After a couple of weeks’ absence, the Accidental Locavore was back to the Greenmarket. Ron from Stokes Farm put together a mass of great produce (with only a little coaching from me). Corn, tomatoes, eggplant, avocado squash, kohlrabi, arugula, lettuce and blueberries all came together in a flash, a few peaches from the guy next to him and I was off. Don’t you love shopping that way? No decision-making needed too early in the morning. Ron enjoyed it too, “I should do this for more people, just give me a dollar amount and I’ll fill a bag or two.” So there you go — your personal farmers’ market shopper. If you’re interested, drop Ron a line: info@stokesfarm.com and don’t forget to tell him where you got this great idea!
With my haul, I decided to go into a salad-making frenzy. First up, my usual lunch salad using the lettuce, arugula and tomatoes, along with a bunch of herbs from my garden. Then on to a Moroccan eggplant salad my friend Jamilla had described over lunch earlier in the week. Using technology to its fullest, I did what I thought I remembered, then texted her for the rest (click for the recipe). The salad was wonderful on its own, silky and smooth, and would be great on some warm pita bread. If you can hold off devouring it for a day, it’s even better! The flavors have a chance to develop and mellow, becoming almost sweet and jam-like.
Since my garden was being overrun with mint and I now had parsley and good tomatoes, it seemed like a perfect excuse for a big bowl of tabouli. Not to mention it kept the vaguely Middle Eastern theme intact. And tabouli is always good on a hot summer day and this was the perfect antidote to cooking and 90 degree heat.
Next up: the avocado squash. They got a brush of olive oil and were put on the grill. They were great that way, the texture of them smooth like avocados, but with the taste of squash. A squirt of lime when they came off the grill perked them up nicely. We had an extra one, which I cubed up and threw in a subsequent lunch salad. Almost impossible to tell from an actual avocado! Try them if you can find them and let me know what you think.
