Everything Has A Season

There are few things better than putting together a quick meal that is tasty and nutritious. This issue, we present an easy slow cooker recipe that makes use of seasonal ingredients. As manager of the Saturday Old Town Newhall Farmers Market, I am used to eating with the seasons.
By eating seasonally, you are using produce that is fresher and more nutritious. Many of us have become used to buying any kind of produce we want at any point in the year at a supermarket. This is only possible because this produce is imported from around the world. Imported produce takes weeks to reach store shelves. In reality, almost everything has a season. As we enter spring, citrus and pepper season is coming to a close. This recipe makes use of these items before they go away until next season.
This dish incorporates many items from our farmers market. The farmers at our market pick their produce fresh, often within 24 to 48 hours of it being sold to the consumer. Produce this fresh not only tastes fresher and lasts longer, it is more nutritious. Most produce loses a large percentage of nutrients about a week after being picked. Considering most supermarket produce is 2 weeks to 2 months old, you know why we recommend buying truly fresh produce at our market.
The flavors in this dish are bright and bold with a slight spicy kick. We chose to use cara cara oranges in this recipe. While you can use regular navel oranges, we like the sweetness that comes from a cara cara. Though sometimes hard to find in supermarkets, our farmer, Ken’s Top Notch, grows the best certified organic cara cara oranges just outside of Fresno.
We also use a pasture raised pork butt from our rancher, Harvest Gathering Farm. There are so many shortcuts that can be taken when raising pork. Our rancher takes none of them, instead they raise animals the way civilization has for almost 10,000 years. Because the animals live in green pastures and do not eat low quality corn and soy, the meat is amazing. Animals raised like this are better for you, better for the animal and better for the environment.
A pork butt (also called a pork shoulder) withstands higher temperatures and will shred wonderfully. We also throw in some potatoes for a starch. We make use of baby potatoes that several of our farmers sell. When mashed slightly in the juices, the potatoes will absorb the rich sauce for an amazing flavor. You can serve this dish by itself. It is also easy to pair with a simple salad. By using a slow cooker, dinner can be ready to go whenever you are.

Ingredients:
3 Anaheim Chilis, sliced
Zest and juice of 3 Limes
Zest and juice of 2 Cara Cara Oranges
2 Scallions, cut into quarters
1⁄4 cup Cilantro
1 1⁄2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1⁄2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
2.5lbs Pork Butt
1 1/2lbs Baby Potatoes
1 Bay Leaf

For Serving:
1 Jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 Serrano, thinly sliced
4 scallions, sliced
1⁄4 cup cilantro, rough chopped
Lime wedges

Instructions:

1. In a large zip-top bag, combine all ingredients and place in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or overnight.

2. Once marinated, place all contents into the bowl of your slow cooker and cook on high for 5-6 hours, or low for 8-9 hours.

3. Once the time is up, shred the pork directly in the slow cooker. Using tongs, smash each potato lightly to allow them to absorb the cooking liquid.

4. Serve, topped with sliced jalapenos and serranos, scallions, cilantro, and a lime wedge.

The Old Town Newhall Farmers Market is a certified farmers market bringing Santa Clarita true farm direct produce and the finest food products available in Santa Clarita. It operates year round, every Saturday from 8:30am until 1:00pm rain or shine. It is located in the parking lot of the Old Town Newhall Library at 24500 Main Street in Newhall. For more information, visit www.newhallfarmersmarket.com. This wonderful recipe was developed for our market by Millennial Kitchen.

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