Make the Most of Your Share - Fresh Fork Market

Pickled Green Beans

I had several people tell me they have a lot of beans and aren’t sure what to do with them. Whenever you are in doubt as to what to do with something, my fall back is always pickling. I love pickled vegetables as a snack, and adding interesting pickled vegetables to a relish tray takes it to…

Make the Most of Berry Season

When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can’t taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge. The…

Parker’s Book Selection

Building your cookbook library can be an enjoyable project as well as providing you with excellent sources of reference. In the next few weeks I’d like to talk about some of the books that I believe are basics; books that provide information about products and techniques rather another new recipe. I’ll start by mentioning a…

Spareribs vs Baby Back

Just to be clear, baby back ribs don’t come from baby hogs. I, and most of the butchers I know, prefer a spare rib to a baby back. The spare rib bones are spaced further apart and have more meat and fat between them. On a hog, the rib cage starts at the spine (top…

Let’s Talk Turkey

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It seems like just a few weeks ago we were planning the summer season, and now we are ready to finalize our turkey orders. We gave our current CSA subscribers first dibs on Thanksgiving packages. We had such a great response, that quantities are selling out fast! If you…

Turnip Greens

Turnip greens are an extremely nutrient packed vegetable. However, many folks are lost on what to do with them. They may be prepared the same as you would prepare mustard greens, kale, collards, or chard. The less you alter them, the more nutrients you retain. For the healthiest preparation, try simply steaming your greens. You…

Keeping your greens fresh

Your refrigerator sucks the moisture out of these vegetables. There is not enough humidity. In the grocery store and distribution warehouses, these items are often packed with shaved ice or continually misted with cold water. Try this technique to best preserve lettuces, spinach, and all leafy greens. 1) Wash greens in COLD (even ice cold) water. I add…

Deboning a Chicken and Cooking in Parts

Place the chicken on the cutting board, breast side up. Remove the thigh‐leg pieces. Push the thigh away from the body by placing your thumb and fingers between the thigh and the body and then opening your hand. Carefully cut the skin that should be stretched by this action. Once the flesh is exposed put…

How to Prepare a Smoked Ham

Your ham (if you ordered one) is already cooked. It has been fully smoked over hickory wood chips, so all you need to do is reheat your ham to an internal temperature of 150 to 160 degrees. Depending on what cut you have, carving it will be slightly different. The shank portion is the one that is pointed at one end. This…

Turkey Brining

Brining is a method of soaking meat in a salt-based solution to tenderize the meat, infuse flavors, and help the meat retain moisture while cooking. The additional moisture in the meat also reduces the cooking time since water transfers energy faster than air. There are no standard “best” brines. It is all a matter of…