This Weeks Market Shop Jan 7/8 2012

I was going to post my recipe for Kangaroo with Spinach Salad with Horseradish Mustard dressing and fried Halomi... BUT

The markets were AMAZING this weekend and I just had to share some photos and thoughts I had around what is available to cook with this week ...Just look at these heirloom tomatoes from Colleen and Ian from Starlight Springs...the red capsicums are Italian wax peppers...they have all the taste of a capsicum but without the water... concentrated yumminess... superb for using anyway that you would use capsicum ~ results in a real POW of flavour... sublime...


 

Garlic is in season at the moment ~ freshly plucked from the earth... so fresh and so many varieties... my personal fave is the purple garlic... look out for this grown organically as the flavour is by far superior, these are Peter Bennett's garlic... I havn't seen it around yet but Russian garlic or elephant garlic is also fabulous... big fat mild cloves that can be grated straight into salads...

These plums are from Bill & Soula and are blood plums... the browning on these plums are an indication that they are ripe and have been picked ripe.... the result... REAL flavour... I'm going to make a plum cake with these this week ~ that is if we don't eat them all first!!

Before I get onto the other goodies I got today at markets I  wanted to have a word on uniformity and perfection...  NO WHERE IN NATURE DOES THIS EXIST ....have a think about this... apart from twins where in the natural world do you see exactly the same? Look at Pat's tomatoes... all different in shape and size....the FLAVOUR !!! If  we seek out produce for flavour not perfection then the meals we will create will be so much better... Many of the varieties that end up on our supermarket shelves are selected for their long shelf life, uniformity of shape and their robustness for travel and transport... this is at the sacrifice of flavour... It is only at places like the farmers market and back yards that you can buy or grow theses old varieties of fruits and vegetables....

 I was totally chuffed to find not 1 but 3 types of okra available!   I have this old southern cookbook that I picked up at an op shop and it has a few recipes for okra that I'm going to try during the week... all of the recipes are written up as Mrs such and such's dinner etc So cool... on that keep and eye out for old cook book's ... they are source of inspiration and quite frankly a few laughs...there are not many new things in cooking which is kinda cool... its all about the combinations that we do... how we creatively engage with our produce... great produce makes for great food !!!!                                                             

Zucchinis are well in season and there are many varieties for sale at the moment... next demo cook I am going to do some more zucchini recipes to take advantage of their abundant cropping...I never eat zucchinis outside of their growing season so that when they finally arrive I'm so excited and ready to cook with them....

Stone fruit is also at its peak... this week I bought apricots, blood plums and peaches... for the most we just eat them but I do have a macerated peaches with lemon verbena and vanilla bean honey recipe that we have with home made custard that is to die for... Did you know that icecream used to be called frozen custard?

 Strawberries... GET INTO THEM!!!

By about now we have eaten our body weight in strawberries but as their season is short and they are so plentiful and sweet at the moment we push on through... You can by 2kgs for $8 which is such a bargin... we take their greens off put them in the freezer... if you have a high power blender you can make a quick icecream by putting frozen stawberries and natural yogurt and vanilla bean honey and wizzing them up... if you are wanting a dairy free alterative use frozen strawberries, lemon juice and honey in the blender.... crazy good



The first eggplants are starting to show themselves... I have a few great Italian recipes to share over the next few weeks using these black, glossy beauties...

I was also excited to find these different varieties of beans... also from Starlight Springs... I'm going to do a crunchy bean salad with these this week... How pretty are they? Purple Beans ~ Love it!!!

I think I experienced olive perfection this week.. Two Hills do the best marinated olives with garlic and fennel seeds and thier dried kalamattas are as good as my Uncle Frank's.

These lettuces are from Di and Jen and they are a variety that I have not seen before... tiny and delicate, sweet and oh so cute! I love that about a farmers market that you can constantly find new and interesting foods....

This week I also got some lemons, 1/2 a large watermelon, grapes, carrots, herbs from Judith... and some minute steaks from Najobe Beef... oh and cherries of course before they are all done with...

I'm really looking forward to sharing this weeks food with you and I am so loving the feedback you are giving me... thanks for your support...

yours,

Honey Lady