Summer's Bounty

This Week at our
Friday 3:30–6:30pm
5875 Trinity Pkwy.

Peaches are in! The warmth of April, not the showers, brought early peach blooms that were not zapped by frost, and we have peaches in June. Max Tyson will bring them along with some wonderful sweet cherries, including Rainiers, priced to move at $8/quart. Compare that to the grocery store price.

Jose’s Produce will be bringing the first of those great Northern Neck grape tomatoes, and his peppers, eggplant and green beans open all kinds of cooking and grilling possibilities. Look for the vegetarian chili, Asian green bean salad and grilled ratatouille recipes for the first time this year — and the Cavanna Pasta tent will have four great pasta recipes for all-local summer pasta dishes.

In the corner opposite Uncle Fred will be our newest vendor: Virginia Crabs with steamed crabs (large males), crab cakes and steamed shrimp. Igor and Irada buy only local seafood and, in spite of their Old World heritage, they know how to do New World crabs.

From the Founder

Now we’re cookin’! The market this week will be overflowing with the sights and smells of summer. And at the Market Master table we are ready for you with recipes that take advantage of the full rich flavor of just-picked, sun-ripened fruits and vegetables. Peaches and black raspberries lead the way this week, tomatoes are coming soon and sweet corn is only a week or so away!

Can you tell I’m excited? This is such a great time of the year to cook for daily meals but also for things such as tomato sauce and preserves that you may can or freeze and then use in the middle of winter when summer seems so far away. I like to make pesto with lots of fresh basil (which is much more flavorful and also much less expensive than store-bought) and freeze it in small plastic containers. Then in mid-winter I can make pasta with pesto or add it to a winter tomato sauce and really brighten up an otherwise dreary February day.

This is also the easiest time of year to eat nothing but local foods — we did at our home just last night. We had Heritage Farm’s fresh chicken breasts in cream with fresh peas and Cavanna’s pasta — and then we had black raspberry ice cream with fresh black raspberries. And I had it on the table in 30 minutes! If I had any pesto on hand, I would have thrown that into the mix. Obviously it’s time to fill up some of those small plastic containers again.

Speaking of pesto, here is a variation on the original Silver Palate Cookbook version, which had a little too much oil for my taste.

Traditional Basil Pesto

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry
• 4 garlic cloves, more or less to taste
• 1 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ - ¾ cup best quality extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine basil, garlic and nuts in a food processor and chop. With the motor running, add the oil in a steady stream. Stop the machine and add the cheese and seasonings and pulse until combined. If you are making this to freeze, you may leave out the cheese and add it later when you thaw it out to use.

Photo by Bruce Tuten