The Lure of the Farmer's Market

Earlier this summer I wrote a post titled "The Sweet Smell of Summer" and I think I could title this one the same as well. L and I ventured to the farmer's market on Tuesday for what will probably be our last time of the summer. (Sigh. But I am excited that next summer she will hopefully be able to help me pick things out!)

I went with no particular agenda--just wanting to go and see what looked good. Having just been to the store, there was nothing we needed. As usual that darn farmer's market lured me in. First, it starts with a visual feast of various colors, Green peppers, yellow-green hot banana peppers, sweet banana peppers, purple (?!?) peppers--kid you not!, white onions, green onions, purplely red onions, bright red tomatoes, purple eggplants, cucumbers and zucchini a plenty. I swear, the colors alone make me want to buy and prepare things I (we) never prepare or eat. (Anyone remember the last time I purchased an eggplant? Uh, never.) Next summer, I'll take pictures of the veggies and their colors.

But what gets me every visit are the smells. This visit, from two stalls away the basil did it. I could smell the rich, bold basil and was sunk. For $1.00 I purchased the cluster of basil in the above picture! That's right--for at least three times less than the store and at least three times more basil! Just recently holding my impromptu purchase, my mind quickly ticked away what we could possibly make with that much basil. And then the same vendor's tomatoes caught my eye. The lightbulb turned on and I pushed the stroller down to the local artisan bread maker. Ah yes, Parmesan-garlic French bread for bruschetta...

I'd meant to take a picture of the finished product, but remembered after we'd had our meal of bruschetta and melon. Cest la vie. Of course, there is still more basil to go. So far I've given some to a friend, made pizza Margherita, and put it in salad and we're still trucking along. I think we'll have to make another pizza and dry some of it. It's like manna from heaven. It just keeps multiplying or so it feels. Darn that farmer's market!