Now in Season

It's Memorial Day Weekend. I love this time of year. It's one of those cross over periods, and in this case it's spring meets summer. Just as this weekend marks the beginning of summer culture so does it so often mark the arrival of some of our favorite summer foods. This week marked my first sighting of sweet red cherries, cucumbers, blueberries, ripe mulberries, and tender green beans. A couple of weeks ago I got my first batch of baby yellow squash from Fertile Crescent. Now those squash are long and lean with beautiful green bands. At the same time there are still mounds of strawberries and asparagus, those bastions of spring. I've been to both the Lakeside Wednesday Market and the South of the James Market this week. That's just two out of over a dozen area markets.

Here's what I got....
Strawberries: Two Quarts for $10, Agriberry
Asparagus: 1Lb for $5, Agriberry
Sweet Cherries: 1 pint $5, Agriberry
Blueberries: 1 pint $5, Agriberry
Yellow Squash: $4 for a pint stuffed upright like little squash soldiers, Fertile Crescent
Snap Peas: $2.50 for a stuffed standard size zippy bag, Thistledown Farm
Radishes: $2.50 for a giant bunch with greens, Fertile-Crescent
Red Cabbage: $2.50 for a mid-sized head, Victory Farm
Carrots: $3.00 for a good sized bunch with greens, Victory Farm
Green beans: $3.00 for a quart, Bill's Produce
Broccoli: $2.50Lb (which came out to $1 for a large head), Bill's Produce
Red Skinned Potatoes: $2-3 a quart ( I've forgotten which), Bill's Produce

Here's some of the other really nice looking produce I saw at the Market this week...
Green Cabbage
Fresh Red Onions
Spring Onions
Arugula
Lettuces Mixes
Spinach
Kale, Curly and Tuscan
Sugar Peas
Cauliflower
Purple cauliflower
Indian Cucumbers (they are yellow to a brownish green, but taste "just like a cucumber". )
Baby Cucumbers
Bok Choy
Fennel Bulbs (Got these, plus some bulbing fennel plants last week as well)
Turnips
Beets, red, orange, golden
Garlic scapes

Of course I'm only talking produce here and haven't even started on all the meats, breads, jams, jellies, herbs, pastas, plants etc. That will have to wait till next time. If you've spotted something new at your market let us know. With all the new Markets, and new vendors out there it hard to keep up!