Farmers’ Market Fridays: Pork Chops and Kholrabi

One of my most recent experiences at the Freedom Farmers’ Market is a testament to getting there as early as possible. I had a few things to do that morning and I finally left the house by 11:30. I had only one hour left to look through the market.  If you decide to go to the farmers’ market around closing time, your produce options will be very limited. However, you may encounter a vendor looking to make a deal with you so he can unload some more product quickly.

This past Saturday, I came to the market prepared. And by prepared, I mean just being there at 9:45.

I headed to Riverview Farms to buy some ground beef, but they were already out! Not wanting to hold up the line, I bought two pounds of the pork chops because I figured they would be just as tasty as the pork sausage I usually get. I picked up some more sweet potatoes from Rise ‘N Shine and got some of their eggs as well.

Also, remember how last time I mentioned buying something unconventional on a whim? Well, this past Saturday I did. I finally bought some kholrabi from Woodland Gardens! Kholrabi is a member of the cabbage family and can be cooked like any other vegetable. It was recommended to me to grate it into a hash, which sounded delicious. I stuck with simple methods of cooking because I really wanted to stick with something easy. After some quick cutting and peeling, I seasoned small chunks of kholrabi with Magic Unicorn salt from Georgia’s own Beautiful Briny Sea and roasted them at 400° for 20 minutes.

That also gave me just enough time to cook my pork chops. I unwrapped them from their butcher paper and they were HUGE. The lady from the market said that they were medium sized, so I may be getting smaller chops the next time. I followed my favorite pork chop recipe by Laura Calder, where you just sprinkle salt, pepper, and a bit of sugar on both sides of your chops and pan fry them in butter. The chops turned out perfectly and I honestly think they were the best I’ve ever had! I cannot recommend them enough.

A reminder that this weekend The Green Market at Piedmont Park is kicking off their 2017 season tomorrow, March 18th, from 9:00am-1:00pm. I can’t wait to see what the vendors have in store!