Impromtu visit to Atherton Market

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Salad with Feta

August 26, 2012 By Christin M 2 Comments

We’ve been spoiled with fall weather for the last week, but don’t let it fool you. Summer is not over yet. There’s still time left to enjoy summer produce before kale and sweet potatoes take over at local farmers markets. Heirloom Tomato Salad with Feta is perfect for utilizing the heirloom tomatoes that are so plentiful mid-to-late summer.

I picked up a container of Bosky Acre’s Goat Milk Feta at Yorkmont Farmers Market a few weeks ago. Bosky Acres is a local family farm near Waxhaw, NC that is mostly known for their delicious, impeccably fresh goat cheeses. This was my first time trying their Feta and I really liked it. It’s a rather dry feta with the characteristic saltiness of feta but it also has a little tang to it that the mass produced fetas at the grocery store are often lacking.

For this salad, I cut up a medley of gorgeous tomatoes that were so pretty I hated to cut them. Add in some fresh basil, cucumbers, and red onion, toss with a little red wine vinaigrette and you have a beautiful, flavorful salad to complement any meal.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Feta

variety of heirloom tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 english cucumber, cut into half-moon shapes
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Toss together first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. In another bowl combine remaining ingredients and whisk well to emulsify. Toss desired amount of vinaigrette over salad.

Bosky Acres Soap Making Class

April 18, 2012 By Christin M 1 Comment

This sounds like such a fun thing to do! Bosky Acres is having a goat milk soap making class this Saturday (April 21) from 10am-2pm. Bosky Acres is a family run goat farm that produces the most amazing fresh, unripened goat cheese. Their goat cheese is sold locally at The Peach Stand, The Matthews Farmers Market, and The Waxhaw Farmers Market. Read Fort Mill SC Living’s previous post on Bosky Acres here.

During this hands-on class, you will learn how to milk a goat and make goat milk soap the old-fashioned way. Cost for the class is $40 per person and space is limited. To register email info@boskyacres.com.

Filed Under: Local Farms, Things To Do Tagged With: Bosky Acres goat cheese, soap making class

Impromtu visit to Atherton Market

September 1, 2011 By Christin M 1 Comment

I had an orthodontist appointment in Charlotte yesterday to reattach a permanent retainer I have behind my lower teeth to keep a disobedient tooth in line. Apparently I was a little too aggressive with my flossing Monday night and the glue that holds it in place was no match.

Whenever I have to go to Charlotte for something, I always try to think of something else to do while I’m there. Not that Charlotte is far. I think it’s just a habit I developed during the 7 1/2 years I lived in York. York IS far from Charlotte and every time I made a trip to Charlotte from York, I felt like the Ingall family planning a trip to Mankato. It felt necessary to gather as many goods as possible to take back home cuz who knew when the next trip to the city would be.

So while in Charlotte, I decided to stop by this really cool place called Atherton Market that I’d heard about. It’s right on South Blvd, just a short walk from where our first house was. It’s in the building that was the Charlotte Trolley Barn. The market is open Tuesday 3pm-7pm, Wednesday 11am-7pm, and Saturday 9am-2pm. A lot of the vendors I think are only there on Saturday – but I found plenty of things to try.

I ended up buying some Bosky Acres goat cheese, some wheat berry salad from Beverly’s Gourmet Foods, and some absolutely divine desserts from Cardais Gourmet. Bosky Acres is a family owned business out of Waxhaw and I’m very interested to learn more about them. Their goat cheese is by far the best I’ve ever had – far superior to anything at the grocery store. It’s much creamier with a greater depth of flavor and well worth the $5 price for 4 ounces.

For dinner, I used the goat cheese along with some Gala Apples from Windy Hill Orchard in a chicken dish – Chicken with Apple-Goat Cheese Slaw. The hot chicken right off the grill warms the goat cheese to a tangy, creamy mass that clings to the chicken. The fresh, sweet crunch of the apple is a nice contrast to the goat cheese.

The pecan cheesecake bar from Cardais Gourmet was heavenly. It consisted of a moist Blondie layer topped with a cheesecake layer that tasted like a cross between cheesecake and frosting, very sweet. Toasted pecans topped it off.

Chicken with Apple-Goat Cheese Slaw

1 apple, cut into thin strips
1/2 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. minced jalapeno
3 oz. goat cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

How to Do it

Preheat grill to medium-high.
Mix apple, onion, oil, vinegar, and jalapeno in a bowl. Crumble goat cheese on top. Stir and place in fridge.
Mix salt, black pepper, red pepper, and cumin in small bowl. Sprinkle on both sides of chicken. Grill 6-7 minutes each side, until cooked through.
While still warm, top each chicken breast with apple-cheese mixture.

Yield: 4 servings