Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The Farmers' Market: A Cornucopia of Color

More rain! All day long. Needless to say, I did not lead that hike in the Moreau mountains today, as planned. My only outdoor venture today was a trip to the Saratoga Farmers' Market, which, happily, is just a few blocks from my home. And luckily, it's all under cover now, so vendors and shoppers can all stay dry.

Sure, the day was dark and drear, but what a cornucopia of color among the stalls! Instead of thrilling to autumn foliage and mountain vistas, I walked up and down the market, rejoicing in all the beautiful fruits and vegetables.



My favorite green-bean vendor was not at the market today, but my favorite tomato guy was there, with lots of sweet, low-acid Jet Stars. I loaded up today, since they won't be available for very much longer.



I bought some apples, too, although my favorite variety, Ida Red, is still not ready to pick. Northern Spies and Cortlands will have to do for now.



Here's the cauliflower I bought, just before cutting a portion of it for supper. Is that not a huge and handsome vegetable? Tonight, to save time, I simply steamed it and dressed it with a little browned butter. My favorite way with cauliflower is to roast it with onion and olive oil in a very hot oven, then sprinkle on parmesan cheese before serving. Yum!



Those are all the veggies I bought today, plus a chunk of some wonderful raw-milk washed-rind cheese from the Argyle Cheese Farmer. But there was plenty more there to feast on, if only with my eyes. Here's just a sampling:

Swiss Chard with rainbow-colored stalks



Indian Corn in all its beautiful colors



Patty-pan Squash, so shiny and golden



Every variety of winter squash



Bok Choy all nestled together in a pretty heap



Broccoli with florets that looked like little pagodas



Cherry tomatoes in purple and orange and red



Tomatoes of many varieties, all plump and ripe and red



And of course, lots and lots and lots of chrysanthemums

6 comments:

Louise said...

Harvest season. No better time. Those squash look wonderful. Time to make a trip to the local cider mill/apple farm and pick up some apples. My favorite are honeycrisp

Ellen Rathbone said...

What great shots! I miss really good farmer's markets. There are a few up in the more northerly sections of the park, where the population is greater and wealthier, but it can sometimes be difficult to justify a 3 hour drive for a bag of greens and a couple tomatoes!

Northern Spies already?!? I guess I will have to get down to the orchard soon!

Holly said...

What decadent looking shots of vegetables! Gorgeous... and making me hungry.

j said...

Great shots of the market. I'll have to try that cauliflower recipe, it sounds delicious!

suep said...

Mmm, now why don't they have TV commercials that show yummy TOMATOES and SQUASHES floating by? (instead of things like french fries and close-ups of hamburgers...)

Another thing to try with cauliflower is the way I first liked it - with a little curry powder sprinkled on top !

Jacqueline Donnelly said...

Thanks for all your nice comments, dear friends. I'm glad you al think my photos looked good enough to eat!