A Homecoming and a Feast for the Eyes

Between a beach vacation and trips to visit friends out of town, I missed the farmers' market four weeks in a row. You could say I was in market withdrawal. When I happily returned there this past weekend, I was rewarded with a feast for the eyes!

If you've shopped the market lately, then you know what I'm talking about. All the colors of those beautiful fruits and veggies are so inviting, and as irrational as it may be, I feel a little healthier just being around all those foods! From purple, lavender, striped and even white eggplant, to round zucchini in deep greens and yellow, to peppers in an array of colors, the foods at market right now give a whole new meaning to the advice to "eat your colors" for good health.

I took a few pictures because I can't resist how beautiful the food is, and I love that there are varieties here you simply cannot get in the grocery store. Here are a few of them, just in case you've been out of town also and need your market fix.

Home Again

I also enjoyed a homecoming of sorts, as I was able to catch up with several farmers, talk with them about my garden woes, and see what they are harvesting from their fields now that we're deep into summer. Chatting with our vendors and learning about the unique varieties they grow is part of the fun of farmers' market shopping, as well as seeing how they support each other.

From week to week, our vendors are generally in the same spot at market, so they get to know each other well and sometimes share ideas about how to use their market ingredients. For instance, last week Dorian at Hillsborough Cheese Co. offered a taste of a caprese salad, sampling sliced tomatoes from Sunburst Tomatoes, fresh basil from another neighbor vendor and his own hand-crafted mozzarella cheese. Cindy at Smith Angus Farm told me she has several new cuts of beef, including stir fry meat, and that sometimes market neighbor Ben's Produce has bags of stir fry veggies for sale. Talk about convenience — your stir-fry fixings all right there at the market!

I'm in town again this weekend and looking forward to what the market brings. See you there!