Sunday, June 22, 2014

Happy Summer!

Well ladies and gents, the 2014 farmers market season is in full swing!  Each week more and more farmers markets are opening up for the summer.  One of my favorite markets, the Waltham Farmers Market opened last weekend in their new location.  I was working in the morning, but I managed to stop by towards the end of the day.  I picked up some chive blossoms, onions, Swiss chard, and green tomatoes.  The green tomatoes were a nice surprise because that is usually something I expect to see in the fall.  It worked out for me because I like to pickle green tomatoes and I am on my last jar of pickles from last season.



Today I went to the Needham Farmers Market, which also has a new location on Great Plain Ave behind Needham Bank.  I was happy to see an abundance of garlic scapes, one of my springtime favorites.  I must have hit the garlic scape jackpot because there were all different flavors (Thai, Russian, Spanish) and 10/$1 at the Neighborhood Farm.  There is also a great farm, MacArthur Farm, which has delicious strawberries.  In fact, I think I associate the Needham Farmers Market with strawberries because I remember those strawberries from last year.  



I came home with a bunch of goodies and promptly began washing and chopping.  I cut up some rhubarb, for the jam I am planning on making this week, some scallions, and the scapes.  I began cutting up my lettuce and what do I find, a gross long creepy crawly bug.  A centipede, I think.  I put on my big girl pants and squashed the bug with a paper towel and threw it outside immediately.  I have really been trying to work on this because I want to volunteer at the farm this summer, so I need to get rid of this fear of bugs.  After all, bugs live in the same place our food grows :)

I saw chive blossoms a couple of weeks ago at the Union Square Farmers Market.  It was the first time I had seen them and wasn't really sure what to do with them, but they stuck with me because they looked so pretty.  When I got home, a simple google search showed me that there are tons of things to do with chive blossoms.  I was fortunate to find these again at the Waltham market, so I could make this simple recipe:

Chive blossoms
White Vinegar

I used a quart canning jar and filled it about halfway with the chive blossoms.  Then I filled the jar with white vinegar.  Store in a cool, dark place (I put mine in the fridge since its been warm out) and let soak about 2 weeks.  Then drain and you will have a chive flavored vinegar to make a vinaigrette!!


  

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