TaMara writes:
Time to start the Farmer Stand editions of Thursday Night Menu. Most of the produce tonight can be found locally. So if you haven’t visited your local farm stand or farmer’s market, now’s your chance. I went to a local stand this past weekend and was surprised how small the tomato selection was. I shouldn’t have been, since my tomato plants, which are usually bent over with red fruit by now, are host to medium-sized green tomatoes which are slowly ripening.
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I bought a few things and experimented with varieties of peppers I’d never even seen before. Some I really liked, some had surprisingly little flavor, though they smelled wonderful, it didn’t translate to the flesh.
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Peach season is in full swing in Colorado, so we have sliced peaches tonight and hopefully if things slow down a bit for me, a week’s worth of peach inspired recipes all next week. My plan is to head to another farm stand this weekend and stock up on peachy goodness.
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On the board tonight:
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1. Basil Grilled Chicken
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2. Marinated Potatoes
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3. Yellow Summer Squash
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4. Sliced Peaches
Shopping list and recipes, as ever, at the link.
Dee Loralei
You need to tell us the names of the pepper varieties, please.
Also on Sunday I made up Southern Tempura, you might enjoy my take. I use the usual things shrimp, mushrooms, red and green onions, but I also cook sweet potato slices, small whole okra and new this week, green tomato slices. Got the sweet potato idea from a local Japanese restaurant, about a decade later I had the D’oh moment about okra, and this week green tomatoes also gave me the same no shit thought. Next time I make it, I’m adding some cornmeal to my tempura batter and some Jack Daniels, or some sipping whiskey to my dipping sauce to take the southern theme further and I threatened to mix my left over batter with even more cornmeal and make tempura hush puppies . LOL.
But please do tell us about your pepper varietals, which should we skip or specifically seek out in our farmer’s market tour? Oh, and why?
Violet
I just planted my fall tomatoes. It’s going to be awhile before they’re ready. Might get some peppers before then.
Restrung
Topsy Turvey tomato report from the Twin Cities:
I got a six-pack of little squiggleis in May, put 3 in the ground and 2 in the topsy ~June 1. (bad luck, Memorial Day) The topsy plants grew a lot faster than the ground-huggers, but it seems like they need water every friggin day because it looks like death if I don’t. The earth-bound maters get plenty from rain, and I mulched with the long grass pulled from nearby. But the plants are not getting huge. Got lots of greenies, some getting big. I think putting two in the topsy was a bad idea, and the ones in the ground are in a thin strip. Probably not ideal. Haven’t been using the plant food either.
So when do brussels’ sprouts get going here? I saw some at the St P farmers’ market last Saturday, but I’ve got 4 going here and they look fine. But no sign of yield any time soon.
sfinny
The chicken and potatoes look amazing, will try this weekend. Unfortunately I haven’t seen tempting peaches yet here in NY. I love to make peach/blueberry crisps when the produce is good.
TaMara (BHF)
@Dee Loralei: Unfortunately if they had names, I didn’t pay attention. I grabbed them based on color and smell. It seemed like they were experimenting with a dozen different varieties. The one I didn’t like was a pale, translucent green, that smelled really nice, but when sliced was dry and flavorless. The rest I grilled up in a little olive oil.
Svensker
That chicken sounds really good and love the menu today. Mmmm mmmm mmmm, summer. NJ peaches have been fantastic this year. Love the crisps and pies, but a fresh sweet juicy peach just sliced with some sugar…oh man.
Had a lovely serendipity tonite. Cooked some baby farmstand eggplants in olive oil with some onion. Just when the eggplant was soft and succulent I realized we had some leftover pesto from the other night, so stirred in a small spoonful — not enough to overwhelm, just a tongue tease. Really good. I’ll try to remember that — if I ever have any leftover pesto again. :)
Evolved Deep Southerner
Oh, Lord, here we go again.
(And before you tell me what my Momma thinks, Anne Laurie, please know I’m just picking at you. The food threads are just fine. I like them. I read them. I enjoy them. Hell, at least I can understand them. More’n I can say for anything Tim F. ever wrote. And fewer typos than DougJ, too. And fewer than John anything past +2)