Originally published in the Napa Valley Register
In many ways, this summer will be unlike any other, and in other ways it will be the same. The Napa Farmers Market will be teeming with stone fruit, tomatoes will be piled on the tables, and at our farm stand, you will find cascades of melons and watermelons.
Food and people who need and love fresh, seasonal produce are a constant. The staff, board members and volunteers of the Napa Farmers Market are jumping through unanticipated hoops every week to make sure farmers can provide for the Napa community. Every week, the market is presented with a new challenge for the summer. But ultimately, we become a more resilient and strong farmers market association.
For my farmer colleagues, this summer will present the same bounty and impossible workload that we see any other year. In many ways, summer on the farm is always a form of shelter-in-place. From May through September, we don’t plan camping trips or visits with friends. Instead we wake up every day at 5 a.m. to harvest, plant and weed, and when we do have a day off, we choose to spend it quietly and at home.
What has changed for farmers is the extra responsibility of keeping our customers healthy. We must adapt to the loss of certain customers and the demands of others. At our farm stand we need to handpick every order for our customers, handle produce separately from cash and change our entire market set-up to meet the needs of social distancing. Every step is a bit more nerve-wracking and difficult than in previous summers, but it’s what we need to do to keep the market healthy and thriving.
So, if you are looking for a bit of constant in your life, come enjoy the offerings of the Napa Farmers Market. We promise you the fruit is just as sweet, the bread just as chewy, and the cookies just as buttery as they were last year. You may have to wear a mask to shop, but once you get home, you can enjoy your food and pretend it’s just any old summer day.
Cream Biscuit Cobbler
This recipe is inspired by a recipe in The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters (Clarkson Potter). I’ve made it with peaches, apricots, blueberries, strawberries and even figs.
2 pounds peaches or other stone fruit or 4-1/2 cups strawberries or blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Dough
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus additional for serving, if desired
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. To prepare the fruit, place in a bowl and toss with the sugar and flour. Set aside.
To make the dough, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cream and mix lightly, just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Put the fruit in a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Make biscuits out of the dough, 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. Arrange them over the top of the fruit. Bake until the topping is brown and the juices bubble thickly around it, 35 to 40 minutes.
Let cool slightly. Serve warm, with cream to pour on top or ice cream, if desired.
Serves 4 to 6