I’m guilty of wandering the farmer’s market on a sunny afternoon just because it makes me happy, haphazardly making purchases from the stacks of ripe fruits and overflowing bins of vegetables. And then, I find myself at home in my kitchen with an array of gorgeous, local goodies that make absolutely no sense together.
Now that I have two kids, trips to the market are less leisurely, of course, but still a feast for the eyes. And, I try to go with a little bit more of a plan in mind. Emphasis on try; we’re still known to get sidetracked by the apple cider donuts and molasses cookies – whether the kids are along or not!
So I set this goal: head to the farmer’s market and come home with everything I need to make a complete meal.
Boston has a great line up of markets operating on different days around the city, and they just re-opened for the season in May. We’re pretty lucky to have a wide variety of vendors at the market closest to us selling the expected vegetables, meats and breads but also fresh and smoked fish, pasta and even nuts.
I hit the market solo and determined. After my scouting lap, I was pretty sure I’d be making scallops (fresh from Cape Cod), but the shitakes at the next stand sealed the deal. Armed with those two staples I circled back to add veggies and pasta. My pasta guy was quick to suggest squid ink pasta to pair with seafood (and I thought the cool black and speckled color would wow the kids). I rounded out the meal with yu choy – a leafy green that needs just a quick sauté – and some spring garlic for extra flavor. I added carrots to the mix, mostly because I suspected my kids would reject the yu choy.
Let’s be honest: I was shooting for the moon with this dinner and kids. But the ingredients were too good to pass up. You never know until you try… and sometimes try again. And, again. Here’s how it went…
Dinner plan: Other than washing the veggies and chopping the garlic, there was basically zero prep work. I boiled the pasta, did a quick sauté of the greens, garlic and mushrooms in butter and then seared the scallops in the same pan with a bit more butter. A sprinkle of salt finished the dish. Altogether, it took me about 20 minutes, and the kids were on the loose in the kitchen most of the time. Dishwashing included two pans, two colanders, one cutting board, plus assorted plates and silverware.
Dinner verdict from the family: Husband loved it, gobbled it down. For me, the spring garlic was the star of the show; the scallops were sweet and plump. The kids – my son is 15 months, my daughter is three-and-a-half – were less enthusiastic, but I will consider it a giant win because my daughter tried and ate her first scallop and my son stuffed himself with squid ink pasta! No child ate yu choy. Sigh.
Here’s my quick guide to not just surviving the farmer’s market (with or without your kids in tow) but returning home with a cohesive set of local ingredients to get a simple dinner on the table:
Make a List: Jot down a few ideas of how many meals you are shopping for and what basic dishes you might want to make – a pasta dish and an egg-based dish, for instance, or are you shopping for a salad and fruit for the week.
Take a Lap: Always walk around the market one time, see what’s in stock at all the places, what might already be sold out at the meat or fish stations, what looks the best before ringing up your first purchase.
Talk to the Farmers: Ask questions, learn about new vegetables, see what they might pair with something; they are experts after all. What to do with spring garlic? Use all of it, kind of like a scallion, one farmer told me.
Try Something New: Yu Choy. No, I’d never heard of it. But it looked crisp and fresh and I learned about a new green leafy vegetable.
Try Something Old: Sure, we’ve all tasted a zillion carrots, but when is the last time you had a carrot dug from your local farm (yes, I am guilty of buying the pared down, already washed baby carrots in bulk)? Buy an old stand-by vegetable and taste it again. The local-grown, autumn-dug carrots I took home were sweet and hearty, and the best carrot I’ve had in ages.
A quick nod to the local farms and makers where I found all my delicious ingredients: Red’s Best, The Kitchen Garden, Siena Farms, Valicenti Organico, Mycoterra Farm.
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Lauren K. Stein is the author of Fresh Made Simple, a collection of 76 fully illustrated recipes. The cookbook has earned accolades and press in O, The Oprah Magazine, Yahoo! Health, Leite’s Culinaria, Edible Boston, Edible Memphis, BookTrib, Yankee Magazine, Red Tricycle, and others. Knoxville Mercury called Fresh Made Simple one of the best cookbooks of 2015. Stein is a former journalist for Reuters and has written for the Boston Globe, Boston Magazine and the website Eat Boutique. Her recipes are inspired by time spent in the kitchen with her young daughter and feeding her family. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Read more about her cookbook and recipes on www.laurenkstein.com.
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