Cleveland's West Side Market - A Midwest Food-Lover's Fantasy Road Trip

A gorgeous April sky behind the Clock Tower of the West Side Market

We just returned from our second trip to Cleveland's West Side Market. We aren't newbies anymore, overwhelmed by all the options. We knew exactly why we were going and the lessons learned from our rookie trip made this trip SO much more enjoyable, stress-free, and relaxing.

Even before our first trip, we knew it needed to be an overnighter. It's not that Cleveland is all that far for a day trip - two hours to the market from our front door. The "problem" lies in the fact that Ohio City (the neighborhood that is home to WSM) is wickedly full of craft brewers. I like beer. I love good beer. So, a hotel room and proper use of Cleveland's RTA make for a food and brew weekend so we can both imbibe and discover.

Budget tip: If you're staying overnight, you need refrigeration for at least some of your West Side Market finds. We had reservations at the Best Western Airport. We drove in on Friday morning, and they let us park before checking in, plus their shuttle took us to the airport to catch the RTA. We checked in Friday afternoon with our WSM haul in our hands, then took the shuttle back to the airport to take the train back into Ohio City for an evening of wandering. All together, room, shuttle tips, and RTA all-day passes for 2 cost less than $125.

If you can swing it, I highly recommend NOT going to WSM on a Saturday. Neither of us (mostly me) play well in huge, tightly packed crowds. That was the one thing that led me to not be crazy about our first trip. We couldn't move. I would feel like I was always in the way, not able to take my time to really look at the vendor's offerings. Getting to the market at around 11:30 on a Friday morning? It was pure pleasure! Yes, it was busy, but once we ate our brunch, I never felt like I needed to rush my selections.

Brunch! OK, Harry had hot dogs, but I hit up Crepes de Luxe. If you are searching through reviews, you'll read that the crepes are delicious. Very true! I had the smoked salmon (with spinach, capers, and creme freche on a buckwheat crepe) and it was more than I hoped for. A perfect blend of savory, smokey, salty, earthy, with gently steamed spinach. I could eat this many more times. In reading reviews, you will also find comments that the crepes' chef isn't pleasant. I don't think that is true. She wasn't overly chatty, but look at the line forming behind you. There was one lady in front of me when I approached. By the time my crepe was in my hands, ready to burn my mouth because I wanted it so badly, there were at least 8 people in line behind me. I don't think those reviews are a fair assessment based on the volume of business that must be completed very quickly.

We made a quick trip through the market to see if anything caught our eye that wasn't on our "must" list. We bought some pretzel hoagie rolls from Michelle's Bakery to go with our intended sausage haul. We found Wellfleet oysters at Classic Seafood and had a great chat with the guy about learning that we were all wrong in thinking "an oyster is an oyster".

Tub butter was on our must list. For general cooking and baking, I keep standard sticks of both salted and unsalted butter on hand. For spreading on toast, or warm bread, or biscuits, or finishing a dish, or many other drool-worthy reasons, we love better butter. Without going into too much detail, we tasted the salted tub offerings at Irene Dever and bought 7 pounds. Delicious, with just a hint of tang that you expect with a cultured butter (although she gave me a strange look when I asked if it was cultured and then explained that it was only butter, a little salt, with no oil or other ingredients).

Now, for the primary purpose of our sojourn. Harry lived in Akron and was familiar with the sausage-makers in Barberton. He grew to have a fondness for the Eastern European sausages, and that is something that I've learned to enjoy as well. As much as I love some of the local purveyors in Columbus, I haven't yet found the variety of house-made sausage such as we found at the West Side Market (in my defense: I've not yet tried Thurn's so I might be surprised). On this trip, we brought home 11 varieties of sausage of various ethnicities and heat levels. Mix in the various styles - links, fresh, smoked, and bulk, we find the selection at Czucraj Meats to fit all of our needs.

On our first trip, we were overwhelmed at all of the offerings of animal flesh. The market was packed on that Saturday, and I'll admit that we probably stopped at Czucraj because we could actually see the offerings. We bought about 12 pounds that trip, and we weren't disappointed in anything we brought home. We did decide that the Double-Smoked Hot Hungarian was just a little hotter than we would want, but that didn't mean we didn't like it.

30.06 pounds of sausage heaven!

So - we bought a little more than that on this trip. The sausage we bought on our first visit lasted us 8-9 months. During football season, we made samplers - chunks of several types of sausage, broiled in the oven, with a selection of mustards and other companions. We used it in a variety of dishes and also hoarded it, because "there's only so much down there". This time, we'll be a little less stingy with our sausage dinners. (Note: we did the vacuum packing at home).

Our selection includes Garlic Knockwurst, Smoked Slovenian Sausage (links), Mild & Hot Hungarian, Andouille, Hot Italian (fresh ropes), Chorizo (fresh rope and bulk), and Smoked Mild & Hot Hungarian. We also brought home 4 white brats (pork and veal) that we'll have tonight with our pretzel hoagie rolls.

The only other tip I'll leave you with is regarding the produce barn. We don't buy produce there only because I can get all my veggies here in the area. Take the time to visit the review sites, specifically searching for produce vendor reviews. Some are better than others, to be sure. We saw some beautiful fruits and vegetables as we walked through. I have read (within the last 6 months) that WSM has cracked down on the allegations of bait/switch in the produce stands. I just think it's best to be informed before someone drives 2-3 hours, only to arrive home with over-ripe produce.

There are SO many more options than what we brought home. Visit the West Side Market website here for days and hours of operation (no, they aren't open 7 days). You can also read about all of the vendors' offerings and plan your march through the market. Bring along reusable shopping bags, or a backpack. Locals have wheeled carts. Currently (April 2015), the Ohio City RTA station is NOT ADA accessible (construction) and it's a very long trip up and down 3 flights of stairs to the platform. Pay attention to the parking lot signs (some lots are restricted to vendors) to avoid tows. If you drive and park, bring along a cooler to stash your purchases while you visit some of the other gems in the neighborhood.

Rockmill Brewery - Amazing Belgian Ales from Ohio's Heartland

Please forgive me:

"I like big beers and I cannot lie..."

During the March edition of Ohio Market Day at The Hill's Market, we arrived a little too late to sample everything that was offered. That didn't matter because Matthew Barbee was still going strong pouring samples of his Belgian ales from Rockmill Brewery.

I'd been seeing mentions of Rockmill on Twitter, so as soon as I realized we had the opportunity for a tasting, I nudged Harry. Of course, all he needed to hear was the word "beer" and he was in, too.

We picked the Saison as our bring-home bottle and enjoyed it a couple of weeks later. There was still snow on the ground!

When Shawn comes home for a visit in August, in addition to the 9-year reunion of Rent-A-Party at Barley's Smokehouse & Brewpub (and all the debauchery that will certainly ensue), we are also planning a private dinner and tasting here at the cabin. While I am no doubt less experienced in the beer pairing department, I can guarantee that dinner will be magnificent and the tasting may last until sunrise!

And we will include all four offerings from Rockmill Brewery.

Once Harry goes on shift in mid-July, it will be much easier to make plans to tour Rockmill Brewery and the farm near Lancaster.

Read my complete review of the four Belgian ales from Rockmill Brewery, follow this link.

Another pumpkin shortage? Not really!

A lot of people might remember last year's shortage of canned pumpkin in the stores - the entire 2009 Libby's harvest was processed, delivered, stocked and sold by Thanksgiving. Heavy rains in Illinois prevented the tractors from getting in and out of the fields and the pumpkin disappeared from store shelves faster than you can bake a pumpkin pie.

We always process real pumpkin - you know, those big orange things you cut funny shapes into every Halloween and stick a candle inside? My frozen supply ran out early during this year's farmer's market season and I was a little worried. No fears - I've been buying #10 cans of pure pumpkin puree at GFS Marketplace since July. In fact, I've never seen the shelves empty until my friend and fellow vendor Denise mentioned the store we both buy supplies at was out last week.

Part of this is because of memories of last year's shortage. People are panicking and buying more than what they normally would "just in case". Libby's has assured everyone the pumpkin harvest is fine this year, but it takes a little time to process those orange beauties and get them into the stores. E-bay sellers are scoring should-be-illegal prices. I'll admit to feeling more than a little bit of glee at seeing the price on a listing I was watching for research drop by over $20 since Libby's made their announcement - especially because the seller stated "They are already predicting a pumpkin shortage" in the listing.

So...I did rant a little bit:

The Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2010?

On to how to...

It really doesn't take any special skill to process your own pumpkins at home to use to baking anything pumpkin - pumpkin bread, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin pies. Canned pumpkin IS one of the few products out there that really is nothing but - no fillers, preservatives, additives, just pure pumpkin. But, with some time you can save a lot of money by buying pumpkins at the farmers market and making your own frozen pumpkin puree.

How to Make & Freeze Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Plenty of pumpkin in 2010 - Photo courtesy www.sxc.hu/dbgeorge

Tomatoes Coming Out of Your Ears???

Harry scored a great deal on tomatoes in Pataskala a couple of weeks ago. I now have jars of Bloody Mary Mix that hopefully won't kill us mid-football season. I have 3 quarts of tomato sauce in the freezer and 3 quarts of peeled, seeded tomatoes in the freezer - those will make yummy cream of tomato soup in the winter.

I hope we can come across another deal before the tomatoes disappear for the season. Of course, our own tomatoes won't be ripe until October, but that's another story.

If you are overwhelmed with tomatoes and the thought of pressure canning gives you the heebie-jeebies my Bloody Mary mix is a water bath process. I've also written a simple tutorial explaining how to get those red beauties prepped for canning or freezing.

Don't let your tomatoes go to waste! 

How to Prepare Tomatoes for Canning and Freezing

Summer's Tomato Bounty www.sxc.hu/edmondo

 Oh - the Bloody Mary Mix? Perfect for Ohio State Football Saturdays!

Bloody Mary Mix for a Water Bath Canner

Copyright Debbie Henthorn

Veggies on the Grill!

It took me a few days to get time to make the Grill-Roasted Stuffed Peppers, take the pictures, get the article written and published - but I did it!

Most of the ingredients for our dinner of Grill-Roasted Stuffed Peppers with a Caprese Salad and corn on the cob can be seen here...

I cut up some yellow and red watermelon and a cucumber for us to snack on while we were cooking. The cheeses on the plate were from the farmers market. The wedge is a Habanero Monterrey Jack from Fulton Creek Jersey Cheese - you can find her at the Main Street Delaware Farmers Market on Wednesday and Saturday. She makes INCREDIBLE cheeses including a Parmesan that is out of this world. The smaller piece is the remains of a grass-fed Roasted Red Pepper cheese I picked up at the Mount Vernon Farmers Market on the Square. I'm drawing a blank on the name of the farm, but their cheese is also sold at the Sunbury Farmers Market.

I've got 2 kinds of tomatoes, Giant Marconi Italian sweet peppers, a Vidalia (really, I bought them before Brian told me about the bounty of Candy Onions and I needed to use them up!), garlic and a leek from the Delaware market and a medium-heat banana pepper.

Not the best picture - the sun was shining through the kitchen window. For my sausage and rice pepper filling, I've diced Vidalia Onion, the other half of the two tomatoes I used to make the Caprese Salad and minced some banana pepper, garlic and half a leek.

These Giant Marconi peppers might look a little funky for stuffing, but they hold their shape and don't fall over on the grill.

 Ready for the grill. I browned the Italian sausage, added the veggies and rice then simmered it until the rice was cooked. Use a spoon and get the filling into the nooks and crannies. Harry heated the grill to a medium heat and took over from there.

And it's supper time! Harry grilled the peppers just until a char started - not blackened, not burned. The peppers still have some "body" to them, not cooked to mush. I added the cheese and closed the lid of the grill for about a minute to melt.

You can find the complete recipe here...

Grill-Roasted Stuffed Peppers

The Weekend Veggie Haul!

Harry and I have different points of view about vegetables. There's a very rare vegetable that Harry will eat cooked, and I grew up eating religious veggies - turn the heat up and boil the hell out of 'em!

We're reaching a compromise. Fortunately, both of us will eat about anything raw. We cook the sweet corn just a few minutes to warm it up. He will tolerate sauteed green beans and permit me to indulge in my Southern-Fried favorites - green tomatoes and okra. We also use a lot of veggies, chopped fine, as filler for other things. Last night was "supposed" to be Vietnamese. Vietnamese egg rolls and a Garlic Beef Pan-Fried Noodle with a simple cucumber salad.

As always happens, the conversation and enjoyment of each other was a much higher priority than the actual food prep and cooking! So, we did finish the Vietnamese Egg Rolls, I made an awesome Spicy Lemongrass Dipping Sauce and Harry's Nuoc Cham has been perfected - recipes coming soon.

We collected quite a haul of veggies this weekend, between Dad's ninja raids of gardens, a generous donation of zucchini for The Wright Taste (Thanks Dr. Skip!) and some bartering at the farmers markets. We spent less than $15 on fresh veggies this week. I couldn't fit everything in one picture, but I got close:

 

A dozen ears of yellow corn from Richard and some long sweet peppers for roasting and a pint of jalapenos from my friend Brian in Mount Vernon (he also threw in a few tomatillos and some hot peppers). I have to go to Mount Vernon to pick up what was referred to as "scads" of Candy Onions from Brian - he can't sell them fast enough and they are absolutely delicious! I will start chopping and freezing them for winter.

The yellow watermelon (I shared half of it with Mom & Dad) is so sweet - the vendor shoved a piece in my mouth to taste and I was hooked! Also, the Yukon Gold potatoes and the two bowls of organic tomatoes, plus a couple of zucchini and the fresh garlic are from Delaware. I've never cooked with leeks before, so I bought one to try.

Dad raided his garden and my cousin's garden - zucchini, okra and tomatoes. The cucumbers are from our "garden". And, Harry got most of the red tomatoes in Pataskala on Friday night.

I'm a little excited about being able to take pictures again. Yes, I still suck as a photographer. Harry had a couple of studio lights and a tripod from his days of intense photography and video work. We've had them at the flea market and they hadn't sold and I realized HEY! We could use them to brighten up the kitchen to help with the pictures until I can afford a better camera (to replace the one that the thieving bastards stole in December!)


I've definitely got salsa on the brain with all the tomatoes and peppers.

That pile of okra will be tossed in a mixture of cornmeal, flour and seasoning and I'll "fry up a mess of okra" (Miss you, Gramma!) The little tiny yellow tomatoes - sweet like candy! - are about the size of Texas caviar. I'm thinking a cucumber, tomato and onion relish-ish type thing.

The long peppers are going to be stuffed with a Sweet-Italian Sausage/Rice/Tomato blend, then grill-roasted just until the peppers are perfect. We've had requests for Jalepeno/Cheese bread - I didn't quite get enough peppers in it last week, but now I've got plenty!

What are YOU finding in the garden or at the farmers market? We're in the midst of the best part of the Central Ohio growing season right now.

The Farmer's Market Book is a great guide to the history of local farmers markets. Robinson says it best when she describe farmers markets as "the other homeland security" - the sense of community that comes from shopping or participating in a farmers market can't be matched.

Loving Farmers Market Season!

Central Ohioans really do get hosed when it comes to tomatoes!

When I was younger, I didn't remember the difference - the taste, the texture. I would go ahead and buy those picked-too-early red rocks at the grocery store, take them home, stick them in the fridge and add them to salads and sandwiches. Then, I remembered.

I remembered the taste of a warm tomato fresh off the vine, eating it like an apple in the middle of the garden.

And I became a tomato snob. Oh, I'll occasionally buy a package of cherry or grape tomatoes in the middle of the winter because I want those red things in my salad. I'm always disappointed. Other than that, I don't buy tomatoes unless they were grown close to me. Fortunately, there's a hydroponic tomato farm about 4 miles down the road in Sparta. Buckeye Produce's tomatoes are usually ready around the beginning of May and I stand on tiptoe when I'm at the Mount Vernon market, waiting for signs of life in their little spot on the square. Then, it's BLTs for dinner! In Columbus, if you buy tomatoes at Carfagna's or Hills Market that say "Ohio tomatoes" on the sign, you are eating these tomatoes.

When we pulled into the Mount Vernon market to set up last Saturday, I was shocked to see sweet corn! LOCAL sweet corn! I asked Richard (the farmer) if he sprinkled fairy dust on the fields because Knox County doesn't usually see sweet corn before July 15. We got a dozen to take to the river and it was summer in our hands. OK, it was 90 degrees in the shade but the corn was crisp, sweet, dripping with butter, salt and pepper. We also got our first local field tomatoes - even better than hydros.

With the visit to the river (and Mom's insistence on sending things back with us) I now have too many veggies! Not really, but I've got all I need for a few more days.

I will probably pick up a few more small summer squash this weekend to make a Farmers Market dinner Saturday night. So simple, all homemade and perfect for a hot summer evening! Try the honey-lemon salad dressing - the easiest thing I've ever made, fat-free and refreshing!

Simple Summer Farmers Market Dinner - ENJOY!