What is on the menu for this market?  Yummy squash!  It is one of my favorite summer treats.  I love the fresh taste of them grilled.  I just brush some olive oil on them and a bit of salt and pepper, put them on the grill for a bit of awesome carmelization and you have the yummiest taste of summer. I also love to roast them.  It’s so easy, just quarter them and toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper, and onions.  Cook for about 30 minutes at 425 and you have a nice side.  I have a friend who comes to market each Saturday.  She shared this Grilled Summer Squash with Blue Cheese and Pecans recipe with me from Food and Wine.  Matt and I tried it and it really fancied up the squash.  Matt picks his squash super young.  They are very tender and delicious.  They are so tender, I have even tossed them in a salad raw.  One thing I have learned, when you have quality ingredients you don’t have to be fancy and they still taste great!  Look at these beauties coming to market!

My next favorite thing is fennel.  Fennel has a sweet licorice flavor and is very tasty as a side or in other dishes.  Ancient Chinese medicine found found fennel helps with everything from congestion to conjunctivitis.  The essential oil of fennel provides upset stomach relief.  That’s all good to know, but really, I just want to eat clean, healthy food!  I have chopped it in to matchsticks and added it to Matt’s savory salad blend he sells at market.  You can steam, roast or saute the bulb and add it to soup or casseroles.  It is also great served with fish.

About 10 years ago I went to Edo Squid and had their braised fennel and became obsessed with this awesome treat.  Whenever I taste something wonderful, I try to reproduce it at home.  I found this braised fennel recipe and it is very close to the perfection I ate that night at Edo Squid.  The reason Edo Squid’s food tastes so awesome is because they get their ingredients from local farmers.  They are a part of the Mamma Zu family and they come out to South of the James Farmer’s market each Saturday to hand select their fresh food for the week.  As a matter of fact, they were doing this before the “farm to table” thing was a thing.  We truly appreciate restaurants that buy from local farmers.

So, what’s coming to market this week?

• Salad and Arugula
• Swiss Chard
• Kale
• Fresh Garlic
• Squash
• Fennel
• Leeks
• Turnips
• Kohl Rabi
• Carrots
• Tat Soi
• Honey
• Eggs

See you at market!  We will be there from 8:00-12:00.  Come early to get the best treats!