Hi all! How is your week going? Mine has been good so far. Last night we had our first dinner of fresh summer produce, purchased at the Piedmont Triad Farmer's Market on Saturday. It is such a pleasure for me to visit our farmer's market. It's located right off Interstate 40 (you can see it from the highway) and it serves the Piedmont area of North Carolina. This past weekend, they had a bountiful selection of summer offerings from the garden, as well as homemade baked goods and goat's milk cheeses, soaps and lotions.
I shared this picture last summer after a trip to the farmer's market, and I got pretty much all these same things on Saturday, in addition to 18 ears of corn and a loaf of country sourdough bread. Delish! Last night, we picked up some chunky-style barbecue from our local barbecue joint and invited our son to come by and eat with us. I'm not a big lover of barbecue, but my husband and son love it, and I can eat it. I made mashed potatoes with the Kennebec potatoes, and peeled and sliced two tomatoes (our son doesn't eat them). We also had corn, our favorite summer vegetable -- oh how we love it! A few years ago, I wrote a post about how I cook my summer corn, and you can read that Here if you'd like.
What I shared in that post is not really a recipe but a method of cooking this corn. Our very favorite is the Silver Queen variety of corn, but they didn't have any on Saturday. I think it's usually available in July, so it should be out soon.
When I see pictures of our stove, I think it must look really plain to most people. It is, compared to a lot of the ovens available today. In fact, the salesman tried to talk me into getting the smooth surface style; he couldn't understand why I would want these type of burners. ;) I still hear mixed reviews on the smooth surface ovens; I know they have good points, but I've heard they're hard to clean thoroughly without scratching. This was a concern for me, so I decided to stick with what I know. I've never cooked with a gas oven; when I was growing up, they were rare in our area. I know people up north usually have them. Neither my mom or mother-in-law cook on gas ovens, so I just never learned.
Sorry, I got off topic there. Do you have your own vegetable garden, or do you like to shop at the curb markets and farmer's markets? Thank you for visiting and enjoy your week!
Denise
I loved this post Denise...the memories of going to the Jackson Farmer's Market in summer was a wonderful childhood memory. We continue to purchase from local Farmer's Marekets for the best of summer produce...I too prepare corn the way you do and my dad loved this...you are such a lovely inspiration for enjoying the summer...warm hugs from Texas.
ReplyDeleteHello Denise. You have made my mouth water with the fresh garden vegetables and barbecue. We are months from the fresh vegetables, though I did pick and freeze peas. The tomatoes are only about a foot tall at the moment. You were so wise to skip the glass cooktop. This house had an electric one, so that's what I replaced it with. While it is modern looking, sleek, and pretty, it is not functional. I cannot get it clean, but my housekeeper can. It also scratches very easily, but the worst part is that does not hold a consistent temperature. I thought about gas and now wish I had gone that route, but I have never cooked on gas and didn't like the look. So I am stuck with the glass top, I guess. You chose wisely.
ReplyDeleteLovely to see/hear that all is well, Denise. Wonderful fresh produce - though I'm not sure about mixing goat's cheese with soap and lotion. I'm pretty sure we only get one variety of corn over here - don't ask me what it is; it's just corn!
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with going with what you know. Those glass tops make me uncomfortable. Growing up we always had gas. Now I still enjoy a gas top range but have gotten sold on Electric ovens. I have a favorite open fruit market I enjoy that's open here between March and October.
ReplyDeleteHello Denise
ReplyDeleteOur famers market started 3 weeks ago, not a whole lot of produce available yet but more each week. I usually grow herbs and maybe some yellow beans and carrots but for two people, buying local is just fine and it's usually picked that morning. Our corn should be in mid August but with all the rain and flooding......
I have a smooth top range, and it isn't hard to clean, just use soft scrub. But your range can handle a cast iron skillet and mine can't. The cast iron would scratch the glass top. So I have to use my cast iron on the grill. I adore farmer's markets and local produce stands. I usually buy so many vegetables we have to have all vegetarian meals sometimes to eat it all before it goes bad. Nothing like a fresh, vine ripened in the sun tomato!
ReplyDeleteI have owned 3 stoves - one gas - one smooth white top and one smooth black top. I HATE the smooth top stoves. I can't get them clean and the are never hot enough. Plus when you cook with a gas stove and it says remove from heat, you can just turn the flame off and leave it there. You cannot do this with an electric stove. My next house will have gas or I don't want the house.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks delicious...the description just as good. I'm a Farmer's Market girl these days.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're off to a good summer of fresh produce. Famers' markets are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Denise! What fun to go to the Farmer's Market. There's nothing like fresh corn in the summertime. I hope you're having a great summer.
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