Farmers Market Finds: August, Part 1

I cannot believe it is August already. The summer is flying by, and I’m soaking up every bit of it that I can. 

Summer markets are always my favorite, probably because of the wide variety of produce that’s in season. And in August, we’re right at the peak of it. We see tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, peaches, and plums. Everything is in abundance from apricots to zucchini. 

Also, as I mentioned in my newsletter, this is National Farmers Market Week, so now there’s extra incentive to go buy directly from the farmers. I’ll be providing extra inspiration this week for how to use all those goodies!

Cantaloupe

My Italian family (my dad’s side) came to the California to be farmers. I remember at family get togethers, some of my great-uncles bringing cantaloupes from their farm, and serving them simply with ice cream. I don’t have cantaloupe and ice cream on the menu this week, but I do have a salad inspired by the classic Italian antipasti of prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe in the works.

Picking out a cantaloupe can be tricky, but here are two things to remember: the melon should feel heavier than it looks, and the stem end should appear to be “breaking open” or cracking. And whenever you’re in doubt at the market, the farmer will be happy to help you pick the best produce to meet your needs. 

Green Beans

When I was a part of a CSA in central Massachusetts, I saw on the “pick your own” board that we would be getting something called bush beans. I had no idea what that was until I got out into the field, and saw that it was green beans, or haricot vert if you’re feeling fancy (or French). 

Fresh green beans are nothing like their canned counterparts. They’re great both fresh and roasted. I plan on doing roasted green beans with a sun-dried tomato pesto, a great summer side dish that works with any protein.

Peaches

Obviously this isn’t the first time I’ve bought peaches from the market. ‘Tis the season, after all.

This week, I’m planning to do a peach gazpacho as a light summer lunch. And the rest of the peaches are just for snacking, because sometimes you don’t need to do anything fancy.

Zucchini

It’s also the season for giant zucchini. These aren’t the largest zucchinis out there, apparently that record belongs to a farmer in Niagara Falls, Ontario, but these will make a great dinner this week. 

Zucchini really are a blank slate in terms of flavor. Earlier this summer, I made this Ottolenghi recipe for zucchini and harissa. This week, I’m planning to sauté these up with aji amarillo and cilantro to make a Peruvian-inspired dish. 

Mushrooms 

So often people think the farmers market is more expensive than the supermarket. While that can be true, it is not always the case. These mushrooms are a great example of that – $10 for this bag is an absolute steal, considering it is filled with oyster, shiitake, and brown button mushrooms.

Sometimes the mushroom stems will be too tough to eat. I plan to pull the stems off of the brown button and shiitake mushrooms to make a mushroom stock. This is another great way to get value out of the farmers market, by using as much of the produce as possible.

Olive Sourdough Bread

This sourdough bread has tons of olives throughout, and a fantastically chewy crust. This will be excellent for avocado toast, as well as croutons and various other bread-things that I’ll make throughout the week.