People tend to think of a farmers market as produce only, but Coppell Farmers Market vendors bring multiple protein offerings as well. Sam’s Salmon returns this weekend, caught this summer by the vendor’s nephew at Kodiak Island, Alaska. The wild caught salmon selection this year includes sockeye, Coho, and smoked King. By fishing an area of open water, the fish are more nutrient rich than after they begin their exhausting run upstream. Texas Gulf seafood choices include shrimp and a variety of fish.
Nutrient rich, lean pastured meats are raised right here in North Texas by Rehoboth Ranch and Livestock First Ranch. These cows, pigs, lambs, and chickens are humanely raised and never find themselves in a feedlot. Cattle are fed a natural diet in grassy pastures, supplemented with hay only if needed. All livestock roam freely in their large pastures. All are antibiotic and hormone free. This means they take longer to bring to maturity and are leaner as they aren’t sped along unnaturally with grains and hormones in a tightly contained space. According to the Livestock First website “Cattle are ruminants, animals able to maintain their metabolic rate and build mass through the consumption of, primarily, just grass. Meat from animals raised and finished on pasture is far different from counterparts raised in confinement. Fat content is significantly lower, a meat with fewer calories is viable, and higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids and CLA are produced naturally when finished on grass. And for persons unable to spend time under the sun, grass-fed and finished beef is high in Vitamin D. As a ruminant, cattle do not need to eat grain to grow, and can grow sufficiently on pastures properly managed with appropriate density levels. These pastures help to dispel the belief that grass-fed and finished beef is tough.” For further information on growing practices and recipes, visit the websites of Livestock First Ranch and Rehoboth Ranch.
Eggs are another rich protein source from the Farmers Market. Customers note the deep, rich orange yolks and deeper flavor in eggs from the Coppell FM. The hens are yard egg producers, allowed to roam outside enjoying their natural diet of grasses and insects, as opposed to being kept in closed buildings eating a grain diet. Note: cage free eggs may not be yard eggs as the hen might not be on grass and may be fed an unnatural diet. Mariana Greene with the Dallas Morning News wrote last week about the judging of eggs by microbiologist Sage Talavera at the State Fair. Greene writes, “Most of the yolks in competition are the color of a sunflower’s petals. Talavera, who works with clinical samples of infectious diseases in a small Austin lab, says yolk color results from sunlight exposure and an abundance of insects and greens, such as grass or leafy vegetables. In turn, that means the hen is probably allowed to forage freely through a garden, backyard or field. ‘There’s a significant difference between a store-bought egg and a backyard egg,’ says Talavera, who keeps chickens in Austin. ‘Yard eggs are 400 to 700 percent healthier than store-bought eggs.’ “ Find the full article on the Dallas Morning News website.
The committee thanks all the children and their parents and grandparents who brought them to last Saturday’s Food Day for Kids. Look on the CFM website for Chef Robby Hooker’s Kid Friendly Smoothie Recipe and the list of Coppell Cozby Library books used in the reading area. Appreciation is extended to the guest readers, vendor donors, and Chef Robby for the success of the event.
The Coppell Farmers Market is open every Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon at 768 W. Main Street in Old Town Coppell. Lone Star Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) and bank ATM cards can be used to purchase wooden market tokens (market cash) at the CFM info booth in the center of the pavilion. For the most current market news and events, join the Coppell Farmers Market on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to a weekly email update at Coppell Farmers Market.