Today was the opening day of our local farmer’s market.  It’s still early days for some of the local farmers, but there were still some good selections to be had.  There are also a few new folks out there selling things like honey,  bread, homemade jams and jellies and so forth.  While those are nice, my main purpose in going to the market is to get fresh, locally grown produce to use at home.  So here’s my haul from today:

A very fragrant bunch of new onions (I love the blooms on the ends of the stalks); cucmbers; red and green bell peppers (those suckers are $4 at the grocery store, or $0.75 at the market); jalapeno peppers (I’m thinkin’ of my very first batch of salsa for the season); green beans; and finally some baby red potatoes (crash hot potatoes, anyone?).  A respectable  bit of food for about $12 or so.

Now the miscellaneous stuff:

Still trying to figure out what to do with large quantities of whey from straining yogurt. Biscuits seem to work well (post coming). I’m also freezing a pint of it to see if it can be kept frozen. I hate to waste it. Any thoughts? Leave me a comment. I’ll try anything.

Finding I have little dibs and dabs of stuff left over – bits of basil, half a lemon, etc. So I’m experimenting with making flavored oils and vinegars for salads and drizzles over the course of the summer (post coming). I think I need to build a shelf above the kitchen sink so all the little jars can sit in the window.

I’m beginning to think that the reason our tomatoes never produce in quantity is that the designated tomato area doesn’t get enough direct sunlight. The problem is the HOA limits where we can plant things. Putting tomatoes out across from the patio would work much better, but will they fine us or make us take them up? H says better to ask forgiveness than permission. Maybe I’ll do it. What’s the worst that can happen?

The cilantro is beginning to pop up nicely. I’m looking forward to homemade salsa this year with more of my own produce in it. Store bought tomatoes just don’t cut it for me.

I moved the preserved lemons to a different jar – no metal lid and I think they just look prettier.  I forgot I had these in the cupboard where I keep the tea and coffee.

I really wish we had room for a small chest freezer. I’m wondering if we could rearrange the storage closet on the patio and put one in there. If we wall mounted shelves and then had the freezer underneath, it would work well. The closet stays cool even in the heat of summer, so it wouldn’t put that much of a strain on a unit. Something to look into.

Ok there you have it. My random Saturday meanderings. More to come.