Happy Saturday! :D
My Mom and I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed, and headed off to the Farmer’s Market for the morning!
The week long heat wave seems to have FINALLY passed, and a thick layer of clouds helped it almost feel like an early Fall morning. Almost!
The produce was as bountiful and colorful as ever.
For the first time this summer, I spied okra everywhere. I have no idea what I’m going to do with the .33lbs of it that I bought, but I’m pretty sure okra-loving Kath will have some sort of recipe I can try!
There were also bright, vibrant zucchini blossoms popping up. Now those, I wouldn’t even begin to know what to do with. Usually they’re stuffed and fried. You know I like to stuff things, but frying? Eh, I’ll leave it to the professionals. ;)
Summer Harvest in full swing!
In the middle of the summer harvest were some butternut and acorn squash which, I’ll admit, kind of made me excited for Fall… Butternut Squash Ravioli with Walnut Butter & Bacon, anyone? ;)
Of course there was LOADS of sweet corn, which my Mom and I split a baker’s dozen of.
And my favorite goat cheese stand was back after a few weeks away – Reichart’s Dairy Air!
So many choices of smooth, tangy, mouth-watering cheeses to choose from.
I’ve tried the plain and chive, so this time I went with Sundried Tomato & Basil.
The woman who owns the dairy farm said the cheese is made from the goat’s milk the day after they’re milked. Fresh as can be!
Now I just have to think of a way to use it (besides on a spoon and directly into my mouth. ;) )
Ok, Fall was definitely in the air, because our favorite iron-welded sculpture company (what, you don’t have a favorite iron-welded sculpture company?!) had all their Halloween and Fall-themed goods out.
It was hard convincing my Mom not to buy it all!
This was new – a little monkey swinging from it’s tail!
My heart will always belong to the flying pig though. SO CUTE.
Ok, I really like the snails too. ;)
The late-season flowers were stopping traffic they were so beautiful.
Every third person I passed had a bright, beautiful bouquet tucked inside their market bag.
PINK! :D
Of course we had samples, including nut butters!
I tried all three, natch.
Some fresh fruit.
Including yellow watermelon!
It was the craziest thing ever! People kept asking the woman working the booth – “what’s that yellow watermelon looking thing?” Every time she’d say “Yellow watermelon.” HA! It tasted just the same as the pink kind – so crazy!
Oh, and an apple cider doughnut sample. As unbelievable as it sounds. ;)
On the way out, we saw Iowa Republican Senator Charles Grassley makin’ the rounds. He’s a good ‘ol farm boy, and I like him. Although he did admit last year that he’s never used an ATM, which was pretty horrifying.
After the market I went to DSW to get a pair of walking shoes for Italy. These are Anne Klein and they are SO comf!
This afternoon Ben and I are headed to a local sweet corn festival (freaking out!!!! :mrgreen: ) Then we’re celebrating the fact that we won’t grill ourselves by being outside by grilling some steaks for dinner!
Hope your Saturday is going well! :D
Your farmer’s market looks so amazing!
Cider donuts are awesome….okay, I can be a little excited for fall. but only a little, this girl’s holding on to summer as long as she can!
[…] Sundried Tomato Basil Goat Cheese […]
Looks like a great farmers market, very plentiful. Glad it finally cooled down for you. Now you can really enjoy those morning walks and afternoon runs.
wow….yellow watermelon! I have never heard or seen it!
Looks like a great farmer’s market! Love fall – actually when I got up this morning, we were in the low 40s! I think it’s on the way….
I picked up some okra a few weeks back for the first time and made okra fries out of it (cooking spray, sea salt & pepper) and am totally addicted to them! I think I’ve had them 4-5 times a week since then haha.. I had them today in fact! They are SO GOOD!!!!! You should make them, like asap, seriously :D
As soon as all of the vacations are over and the pumpkins come out, I get really excited for fall too! Plus, Apple Season is right around the corner! Can’t wait!! :)
I was recently in San Francisco and had a thin-crust pizza topped with zucchini blossoms, creme fraiche, parmesan, and truffle oil. It was YUM and soooo pretty! Just thought I’d give you an idea in case curiosity gets the best of you and you decide to pick some up one day :)
Sweet shoes! And even sweeter trip they are about to take! :)
And, I keep waiting for sweet corn ice cream to show up at my Farmer’s Market!
that farmers market looks awesome! looks like a great day out. i use zucchini blossoms, torn up through a salad, so tasty, try some if they have them next week! x
Looks like another great day at the Farmer’s Market. Every summer I look forward to okra at our local farmer’s stand to make my favorite okra recipe.
http://southernfood.about.com/od/okra/r/bl10814f.htm
I don’t remember you talking about or including fresh tomatoes in too many recipes but this recipe also is a good way to use fresh tomatoes. YUM!!
I do have a favorite iron-welded sculpture! This guy lives down the road from my parents in my hometown & has the most amazing yard! Clyde, makes iron sculptures that range from small pieces, to monster sized creations. Here’s the website: http://www.jurustic.com/marshcreatures/index.php
If you were to go for a tour, he has the most creative stories behind all of his creations.
His wife, Nancy, has a hobbit house where she blows glass. My dad & I used to go there to blow glass with her; my dad has all the equipment at home, and I used to make glass beads & sell them as a kid. ahhh I miss those days!!
Fall is absolutely my favorite season! I’m so over this humid & hot WI summer.
P.s. I’m about to go grocery shopping & plan to (Finally!) pick up almond butter! I’ve decided to take the plunge on the cost of a jar at my local grocery store to try what I think will be the bomb!
That farmer’s market rivals ANY farmer’s market I’ve ever been to! I love all the colors.
Yellow watermelon? I’ve never heard of it! YUM!
Mmmm….butternut squash ravioli. Yum. My sister made some scratch when I visited her last winter/early spring and it was amazing.
I need to check in with some peeps to give you Rome recommendations. Can’t wait to read your posts about and see some pictures from Italy! My relatives who’ve been rave about it and would go back in a heartbeat.
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/08/12/whole-foods-could-be-on-the-horizon-for-des-moines/
saw this and thought of you!
Cute shoes alert! It’s SO tough to find comfy shoes that are fashionable, too.
And great photos from the market! What a terrific way to start the day.
Yellow watermelon!? what will they produce next! I just returned from the farmers market also and was very surprised to see what I believe to be fall produce, squash, pumpkins and ghord things. I’m totally okay with it because fall is definitely my favorite season! I purchased eggplant, which not going to lie, I ALWAYS thought of as winter/fall produce. Maybe I was wrong. Oh well I’ll be right tonight when I eat it :)
Enjoy your corn festival! Perhaps get into some sweet corn ice cream. yumm
That farmer’s market looks awesome! Love that bunch of zucchini flowers, I haven’t had any in years. :( I need to go to a local market before our growing seasons are over here in NY!
Jenn
I’ll have to check the DSW website for those shoes, since there’s not one anywhere in SoDak! I am very envious of your farmers market…Ours is so small in comparison!
Those shoes are super cute. I’m starting a new job at an elementary school, and those look perfect for being on my feet all day!