The Caldwell Farmers Market is in full swing. Local vendors are offering locally grown vegetables, herbs and farm-fresh eggs as well as plenty of plants for home gardeners. During the coming week, make sure that you have your first round of warm weather crops — such as tomatoes, peppers, corn, melons and squash — in the ground and ready to grow as the temperature rises to its summer intensity.

If you don’t yet have your tomatoes and squash planted, it’s not too late! There are multiple vendors at the market who still have lush, healthy starts ready for transplanting, and there is a very wide selection to choose from.

If your tastes run more toward perennial gardening, you’re covered too: We’ve spotted flowers, ornamental trees, medicinal and culinary herbs and fruit-bearing plants such as raspberries.

Even if you’re not looking for fresh produce and don’t have a garden, come for the experience: There’s live entertainment every week, prepared foods such as kettle corn, snow cones, hot dogs and freshly baked breads, and the crowd is pleasantly manageable, which is perfect for anyone who dislikes the swarms of shoppers at the Boise markets. Summer birthdays are coming up, and our crafts vendors offer a wide variety of handmade soaps, woodwork, jewelry, clothing and décor.

This week we’d like to introduce you to a market regular: Wagner’s Idaho Foods, run by Bob and Cari Wagner. They produce a line of Idaho-grown, Idaho-made mustards patterned after the traditional German-style mustards beloved by Bob’s father. They come in a range of flavors, from classics like dill and honey to spicy variations like smoky hot and habanero. All are made in small batches using the basics that are at the heart of any good mustard: mustard seeds, vinegar, water and salt, with no artificial sweeteners, colorants or fillers. And they’re addictive: we couldn’t help repeatedly dipping into our freshly-purchased jar while we tended our own table at the farmers market. Treat yourself to some mustard and one of their soft pretzels while browsing the market.

Wagner’s Idaho Foods can be found Wednesdays at the Caldwell Farmers Market and Saturdays at the Nampa Farmers Market, and their mustards are stocked year round at locations across the Treasure Valley. More information can be found at www.wagneridahofoods.com.

For this week’s recipe we adapted Wagner’s Grilled Brussels Sprouts, substituting in seasonal vegetables we had on hand and roasting rather than grilling. We used asparagus and rainbow carrots, but beets, daikon radishes, turnips, rutabagas and potatoes would all pair well with the mustardy marinade. When adapting the recipe yourself, remember that vegetables with crevices, such as Brussels sprouts and broccoli, all benefit from an hour of marinating. If you would rather fire up your barbecue, simply grill the vegetables over low heat until slightly charred and tender.

Mustard-Roasted Carrots and Asparagus

• Start to finish: 30 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• ½ pound fresh asparagus
• ½ pound fresh carrots
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Wagner’s Idaho Mustard

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut asparagus and carrots into 3-inch lengths, then quarter the carrots lengthwise.
• Mix remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, add vegetables and toss to coat.
• Place in a 13x9-inch pan and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Serve immediately as a side dish or over pasta as a light lunch.

Recipe adapted from Grilled Brussels Sprouts in Wagner’s Idaho Foods brochure.

(Originally published by the Idaho Press-Tribune in 2015.)