Farmer's Market Finds

It was my full intention to do a recipe from all the food I made over my vacation but I have to say, I got a bit side tracked when I went to the farmer’s market yesterday. I was surrounded by bright fuchsias and verdant greens, rosy reds and creamy whites. From the fabulously, fragrant flowers to the colourful radishes and beets, the market was a veritable cornucopia of sights and smells. The food stalls had their own aroma wafting through the air, enticing people to try their wares. We fought it as long as we could but in the end, we did succumb to the inviting aroma of the wood burning, brick oven pizza from Laudisio. Oh, it was good. Perfect, crispy crust, slightly charred, with just the right amount of sauce and melting, gooey cheese, topped with fresh basil.

I always imagined myself shopping at an open air market. I think I got this romantic notion from watching too many films where they show markets in France or Italy, bustling with life. Toothless, old women with their worn head scarves, and sophisticated, long legged mademoiselles with their perfectly, coiffed hair, leisurely carrying their woven baskets that are overflowing with luscious produce, vibrant flowers and the ubiquitous French baguette. I wanted to carry a French baguette.

Living in Houston for so many years, I was unable to enjoy the pleasures of walking around an open market, taking in the beautiful sights and smells that come with it. Now, that I am here, I fully plan to make up for all the lost years! I will be the lady carrying that baguette…hopefully not the toothless one!

Yesterday, I did pick up some beautiful produce and some fiery salsa made locally in Fort Collins. The salsa is hot but really quite good. I picked up some Easter egg radishes, gorgeous globes of colour and spiciness. They also had some young turnips in the most purest of white colour, curly and frilly kale, beautiful, yellow budded broccoli rabe and fresh, baby lettuce leaves. I also picked up some organic, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe coffee beans (I couldn’t resist, of course.)

One thing I head for when I go to the Boulder market is mushrooms. There is a stall there that sells the most amazing, exotic mushrooms. I’d like to say they are wild mushrooms, but they’re not really because they are cultivated. Regardless, they are gorgeous and incredibly delicious and they are varieties not easily found in a regular super market.

I usually just sauté the mushrooms in some butter and olive oil. Add a touch of garlic and thyme and that’s it. You don’t want to destroy the delicate flavour of these amazing fungi. I was planning to include the recipe in this post but this has quickly become a post about the market finds! I will do a separate post for the mushrooms and the salad I made last night using the radishes and baby lettuce leaves.

So, if you are fortunate enough to live in area that has a farmer’s market, go and visit. You never know what you will find. Most of the time it’s something locally grown or produced and that’s always a good thing for your economy and your carbon footprint. Frequent your local markets and help your local, small farms. They honestly work really hard to grow food that is good for us, without pesticides and artificial fertilisers. They keep in mind the toll we put on this Earth and practise responsible farming techniques. All they need us to do is buy their produce.

There is a great piece on farmers markets and the farmers who sell there. It is written by a fellow blogger Elizabeth Hartlaub at Small Farm Revolution blog and you can find her post here. She talks about the differences between shopping at a big grocery store and a local farmer, and also how important it is to support our local economy. Check out her post.

Unfortunately, my plans for a garden this year will probably not materialise. I think we are sort of settling in still and a project of that proportion just wasn’t appealing to my husband and, I too, cannot commit completely. So, for this year, I will have to be content with my rosemary plant, and basil and thyme and my lone chilli plant. I guess that gives me more time to visit all the farmers markets around me, I have four others close to me.

So, get out there, visit your local farms and markets! Summer is a perfect time to be outside and have some fun. I am planning to go strawberry picking next week. The children enjoy that and it’s a great family outing. Tell you all about it soon. Until then, thank you for reading and I will be posting my mushroom recipe right after this post.

Have a fabulous day!

(NOTE: the Boulder Farmer’s Market pictures are courtesy of Ammara Ahmad and are her property ~Thanks~)