I scream, you scream

Lucky happenstance took me to the Sussex Farmers' Market again this Friday (it runs Fridays from 11.m. to 6pm) just as the ice cream craving was coming on. Well, actually I was driving to Shediac from Saint John and realized it was 5:30 on a Friday as we came through Sussex and then I began having visions of Dave Freeze's Sussex ice cream (was the peanut butter and chocolate on? Would there be new flavours?) I got there just in time to dig into a to-die-for pistachio ice cream (with actual pistachios in it) and to be told that Dave was hard at work mixing up new batches for the Dieppe market the next day. I immediately made plans to go to the Dieppe market in the morning and indeed, we found Dave in the Dieppe market scooping out all sorts of flavours (blueberry crisp was the latest addition). Now here's one of the many pleasures of shaking the hand that feeds you... Dave and I had a great chat (I finally got my hands on the pb and chocolate) and I mentioned that people had been asking me about ginger ice-cream. It's apparently a flavour that a lot of Maritimers remember from their childhood. A friend currently living in Boston was with us and chimed in that there's a Boston ice-creamery that does molasses and ginger ice cream. Dave was immediately on the case; we could see him thinking out recipes in his head. So stay posted, ginger/molasses icecream may yet appear on the roster. See? Another reason to get out there and meet our local producers - they might even begin making things for you you've been looking for. So remember, summer is short, ice cream is one of its highest pleasures, if you're in Sussex on a Friday or the Moncton area on Saturday - go to the markets and find Sussex icecream. You'll thank me later...

Sussex Market

Heavens, I've really fallen behind here - not in the marketing and eating of course, just is the documenting of it. So while I have yet to catch you up on Fredericton Market finds -- including the most gorgeous "braising greens" from Jemseg River Farms (organic - running a CSA and going to F'ton market on Saturdays) and all sorts of lovely interesting things like lovage and kohlrabi from another "traditional" family farm (not certified organic but organic nonetheless), "spruce tea", and more Au Fond du Bois cheese -- I had better get on to my most recent market visit, which was to the Friday afternoon farmers' market in Sussex. Here were my happy, happy finds...

There are the lovely Joel and Jennifer (and their baby daughter Gwendolyn) who've moved from Montreal to Spring Meadows Farm in Head of Millstream. They're raising free range chickens (and turkeys). I bbq'd one of the chickens this week and it was amazing. They also have pork and Joel's dad raises range fed beef. Their farm is at 57 McMillan HIll Rd, Head of Millstream and they sometimes come to Sussex market but Joel will bring things into Saint John. Just give him a call at 506-433-1407. (He has email but frankly, Head of Millstream doesn't exactly have high speed and being "spoiled" by living in Montreal, as Joel puts it, he really doesn't see the point of even trying very hard when all you can get is dial-up). But really, it's worth a call. The chickens cost around $3.40/lb. And if people wanted to get together on beef, Joe's Dad, Jerald Coburn, processes one steer a month and can sell it in 50lb or more lots. (His number is 506-433-4885).

My other really happy find at Sussex market involved dairy, of course, it is Sussex. But oh, this was really special. It was my favourite kind of dairy: ice cream. Sussex icecream is run by Dave Freeze and only available at either Sussex or Dieppe markets and it's absolutely lucious. The flavours are to die for. I had lemon, made from real lemons, and my other half had the fresh strawberry - incroyable. We also tasted the peanut butter/chocolate combo made with organic pb and 70% dark chocolate - heaven! You can buy it by the dish or in pint containers to take home. Really, you have to seek them out if you are in either market. They're just building their website at www.sussexicecream.ca - or you can call them at 506-433-0996 if you want to know more. I love summer...

I also picked up some very good, and very inexpensive honey from bees that had been feeding on blueberry plants. Very nice flavour. This was from R&J Honeybee Farm - who also carry great blocks of beeswax - which is great for furniture polishing among other things.

I also dropped in on the Green Pig in Salisbury - and again very, very glad I did because there to my delight they had that great Maritime delicacy (well, I thought it was a Maritime delicacy but turns out it originally came from Europe) Sandfire or Samfire greens (or as they are known in Acadie "tetines de souris" - Yes, you bilingue folks, that's exactly what they're called, go look it up, really, you can look it up here, scroll to the bottom of the page:!Acadian food words). I was introduced to these as a kid in Shediac. They're a marsh green so they have that lovely salty flavour of marsh greens - kind of like salty asparagus. You steam them a bit, throw on some butter and then pull the flesh off the stems with your teeth. Delicious. They only show up here and there and unpredictably - unless like my family you sail to Shediac Island to pick them. But there they were at the Green Pig. So if you haven't tried them, this is your chance...