Random Saturday Food Notes
part of this week's farmer's market haul:
A problem:
I LOVE the farmer's market.
The boys HATE the farmer's market.
sigh.
Leo says he hates it because he's not used to standing that long. I tried to argue that he stands and walks all the time. Just a word of advice: don't try to argue with Leo. Owen says he hates it because there's no bathroom. For God's sake we're not there THAT long....although every time sure enough Ernie has to take Owen over to Lincoln Square halfway through to go to the bathroom. Leo and I sit on the curb and wait. I'm thinking that next week they will go to Grandma's house while we are there.
Regardless of the foul little creatures it was nice to be there. August is sort of what I consider the high season of farmer's markets---although September is almost as good. I tried to restrain myself but ended up with a bag almost too heavy to carry: sweet corn, green beans, golden beets, red beets, arugula, sweet red peppers, peaches, red and gold heirloom tomatoes, thin pork chops and chicken from Triple S farms. My mother's coming over for dinner tonight and I can't decide how to narrow all that bounty down...
Oh, and we also got a cup of ice cream for Owen from the Sidney Dairy Barn for Owen (Leo declined). He happily ate it and was pleased with the Sidney Dairy Barn sticker on his chest. He confided, "no offense Mom, but this is better than your ice cream cones" and then told his father, "no offense Dad, but that ice cream cone you made me last night was pretty bad." Ungrateful wretch. Although I must admit that Ernie does seem cone-impaired...
We do NOT seem to be having a good tomato year at our house. Our cherry tomato plant is curling up and dying and the others look good but not as huge as they should be at this point. I think this fall/next spring we have to do some serious work on our soil. My pole beans are doing great (in fact I planted them too close to the house----they're going to take over the front porch) but I find myself with the same problem I have had other years. After the first flush the production is too slow. I don't want a handful of beans. I guess I just need to plant more. Gotta give it some thought for next year.
So for dinner I think we'll grill the think pork chops....maybe throw a couple of peaches on the grill---do a little salsa of them with some balsamic vinegar. What goes with that? I'd like to use some of the beautiful tomatoes....maybe just cut up with some basil and olive oil. Perhaps some of the corn too.
I want to save the beets for a roasted beet salad (I love roasting beets) to go with the fried chicken I'm going to make Ernie with the chicken we got from Triple S. Ernie adores fried chicken although we rarely eat it. When he was a kid he said he always knew they were going to go on a picnic the next day if his mother started frying chicken after dinner. I've made it once or twice for him but not for years so we're going to give it a try. Gotta decide on a recipe.....any recommendations?
I was supposed to be having a big productive weekend doing things around the house. Hmmmm.....not so sure.