Looking to actually try and have a life, I spent some time in two local farmer's markets this past weekend. Thought I'd share a few pictures and a recipe.
If you got a recipe that takes advantage of the bounty of summer, please feel free to share!
Yummy stuff below...
Summer is in full swing here in North Carolina. The days are sweltering, the afternoons can boil up a thunderstorm in a matter of minutes, and the farms are spilling over with amazing produce.
I spent both mornings this past weekend visiting two local farmer's markets. The one in Carrboro is more "local" in that everything sold there has to come from within a small radius of the town.
This is where I pick up some good local meat as well as produce. One stand had a plethora of wonderful tomato varieties. I just picked a random sample of what looked ripe and ready to eat.
The peppers are doing well this year, and the cucumbers seem to be especially tasty, which is saying something for a cucumber.
I wasn't able to stay too long on Saturday because a massive storm blew up and chased us out of the town square where they hold the market.
Sunday I went to the big state-run farmer's market in Raleigh. (Socialism! Socialism!) This one is a bit more commercial in that it's not so focused on just local produce. But you do have mainly farmers, some small, some big, who bring in mainly their own produce.
This time I remembered to bring my camera and took some pictures to share.
Tomatoes are big here this time of year.
I love the corn ladies. There are two trucks that pull up next to each other. In each one sits a lady calling out to people to come get their fresh corn. They also continuously shuck corn and throw it down to the kids selling at the table. This stuff is so fresh, the end of the corn is still wet from being connected to the stalk just a few hours before.
The peppers were also very evident all over the market and looking quite good.
And, of course, down here, no market is complete without greens.
I didn't get a photo of the other very regional specialty, beans. Before I lived in the South I was unaware of all of the different kinds of beans and peas. Butter beans and black-eyed peas are just two of the many, many varieties you see, all fresh, all sold in great big bags, and very tasty.
Peaches are also very big this time of year and like no peach I've ever had from the grocery store. Each week there seems to be a different variety on sale. This week it was Big Red freestones as the primary variety. If you like your peaches bruised and runny, then ask for "ice cream peaches" which are not so good for straight eating, but make your home-made peach ice cream something really special. Otherwise I just get a big ol' basket of fresh peaches for $10. It lasts us all week gorging ourselves on fresh, sweet peaches.
I also saw a new stand this week. A Laotian family had set up a small table with fresh-cut flowers and a wild selection of fresh herbs and vegetables. The lemon grass was fresh out of the garden with dirt still on the roots, the basil was redolent and the other veggies, some I'd never seen even while living in Taiwan or traveling in Thailand were intriguing. I asked about some of them, like the squash leaves, and the kid manning the booth didn't really know how to cook them. I suggested they bring a recipe or two to introduce some of the unique ingredients to us ignorant-but-willing types. I hope they're back. They seemed to be doing pretty well.
Final picture shows an example of the abundance of the market.
So. Recipes:
Roasted, bread-free Gazpacho
About 2 pounds of tomatoes, roughly chopped
About 1 pound red bell, cubanell, orange, yellow, other assorted sweet peppers seeded and de-veined, roughly chopped
3 Serrano or other hot chili peppers, seeded and diced
two stalks of lemon grass
Olive oil, salt and pepper
1/4 c. good sherry or wine vinegar
1 cucumber and 1 red pepper for garnish
Fresh basil and tarragon leaves for garnish
Cut up bulk tomatoes and peppers and put in large roasting pan. Add serrano or other chili peppers. Take the two stalks of lemon grass, trim off the to leaves and roots leaving the bottom thicker portion. Split these lengthwise once, then bundle them together and tie with kitchen twine. You want to take these out later.
Add plenty of olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 475 for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
Let cool a bit then puree in blender. Add vinegar, three cups of water, and chill. (you can add ice cubes in place of some of the water to decrease chilling time.)
To serve, dice the cucumber and red pepper small, chiffonade the basil and tarragon leaves. Season the base soup if needed, and serve with garnishes, garlic bread, good cheese, etc...
One more recipe:
Bacon Greens.
1/4 lb good quality smoky bacon, diced
1/2 lb. baby collard greens, washed, stemmed, and chopped to about 1"x1"
1 large onion sliced in half then in thin slices.
1/4 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)
Render down the bacon in a large, covered skillet. Take the bacon out and reserve. Remove all but about 3 tablespoons of bacon grease. Add onions and cook on medium-low until onions are just turning brown. Add greens and stir while cooking in the hot grease. Once the greens begin to just start to wilt and get all coated in the grease, add the bacon back in and add the chicken stock. Cover and cook without looking for 20 minutes. Uncover and while stirring occasionally to keep from sticking, let the liquid cook off. Test a piece and see if it's still bitter. It may take some more gentle cooking and stirring, but in about 35 minutes total cooking you should have some tender, but not all wilted, great-tasting greens.
Now, who else wants to add a recipe using the goodness of the farmer's market?
Plane Crazy