• 1 1/2   lb. ground pork

• 1/2  c. diced onion

• 1/4  c. chopped fresh sage, or 2 tsp. dried

• 1/2  c. mayonnaise•1/4 tsp. or more ground cayenne pepper (red pepper)

Can’t make it to the farmers market? Consider becoming a regular at Farm Fresh Daily Market, which Tangletown Gardens co-owners Dean Engelmann and Scott Endres recently debuted at their enchanting south Minneapolis gardening oasis.

“I love farmers markets, but they’re often only on the weekends, when I’m working, or else they’re just one day a week, and that’s not enough for me,” said Endres. “We want people to come here seven days a week.”

The green-thumbed duo are doing their best to make that wish a reality, stocking just-picked produce cultivated on Engelmann’s family farm in Plato, Minn., and emphasizing wide selection, impressive quality and more-than-competitive prices. The fresh factor is instantly apparent, and an obvious selling point.

“Dean harvests in the morning, and it’s here in the afternoon,” said Endres.

When I dropped by last week, the ogle-worthy bounty made it difficult to zero in on a favorite. Was it the oblong radishes with their in-your-face flavor? The quirky purple kohlrabi? The gorgeous, off-the-beaten-path salad greens?

Look at these lettuces. Gorgeous, right? And at $2 per bag, they’re more than competitively priced, like all the produce at Tangletown Gardens.

A definite highlight are the plastic bags crammed with just-picked herbs, more than a dozen in all (a larger - and probably fresher - selection that at my local natural foods co-op), including lemon balm, basil, peppermint, spearmint, dill, cilantro, oregano, sage, chives, Italian parsley and thyme, all incredibly fragrant and just $1 per bag. What a deal.

Along with some beautiful shallots and a few plus-size zucchini, I finally went with the All Red potatoes ($2 per box), an heirloom that boasts cranberry-tinted skins, unusual pale pink flesh and faintly buttery taste. Their low-starch content makes them ideal boilers for salads, and they’re one of 15 heirloom potato varieties that Engelmann and Endres are growing this year.

“The local food movement is contagious,” said Endres. “We’ve always grown our own food, and we feel that it’s an important philosophy of eating. We want to share that.”

Speaking of boilers, here are three different takes on potato salad.

CLASSIC MIDWESTERN POTATO SALAD
Serves up to 12.
Note: From “The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking and Entertaining” by Bill and Cheryl Jamison (William Morrow, $24.95).

5 lbs. Yukon Gold or other waxy, boiling potatoes, peeled or unpeeled
3/4 c. mayonnaise
3/4 c. sour cream
5 tbsp. white or cider vinegar
1 tbsp. yellow mustard
2 tsp. celery seeds
3/4 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. minced onion
5 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Coarse salt (either kosher or sea salt) and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Boil the potatoes in enough salted water to cover them by at least 1 inch until quite tender when pierced by a fork. In a large bowl (while potatoes cook), stir mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, mustard and celery seeds together. When potatoes are done, drain them. When cool enough to handle, chop potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Add them to bowl along with celery, onion and eggs. Toss to combine, season generously with salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Serve chilled.

JULIA’S AMERICAN-STYLE POTATO SALAD
Serves about 4 to 6.
Note: From “Julia and Jacques Cook at Home” by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin (Knopf, $40).

2 lbs. large Yukon Gold potatoes or other waxy, boiling potatoes
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1/3 c. chicken stock or potato cooking water
2/3 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
3 to 4 slices crisply cooked bacon, chopped or crumbled
2 to 3 tbsp. chopped pickle, sweet or dill
2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced thin
3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives or green onions, including a bit of their tender green
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 c. mayonnaise
Sour cream (optional)

Directions
Peel potatoes and slice each one lengthwise in half, or in quarters if very large; then cut crosswise into half-round or quarter-round slices, about 1/2-inch thick.
Put slices in a saucepan with water just to cvoer and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt per quart of water. Heat to a simmer, and cook potatoes for 5 to 6 minutes, or until just cooked through. It is essential that they be just cooked through. Bite into a slice or two to be very sure. Immedately remove from heat and drain potatoes into a colander, but save a cup of cooking liquid for dressing the potatoes. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. In a small bowl, stir cider vinegar with chicken stock (or 1/3 cup of potato water) and drizzle mixture over potato pieces, turning them gently to distribute liquid mixture evenly. Let sit 10 minutes to absorb liquid.
Add onion, celery, bacon, pickle, hard-cooked eggs and chives and season carefully to taste. Top with 2/3 cup mayonnaise (or a mixture of mayonnaise and a little bit of sour cream) and, with a large spatula, gently fold everything together until well blended. Taste salad and add more salt, pepper or mayonnaise as needed.
Cover salad and set aside in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. If refrigerated longer, let salad come back to room temperature befor serving. Taste and adjust seasoning again.
To serve, line a bowl or platter with red-leaf lettuce or other greens, and mount salad, garnishing (optional) with diced red pimiento, sliced hard-cooked eggs, tomato quarters or parsley leaves.

SPANISH-STYLE GRILLED POTATO AND PEPPER SALAD OVER GREENS
Serves 4 as a main course.

Note: From “A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen” by Jack Bishop (Houghton Mifflin, $35).

4 medium red potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs.), cut into 1-inch wedges
Salt to taste
1 medium red bell pepper, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded
1 medium yellow bell pepper, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 medium green olives, pitted and chopped
2 tbsp. freshly minced flat parsley leaves
1 tbsp. drained capers
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. sherry vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
8 c. packed baby spinach or other tender greens

Directions
Prepare grill. In a large pot (wide enough to hold skewers) over high heat, bring several quarts of water to boil. Divide potato pieces among four skewers. When water comes to a boil, add salt to taste and add potato skewers, making sure they are fully submerged in water. Cook until pieces are almost tender but not mushy, about 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer skewers to a baking sheet. Brush potatoes and bell pepper halves with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt to taste.
Grill potato skewers and peppers, turning once, until streaked with grill marks, about 10 minutes. Holding skewers with an oven mitt, slide potatoes into a medium bowl. Cut grilled peppers into 1-inch pieces and add them to bowl. Add olives, parsley, capers, garlic, vinegar and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to bowl and gently toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Divide greens among four large plates. Spoon warm potato salad over greens and serve.

A customer buys raspberries from Enderson Xiong, left, and his father Cha Fong Xiong, right, at the St. Paul Farmers Market.

It was a perfect Saturday morning at the St. Paul Farmers Market.

We found a decent parking spot, the Capital City Brass Quintet was playing an amusing version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and my eyes immediately landed on a table covered with one of my greatest temptations, pints and half-pints of gloriously ripe raspberries. The shopper standing next to me verbalized my thoughts.

“These raspberries are gorgeous,” she said, “the best I’ve seen all morning.” Same here.

Cha Fong Xiong and his wife, Nang Her, cultivate a diverse acre in Lake Elmo, and while most of their vegetables are still spurting toward maturity in mid-July, their raspberry patch is going crazy, yielding plump, ruby-red berries so juicy they look as if they’re going to burst. They taste that way, too.

“So far it’s been a good season for raspberries,” said Xiong. “Picking raspberries isn’t hard work, but it requires patience.”

If only the same could be said for raspberry eating. When it comes to this tenderest and sweetest of berries, what little self-control I have quickly evaporates into thin air. I managed to get them home before spending an afternoon sneaking them, one by one, out of the refrigerator. It’s a good thing I bought enough to cover both my snacking and baking needs.

Don’t wash raspberries until just ready to serve. (Here’s a tip from Fine Cooking magazine: Fill a bowl with cold water, gently add the berries, then lift them out with your hands - again, gently. Let them dry in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.) Raspberries will flourish a day or two in the refrigerator, but last up to 10 months in the freezer. Carefully rinse berries, transfer to a paper towel to dry completely, then arrange in a single layer in a shallow baking sheet and freeze. When firm, transfer berries to a tightly sealed container and freeze.

These muffins came together in less than five minutes, filled the house with an intoxicating aroma and flew off the plate at the office.

LEMON-RASPBERRY MUFFINS
Makes 1 dozen.

Note: From “How to be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking” by Nigella Lawson (Hyperion, $19.95).

1/4 c. butter
1 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Finely chopped zest and juice from 1 lemon, divided
Approximately 1/2 c. whole milk
1 large egg
5 oz. raspberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups. Melt butter and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and lemon zest. In a large measuring cup, pour in lemon juice, then enough milk to come up nearly to the 1 cup mark (milk will curdle, but that’s just fine), then beat in egg and melted butter. Pour milk-egg mixture into dry ingredients and stir briefly; the batter should be scarcely combined. Fold in raspberries and spoon this lumpy mixture into muffin cups and bake for about 25 minutes; muffin tops should spring back to your touch. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool for a further 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

RASPBERRY GRATIN
Serves 4.

Note: From “Sunday Suppers at Lucques” by Suzanne Goin (Knopf, $35). “Everyone has had berries in cobblers and pies, but when people see this gratineed dessert, their eyebrows rise in curious anticipation,” writes Goin, chef/owner of Lucques in Los Angeles. “The raspberries and custard are cooked briefly under the broiler, creating a delicious warm crust that only partially hides the tart berries and warm cream beneath. Once you learn this technique, you can use it with other berries, or even peaches or nectarines. In the winter, a gratin made with sauteed apples or pears with dried fruit is delicious, too. Choose an attractive dish that can go from oven to table.”

1 1/2 c. whole milk
3 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 c. plus 1 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. cornstarch, sifted
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Pinch of kosher salt
1 c. creme fraiche
1 pint raspberries
1 tbsp. powdered sugar

Directions
In a medium, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, bring milk to a boil then turn off heat. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks, then whisk in 1/2 cup granulated sugar and cornstarch. Continue whisking until mixture thickens and is pale yellow color. Slowly whisk in hot milk, at first a few tablespoons at a time, and then more quickly. Return mixture to stove and cook over medium heat, alternating between a whisk and a rubber spatula, until pastry cream thickens to a pudding-like consistency. Remove from stove and stir in butter and salt. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap on surface to keep it from forming a skin. Poke a few hole in plastic to allow heat to escape. Cool in refrigerator. When custard cools, fold in creme fraiche.
Preheat broiler. In a large bowl, toss raspberries with remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and scatter half of raspberries on bottom of a 9×9-inch (or equivalent) gratin dish. Spoon custard into dish and scatter rest of berries on top. Sift confectioner’s sugar over top and pass under broiler for about 7 minutes, until bubbling and gratineed on top. Remove from oven and serve at the table with a big serving spoon.

Check out Lori Writer’s rave review of “Come One, Come All: Easy Entertaining With Seasonal Menus” by Taste editor Lee Svitak Dean. It’s at heavytable.com, the local food- and dining-obsessed website.

“Dean understands the soul of the Upper Midwesterner,” Writer writes, and she’s absolutely right. Writer, along with fellow Heavy Table staffer Emily Nystrom, went the extra mile, test-driving four of the book’s 150 recipes (nearly all are culled from back issues of Taste). During their research they discovered what I already know: the recipes work, they’re easy to make and they’re delicious.

Writer became a fan of Lee’s Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie, and then tweaked the basic formula to create a blueberry/yogurt version that sounds equally swell. “The Dean family favorite is destined to become a Writer family favorite,” Writer concluded. Nice.

I have plenty of go-tos from Lee’s well-organized opus (a cabbage salad from Alex Roberts’ Brasa and chocolate meringues from Salty Tart owner Michelle Gayer, to name a few). When friends came over last week for dinner, I turned to the book for advice, and, like Writer, I was not disappointed. I’ll be making this one again, and I won’t be omitting the horseradish.

SMOKED SALMON SPREAD
Makes about 3/4 cup.

Note: “My mother often served salmon spread at parties,” writes Lee Svitak Dean. “I tweaked her recipe, and added horseradish and capers to make it more flavorful. Leftovers are great on toast.” From “Come One, Come All,” by Lee Svitak Dean (Minnesota Historical Society Press, $29.95).

4 oz. smoked salmon, cut up
4 oz. Neufachatel cheese (light cream cheese), at room temperature
2 to 3 tsp. prepared horseradish, optional
1 tbsp. chopped green onion
1 tsp. lemon juice
Dash salt
2 tbsp. or more capers, optional

Directions
Remove any skin from the salmon and discard. With an electric mixer or by hand, mix together salmon, Neufchatel cheese,
horseradish (optional), green onion, lemon juice and salt. (Can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight.) Stir in capers, if using. Serve with crackers, or in mini-phyllo cups or atop toast points. (To make toast points, slice crusts off lightly toasted bread. Cut each slice into 2 or 4 triangles, depending on how big you want the toasts to be). Spread the salmon mixture on the toast and top with one of a variety of garnishes, such as slices of radish, diced smoked salmon, or sprigs of fresh dill or watercress.

My mother used to tell me that it was impolite to eavesdrop.

And I wasn’t, honest, it’s just that as I was doing my shopping at the Wedge Co-op on Friday, I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation going on between a customer and a friendly produce-section staffer. I mean, they were standing about three feet away, and while I was doing my absolute best to concentrate on the task at hand - stuffing salad greens into a bag while minding my own business - my proximity to them meant I was going to catch, at the very least, snippets of their discussion.

She (the customer) was grilling him (the Wedge-er) on what he felt was the best, the absolute top, of the store’s fruits-and-vegetables inventory. He lobbed a few suggestions that I took to mean “Close But No Cigar” before launching into a full-on campaign for the recent arrival of yellow nectarines.

“They’re the tastiest things in the store right now,” he said, and with one fragrant whiff I knew he wasn’t exaggerating. After what I felt was a respectable time lapse - she had moved on to the dairy case, he started re-stocking herbs - I filled a paper sack and brought them home, and within a few hours they were perfuming our kitchen with their sweet-delicate scent. Turns out they were so juicy that the only smart place to eat them was while standing over the kitchen sink.

I was considering a nectarine ice cream, but then I could hear the voice of my friend Rhonda in my brain, as she relived the sorry details of her recent peach ice cream disaster. Besides, yellow nectarines (smooth-skinned peaches) are really too sweet for ice cream; cut up and mixed into plain yogurt, maybe. Then I ran across this recipe. Here’s how I’m going to use a few of them later this week, if I don’t eat them first. (Burrata isn’t an easy find in this town - best bet: Surdyk’s, and be sure to call ahead - but I imagine that this recipe would work nicely with a fresh bufalo mozzarella standing in for the burrata.)

BURRATA WITH NECTARINES, MACHE AND HAZELNUTS
Serves 6.

Note: From “Outstanding in the Field” by By Jim Denevan (Clarkson Potter, $32.50). “Burrata is an extraordinary cheese,” writes author Jim Denevan. “A thin sheath of mozzarella stretches to enclose a velvety center of ricotta-like cream and mozzarella threads. It is best served at cool room temperature - do not let it get to warm, or you’ll have an oozy mess on your hands.”

1/4 c. shelled hazelnuts
2 ripe nectarines
3 to 4 oz. mache
8 oz. burrata (1 small or 2 large balls), at room temperature
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven until they are fragrant and their skins loosen, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer hazelnuts to a plate and let cool slightly. Rub hazelnuts in a folded kitchen towel to release their skins. Coarsely chop nuts and reserve.
Cut nectarines in half and remove pits. Slice fruit into thin wedges. In a sink filled with cold water, wash mache, carefully removing any dirt or sand stuck between leaves; discard any root ends. Dry mache in a salad spinner.
Using a serrated knife, cut burrata into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange cheese on 6 chilled salad plates. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
In a medium bowl, toss together mache and nectarines with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt. Arrange on top of burrata. Sprinkle with hazelnuts and serve.