Being a Guest Chef at the Farmer's Market

I love our Farmer's Market and I feel that we have a great market for such a little town -- organic vegetables, hormone free beef, pork and chicken, Amish baked goods, and a favorite vendor -- Little Spouse on the Prairie -- who sells jams and pies and vegetables.

I am there each Tuesday afternoon and Saturday morning to pick up fresh produce (and eggs and meat) for the coming days.

Because of my food column in our Saturday paper, Nevada -Fort Scott Herald Tribune, I was the Guest Chef last year during the Tomato Festival. It was a fun time and I was thrilled to be asked to Guest Chef again this year. So last Saturday, armed with garden herbs, my knife, a cutting board, off I went to the Farmer's Market.
It was fun to watch the Amish arrive by horse and buggy. The horses are tethered across the street on the grounds of our historic fort while the Amish sell their wares at the Market.

My table with things I've brought -- olive oil and tarragon vinegar, a glassful of herbs, salt and pepper, my knife and a cutting board.

And so everyone knows . . . that it is a Guest Chef demonstration and that we're not selling anything!

My able assistant and friend Sarah, who was my sous chef and my Vanna White!!! She passed out samples and expertly told about each one for she, too, is a foodie!

She and I went to various vendors and armed with prepared pasta, the herbs, olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, lemons and the makings for Mary's lemon coleslaw dressing, we brought back product to our station.

And made delicious summer salads . . . .like
Pasta, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and the lemon salad dressing.

Halved cherry tomatoes, lemon salad dressing and Italian seasoning

And a favorite (that I made at home and brought - because they needed to sit before eating) --

gingered cucumbers.

We also fixed a salad of Asian long beans, onion, halved cherry tomatoes, the lemon salad dressing with a hint of curry powder added.

We had a grand time and enjoyed the early morning fog that descended over the market, the fort and the town.

Sarah and I both enjoyed talked to our customers, telling them about the great produce available at the market and what you can do with it.

What pleased both of us is that an early attendee came back -- for she had tasted, then bought, and went home and made the gingered cucumbers and came back to tell us about it!

The lemon salad dressing is really a recipe for Lemon Coleslaw that I got from my friend Mary at One Perfect Bite. It makes a great coleslaw but the dressing is good to0 -- plain or with the addition of fresh basil, dried Italian seasoning, or curry. And added to fresh vegetables or a pasta/vegetable combination.

The cucumbers are good -- like your grandmother's cucumber and onion salad only "up a notch" with the addition of fresh ginger. And we used the cucumber dressing on another pasta salad with vegetables and it was yummy as well.

GINGERED CUCUMBERS

4 pounds cucumbers

1 cup vinegar (I used Tarragon)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup peeled and finely minced fresh ginger

Slice cucumbers thinly. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, ginger and salt until sugar has dissolved. Add cucumbers and toss to combine. Let marinate, refrigerated for at least 3 hours.

MARY'S LEMON DRESSING

2 T. sour cream (can be lo fat)

2 t. mayonnaise (can be lo fat)

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

3 T. water

1 Sweet N Low packet

salt

pepper

Mix all together. This makes enough for one head of cabbage for coleslaw. I added fresh basil or dried Italian seasoning or curry powder. But I also think you could add bleu cheese as well.

It's a great light but creamy dressing.

(From my friend Mary, at One Perfect Bite)

It's Wednesday which means that it's Outdoor Wednesday, so please join Susan at A Southern Daydreamer to see where everyone has been Outdoors this Wednesday!