Tuesday Takehome + a Recipe

I haven't picked up my CSA share this week yet, but I DID shop at the Farmers' Market, of course.

I came home with:
2 quarts cherries
1 quarts blueberries
1 pint sungold cherry tomatoes
8 oz mozzarella cheese

Nom nom nom nom! I need to get out there and do some serious fruit picking for my canning plans. In the mean time, this amazing stuff will definitely do.










I've also been harvesting a good deal out of the garden lately. Here's a photo of yesterday's harvest- 3 leeks, and handful of Provider green beans, 7 Yukon Gold potatoes, 2 giant kale leaves, some sprigs of thyme, rosemary, and oregano, and a pinch of the first dried cilantro seeds of the summer (called corriander)!!

I'm patting myself on the back- I've been doing a good job of picking what I need for dinner each night, rather than harvesting a whole bunch just because I'm excited to see it all laid out. It's helped me get more time out of each crop I've grow.
I'm starting to have post-harvest holes in the garden- I'll need to fill those in with fall veggies! I've already planted some acorn squash as well as several cucumber plants and a watermelon, but it'll be time to seed carrots and spinach and fall greens before we know it.






I'm too inspired by fresh fruits and veggies to share a recipe today. My recipe for today is simply this-

• Go find some locally grown veggies and fruits
• Cut them up and prepare as minimally as possible
• Eat :)

Here's a photo of my plans for dinner on the right.

What have you been harvesting out of your garden lately or enjoying most from your local Farmers' Market?

Tuesday Takehome- My Haul from the Market & What I'm Making!

Today was the first day of our Farmers' Market season here in Ypsilanti!! We have two great markets, the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers' Market and the Depot Town Farmers' Market. My workplace runs the Downtown Mkt, so I was there early today helping to set up, getting things ready, and catching up with vendors after a winter "off".

It's an unbelieveably nice priviledge to live so close to a farmers' market. All kinds of people come down to shop, chat, and support local food. I always see at least 15 different people I know- owners of businesses downtown, work colleagues, fellow alumni from the local college, neighbors, and more. While I am really thankful for our local food co-operative and I am a proud member, there is something to be said for interacting directly with the farmers that grow your food- that just can't be replicated. 

Another reason I was at the Farmers' Market was to pick up my CSA share! As previously mentioned, a CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture membership that you buy into for the season. I chose to go with a nearby farm called Bridgewater Barns, run by Janet and Tony. My co-worker and I are splitting a Half Share- that way we can still go around to each vendor every week and buy a little something: I really feel like that's important.

Our Half Share today included:

1 bag Spinach

1 bunch Radishes

1 large bunch of Kale

6 Rhubarb stalks

1 small bag of Basil

1 small bag of Pea shoots

1 small bunch of Sorrell

1 bunch of wild Green onins

2 stalks green Garlic

2 stalks Lovage

I also picked up:

2 lbs ground beef

mini shallots

more amazing rhubarb

I'll openly admit that I don't even know how to cook or make a dish with half of those things! Luckily, we recevied a generous amount, but since we split a half share, I don't have a TON of anything that's new to me. Sorrel? Lovage? Pea shoots? No clue, folks. But my mission this week is to find a dish to include each of them. As I experiment, I'll share the successes (& the failures) that I have, through a new feature on my blog, Tuesday Takehome- My Haul from the Market & What I'm Making! If I've never had Sorrel I'm assuming there have to be a handful of folks out there who are eager for an idea of how to use it- I know I am!
Tune in on Tuesdays for ideas on all these new veggies I come across and how to prepare them :)

In the mean time, if you have any amazing recipes, out with them!