cucumbers

Look for cool, crisp cucumbers including Persian, Japanese, English and assorted pickling varieties from J.R. Organics, Suzie's Farm and Vang’s Farm at the Little Italy Mercato on Saturday. Get your Greek on by tossing sliced cukes with Nicolau Farms’ goat feta, kalamatas from Lisko Imports, onion from Second Chance Farm, and fresh oregano from Rivera’s Treasure Garden.

Try using Japanese cucumbers for this pickled cukes recipe. Buy garlic at Sage Mountain Farm and give these garlic dill refridgerator pickles a try. 

Line up some limes from Gilbert Quintos farm for a refreshing Cucumber Agua Fresca. Add Suzie's Farms' strawberries for a twist. If you prefer your cukes already pickled, Happy Pantry has naturally fermented pickled cucumbers and other local vegetables.

Stay cool as a cucumber at the Little Italy Mercato!

GET TO THE GREEK!

Need some quick recipes for dinner? Want something light, refreshing, and easy? Now's the best time to head to the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers Market and stock up on all sorts of fresh Mediterranean ingredients to put together your best Greek family dinner yet.

Greek Saganaki is a savory traditional side dish that brings everyone together before a meal. Try a different twist and pan fry fresh slices of goat-feta cheese from Nicolau Farms. Arrange on a platter with juicy, sweet slices of San Marzano tomatoes from Suzie's Farm and lemon wedges. Or make your own tasty Skardalia dip using one pound of russet potatoes from Produce Stand, a few fresh cloves of garlic from Maciel & Family, and half a cup of raw almonds from Hopkins AG. Cook the potatoes, roast the almonds and blend together with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and enjoy with some fresh pita bread from Baba Foods.

You can't go wrong by making a huge Greek salad to share with friends and neighbors. Stop by JR Organics for a few heads of crunchy romaine lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, crispy cucumbers, and red onions. Add a few hungarian hot wax peppers from Suzie's Farm to give it a kick. Crumble in some feta cheese from Nicolau and top it off with some Kalamata olives from Lisko imports. Serve with a chilled glass of white wine, or use coffee from Agora Bean & Leaf to float the traditional three coffee beans in a glass of Sambuca ...the Greeks were always known for their decadence, weren't they?

Romance is always in the air at North Park Farmers market!  So gather up your partner and dosey doe through the aisles because they're chocked full of aphrodisiacs sure to make your date night a success! Sure, there's the familiar foods that chemically make us more amorous, like oysters and chocolate.  But did you know that your gardens are also filled with these beacons of love?.  Your first stop should be at Valdivia to pick up some tomatoes. Tomatoes, also known as "love apples", were were banned by the Catholic Church in the 19th century due to concerns about the fruit’s “morality.”  We dare you to try to control yourself after biting into the red,  juicy, fleshy forbidden fruit!

Next stop on your love journey should be Suzie's farms to pick up some Armenian cucumbers.  Researchers have found a link between the smell of cucumbers and sexual arousal. Don't let yourself get too carried away...and be sure to stop by John Gilruth's and pick up an avocado or two. Just by looking at the shape of avocado, you will see the reason why it was associated with sensual creativity.  What's that delightful aroma wafting JR Organics? Their fresh bunches of basil are sure to arouse you, and while you're moseying through the stalls, take a taste of Hopkins Ag almonds. These nuts are known throughout the ages to be a symbol of fertility. Finish up your shopping with some delicious cheese from Taste that you can spread softly over a warm baguette from Belen. And don't forget to tempt your beloved with a chocolatey Almond Joy cookie from the Chewy Cookie. Last but not least, get some flowers from Maldonado and you're almost guaranteed to get some tonight!

FROM RUSSIA, WITH SOUP

Invite your neighbors over, turn on some music, sit outside and settle down with a bowl of hearty, cold Russian beet soup. On a hot summer day, this soup is energizing and light. The red beets from Suzie's Farm, with their sweet flavor that is close to the earth, from which they emerged, make a dazzling duo with JR organics' cucumbers. In a mixing bowl, combine three cups of buttermilk, a peeled & quartered cucumber, 3-4 cooked beets (sliced, with juice), and two chopped green onions with a bit of white vinegar. Stir in a bit of fresh, chopped dill or mint and a dash of salt to taste. Let soup chill for a couple of hours, or overnight, and serve cold, replacing the traditional sour cream garnish with a dollop of fresh goat cheese from Nicolau Farms. A loaf of fresh rye or pumpernickel bread makes this dish a real Russian experience.

HOLY MOLE EPAZOTE!

Bored with the same old summertime gazpacho?  Why not add a new twist to your old favorite by adding Epazote (eh-pah-ZOE-teh) from Suzie's farm?  Despite its gasoline-like odor in the raw, Epazote's flavor is a cross between cilantro and dandelion greens. Traditionally it was added to black beans in Mexico because it aids in digestive and eliminates flatulence. However, it can be used to add a new and interesting flavor to some familiar dishes. 

When added to the usual gazpacho suspects, including heirloom tomatoes and green peppers from JR Organics, cucumbers from Vang's, Reed avocados and limes from Paradise Valley, a sprig of Epazote will add some macho to your gazpacho! Mix fresh epazote leaves or the whole stem and leaves into beef stews, slip into quesadillas before adding delicious Firehouse Jack cheese from Springhill  or  chop into fresh corn from Kawano farms.  Add it to your next mole and we think that you'll be shouting Holy Mole! 

Warning:  Use only the fresh leaves and stems in your recipes.  The dried herb is only suitable for medicinal teas.

Did you notice those cucumbers that resembled tiny watermelons at Suzie’s Farm’s booth?  Mexican sour gherkin cucumbers, also known as the “mouse melon” is a newly re-discovered heirloom varietal that has a surprisingly sour taste.  Their sourness got us thinking about pickling and the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmer’s Market has a plethora of picks for pickling.

According to Chinese medicine, one should consume pickles during the hottest summer months as a tonic for cooling the stomach and strengthening the kidneys.  But don’t stop at cucumbers, almost any vegetable or fruit can be pickled.  Why not consider pickling chard from JR Organics, squash from Kawano Farms, beets and let’s not forget the pickled peppers from Maciel Family Farm!

Here is a basic pickling recipe that will get you started: Start with approximately 4 pounds of any vegetables.  Combine 3 cup vinegar, preferably apple cider, but rice, white or red wine are fine too with 3 cup water, 1/4 cup non iodized sea salt!  Check out Salt Farm for more adventurous infused and flavored salts. Cover the vegetables with the vinegar, water and salt mixture, fill sterilized mason jars and refrigerate.  Some vegetables, such as chard and leeks will need to be boiled for 5-10 minutes, before jarring.

Not so much into the whole do-it-yourself thing, then stop by the Happy Pantry booth, where they have an amazing selection of pickled veggies and salads.  However you choose to get your pickling fix, we think pickling is a great way to save your summer vegetables for consumption when you long for the taste of summer!

According to Chinese medicine, one should consume pickles during the hottest summer months as a tonic for cooling the stomach and strengthening the kidneys.  But don’t stop at cucumbers, almost any vegetable or fruit can be pickled.  Why not consider pickling chard from JR Organics, leeks from Schaner Farms, beets from Sage Mountain Farms, green beans or okra from Vang Farms and let’s not forget the pickled pepper!

Here is a basic pickling recipe that will get you started: Start with approximately 4 pounds of any vegetables.  Combine 3 cup vinegar, preferably apple cider, but rice, white or red wine are fine too with 3 cup water, 1/4 cup non iodized sea salt!  Check out  Salt Farm or She Sells Sea Salts for more adventurous infused and flavored salts. Cover the vegetables with the vinegar, water and salt mixture, fill sterilized mason jars and refrigerate.  Some vegetables, such as chard and leeks will need to be boiled for 5-10 minutes, before jarring.

Not so much into the whole do-it-yourself thing, then stop by the Happy Pantry booth, where they have an amazing selection of pickled veggies and salads.  However you choose to get your pickling fix, we think pickling is a great way to save your summer vegetables for consumption when you long for the taste of summer!

EYE SPY SOMETHING FRESH!

I spy with my little eye new crops popping up under the radar at the Little Italy Mercato.

First there were the cherries at Smit Orchards, precious, bright red and cheery. These stone fruits were the first of the season, and a sure sign of the summer crops to come. Now Hopkins AG is in on the action as their cherries are ripe and ready. Almonds and cherries, what a perfect pairing!

Kawano Farms has been bringing sweet white corn for a few weeks now and the ears just keep getting better. Picture grilling season in full swing with smoky and slightly charred ears fresh off the coals. Their little zucchini and patty pan squash would make a nice accompaniment grilled and drizzeled with Thyme of Essence's balsamic vinegar.

Then there were the Persian cucumbers at Vang Farms. More fragrant than your typical cucumber and with tiny, tiny seeds, they're a great addition to any salad or use them to make a quick vinegar pickle. And last, but never ever least, were the peaches that just suddenly appeared at Lone Oak. Fuzzy, juicy and sweet, this first of the season offering did not disappoint.

Keep your eyes peeled, it seems like there's something new every week and you don't want to miss it! What did you see this week that you haven't seen before?