The lines started early at Tucquan’s last Saturday. The summer squash and zucchini were on display at one end and the leafy greens beans and beets held up the other. In between were the melons, sweet corn, tomatoes, peaches and blackberries.
We shoppers always start out politely enough, until we see that someone is handling the very tomato that we’ve had our eye on, or is taking too long selecting 6 perfect ears of corn, for cryin’ out loud. They’re all perfect…seriously, I haven’t had a bad one yet.
BTW: I’ve developed a thing for the beets. Talk about hiding your light under a bushel…those drab brown bulbs are so easy to pass right by…But don’t. If you’ve never taken a bunch home, make this week the week. Trimmed up and oiled, roast them up, unpeeled! on the grill…let them cool down and then slip their dark covers off. Serve them up hot or cold and dressed with basil pesto, or in a salad all dressed up in bleu cheese…or as I’ve discovered, pickled! You can make your own brine with the usual suspects: vinegar, sugar and any combo of spices from your cupboard…hot or sweet, Asian, Mediterranean or French Continental, or…BONUS! pickle juice! You know you’ve got a forgotten jar, with one or two sad cuke slices, just hangin’ out in the back of your fridge. It can be as simple as that.
And this week?…my next experiment…pickled watermelon rinds. Stay tuned.
Now, about those greens that came with…One history note: beets were first harvested around 2000 BC, along the shores of the Mediterranean, and originally grown solely for the leafy green chard. It wasn’t until recently (200 AD) that the Greeks and Italians decided to do something with all those root bulbs. Waaaay before Harvard got into the act.
And I’ll admit here that even though I know it can be done, I have yet to find the right way to make the greens edible, but I’m workin’ on it. In the meantime, I’m happily pickled.
This week coming up, in addition to our weekly regulars, we have some recent additions to the culinary line-up, with sweet cakes by Sweet Indulgences, and Nutty Novelties, which puts that old jar of peanut butter on notice. Sure, they’ve got some old school ideas that pair well with jelly, but be sure to stop by and ask about how to use these nut spreads for a savory new take on old dinner recipes.
In case you didn’t notice, we had a wee bit of a break from the heat last Saturday, although the cloud cover didn’t do much to remove the humidity. But we did have Charlie Bell in the music tent with some of the coolest songs from the early years…so early even I knew all the words. And from the applause from customers and vendors alike, so did they.
And that’s just my way of leading up to one of my very favorite returns to our Landing. Here comes the Lost Northern Tribe, those crazy Cajuns, back from wherever they found themselves last week. These guys are serious musicians and serious fun. Be sure to wear your dancin’ shoes and get ready to “laissez les bons temps rouler”.
So, I can look forward to seeing you this Saturday, right? In the meantime, before you go…scroll down and leave me a note. It’s lonely with only my computer responding to my musings. And then read the rest of the LEDC Newsletter.
As they say in Creole…Later, gators.
Terry B