Recent rain in the area has certainly helped several market vendors.
Although we haven’t received much in the way of measurable precipitation in the city recently, several inches have been reported by some of our growers.
That will help with the peppers, squash, tomatoes, and lots of the summer crops.
There might be a few more green beans, too. Sweet potatoes are starting to show up, as are some winter squash.
Bob’s Peaches still has large and small quantities available, and there are delicious grapes.
Diamond C will have a fresh supply of pork at Saturday’s market, which will include a new product: Hillbilly Bacon. Sounds like more BLT’s for dinner! The market will also have all your favorite artisan breads, cinnamon rolls, other baked goods, herbs, garlic, infused vinegars, hand-crafted soaps, body butters, candles, and lots more.
While reading a farmers market publication recently, I found some interesting advice: “Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” It was suggesting that unless we go back a few generations, many of us are so used to “modern” food that we don’t give much thought about eating processed food.
Of course, the message is to buy as much of your food as possible from farms and farmers’ markets — if you don’t grow your own. Enjoy the progression of spring, summer and fall, as various fruits and vegetables ripen.
If you haven’t tasted a peach or tomato picked ripe this summer, you still have a few weeks for the best taste and good nutrition. Many fruits and vegetables at the farmers market right now can be eaten raw, steamed, grilled or fried.
While you are grilling some meat, slice a few zucchini, peppers and eggplant, brush on some olive oil, add a little salt and pepper, and then cook on the grill. No need to turn on the oven.
Try freezing some extras for later, remembering to label and date each container or bag. Tomatoes freeze well just as they are. Rinse the tomatoes, pat them dry, then put them in a freezer bag and let your freezer keep them for you until it’s time to make soup, sauce or a casserole.
As tomatoes defrost, the skin peels right off and they are ready for cooking. Freezing peaches is easy too.
Peel and slice a few, sprinkle on some lemon juice to keep them from turning brown, add some cinnamon, sugar and a little flour, and freeze.
