Fort Hill Farm, our anchor organic farm from New Milford, CT, will be stretching to three tents this week. We suspect it has something to do with the large crates of red and yellow watermelon they are now bringing.
What to do with said watermelon other than eat it by the slice and out of hand, napkins at the ready? Make this Ina Garten arugula, watermelon and feta salad, of course. Don't forget to grab your Painted Goat Farm feta at the Sova tent. Watermelon and feta is a winning combination but I love the addition of peppery arugula in this recipe. Watercress also works!
Or try this refreshing watermelon gazpacho. Spain at Home is back again with their own tomato gazpacho and other authentic Spanish fare. Look for piquillo peppers stuffed with Bomba rice, organic chicken and Marcona almonds topped with a saffron aioli and empanadas filled with organic chicken, onions and bell peppers.
Wright's Farm is bringing a bundle of blackberries. Market blackberries are so much sweeter than their tart supermarket counterparts. And, they are rife with antioxidants and vitamins C, A and K. They hold together well in breakfast bars and cobblers, elevate smoothies and are a must for homemade ice cream.
This particular ice cream recipe calls for a boozy addition of gin or bourbon. Lucky you, both Neversink Spirits and Nahmias & Fils are here this week.
It will take some time to make the ice cream so cut yourself a break and make an easy, peasy market dinner. This market pasta requires nothing more than grabbing all the hyper-seasonal produce at the market right now from beans to cherry tomatoes to corn and peppers, give them a quick sauteé, and then add to a bowl of fregola sarda. Toss with Kontoulis Olive Oil and finish with some of Joe Tomato's fresh mozzarella and some market herbs. If you can't find fregola sarda, you can use Israeli couscous or farro instead.
Our favorite culinary nutritionist, Marti Wolfson, returns this week for her first cooking demo since pre-pandemic times. She will be seizing on the market's current painterly produce palette and making a rainbow of "no recipe salads." You can sign up here for her Cooking Companions series.
See you at the market!