JoAnne's Archive

Irresistible!
By JoAnne Leone

This time of the season, I find most every piece of produce available at our Farmers Market irresistible. So, after a Saturday and a Tuesday shopping spree this week, I was ladened with fresh veggies and found just the folks I wanted to share them with. Friend Polly Pitts has been home bound after recent foot surgery. Polly says she eats almost anything. Works for me. Those are the best kind of appetites to cook for. Janan Bartell isn’t quite as indiscriminant but she eats her veggies. I was ready to put my ratatouille together and set a dinner date.

Phil Phillips (Booth # 58) is where I got my nearly seedless eggplant. I also had sweet onions from Phil. My zucchini I got from Freddie Collins and family (Booth #28/30). I tried their hybrid zucchini that is a bright golden yellow, instead of green. Absolutely delicious! The peppers were a mild, thin walled, pale green bell pepper that came from Kevco and Betsy, The Backyard Gardeners (Booth # 42).

The tomatoes were a real treat. Jason Derryberry (Booth #16) has amazing Heirloom Roma tomatoes (look under the table). They were so delicious; I actually had to think twice before cutting them up and adding them to my vegetable stew. I was so tempted to sit on the stoop, in the hot summer sun with a big napkin and a salt shaker and just eat them with the juices running down my chin and arms.

The garlic was purchased from the gardener at Booth #52, I believe. Ratatouille needs lots of fresh garlic. And the basil and parsley were fresh from my herb pot, purchased earlier in the season from English Country Gardens (Booth # 20/22).

Early Friday morning I set out to make my pot of gold. Like most stews, they are best after they’ve set up awhile. The aroma of all that freshness sautéing in Extra Virgin Olive Oil was delectable. Somehow I managed to keep my spoon out of the pot until it was time to transport it to Polly’s house where we met that evening. Janan had put together a beautiful salad; I had prepared some ziti to serve as the base for the ratatouille.

It was a lovely evening of fresh food and friendship. Partner in crime, Bev Paoletto, had helped me make a batch of homemade banana ice cream earlier in the day, and so the evening’s feast was topped off with ice cream cones and lots of laughs, most at each other’s expense.

I know I’m not the only one who leaves the Market ladened with goods that were too tempting to pass up. The next time you have an overabundance of fruit or veggies, find your favorite recipe, and call a couple of friends and make an evening of sharing the love.

Also, the new Market T-Shirts, Caps and Grocery bags are in and are now on sale at the Market every Tuesday night and Saturday morning. They can also be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center. They can be viewed with details on the homepage of our website. A reminder that the fantastic Green Bean Festival is this coming weekend. Many of our produce folks will be at both locations during the Festival. And mark your calendars for Saturday, August 6th when we serve free tomato sandwiches and watermelon to celebrate the dog days of summer at your favorite Farmers Market.