from the Farm: Using Farmers' Market Ingredients In Your Make-Ahead Meals

I just can't get enough of farmers' markets.  Getting local, fresh-from-the-farm veggies, eggs, fruit, cheeses, spices, flowers - not to mention all of the beautiful handmade items, as well as canned and jarred sauces and spreads - is an addiction of mine.  And here, in the Seattle area, the farmers' market season started this weekend!  In honor of the occasion, we're going to be posting here all summer long about some of the best ways to use farmers' market ingredients in your make-ahead meals to keep it local and fresh all summer long, and beyond!


Do you have a great tip or trick for freezing fresh, local ingredients?  Or, do have burning questions about how you can use certain ingredients in your make-ahead meals?  Share it with us in the comments below, and we'll include it in our "Fresh From the Farm" series!

While on our honeymoon in French Polynesia,
I was sure to try exotic local fare at all of the
local farms and markets we visited.  Here we have
fresh-from-the-sea raw oysters at a pearl farm
on one of the islands.

For now, we'll start with some general pointers for working with fresh ingredients in your make-ahead dishes.  In the posts that follow, we'll take a look at more specific ingredients, freezing techniques, and anything else that might help keep those great farmers' market ingredients fresh for months to come!

• Fruits generally freeze better than vegetables.  This isn't true for all fruits and all vegetables, of course, but as a general rule, you'll have better results freezing raw fruits than raw veggies.  In posts to come, we'll take a look at some preparations for both fruits and vegetables to make them more freezer-friendly.
• Cheeses freeze well, but will be crumbly after being frozen.  Freezing a block of cheese is a great way to preserve it for months to come.  However, be aware that when you thaw the cheese, the texture will have changed.  Thawed cheese will generally tend to break and fall apart easier, making serving it in slices more difficult.  Ideally, freeze cheeses that you plan to grate or crumble, rather than cube or slice, so that this crumbly texture doesn't affect your dish.
• Meats and fish make great freezer fodder.  Around here (the Seattle area), we're lucky to have a number of fisher-families selling their fresh catches at the local farmers' markets.  I always take advantage of these opportunities to pick up a few cuts for future grilling, broiling, baking - you name it.  Once at home, you can use your FoodSaver to seal either the whole cut, or prepare individual serving-sized cuts, and freeze each one separately.  Another great tip with fresh meats and fish: seal them in a plastic freezer bag or sealed freezer dish along with your favorite marinade, and once it thaws, your main course will be pre-marinated and ready to go!
• Fresh spices can be vacuum-sealed and refrigerated, or dried.  Fresh spices can make all the difference in a meal's taste, and local crops from the farmers' markets really bring a dish to life.  Most spices will last for at least a week or so in the refrigerator without any special help; but, you can make your spices last even longer by vacuum-sealing them along with a folded up paper towel, and putting them in the refrigerator.  This will make them last several weeks.  Or, hang them to dry, and you can use the dried spices for months to come.