Market Watch: Let the salad spinning begin

Lovers of greens have an ally in farmer Mike Noreen. The owner of Burning River Farm grows an impressive array of vegetables at his Frederic, Wis., acreage, but what makes a visit to his stand at the Mill City Farmers market on Saturday morning a necessity is the ever-changing selection of fresh, vibrant salad greens.

Last Saturday's yield from this wet and generally uncooperative growing season featured what was probably some of the region's first baby arugula, each ¼-pound bag a genuine thing of beauty with delicate, pale green stems and leaves. A quick chew revealed a subtle peppery bite that merely hinted at full-grown arugula's fiery, sharply intense flavor. "It's early, and it's young, so it's not so spicy," explained farmer Adrienne Logsdon.

Arugula is a major Burning River crop, a treasured staple in the farm's CSA boxes -- shares in Noreen's community supported agriculture program are still available -- and a market crowd-pleaser. But arugula isn't the only leafy green that Noreen cultivates. As spring segues into summer, greens-minded shoppers can turn to the Burning River stand for mustard and dandelion greens, baby kale, baby red chard and a decidedly colorful and delicious romaine-loma salad mix. But right now, it's all about baby arugula, and it's lovely.

For the farm's staff lunch -- this year's crew of three are planning on opening their own farms after gaining a season of hands-on experience -- Logsdon prefers highlighting the baby arugula's gentle gifts by relying on a simple blend of lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt. What a perk.

RICK NELSON

Arugula ($3 for a ¼-pound bag) from Burning River Farm (www.burningriverfarm.com) at the Mill City Farmers Market, 2nd Street and Chicago Avenue S., Mpls., www.millcityfarmersmarket.org. Open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. For an arugula recipe, go to startribune.com/tabletalk. For a map of Twin Cities metro-area farmers markets, go to startribune.com/taste.