Farm to Table

Every Saturday in the spring, summer and early fall my town holds a "Farmer's Market" in the park, located in the center of town.  Local farms from the area set up to sell their seasonal fruits and vegetables, people are selling homemade baked goods along with crafts, various groups are holding fundraisers and there are even people giving away free pets too!  It is a great time to walk around the park sipping coffee, visiting with friends and other residents of the town and letting the kids run free (by that I mean walking ahead of the stroller!)

Last Saturday I went to the Farmer's Market and came home with a lovely bunch of produce.  I did not have a plan before going the market, I just decided on the spot what to buy based on what was in season and looked pretty!



When I got home, I then washed the produce and decided my "farm to table" game plan.  This is what I did:

Tomatoes:  Served each night with dinner as side.  Sliced with a dollop of mayo and sprinkled with coarse salt and fresh black pepper.  This is delicious and one of my favorite summer treats.  It taste the best when using tomatoes fresh from the garden, or in this case, the Farmer's Market!

Cucumbers: Served each night with dinner as side.  Sliced in circles and places in bowl with 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 water.  My take on creating a fresh and crunchy pickle.

Beets:  Served as a side with dinner.  Cleaned and sliced and boiled in water.  Greens cut off and saved for another night.  Strained the beets and sprinkled with salt. 

Kale:  Fresh kale salad

Peaches:  Homemade peach crostada, served as dessert after dinner.

It is enjoyable to go and pick produce on the spot and then come up with a dinner plan based on what has been purchased.  What are your farm to table favorites?