On Monday, I met a college friend, Chip, for lunch. He lives in Arizona now, but was back east visiting his parents ("Why is everyone complaining about the weather? This is nothing!"). We were supposed to meet at
Pistachio Bar & Grille in Allentown at 11:30. I got there a few minutes late, but knowing Chip, figured I'd be waiting a while. So I hung outside waiting for him to show up. Long story short, after a half-hour of bad cell phone connections, I figured out that he was sitting inside waiting for me. Jeez. Decent lunch there--he got some sort of chicken sandwich. I got a Cuban Pressed Sandwich. Fairly tasty. A good place for a casual meal. They have good hummus for an appetizer.
We walked around our
alma mater,
Muhlenberg, to see what's changed. A lot has.
Someone's giving to them--they're not doing all that renovation on my $25 a year!
Boy, the fields must be celebrating with the rain we've been getting. Pretty humid for us, but for the veggies, it's great.
Went to the
Caboose Grille in
Souderton yesterday with MB & Jake for lunch. The menu was pretty nice--sandwiches, wraps, salads & burgers. The food was fine--nothing exceptional, but good. MB got a buffalo burger. I got a special--turkey, sun-dried tomato, fresh mozzarella on a rosemary
foccacia. Jake got a burger & fries--nice size for a children's portion. The restaurant is housed in an old train station and that gives a neat feel to the place. It's one of those places that's good, but if they did a few little things food-wise, it would be very good.
The other night I made a stir-fry with Jake's Chinese long beans. Pretty much like regular green beans except they do taste a little different. You can taste the difference more raw than when they're cooked. I'd say they have a little more "herbal" taste to them as opposed to the "grassy" taste of a raw green bean. They're pretty cool, though. We've been eating a lot from our garden: squash (of course), eggplant, beans, broccoli. A few grape tomatoes have ripened, but we're waiting for the loads of other tomatoes to do the same. They're going to hit all at the same time. There are a few watermelons growing bigger and bigger. Peppers aren't doing so well this year for some reason.
I'll also be cooking at
Blooming Glen Farm on Tuesday afternoon. So if you're a member there and pick up your shares that day, check out some of the dishes I'll be making using the things you'll be taking home.
Man, it's hot, isn't it? Actually, as cliche as it sounds, to me, it really isn't the heat--it's the humidity. How long could this go on? The weather reports are the same day after day after day.
One of the easy dishes I made at both markets was a simple Caprese salad--tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella, salt, pepper and some good extra-virgin olive oil. Mix it together and enjoy. To me, that's what summer tastes like--flavorful tomatoes, sweet basil, creamy cheese. So refreshing and delicious.
The other night I made a stir-fry with Jake's Chinese long beans. Pretty much like regular green beans except they do taste a little different. You can taste the difference more raw than when they're cooked. I'd say they have a little more "herbal" taste to them as opposed to the "grassy" taste of a raw green bean. They're pretty cool, though. We've been eating a lot from our garden: squash (of course), eggplant, beans, broccoli. A few grape tomatoes have ripened, but we're waiting for the loads of other tomatoes to do the same. They're going to hit all at the same time. There are a few watermelons growing bigger and bigger. Peppers aren't doing so well this year for some reason.
Getting ready for my cooking demo at the Ottsville Farmers' Market on Friday from 3-7PM and the Plumsteadville Grange Farmers' Market on Saturday from 9AM-12PM. I'll be cooking up some nice dishes using the great things offered by the vendors at the markets. Stop in, say hi and try some samples!
As you know, eating and buying locally grown and produced food is becoming more and more trendy. And farmers' markets are the perfect places for farmers and producers to sell the fruits (and vegetables) of their labors. The fun thing is, as you keep coming back to your favorite markets, you'll see the variety of produce throughout the growing season--from strawberries, asparagus and spring greens in the spring to tomatoes, peppers and melons in the summer to squash, Brussels sprouts and fall greens in the autumn. 
