The Saturday farmer’s market at Robbins Island is amazing! And the season has only started. There is fresh, thoughtfully raised beef, honey, gorgeous frilly, purple lettuce and radishes, baked items, and truly unique handcrafts and art. Of course I have to mention quail eggs, as my girls work so hard. And there’s a lot more, in a beautiful setting.
One of my favorite things at the market is banana bread made by Vanessa, of Mustafa Gardens. It’s the perfect amount of banana to sweet, and baking time. We had to buy two last weekend, just to ensure that at least some of the banana bread made it to the next day. Okay, let’s get real. The next hour. Vanessa offers gluten free options too.
Her stand offered purple basil last weekend. It was so pleasantly pungent. Earthy, green and slightly medicinal. One of those aromas you wish would hang around the kitchen and dining room for much longer after the basil was enjoyed.
My garlic scapes are finally ready to gather from the garden. I love to dry and powder them to use whenever a dash of garlic is needed. I collected a few of them to pair with the purple basil from the market in spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti is one of my husband’s favorite dishes, and it was Father’s Day.
Cast iron is the best way to cook. For tomato dishes, I use enameled cast iron to avoid the acid harshness on a regular cast pot.
A great way to enjoy the weekend is to start with a travel mug of your favorite morning beverage. Walk, bicycle, or drive to the market at Robbins Island. Eight to noon, so you can take your time browsing. Bring along a list of fresh ingredients for weekend meals, and see how many you can get that are truly locally grown. As the season continues, even more produce is sure to appear. And that setting! Sometime around shopping and maybe some chitchat, these are the months to enjoy the playground, the lake and the foot and bike path.
It’s Monday, but I’m relaxed just thinking about it.
