Happy Tuesday, friends! Well, I’m planning for a gorgeous day tomorrow. Come and enjoy a leisurely lunch while you listen to our faithful musicians. Watch your time, though, it slips away all too quickly on days like this. Now your problem is trying to decide what to have for lunch. Frankie’s making delicious mini spinach quiches and Nanette has a truly incredible Mediterranean salad complete with pita bread. Chomper’s BBQ will have their smoked meat platters while Cynthia offers authentic Italian fare and Kandi’s Vietnamese cuisine will be calling your name. What the heck! Bring some home for supper. It’s easier than cooking.
The Lucky Dogs will entertain us from the gazebo this Saturday morning with melodies that perfectly complement sunshine and blue skies. Grab your coffee and mosey around until it’s time to head to the cooking tent where Taryn Cabase will prepare and serve samples of her scrumptious crab cakes.
We have lots and lots of eggs at the market – green, brown, white, quail, goose, chicken, duck and even a few turkey eggs and small bantam eggs. Check out Enton Farms’ new Tur-duck-hen omelet kit containing 2 turkey, 2 duck, and 2 chicken eggs. Is that not a perfect take off on what has become a southern favorite? Frieda and her husband also offer homemade mustard – brown, hot, and honey mustard.
Springtime just radiates color and you can see the shouts of pink and yellow from Miss Betty’s bougainvillea and crepe myrtle plants. At Trudy’s little corner by the oak tree I found an exquisite azalea called Mildred sporting powder puffs of tiny azalea blossoms rather than single blooms. She also had several native azaleas which are uniquely different from the traditional. Dennis’ fig trees are ready for the orchard or even just the back yard and you’ll find several varieties of hydrangea there. Alton and Sandra’s tables are overflowing with starter plants for your garden. Fill your garden beds with tomatoes (Roma, Sweet Million Cherry, Solar Fire), green and red bell peppers, butternut squash, purple eggplant, watermelon, lemon cucumbers, chocolate and apple mint, tarragon and pineapple sage.
More colors await as you stroll around the market square – the delicate pink or James’ oyster mushroom (he has white ones, too), the rich chocolate of Kevin’s coffee beans, the bright blues, rich reds, and purples of Nancy’s sweet pea bouquets, varying shades of green veggies, the mellow golden brown of Blood River honey, the crimson splendor of Tabasco’s feathers, the warm yellow sunshine (I do enjoy sunshine!)
I made a cream sauce to go with my pink mushrooms. I gently sautéed my mushrooms with sliced green onions and chopped garlic in a little bit of Mauthe’s butter. Then added Mauthe’s sweet cream and let that reduce. Add extra flavor with a tablespoon of Nur’s sundried tomato pesto, or a dollop of Norma Jean’s walnut paté, or a tablespoon of my Rub Me Tender seasoning. Serve over pasta – I used just plain since I had neglected to get some of Cynthia’s. I’ve got you smacking your lips now, right? It really is a quick, simple recipe. I’ll bet it would be delicious served over steamed broccoli or sautéed kohlrabi instead of pasta. Hmmmmm. Lena makes a beautiful ciabatta bread, an Italian version of the popular French baguette – mmmm, sliced rounds of ciabatta, nicely warmed, to dip in your sauce.
That’s not all that’s good at the market. Try the new lemon balm kombucha over at Kombucha Girls. It’s called Balm Diggity – I just love that! There are old favorites as well, Just Ginger, Black Cherry and more. You’ll love Windfield Farms’ apple turnovers, or their tangy lemon squares, or raspberry crumble, or Norma Jean’s new sundried tomato cheese spread, rice pasta & shiitake salad, and carrot breakfast bread. It’s all right here at the Covington Farmers’ Market. Where will you be?
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
