Farmers' market

[rikibeth]

Inspired by la_directora's forays to the Union Square greenmarket, I made a point of getting to the West Hartford farmers' market this morning, with a plan to cook from what I found there.

I was all virtuous and walked there -- planned out a circle route, first Whole Foods to return a deposit milk bottle (wonderful stuff, we don't drink enough milk to make the size bottle Whole Foods offers a reasonable choice though, I did see smaller bottles offered last week at the Billings Forge market which is Monday/Thursday) and buy dish soap, then up to Bruegger's for COFFEE in my 2008 endless mug, then to the market on LaSalle Rd. and back home.

I even took it as an excuse to play with all the features on my backpack -- the wee pocket on the strap that fits my cell phone, and the pocket with a headphone port to hold my iPod, and the side pocket for a water bottle. And I remembered sunscreen.

Sadly, when I got there, the selection was limited. Got a quart of strawberries, a head of red leaf lettuce, a little container of peas, some regular and lemon cucumbers, and two REALLY BEAUTIFUL tomatoes -- one Grandma's Pick and one Mr. Stripy. The only other things available (besides plants) were beets and eggplant, and I don't much like either (I guess I could have made baba gannoush, but meh). I wanted garlic scapes. Where are the garlic scapes?

Still, once I got home, I worked with it. Cucumber/red onion/dill salad (the dill from my AeroGarden toy), salad with the lettuce, a couple of cucumbers, red onion, diced tomatoes, and the shelled peas; then I made a yogurt and herb dressing (didn't have any buttermilk), and some pesto, and eternaleponine's pasta salad, and some deviled eggs.

la_directora, would it be better to briefly steam or blanch the peas? Or are they supposed to be that crunchy?

Still, that salad and the deviled eggs made a lovely dinner tonight.

Maybe the Billings Forge market will have better goodies on Thursday.

Comments

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

Me, I eat the peas raw right out of the pod, and I like them that crunchy. The only reason to change their texture would be to preserve them or to combine them with something else.

[deguspice.livejournal.com]

I agree.. Peas, string beans, carrots, ... should be eaten raw.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I don't mind cooking them (and I like the sweetness they get when cooked) but they shouldn't be OVERCOOKED.

[dana325.livejournal.com]

what do you think of the aerogarden?

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

It's a fun toy! I was very disappointed that my cilantro didn't sprout, but the dill and the basil want to take over the world. This is actually the second batch I've done in it, and this time I mixed and matched from two kits because I WANTED CILANTRO. :( I never have much luck trying to do pots of herbs with natural light, so this seemed like a good deal, and it's working nicely.

I may well try the strawberries over the winter.

[la-directora.livejournal.com]

I prefer my peas just VERY slightly cooked. I boil water, then drop the shelled peas in for about 2 minutes. They're still pretty crispy when they come out, but the brief amount of cooking opens up the sweetness a little bit. And they're still FAR better than the mushy things called "peas" that come in cans. :)

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

The only FOOD that comes in cans? Beans -- kidney, pinto, that sort of thing. Oh, and the canned tomato products.

My default peas were usually frozen. Which, while not fresh garden veggies, were still a lot better than canned.

[la-directora.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't know. I personally also have cans of chipotle, huitlacoche, and coconut milk. But, yeah, I basically agree with you. :)

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'll grant you chipotle and coconut milk, but huitlacoche skeeves me out!

Oh, we also have sliced black olives, because they go in the Pasta Salad.

But vegetables? Real green-vegetable-type vegetables? Do not belong in cans.

[surelle.livejournal.com]

The Billings Forge market is good! I've been there a few times- walking distance from work.

There is a coffee roaster who is sometimes there. Mmm.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I was there Thursday, but just as it was closing.

[la-directora.livejournal.com]

I think if I had had a clear sense of what huitlacoche was before I ate it for the first time, I'd feel skeeved. But the first time I ate it, I fell in love. OH...my...god. So good. And I figure cheese is mold, and mushrooms are fungus, so really this is just more of that kind of thing. :)

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

And I have no problem with blue cheese or mushrooms, but the first time I ever heard of huitlacoche, it was by way of Poppy Z. Brite gloating about how freaky it was. (Despite liking it.)

Then again, you like icky tempeh, too. ;-)

[nmsunbear.livejournal.com]

What would you have done with the garlic scapes? I get them occasionally from my CSA but I don't know what to do with them.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Diced some up like scallions and thrown them in the salad; taken some more and pureed them into the pesto; ditto the herbed yogurt salad dressing; saved some for sauteeing along with other vegetables next time I do that.

OM NOM NOM.

[nmsunbear.livejournal.com]

Well, next time I have some I shall be braver with them! The salad dressing sounds yummy.

[shadowflyer.livejournal.com]

Anything you can do with scallions, you can do with garlic snapes with just a bit more zing. Very nice indeed.