Fresh and Local – and Making it Last

I try to hit up the farmer’s market on most weekends, because the ingredients I bring home automatically enhance my cooking without any extra work. The only hard part is that I tend to get distracted while I’m there, and often find myself in a frenzy over which amazing products I want to use. My inability to get in-and-out of the market in less than 30 minutes immediately rules out any chance I might ever have to be a contestant on Top Chef or Master Chef. It’s best if I’m given the freedom to wander the aisles and contemplate my menu decisions. It’s also best if my husband isn’t with me when I go, as it could be a monumental test of his patience.

At a recent visit, I picked up some delightfully fresh produce – some heirloom tomatoes, nectarines, corn on the cob, and zucchini - to name a few. It’s amazing how far a few tomatoes will go, and it was even more amazing that I was able to use all the farmer’s market produce without anything going bad. I don’t have the luxury of shopping every day for our food, so anything I can buy that lasts more than a day, is an exciting thrill for me.

While I don’t have any specific “recipes” to share, I wanted to highlight the variety of meals I was able to achieve with just a few items from my farmer’s market trip, and anything I already had on hand in the pantry:

Salad w/ Nectarines

- Bed of mixed greens

- Sliced nectarines

- Sliced salami

- Dressing: Olive oil and juice from an orange and lemon

Heirloom tomato salad

- Heirloom tomatoes

- Corn on the Cob

- Zucchini

- Basil

- Olive Oil

- Lemon

Zucchini and Tomato Gratin

- Tomatoes

- Zucchini

- Olive Oil

- Thyme

- Parm cheese

And the list goes on. I may not be able to construct every meal with the freshest ingredients and local products, I’m a working lady for goodness sake, but I can incorporate these throughout my week efficiently and cost effectively. I think I spent about $30 at the market that day. That’s about the cost of what - 3 frozen pizzas at Safeway? Given the option, I’d much rather have an heirloom tomato salad, wouldn’t you?

-- the daughter