The Sunday Market started slow due to a very nasty weather forecast. We had a bit of rain early on, but no one melted (there was momentary concern about Loretta); and our loyal patrons came out to the tune of 2,201! Thank you to all from near and far!!
Bennett Orchards, straight from their Peach Extravaganza on Saturday, showed up with plenty of peaches for all – white and yellow free-stones, with more freshly picked to arrive next week.
Davidson’s Exotic Mushrooms continues to bring varieties of mushrooms – as beautiful as they are delicious! They also continue to educate us on these interesting fungi: apparently Oyster (extremely heart healthy) and Pom-Pom (super brain food!) mushrooms grow on logs, or saw dust, as opposed to soil.
The plethora of produce continues to astound! Along with everything else, eggplants are in and will continue for quite awhile. Upon asking our farmers their favorite way to prepare eggplant, many were hesitant – apparently not everyone is a big fan of this beauty. So, what the heck is going on with this vegetable? Dave of Herbs, Spice…offers this recipe for Japanese eggplant: Slice in half length-wise, drizzle with olive oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Grill over medium heat for 3 minutes per side. My sous chef, Barbara, assisted and they looked fantastic! My taste test panel came out with 3 likes, and 2 mehs. A hasty trip under the broiler with a bit of mozzarella and halved cherry tomatoes resulted in 5 thumbs up!
This recipe was gleaned from Justin of Ficner Farms, with eyes alit I must say: Peel the eggplant and slice thinly. Drizzle with olive oil, and salt to taste – air fry. Master air fryer, Ian Lebbern, was under roof and performed cooking duties. He cooked them at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, turning once. Justin did not lie – they were quite the panel pleaser!
Perhaps the best recipe comes from Sharon of Hudson’s Produce – she goes to her favorite Italian restaurant and orders eggplant parm – I can do that! Reader recipes are welcomed with one caveat – they can’t be so involved that it interferes with beach time!
We are happy to report that Dawn of Fleur de Mer – River Cottage will be joining us for the remainder of this season! She has quite the flair for floral arranging, and all are priced to please. Come check out what she’s doing with Snowball Hydrangeas and Crape Myrtle!