Needham Farmers Market

I made a visit to the Needham Farmers Market last Sunday.  This is a nice little market in the downtown of Needham.  The vendors seem to change frequently, so be sure to check their calendar before you make a trip.  Last Sunday they had MacAuthurs Farm, Neighborhood Farm, Lilac Hedge Farm, Big Sky Bakery, Foxboro Cheese Co, Nella Pasta, and Susies Bakery.  There was a great selection of vegetables at MacAuthurs Farm and Neighborhood Farm.  I picked up some lettuce, cauliflower, sun gold tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and I even found some strawberries!  I have been really into beets lately, so I bought some of those as well.  They taste great roasted and now that it's not so hot, it is not as painful to turn on the oven.  As I was leaving, a band began to play, so this is a nice place to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Needham Farmers Market is open on Sundays from 1-5, 23 Dedham Ave.   

I enjoyed National Farmers Market week by posting a picture of something I made using local ingredients each day.  I had some requests for the recipes I posted.  Since many people may be overwhelmed by the abundance of zucchini in their gardens, I recommend making zucchini pancakes, something I used to eat all the time when I was little.  My grandfather was one of those people overwhelmed by the zucchini in his garden and this was a delicious way to eat zucchini.  Zucchini also tastes great sauteed with a little olive oil, it can be roasted in the oven with other veggies, tossed into soups, made into breads, pickled, and it freezes well too!
How are you going to use up your zucchini?

Zucchini Pancakes:

I choose to make my zucchini pancakes paleo friendly, (minus the parmesan cheese) so I used almond meal instead of bread crumbs, but both are delicious.

1 medium Zucchini
1 egg
1-1 1/2 cup bread crumbs or almond meal
Lots of olive oil
sprinkle of parmesan cheese

Cut up the zucchini into thin slices.  In a bowl, whisk the egg and place bread crumbs on a plate.  Heat up about 3 tbsp of olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat.  One at a time, dip the zucchini slices into the egg, then bread crumbs, and place into the hot pan.  When the bread crumbs begin to brown, flip to the other side.  When each side of the zucchini has browned, place on a plate and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Repeat this process until the zucchini is gone, continuing to add olive oil to the pan when it gets low.