Good afternoon, friends, and Happy Tuesday! Vacations are wonderful but it’s great to get back into a routine again. After two weeks, I feel so out of touch but I’m sure there will be great lunches – crispy egg rolls, lovely raw salads and wraps, a few Honduran tamales, delicious pulled pork and perhaps Jeff will even surprise us with smoked chicken salad. Enjoy your lunch with a refreshing cup of jasmine tea, strawberry fruit pinch, or blueberry lemonade. Don’t forget to pick up your fresh veggies. Squashes are perfect to stuff with a little pulled pork or chicken salad and bake. Or fill with Nanette’s corn and black bean salad for a vegetarian flair that will even satisfy meat lovers. Enjoy raw or baked. Make your own “spaghetti” with zucchini. I usually cut the zuke lengthwise into ¼” thick (or so) slices, then cut each of those slices into ¼” long pieces. You can stir fry it before adding sauce or use it raw.
Saturday, lovely Saturday, will be another great market day with fresh watermelon slices from Jubilee Farms in the cooking tent. I know one slice won’t be enough but don’t fret, they will have some for sale as well. We will also be treated to the vibrant tunes of Linnzi Zaorski. Her sassy 1940s style brightens up our morning. So grab your coffee, put your dancin’ shoes on and have a great time with us.
I’m looking forward to seeing if there are any new veggies to be had. I am certain there will be eggplant. Bread and fry eggplant rounds and top them with some of my O-luv Artichoke sauce, Cynthia’s Bolognese sauce, or with Bechac’s Bleu Cheese dressing. Yum!
I know there will be fresh beans, okra, squashes, heirloom and Creole tomatoes, blueberries and peaches, tomatillos, and peppers. I was kinda strapped for a great recipe when I came across Marietta’s recipe for spaghetti squash from Slice of Heaven Farm. Thanks, Marietta, this sounds wonderful!
Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out seeds. Place open side down in a baking sheet with a half inch of water in it. Bake for 40 mins at 350°F. Once the squash is done, take it out and scrape out the inside “noodles” with a fork and spoon. Prepare a pan on medium high heat and melt a tablespoon of butter with a tablespoon of minced garlic. Add the “noodles” and toss in the butter and garlic. Add a splash of dry white wine. (If you’re not big on wine, I’m sure that vegetable or chicken broth will work.) Sauté until the wine is evaporated, about 4-5 minutes. Finish with minced parsley and grated parmesan. Serve hot. Doesn’t that sound delicious?
Another good idea I came across has to do with okra. Lots of our vendors will have okra this week and I know many of you stay away from it because it tends to be slimy. Slice your okra, place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes on each side. It can then be put in recipes for gumbo, or whatever you like. Best yet – NO SLIME!!
I can’t wait to get back to the Market, to the brightly colored flowers and green plants, cool summer soups, freshly baked breads, a cookie selection to delight the most discriminating tastebud, sweet honey, jars of beautifully fermented veggies, your friendly faces, laughing children, the scent of herbal soap wafting on the breeze along with Tabasco’s endearing cock-a-doodle-doo. It’s so good to be home!
Lots of love
Charlene LeJeune
Abundant Life Kitchen
The Covington Farmers’ Market is open each Wednesday, rain or shine, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Covington Trailhead, 419 N. New Hampshire and every Saturday from 8a.m. to 12p.m. on the side lawn of the Covington Police Station, 609 N. Columbia St. Call (985) 892-1873 for information or visit www.covingtonfarmersmarket.org
