We're so excited the Market at Pepper Place reopened on January 16, 2021 for its 2021 Winter Market with curbside pickup each Saturday. The market will operate year-round from now on. This year curbside offers a wider variety of goods, and a safe, easy and more convenient way to shop. When you pre-order, farmers and vendors know exactly how much to harvest, prepare and bring on Saturdays - which means less waste. The one-stop contactless pickup is safe for everyone, and customers don't even have to get out of the car! You can shop online here from 9 a.m. Monday through 9 a.m. Friday each week, then visit the convenient one-stop pickup location at Pepper Place, in the parking lot next to OvenBird and around the corner from Billy Reid, Saturday between 7 a.m. - noon. The curbside staff will even load your order directly into the trunk of your car.
The current menu includes a wide variety of Alabama-fresh items to stock your kitchen: seasonal veggies, mushrooms, seafood, meats and cheeses, eggs, nuts and creamed honey, breads and pastries, granola, casseroles, soups, salads, specialty baked goods, desserts, herbal tinctures and salves, and locally made items like letterpress goods and dog biscuits. You can also get market tote bags, face masks, tshirts, and Know Thy Farmer books.
2021 Pepper Place Market Calendar
- Jan 18, 9am - CURBSIDE online ordering opens
- Jan 23, 7am-noon - CURBSIDE pickup at Pepper Place
- Jan 30 - Annual Vendor Meeting
- Feb 13 - Valentine's Day Weekend at the Market
- Feb-Nov '21 - Small Business Financial Education Workshops
- March-Dec '21 - "Know Thy Farmer" Art Installation at Pepper Place
- March - InTents Virtual Conference for markets and market vendors
- April 11 - Walk-Thru Market officially opens
- Aug 16-17 - Hammerfest 2021
- Sep - Women in Food Month with Les Dames d'Escoffier
- Oct 20-24 - IACP Annual Conference at Pepper Place
- Oct 30 - Fall Festival at the Market
- Nov 2 - Dia de los Muertos
- Dec 4 - Holiday Market
- Dec 11 - Last Walk-Thru Market of 2021
How Do You Cook That?
Farmers at the market have heard this question a million times over the years, sometimes with ingredients as familiar as turnip greens and black-eyed peas, other times with "newcomers" to southern cuisine like kohlrabi and tat soi. This week on the curbside menu, you can order collard greens from Hamm Farms and you may find it included in your produce box from BDA or Ireland Farm. Collards are deliciously tender and sweet right now, loaded with vitamins and fiber, and lend themselves to cooking in a variety of ways. Once you've mastered the basic slow-simmered preparation, you can experiment by adding bacon or jalapenos while cooking, stirring in pineapple juice and hot pepper vinegar before serving, or try something totally different and make them into a pie or into baked "chips." Collards are a perfect hearty side dish for grilled and barbecued pork, chicken and beef, and last for several days in the fridge. Make sure to serve with hot pepper vinegar.
It's so satisfying to transform something harvested yesterday into a fragrant and tasty side or main dish for your family's weeknight supper. Collards are in season in Alabama through April, so enjoy them now while you can. You can find updates on what's in season, along with recipes and cooking tips on the market's social media and at chewswiselyalabama.com.
