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Photo by Heidi Zemach Russell Oknefski, left, and his helpful granddaughter, Allison, 11, with some Lambs Quarter he picked in his garden. Heidi Zemach gives an inside look to the Farmer's Market in Johnsonburg, and also passes along a tasty recipe from a new vegetable she discovered.
By Heidi Zemach
Special to The Record
Probably not too many folks have heard of Lambs Quarter. I just discovered it at the Johnsonburg Farmer’s Market, thanks to Russell Oknefski, of Ridgway, who brought some bags along to share.
It’s a kind of poor man’s spinach, or weed-like plant, found in the woods this time of year that people with a working knowledge of edible plants used to eat, and use for medicinal purposes before grocery stores and pharmaceuticals took over that realm of human existence.
I brought it home and cooked it up like a spinach dish I’m fond of as Oknefski promised, it was “really tasty.”
Oknefski obviously takes pleasure in introducing people to things that grow, or that they can make to eat from natures’ bounty. He laughs as he describes all the people in years past who couldn’t believe he was showing them an actual Ostrich egg, so big was it.
His enthusiasm has evidentially been passed along to granddaughter Allison, age 11, who said she likes helping out in the garden, picking beans, weeding, and raising corn. Allison especially enjoys the process of making maple sugar. In past years, Russell Oknefski has boiled the sweet maple water down right out in the forest, in large galvanized wash tubs. But this year, his back was giving him problems, and it was a short and terrible syrup season, as he describes it. So Oknefski only tapped 30 maple trees, rather than the 100 he normally taps, and he boiled it down inside his own house – netting only 40 pints worth.
“It’s a lot of work,” Oknefski said, of making maple syrup, and farming generally. But he believes that with high gas and food prices, more people will go back to their gardens for food, or will partake of local produce.
At her booth, Shauna Miller, who lives on Silver Creek Road in Johnsonburg, had some tasty stromboli, made with ham, cheese and pepperoni, which can be eaten cold, or frozen, then later baked up for an easy breakfast lunch or dinner.
Miller displayed a Dogwood bouquet, picked from her garden at her stall, and visitors seemed to appreciate its stark beauty and simplicity. She also sold homemade cards which she made with envelopes and plastic sleeves. Miller takes her camera along on daily walks in the garden, or around the neighborhood and shoots photos of the flowers, trees, and sunsets along the way which she makes into her cards.
At her mother’s display table, Christine Distler’s enterprising daughter Tameryn, age 7, was selling crayon drawings to raise money for an item she hopes to purchase. Tameryn sold three pictures, including a Ninja spider drawing, and learned that presentation and a little verbal persuasion can help sell.
As promised, Georgeanne Freeburg baked a variety of breads, including an organic Swedish rye, and strawberry yogurt bread. Freeburg said she learned to bake from the grandmother who raised her at a young age. At 16, when Georgeanne went away to attend the district choral contest, she was hitting the bookstores for new cook books, while the other girls were looking at clothes. As a young mother, Freeburg won the grand prize of the Johnstown newspaper cooking contest for her beef rolls cordon bleu. But mostly, she won prizes for her unique breads. Later, Freeburg passed along some of her cooking and sewing skills to the youngsters in 4-H.
The Johnsonburg Farmer’s Market continues every Wednesday from 3-5 p.m. in the Municipal Parking Lot.
Lambs Quarter (or Spinach) Recipe with Sesame Seed Dressing:
1. Parboil greens for a minute or two, then stop the cooking process by immersing in ice water.
2. Drain excess water and chop up.
3. Add dressing and mix.
(Refrigerated awhile makes it even better, but may be eaten warm or cold.)
Dressing:
1. Blend 3 tablespoons of olive oil with 1 ½ teaspoons rice vinegar, gradually adding the vinegar while beating with a fork to emulsify the oil.
2. Blend in 1 ½ tablespoons Tahini, a raw organic sesame seed mixture with a nutty flavor.
3. Add 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, continue beating and add salt or lemon juice to taste.
4. A little heavy cream will add creaminess to it if you prefer.
Optional variations: 1 stalk green onions, or some leeks, 5 cilantro leaves, fresh grated ginger root, dash of lime juice. Also: turmeric, cardamom, curry, nutmeg, oregano, basil, parmesan, feta, cayenne, etc.
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