Episode 3: Getting Your Winter Greens

Hello and welcome to Kitchen 253 with your hosts Evelyn and Joe Lopez, and producer Doug Mackey at the Moon Yard Studio.

In this episode, Getting Your Winter Greens, we visited three smaller, independent markets to find out what winter vegetables were available.

We are incredibly lucky to have great grocery store options in our area. Corporate stores like Safeway and Fred Meyer have excellent produce sections, and very good prices (seriously, check out the markets in the LA and Orange County areas of Southern California—they are well below the standard we find across Tacoma). But we also have some small, specialty markets where you can find amazing prices and the freshest options.

First, we visited Cappy’s Produce on Tacoma’s Eastside at 1232 72^nd St. E (you can find information on Facebook and Yelp). Cappy’s is a small market focused on fresh produce and meats (although the butcher counter was mostly empty when we visited in February). They have a great selection of peppers and other ingredients for Latine/Hispanic recipes. I was particularly impressed by the pepper display, and will return for the bags of ripe lemons, limes, and dried hibiscus flowers. I also left with the largest yam I have ever seen and am planning to add that to a weekend dinner.

Second on our list, one of our favorites, Tacoma Boys Market in the Westend at 5602 6^th Ave (Tacoma Boys Markets | Local Specialty Markets | High Quality Fresh Food ). Tacoma Boys has a great selection of fruits and vegetables, plus a first rate meat and fish counter. But I must admit that one of our reasons for stopping there to pick up dinner ingredients is their awesome wine selection (beer selection is also fantastic). They are open every day, all day, and have weekly specials on their website (as I type this, you can get organic bananas for 99 cents a pound).

Third, you simply have to check out Valley Liquidation at 9813 Pacific Avenue (see their Facebook page for daily specials and regular videos of what is in stock). They get overstock and very ripe produce from, well, I don’t know where, but it is fantastic. The last couple of years I’ve made early strawberry jam with gorgeous organic strawberries from California and delicious pineapple jam when pineapples were available for $1.99 each. I could not resist buying pineapples at that price, and they were super ripe so making jam was the answer (and it was delicious!). There is always a wide variety of salad greens, lots of fruit, and inside the store you will find all kinds of food bargains (cereal for $2 a box, bags of rice for $1, snack items for lunches). Their stock is constantly changing so keeping up on their Facebook page is a must. But do try it out—the produce is excellent, the prices are low, and you are helping to eliminate food waste. Win-win-win.

Recipe: Chard (or any leafy green vegetable (but not Collards as they require longer cook time))

2 bunches of chard

2 T olive oil

2 T soy sauce

1 t hot sauce like sriracha

1 cup water

2 T butter

Rinse the chard leaves thoroughly (fine dirt can collect in the crevices), cut off the ends of the stems, then chop the leaves. Start from the stem and chop about ¼ inch pieces, then when you get to the leaf cut across at about 1 inch increments.

On your stove top at medium-high heat, place a deep pot or saucepan that can accommodate all the chard (it will cook down). Add the olive oil and let it warm for about 30 seconds. Add in the chard. Add the soy sauce, sriracha, and water. Stir the chard over/under in the pot to keep moving the leaves to the bottom, hot part of the pot. Cook for about 10 minutes, stir every few minutes to turn the leaves. Reduce the heat to low. Add the butter and let the chard continue cooking until it is softened (about 5-10 minutes). It will be wet. You can serve it with a slotted spoon to drain off some of the liquid.