Cabbage, Asparagus and Persian Cucumbers

It’s Cabbage Month at the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market and everywhere you look, there’s a variety or two of this versatile ingredient.

You can do almost anything with a large head of cabbage. It can be steamed, roasted, grilled, boiled in soups and served raw in salad. Take a trip to Eastern Europe and you’ll find that there’s nothing tastier than a stuffed cabbage roll with ground meat, tomatoes and onion.

“This week we have Savoy cabbage, which is one of the oldest varieties,” said Michelle Huerta, who runs the Capay Organic stand.

Capay Organic also has Napa cabbage, a type of Chinese cabbage that is popular in gourmet kitchens. Napa cabbage is light in color but with the same crisp, fresh texture of bok choy—another popular Chinese cabbage variety that is often best served steamed. If you’re looking for a more traditional variety of cabbage, head over to Nakamura Farms and pick up a large head of green cabbage.

Though winter is winding down, there were a few winter squash lined up at the T&D Farms stand just begging to be made into a steamy, comforting soup. But squash aside, signs of spring’s inevitable arrival were abundant.

The market's first harvest of asparagus was available at Zukerman Farms. Best known for its potato farming, the vendor offers long stalks of fresh-cut asparagus, including traditional thin-stemmed asparagus that is good to serve on its own, and much thicker stalks that are good for chopping and adding to soups and stocks. The thinner the stalk, the older the plant, and a thick stalk means that there is more fresh asparagus flavor in each bite.

I was surprised to discover small Persian cucumbers at Lark Farms, the Ventura County farm known for its hydroponically-grown tomatoes. Persian cucumbers usually don’t appear until summer, but since these are also grown hydroponically, they’re at the market ahead of schedule. Persian cucumbers have thin skin and are sweetest in flavor when about 4-5 inches in length. If they grow longer, the cucumbers take on a bitter flavor.

Once a month the market hosts Cookin Kids, which teaches children how to prepare dishes using fresh market ingredients. In honor of Cabbage Month, the Cookin Kids made a tasty coleslaw recipe.

Ingredients:

• ½ small purple cabbage, shredded
• ½ small green cabbage, shredded
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar

Directions:

• In a large bowl, toss together purple and green cabbage. Add sugar, salt and pepper. Allow mixture to stand for 10-15 minutes. Add olive oil and rice vinegar. Toss to combine and serve.

Next Sunday is the L.A. Marathon and although many of the streets surrounding the market will be closed, it will be business as usual. Please check the route maps to see if you may have to take a detour from your usual path.

I invite you to join me each week as I explore the magical world of the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market. Please feel free to share stories and recipes of the items you also find interesting at the market. If you see me strolling about, please say hello.

See you next week at the market!

The Beverly Hills Farmers' Market is held every Sunday (rain or shine) from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the 9300 block of Civic Center Drive. There are more than 60 farmers and vendors offering a wide variety of organic and conventional California-grown seasonal fruits and vegetables. There are also prepared food kitchens with menu items to take out or enjoy at the small on-site cafe.

Parking is available on the neighboring side streets or in the garage attached to the City Hall and library. The market supplies free shopping carts to use and they are located there. If you have any stories or recipes from the market that you wish to share, please contact the site editor at mariec@patch.com.

David De Bacco is a writer living and celebrating life in Los Angeles. He has worked for some of the world's most famous chefs and restaurateurs, and along the way he became a little savvy about food and wine. He has published articles and cookbooks for Shibata Publishing Co. in Tokyo and is a contributing writer for Edge Publications. He is also the creator of the Cookin with Mama blog, a meeting place to share recipes from our mothers.