What's All The Fuss?
Let's discuss:
Why do YOU
support
Eastern Market?
The answers always intrigue me:
"I like buying local"
"The __(fill in the blank: apples, tomatoes, etc.)__ just taste better"
"I like to support local farmers"
"It's a family tradition"
My love affair with locally grown foods started at a young age due to, what I imagine to be, a typical childhood experience throughout the USA. I'm talking about the bounty of summer produce that makes it's way from field to farm stand:
I'm talking about,
the corn lady.
(dun, dun, dun). :)
Each summer, while visiting my grandparents, we would make our way into town to visit this suntanned and perpetually smiling vendor to purchase a variety of vegetables...but always corn. Sweet corn was especially a favorite. And it was an undisputed fact that her corn was the best. No contest. In a tribute to tasty corn, please see delicious recipe following this post. Yum!
Fast forward years later and this fond childhood memory motivated me to work at my college farm. There I met local farmers whom I worked alongside selling our respective goods at a local, weekly market. What a hardworking bunch with an unbelievable breadth of knowledge! From knowing the best way to plant a multitude of vegetables to explaining the best method to store and prepare a number of different fruits, it was clear they knew and cared about what they worked so hard to create.
This used to be a given. Knowledge-based skill sets developed through first-hand experience. However, local farmers' markets, like Eastern Market are becoming rare retreats in a sea of big-box stores. Am I right? Look forward to reading your comments on this one!
A Recipe: Southwestern Veggie
Skillet
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"This southwestern-inspired
veggie skillet is loaded with squash, corn, and tomatoes and sprinkled with
cilantro and lime juice and is a perfect accompaniment to meals."
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced into rings
1 zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 ear corn, kernels cut from cob
4 roma (plum) tomatoes, peeled and
chopped
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1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, or
more
to taste
1/2 lime
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Directions:
1.
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Heat olive oil in a large skillet
over medium heat; cook and stir onion in hot oil until tender, 5 to 10
minutes. Stir zucchini and yellow squash into onion; cook until slightly
tender, about 3 minutes. Add corn; cook for 1 minute.
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2.
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Stir tomatoes and garlic into
onion mixture; cook and stir until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season
with cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook to desired doneness, 5 to 10 more minutes.
Sprinkle in cilantro; stir until wilted. Remove from heat and squeeze lime
over mixture.
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2013 Allrecipes.com
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something to say? Consider yourself a "market lover"? Want to give
back to the community and just can't get enough of Eastern Market?
Adopt a day!
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Want to learn more? Interested? Please email: eastern.marketlife@gmail.com
Great post; a delicious recipe!
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