Fresh From the Farmer's Market

By Victoria Abbott Riccardi

Of course the organic fruits and vegetables in your produce aisle are good for you and the earth, right? Not always. If they’re flown in from someplace like South America, it takes a huge amount of fossil fuel to get them to your neighborhood market. Enter the latest trend in ecocuisine: building a diet around locally grown, sustainable foods—and not just produce, but also cheese, meat, and even eggs. This means supporting growers who subscribe to responsible agriculture practices that include the conservation of land and resources. Your taste buds get a boost too: Top restaurants have been buying from sustainable farms for years because the fare is fresher and more flavorful. More recently, some restaurants—like the ones highlighted here—have even begun producing their own menu ingredients, with delicious results. Try these three simple spring recipes and you’ll agree: Fresh is indeed best.

BLACKBERRY FARM’S HONEYCOMB-GLAZED PORK LOIN WITH KALE AND ONIONS

You can find fresh honeycomb at gourmet stores or online ($17; cooking.com). Alternatively, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of regular honey, although the glaze won’t be as crusty or turn quite as brown.

Serves 4
Prep time: 12 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

FOR THE PORK

1 1/2 pounds pork loin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 2-inch-long, 1⁄2 -inch-thick chunk honeycomb
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

FOR THE KALE

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 bunch kale (about 3/4 pounds), rinsed and cut into
1-inch-wide ribbons
1 yellow onion, halved diagonally and sliced
Salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a large cast-iron pan or metal skillet over medium heat for approximately 4 minutes. While pan heats up, pat pork with a paper towel to dry, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add oil to pan. Swirl pan to coat bottom with oil, then add pork and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer pork to a large plate. Pour off all fat in pan and place pan back over medium heat. Add honeycomb and mash it with the back of a wooden spoon until well crushed. Stir in water and vinegar, then add browned pork loin. Scrape bottom of pan and spoon honeycomb mixture over pork to baste. Continue basting until all honeycomb is used (about 1 minute). Place pan in oven and roast for 15 minutes, basting pork every 5 minutes so it can form a dark brown crust.

While pork is cooking, begin preparing kale and onions. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add onion. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add kale to skillet by the handful, stirring continuously as you go. When all of the kale has been added, cover skillet and let steamcook for 3 minutes. Remove cover and cook kale, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drizzle kale with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with salt to taste.

When pork has finished cooking, remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice thinly. Serve with crusty pan bits and juices, along with kale.

Nutrition score per serving (5 oz. pork, 1 cup kale): 419 calories, 20 g fat (44% calories), 4g saturated fat, 20g carbs, 40 g protein, 2g fiber, 151 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 127 mg sodium