Farmers Market Finds: July, Part 1

What you can find at farmers markets constantly changes, and varies based on location. In fact, the variety can make it really hard to plan ahead of time what you need, because something might not quite be in season yet, the crop might not have good yield, or any number of other reasons why that particular item isn’t there that week. What I like to do, however, is to walk around the market, get an idea of what’s there, and then plan my week of meals around what I see that week.

In this series, I’ll be going over what I buy each week, and plans for those finds (if I have them) throughout the upcoming week.

Carrots

Roasted carrots make such a great side dish, and when they’re good, they’re amazing. I’m saving the tops to make a pesto to use with vegetables later this week.

Red Currants

I bought these to challenge myself, but they were so pretty, so I might be justifying a bit after-the-fact. I haven’t ever really worked with currants (of any kind), so I’m excited to use them in a dish. I’m currently planning to try out this recipe for braised chicken thighs, but will probably be replacing the port with some kind of fruit puree, since I have a firm anti-grape stance.

Garlic Scapes

I was first introduced to garlic scapes as a part of my CSA box, back when I was living in Massachusetts, and as a garlic lover, they did not disappoint. I’ve made pesto and hummus with garlic scapes, so I have options on using these well. I think they could also make a great salad dressing.

Kohlrabi

When I first started going to the farmers market with my mom as a kid, kohlrabi was one of the first new vegetables I was introduced to. It is a member of the brassica family (same as cabbage and broccoli); the name comes from the German for “cabbage turnip.”

My husband makes an excellent kohlrabi and apple salad, so we are planning on making that sometime this week.

Lemon Sorrel

Sorrel is one of those things that can be both an herb and a salad green. It has a bright, lemony flavor, totally unlike most salad greens. I’m undecided if I’m going to mix this into salad greens, use it as an herb, or maybe make a soup with it. Maybe all three?

I learned recently that sorrel is in the same plant family as rhubarb, and that the source of the tartness for both is oxalic acid. Cool trivia night info!

Mustard Greens

I’m planning to use these mustard greens in a spicy side dish for pork chops. Pork and spicy, bitter greens are such a classic pairing, and it’ll be easy to cook up in the middle of my workweek.