Pinch My Salt

Food, Recipes, and Photography

Back from the Farmer’s Market

by 20 Comments

Farmer's Market Produce

Just got home from The Vineyard Farmer’s Market and thought I’d show you what I picked up today.  I came home with broccoli, carrots, asparagus, alfalfa sprouts, sorrel, tomatoes, kale, and some baby squash.  Last night I stopped by the Clovis Farmer’s Market and bought eggs, cheese, lettuce, and blueberries.  I have fresh herbs in the fridge and the freezer is stocked with some chicken, fish, and beef.  I plan on hitting up a local stand for strawberries later today.  I think I’m set!  What have you been buying in your local markets lately?

 

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  1. domenicacooks says

    Lovely Nicole! We don't have squash or tomatoes yet, but I picked up some gorgeous baby broccoli, baby beets, red spring onions, young rapini, and arugula flowers among other things. Love spring at the farmers' market!
    Reply

  2. Anne Marie says

    Please stop! :) Here in MN, we have a few salad greens grown in cold frames and greenhouses and perhaps a few asparagus spears, but that's about it. The Morel mushrooms are coming soon, however, and then, for a very short time, folks will be envying us! :)
    Reply

  3. Kristy Lynn says

    These veggies are absolutely inspiring!! I love it! I try to make it to the farmer's market every Saturday but we also get a box delivery from a local Organic producer every other week so I often find myself with an abundance of fresh, local, delicious vegetables. I guess that's not such a bad thing ;)
    Reply

  4. Lynda W. says

    Hey Nicole! My favorite local produce haunt is Takahashi Farms now located at the corner of Copper and Auberry. The strawberries are amazing and if you spend $10 you are allowed to pick a "free tray" from the day old rack. I recently let your Aunt Kathy in on my local secret. Glad you had fun in SB.
    Reply

  5. Kirsten Wanket says

    Last weekend, my kids and I picked up some beautiful squash, asparagus and three colors of carrots (much like those in your photo!) at our local farmers market. Grilled, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, tad of fresh cracked pepper and YUMMMM! Most of all, the kids so appreciated the entire experience - from selecting 'just the right' fresh ingredients (likely picked within 24 hours), chopping and slicing, and yes, allowing them to turn over on the grill all by themselves - perfection! Who says you can't get your kids to eat veggies? Interestingly enough, tasting the different colored carrots led to a larger discussion....tasting notes, flavor profiles, matching different herbs with different ingredients....priceless!
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  6. Cherie says

    Meyer lemons, Fuji apples, red onions, kale, leeks, rainbow beets, asparagus, avocados, almond honey, and whatever that green scaly fruit is. :) The kids and I also sat outside the tamale booth and ate a chile cheese and a beef tamale.
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  8. Courteney says

    I love it! I'm so excited to take a trip to my local farmer's market and start buying up produce. And I can't wait to see what wonderful things you do with these vegetables. The whole array reminds me spending summers at my grandmother's house. She used to make us tomato sandwiches that were too die for. I can't wait to cultivate some recipes of my own from your ideas and techniques. :-)
    Reply

  9. aleida says

    nothing like fresh, local and colorful to open up my appetite! I get my box of local produce (puerto rico) on tuesdays. looking forward to what the harvest brings this week!
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  12. Flour On My Face says

    I am just a wee bit jealous. I planned to go to the farmers market this morning but when I woke up it was pouring rain and we had hail! Our farmers market is only open on Saturday : (
    Reply

  13. simplysemplicita.com says

    i live in rome, italy and went to our farmers market today. it's STRAWBERRY season and there are crates stacked high with them! i grabbed 2 beautiful trout, a load of veggies, and of course some containers of the reddest berries i've seen in months. as the italian say, no recipe beats fresh ingredients!
    Reply

  14. Jen S says

    Great Spring finds! I love being able to walk to a farmer's market here in Portland Oregon. The market at PSU is full of farmers, ranchers, and cooks. There are no artist vendors at this one at all. Apparently how Portland prefers to keep markets and have separate events fro artists and crafters. Very different to ones I am used to in Ca. I used to call the San Diego Hillcrest Farmer's market my "Holy Market of Hillcrest Church." I went every Sunday. Near my parent's in Rocklin and Folsom there are great strawberry and fruit stands popping up. Now I miss my favs from Ca. Living in the NW requires true seasonal crops.
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  15. Sarah says

    Wow! I am so jealous. Our farmer market doesn't open until June here in WI. And it's been so cold and rainy the farmers are having trouble starting their fields.
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  17. thelittleloaf says

    All looks utterly gorgeous and so fresh. It's asparagus season in the UK so I'm stocking up on huge bunches and cooking in as many ways as I can - steamed with butter, roasted and drizzled with peppery olive oil, wrapped in crispy pancetta..the list goes on. Herbs I try to grow in my garden although lazy watering means they've suffered a bit the last few weeks!
    Reply

  19. Susan S says

    I, too, miss the fruit stands and farmers markets in the Central Valley. Nothing can beat fresh nectarines, cherries, strawberries, or pluots straight from the tree (or vine). - formerly from Visalia, but now in Minnesota
    Reply

  20. Susannah says

    I wanted to take a picture of my farmer's market haul on Saturday, but don't have a blog, so instead had my children admire the beautiful variety and colors. We got sugar snap peas, rainbow chard, beets, japanese turnips, fennel, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, spring onions, greenhouse tomatoes, green garlic, eggs, chicken and ground beef...enough to feed my family of 5 for the week.
    Reply

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