Market values

In his stand at the Revere Beach Farmers Market, Chea Kim is snacking on what appears to be a small, elongated melon. The 60-year-old farmer cuts it into bite-size cubes and waits for someone to take the bait.

``What is that?" Arlene Borans of Revere asks as she walks by with her sister, Brenda Sugarman.

``Asian cucumber," says Kim in his accented English, expertly slicing off two pieces and handing them with his knife to each of the sisters.

Borans and Sugarman like it, though the same cannot be said for a leafy sour vegetable known in Cambodia as ``fish cheek," which they both promptly spit out. But the sisters don't seem too upset.

``We like trying new and different things," Borans said.

Originally designed as a way to bring people back to the beach, Revere's first farmers market has become a new outlet for local immigrant farmers to market and sell their sometimes exotic produce. Now in its sixth week, the market is attracting customers who come back to buy fresh, local basics, like corn and peaches, but who also walk away with traditionally Asian or African vegetables.

``I'm selling well today," said Kim, a Cambodian farmer from Dracut, on the market's first day. ``I'm selling lettuce, basil, zucchini, chives, cilantro, and water spinach, which is really popular in Asia. I have fun talking with people. People ask me how to cook" the vegetables .

Expanding people's culinary horizons was one of the reasons organizer MaryAnn Zizzo wanted to bring a farmers market to Revere. She didn't just want corn and tomatoes; she wanted purslane, water spinach, sweet potato greens, and bok choy. It was as important to her to use the market to shake things up for consumers of bland food as it was to reflect the local diversity.

``I wanted a multicultural farmers market to accommodate the different ethnic backgrounds in Revere," said Zizzo, of Revere CARES, one of several sponsors. Participating farmers, she said, ``have a variety of ethnic fruits and vegetables. . . . The farmers are coming in with full trucks and leaving with them pretty much empty."

Kim is one of a handful of farmers who were asked to participate in the market by its organizers, Revere CARES, Revere Beach Partnership , and Revere First . Zizzo and other organizers consulted the state's Department of Agricultural Resources and specifically requested produce from ethnic farmers and from farmers who accept coupons from participants of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program for low-income families. The Revere Farmers Market, which began last month , will continue every Thursday from noon to 6 p.m. through Oct. 26 .

Revere's market came at the right time for farmers working with the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project , whose organizers were looking to set up stands at more farmers markets this year after participating in only one last year.

``It's a pretty busy strip here, so it's great," said Cheryl Milligan , a student at Tufts University's nutrition school, while she attended to customers at New Entry's Revere farm stand.

New Entry, a Tufts University program, is a nonprofit association that provides training and education to help area immigrants use their farming backgrounds to become commercial farmers. About 40 farmers from Laos, Cambodia, and about half a dozen African countries currently participate in the three-year training program at farms in Dracut and Sutton, said Hugh Joseph, project director.

``We chose immigrant farmers because these are people who came from rural farming backgrounds," Joseph said. ``Because of the language barrier, and a lot of them don't have literacy, their economic opportunities are limited. So they need farming, and they don't have access to farmlands."

Now in its eighth year, the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project has steadily grown, to the delight of area immigrants who can now grow their some of their native produce locally, said Suliman Kamara , the project's marketing coordinator.

Kamara, who worked for Liberia's Ministry of Agriculture at the start of the Liberian civil war in 1989 , left that country in 2001 . After a stint as a substitute teacher in New York, and later in Worcester, Kamara applied to the New Entry project in 2004 . Because of his background in organizing Liberian farmers, Kamara was tapped by Joseph last year to fill the marketing position. Since then, Kamara has helped immigrant farmers understand commercial marketing and US agricultural regulations.

``In Asia and Africa, we are less knowledgeable [about] environmental protection, but America is very much concerned about the environment," Kamara said. ``It's a good thing that we had orientations at the school, because you learn about agriculture policies, what you need to do, what you don't need to do, what type of chemical you should apply, what you should not apply, how you treat water."

Most immigrant farmers also have to be taught about the concept of farmers markets, since that is not usually part of African or Asian culture, Kamara said.

``Our program is very instrumental in taking these farmers to a new farmers market setting, show you how to set it up, how to display your produce, and how to sell it," he said.

The farmers do not usually come to Revere's market because most are either farming or working full-time jobs.

At their stand, New Entry features glossy color photos with descriptions of the various types of produce, as well as a couple of voluminous binders filled with recipes. They also give away guides describing African and Asian vegetables.

``That helps people make choices. We have interacted with some Americans, and they say that we have influenced their diets," Kamara said. ``A lady came by here just last week and we told her about a sweet potato green, and she told us, `Oh, I have never heard about it.' I took the recipes and gave them to her. She came by today to ask where it is. She said that is the most delicious green that she has ever eaten in her life."

As local palates change, demand for the rare produce increases. Some repeat customers have resorted to rushing to the market as the farmers set up their stands to beg them for their freshest stock before the crowds arrive.

Although the early birds are a little inconvenient, Kim, who mans his stand with his 14-year-old grandson Samrech Kim , said he does not mind. Kim, who has lived in this country since he fled Cambodia in 1981 during the Khmer Rouge resistance, operates a family farm in Dracut. He said he usually participates in two farmers markets each summer, this time choosing Revere over Lynn under the assumption that the beach would prove to be a busier spot.

Patricia Cacciatore of Revere brought along her shopping laundry cart during a recent visit to the farmers market, where she stocked up on peaches, peppers, basil bunches, and tomatoes from the Brox Farm stand.

``I think it's wonderful that they're doing this," Cacciatore said. ``It's an asset. I hope they continue it and build it up. Word of mouth does a lot."

Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com.

African vegetables

African eggplant (garden egg, bitter tomato, bitterball, aubergine, tingne): Often cooked in stews and soups to complement other flavors and sometimes eaten raw. The leaves and shoots are also cooked.

Cassava (yuca, tapioca, manioc): Generally grown for its roots, which are a major starch source. These can be boiled, baked, or fried. The young leaves can be used in a manner similar to spinach.

Hot peppers (chilis): Can be consumed fresh, dried, or in processed form. Usually consumed in small quantities as a condiment or spice for seasoning.

Kale (leaf cabbage): The tough stems and ribs should be removed before the greens are cooked. Kale can be substituted for spinach in most dishes (with longer cooking time). Try it in soups, pasta sauces, stir-fries, omelets, or sauteed as a side dish.

Palava sauce (spinach, silverbeet, melokhia, jute greens): The slightly bitter leaves are eaten as a vegetable, typically chopped and served in soups, stews, and sauces.

Purslane (pigweed): The fleshy stems and leaves of this weed are eaten in salads or cooked as a vegetable.

Sweet potato greens: These vines have a delicate texture and can be used similarly to spinach or turnip greens.

Yard- long bean (asparagus bean, cowpea, black-eyed pea): The seed, leaves, and pod are all used for cooking. The seed is cooked together with vegetables and spices, often for soup. Long bean leaves are often served boiled or fried and are eaten with a porridge. The seedless pod is sometimes used as a cooked vegetable.

Asian vegetables

Amaranth ( pig weed, Chinese spinach, yeen choy): Fragile leaves as versatile as spinach. Often steamed or sauteed, and common in stews and soups.

Asian cucumber: Shorter and thicker than Western varieties. Can be used in fried or grilled dishes, as well as salads. As they grow larger and more ripe, they taste like a sweet melon.

Bitter melon (alligator pear, mahrass, txiv iab dib): Its bitterness brings out the flavor in other ingredients. Often served stuffed, sliced, or stir-fried.

Bok choy (Shanghai bok choy, baby bok choy): Versatile leafy green that can be cut up and cooked. Must be blanched before stir-frying.

Chinese broccoli (Chinese kale, gai lan fa): The long stems and dull green leaves are usually eaten. The leaves can be bitter with some spicy flavor. Best when blanched and stir-fried.

Garlic chive (Chinese chive, gau choy, nira): There are three forms: green-leaf, yellow or blanched, and flowering. Commonly steamed whole, simmered in broths, stirred into thick soups, or cooked gently.

Japanese eggplant (aubergine, eggfruit, brinjal): This smaller and skinnier variety is less bitter than others. Its skin is also more tender and doesn't need to be peeled. Can be stuffed, roasted, grilled, baked, stir-fry steamed.

Mustard greens (Chinese mustard, gai choy, sow cabbage): Ranges in color and flavor and can be stir-fried or used in soups.

Water spinach (swamp cabbage, morning glory): A government permit is needed to grow it in the United States. In Asia, it is stir-fried, most often with fermented white bean curd, shrimp paste, or garlic.

SOURCE: New Entry Sustainable Farming Project