The Haul
I wish I had a camera, because the farmer's market today was a food porn extravaganza!
Stone fruits: I went crazy here. Nectarines, pluots, and plums, a big hefty bag full. I also snarfed five nectarines out of the "squashy" bin courtesy of being there right as the opening bell rang, for a third the cost. I'll eat the pretty ones out of hand over the next week. The squashier nectarines, which turned out to be one yellow and four white, all perfectly ripe with only a little bruising that needed to be cut out, have gone into a jar with some lime juice and vodka for nectarine liqueur.
Dates! The date person only had one variety, one that had been more dried out and one moister, so I got a lot of the dry one, since I believe that Brad likes dates and I certainly know I do. The dry ones also keep about forever.
Roots: One stall had some dug-today yellow potatoes of a variety I can't recall; they're less waxy than yellow finns or fingerlings. They suggested that they'd be great in potato salad, and I went there intending to get more produce for Brad, since he doesn't eat a ton of fruit like I do. The same place also had small sweet red onions, again of an uncommon variety that I can't recall the name of. Locally grown and it's been a warm summer, which I think makes them sweeter. Potato salad it is! So I went to the leafy stuff stall, determinedly ignoring the basil (got enough on my plate) and got another big bunch of dill (what the heck will I do with the rest of it?) and parsley too. And a big healthy head of romaine for a salad to help use up that dill and parsley.
Then I saw the eggplants. Soooo beautiful. Round purple and white striped ones. Long black ones that look like Japanese eggplants but are heavier, softer-skinned, and very black with purple undertones, instead of black with white or green near the stem. They're some Italian variety. Neon purple ones. I have no idea how I will cook these, other than probably simply grilling with rosemary, but they were beautiful so I got some of each.
That same stall specializes in other hard-to-get things: Persian cucumbers (long and snakelike, somewhat fuzzy, and striped green with paler green.) The bigger one of these went into the salad and I ate the other with salt when I got home. Purple tomatillos. Yellow peppers that are medium hot and look a bit like Hungarian wax peppers but are smaller and less waxy. Not sure of the variety there. I didn't even let myself look hard at the heirloom tomatoes because my bag was already too heavy to carry easily.
Then my mom took me to the market so I could pick up some chips and bacon (mmmm bacon), and then I went home, ate some cucumbers and a pluot, and fell over.
Tomatillo salsa: Chop up a basket of tomatillos, two seeded hot peppers, and a small red onion. Add juice and zest of half a lime. Let sit a while.
Romaine salad: It's a salad. It wasn't a great salad dressing because I was low on yogurt and wanted to save it for the potato salad, so it came out a little thin. I've been using yogurt mixed with other stuff to fake buttermilk because buttermilk is sold by the quart and I can't imagine using an entire quart of buttermilk. But this used dill, more red onion (I put them both in about EVERYTHING tonight) cucumber, romaine, black pepper, garlic, and strawberries.
Improvised potato salad: cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces and cook until firm. (These new potatoes cooked way faster than I expected so were a touch on the soft side.) I mixed about two parts plain yogurt with a big spoonful of mayo, a glug of white wine vinegar, salt, 10 grinds of pepper, fresh dill (small handful) and parsley (about half that), and the secret ingredient... some bacon grease. Acquired from cooking some bacon which gets crumbled up and put into the salad too. Sliced red onions and mix together and let sit, preferably overnight.
What the heck do I do with all this dill? soup: Simmer lettuce core and outside lettuce leaves in some vegetable broth with peppercorns, a big handful of fresh dill including any dill stems you find lying around, and a handful of fresh parsley, and any parsley stems you find lying around. Salt to taste. Strain. Drink warm or cold. This is an easy "do while doing other stuff" recipe that uses up tag ends of other vegetables. If I were organized enough to make stock I'd do that instead. I still have a giant bunch of dill remaining. DOOM.
Hmm. Dill liqueur? No no no.
After all this cooking, I fell over again.
My mother was very, very surprised by my short hair and doesn't like it. She made a lot of jokes about how I should grow it out to be "wispy" -- this due to a really disastrous short haircut she inflicted on me when I was at an impressionable age; "wispy" has become a family joke. What's funny is, I don't like the top and like the back, and she likes the top and thinks it's too short in back.
Stone fruits: I went crazy here. Nectarines, pluots, and plums, a big hefty bag full. I also snarfed five nectarines out of the "squashy" bin courtesy of being there right as the opening bell rang, for a third the cost. I'll eat the pretty ones out of hand over the next week. The squashier nectarines, which turned out to be one yellow and four white, all perfectly ripe with only a little bruising that needed to be cut out, have gone into a jar with some lime juice and vodka for nectarine liqueur.
Dates! The date person only had one variety, one that had been more dried out and one moister, so I got a lot of the dry one, since I believe that Brad likes dates and I certainly know I do. The dry ones also keep about forever.
Roots: One stall had some dug-today yellow potatoes of a variety I can't recall; they're less waxy than yellow finns or fingerlings. They suggested that they'd be great in potato salad, and I went there intending to get more produce for Brad, since he doesn't eat a ton of fruit like I do. The same place also had small sweet red onions, again of an uncommon variety that I can't recall the name of. Locally grown and it's been a warm summer, which I think makes them sweeter. Potato salad it is! So I went to the leafy stuff stall, determinedly ignoring the basil (got enough on my plate) and got another big bunch of dill (what the heck will I do with the rest of it?) and parsley too. And a big healthy head of romaine for a salad to help use up that dill and parsley.
Then I saw the eggplants. Soooo beautiful. Round purple and white striped ones. Long black ones that look like Japanese eggplants but are heavier, softer-skinned, and very black with purple undertones, instead of black with white or green near the stem. They're some Italian variety. Neon purple ones. I have no idea how I will cook these, other than probably simply grilling with rosemary, but they were beautiful so I got some of each.
That same stall specializes in other hard-to-get things: Persian cucumbers (long and snakelike, somewhat fuzzy, and striped green with paler green.) The bigger one of these went into the salad and I ate the other with salt when I got home. Purple tomatillos. Yellow peppers that are medium hot and look a bit like Hungarian wax peppers but are smaller and less waxy. Not sure of the variety there. I didn't even let myself look hard at the heirloom tomatoes because my bag was already too heavy to carry easily.
Then my mom took me to the market so I could pick up some chips and bacon (mmmm bacon), and then I went home, ate some cucumbers and a pluot, and fell over.
Tomatillo salsa: Chop up a basket of tomatillos, two seeded hot peppers, and a small red onion. Add juice and zest of half a lime. Let sit a while.
Romaine salad: It's a salad. It wasn't a great salad dressing because I was low on yogurt and wanted to save it for the potato salad, so it came out a little thin. I've been using yogurt mixed with other stuff to fake buttermilk because buttermilk is sold by the quart and I can't imagine using an entire quart of buttermilk. But this used dill, more red onion (I put them both in about EVERYTHING tonight) cucumber, romaine, black pepper, garlic, and strawberries.
Improvised potato salad: cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces and cook until firm. (These new potatoes cooked way faster than I expected so were a touch on the soft side.) I mixed about two parts plain yogurt with a big spoonful of mayo, a glug of white wine vinegar, salt, 10 grinds of pepper, fresh dill (small handful) and parsley (about half that), and the secret ingredient... some bacon grease. Acquired from cooking some bacon which gets crumbled up and put into the salad too. Sliced red onions and mix together and let sit, preferably overnight.
What the heck do I do with all this dill? soup: Simmer lettuce core and outside lettuce leaves in some vegetable broth with peppercorns, a big handful of fresh dill including any dill stems you find lying around, and a handful of fresh parsley, and any parsley stems you find lying around. Salt to taste. Strain. Drink warm or cold. This is an easy "do while doing other stuff" recipe that uses up tag ends of other vegetables. If I were organized enough to make stock I'd do that instead. I still have a giant bunch of dill remaining. DOOM.
Hmm. Dill liqueur? No no no.
After all this cooking, I fell over again.
My mother was very, very surprised by my short hair and doesn't like it. She made a lot of jokes about how I should grow it out to be "wispy" -- this due to a really disastrous short haircut she inflicted on me when I was at an impressionable age; "wispy" has become a family joke. What's funny is, I don't like the top and like the back, and she likes the top and thinks it's too short in back.