FOOD:
Poking around for peculiar produce

Public markets offer a variety of odd-looking edibles

by MICHAEL CITROME

Every summer, Montrealers flock to the three public markets to stock up on the cornucopia of fresh local produce that Mommy Earth offers up. We're all familiar with the favourites: big, juicy Quebec tomatoes, sweet corn, all the shades of bell peppers and fuzzy little apricots that look like a tushy. But there's a whole range of locally-cultivated fruits and veggies out there that may be a little unfamiliar but are well worth trying. And at the height of the season, they can be downright cheap, so stock up.

Old-timey tomatoes

You don't have to be a Martha Stewart viewer to know that there are more tomato types now than in ages past, as savvy growers revive old varieties that haven't been cultivated commercially since your grand-pappy's day - that's why they're called "heirloom."

Jean-Talon Market vendor Jacques Remillard grows a whole bunch of unusual tomatoes on his farm in St-Michel-de-Napierville, including black, yellow and pear-shaped varieties. But remember, these oddball termaters are the vintage wines of the veggie world, and demand (and price) is high. According to one Atwater vendor, some shoppers will reserve their tomatoes in advance, while they're still on the vine. They arrive in mid-July.

The musical fruit

At the end of July, it's bean season. Red kidney beans, the star attraction in chilli, pasta fazul and about a zillion other high-fibre dishes, are available at the bargain price of about $12 for 20 pounds. That's got locals blanching, drying, canning and freezing the suckers for the rest of the year. Even if you don't plan on doing that, it's such a healthy, versatile and cheap food, you should at least enjoy them while they're fresh. Just don't try to eat them raw - yechhh!

Big honkin' radishes

Jacques Remillard grows vegetables that look like they belong in Super Mario Bros. 2. "The radishes grow as big as seven pounds," he says. And they come in colours like white on the outside and red on the inside, and black with white on the inside. But aside from their Flintstonian proportions and unusual colours, they're just regular radishes, ready for your summer salad. He also grows red and white carrots. They're available at the beginning of July right until November.

Saucy stuff

At the J.C. Lauzon farm in St-Eustache, they grow a lot of Italian tomatoes. They have 35,000 plants that each yield 20 to 25 of the Romanelle variety of tomato. That's more than 3/4 of a million tomatoes! They're also a bargain. The Lauzons have a booth at Jean-Talon Market and at the height of the season, you can take home a big bushel of Romanelles for about $9.

Italian tomatoes are egg-shaped instead of round and tend to be fleshier than other varieties. That's why they're commonly used for sauce. But Amélie Lauzon chops them up for salsa and recommends 'em in salad, where they won't waterlog your lettuce. They arrive in mid-July.

Flower power

Flowers are some of the earliest local crops to show up at the market. They're nice to look at, sure, but some of them are also good eats. Zucchini flowers, available right now, are the yellow blooms of the zucchini plant. You can bake them, fry them or use the recipe from Jean-Talon vendor Frères Birri and stuff them with cheese.

And if that's not enough lotus eating for you, tuck into some nasturtiums, or capucine in French. Also available now, these red, yellow and pink flowers have a peppery taste and go into salads or can top pizza. t

The Atwater Market is located at 138 Atwater near metro Lionel-Groulx. The Jean-Talon Market is located at 7075 Casgrain near metro Jean-Talon, and the Maisonneuve Market is at 4445 Ontario E. by metro Pie IX. All are open seven days a week.