Last Thursday was the second to last neighborhood farmer’s market of the season. Farmer’s market season lasts for approximately 5 months, and is my favorite season of the year. During the summer, I’m able to go twice a week, but during the school year, I can only manage to get to the Thursday evening option. It is fulfilling to watch the progression from June through October as the fruits and vegetable options change. The market also changes from somewhat slow in the early season to super busy mid-summer back to the loyal holdouts of early fall.
Realizing I wouldn’t be able to go much longer, I packed my bags with more than I could comfortably carry on the walk home through the misty rain. I was disappointed that there was no fruit to be found this week, but secretly, I wouldn’t have been able to also carry the 15 apples we’ve been getting each week since apple season began. And I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from buying one last batch of honeycrisps. I had to stop myself from buying corn and eggplant because I didn’t want anything to spoil, and there are only two of us, and it’s only a week. But everything looked so inspiring. Or maybe it was a desperate attempt to hold on to summer, to local, seasonal, flavorful food, and to mingling in the open air market.
I will admit this was the first time I bought cheese curds, and only the second time I bought either butter or bread. Here are of my thoughts for upcoming meals. Squash stuffed with carrot, onion, zucchini and quinoa. Mashed sweet potatoes. Or mashed potatoes and parsnips. Radish and gypsy pepper salad. Egg and tomato sandwiches. Red leaf lettuce salad with grilled portobellos. Root vegetable stew. Stir fried onion, broccoli, and red peppers with brown rice and tomatoes. Egg salad sandwiches. Stay tuned to see what develops.
Vegetarian Ramblings 