Still in shock from the loss of the farm and my weekly box, the Accidental Locavore started to figure out a solution. First up, a trip to the Union Square Greenmarket, with a hugely optimistic idea that there would be cherries. No such luck, but found some new-to-me, spotted romaine lettuce from Eckerton Hill Farms. It was so pretty that it’s the June calendar photo. Strawberries were in season so I got a box and talked to the farmer about their CSA. Still not sure if that’s the direction I want to go.
Saturday found me at the farmers’ market in Millbrook. It was pretty low-key, probably because the weather wasn’t very good (otherwise golfing, not shopping, would have been the preferred activity). I started talking to Jeff from Arch River Farm about getting a share of a pig (have to wait till March, as summer pigs are no good, according to Jeff). Somehow we started talking about hot dogs. He said he made the ultimate hot dogs. Always happy to support a man who is proud of his product, I picked up a pack for my husband, who loves hot dogs, and some Italian sausage for the pasta I was making that night.
Jeff was right, these were fabulous hot dogs! They were so good that the Locavore, who usually only eats them under duress, happily had two! The next day found Frank trying to concoct the onion relish that’s a staple on hotdog carts throughout Manhattan. Click here for the recipe.
Back to the CSA vs. farmers’ market quandary. Part of me likes the idea of just buying what I need at the time at the various farmers’ markets but the downside to that is just buying the old standbys and not being stretched by unfamiliar produce. The work-around would be to buy at least one unfamiliar thing every week. The spotted romaine fit that challenge (kinda, sorta…not really a stretch).
The other part wants someone else to present me with something to cook. I’m sure you’ve all been stuck at times, hoping for inspiration and the answer to “what’s for dinner?” With the surprise of the farm box, the nightly veggie question was solved with a quick glance through the fridge; yes, five weeks of eggplants can be extremely challenging, but the discovery of padrón peppers would make up for that in an instant!
So, while a solution still hasn’t manifested itself, I’m out exploring. What would you do?
