The Bun and I finally made it to the Green City Market in Lincoln Park last weekend. I think I forgot how great (and overwhelming) that market can be. We decided that there are some vendors whose “local” produce is negligible, but for the most part, you can really tell that the people are growing the food they sell. Since this was our first farmers’ market in a while, it was tempting to go whole-hog and buy a ton of stuff, but we did our best to focus and decide on a purpose for everything we bought. Hopefully, we’ll make good on each one and have some great recipes to share.
Having such fresh and beautiful ingredients at your fingertips can be inspiring, and we’ve already managed to make some delicious food from what we bought (see yesterday’s post). Sadly, I had to work most of the day on Sunday and wasn’t able to spend as much time in the kitchen I would have liked. As a complete surprise, though, the Bun pulled together the most amazing cherry pie I’ve ever tasted, made with fresh Michigan sour cherries. See below!
Cherry Pie
In addition to the cherries, we bought kale, radishes, beets, basil (more pesto!), and the most amazing little potatoes I’ve ever seen. They were the size of grapes!
Lil' Taters
We also found a stand selling many overpriced items, but the haricot verts just looked too amazing to pass up – they were such an intense green that I could not resist, in spite of the price. Haricot verts is just a fancy French name for little green beans – they are much thinner than the variety we find in the supermarkets here, and their taste is a little more delicate.
Haricot Verts = Thin Green Beans
When I got home on Sunday evening, I was so pleased to see the pie sitting there on the table and mustered the energy to pull together a dinner worthy of that dessert. I think I did okay (if I do say so myself) by making a nice roast chicken and a big side of the potatoes and green beans. Just pretend that I didn’t render some of the fat from the chicken to saute the vegetables and we’ll call this a nice, healthy meal. =)
Shop farmers’ markets! Get out on your lunch hour! Get up early on Saturday! Support your local farmers and get inspired to make delicious meals for yourself and your friends. You will be glad you did – your belly and your soul with thank you.
Shallots Web 