garlic scapes

Today was the first day of the local farmer's market, which in lots of ways is my favorite day of the summer. Too bad today was overcast and rainy (when will it end?!) But it was still a lovely day. Before the rain, I got to sit on the grass and eat my raspberry Berliner (a jelly-filled masterpiece that I only allow myself to eat in the summer--not that I don't find appropriate replacements in the winter). And the lovely, lovely vegetables. I finally decided to get a 1/2 share with one of the local farmers. I'm a big fan of CSA, so it's about time I joined in. And it will be nice getting surprises throughout the summer. What I like most about the FM is that I rarely decide beforehand what to get, so I can spend the rest of Saturday morning looking for recipes.

The market was a bit small today; because of all the rainy weather, farmers got off to a slow start. Regardless, I still found:

• chard, of course--my favorite veg
• salad greens, including some almost painfully spicy stuff
• fava beans (chianti anyone?)
• radishes and parsley
• the tiniest bit of peas (he was scraping the bottom of the bucket and only came up with $.25 worth--good thing I arrived when I did)
• garlic scapes--really, the best part of the market in early summer. So garlicky, so crunchy, so tasty. If you have yet to experience the joy of garlic scapes, you can read more about them here: http://www.maryjanesfarm.com/SimplyMJ/articles/column39.asp

Now I just have to decide what to cook first and what to do with the scapes (frittata, pesto, hummus?)

Along with all the amazing food, the Farmer's Market is great for socializing/ people watching--friends you haven't seen in a while, folks you wish you knew. If I didn't want the vegetables, I would probably go anyway just for the crowds.