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

[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. ;-)