The Piedmont Green Market was closed this past weekend for Independence Day, but since our plants didn't know to take the week off, we still had a harvest and needed a place to bring it. Luckily, Joaquin heard about the Studioplex Green Market conveniently located right in our own neighborhood. For those of you who live in or around the Old Fourth Ward, this convenient, quaint little market offers produce, herbs, crafts, and coffee Saturday mornings from 8am until 1pm. It's a great low-key alternative to the hustle and bustle of bigger markets, not to mention there's plenty of parking. We're glad we found the market and we're crossing our fingers that it will keep growing with vendors and visitors. Right now we're trying to find a way to sell at both Piedmont and Studioplex, so this coming weekend we're splitting up our produce and man-power and sending Joaquin off on his own to run his very first solo market at Studioplex. Depending on this weekend's turnout, we may be attending both markets in the future.
Our Sun Gold cherry tomatoes are on! We sold our first pints of this crop on the 4th of July as our small birthday present to this country. For those of you who have never ventured beyond the flavorless red cherry tomatoes from your local supermarket, or thought those little yellow pear tomatoes were adventurous, you really need to pick up a pint from our stand early one morning before they sell out! These are undoubtedly the best cherry tomatoes you'll ever taste. I won't even waste precious planting space on our farm with any other variety of cherry tomato. (Take my advice: save some seeds and plant them in your own garden next summer.)
Jalepenos, Turnips, Tomatillos, Musk Melons, and Walla Walla Onions also made their first appearances last week, and were quickly snatched up. And once again we offered Okra, Eggplant, Green & Purple Basil, Green Tomatoes, Rainbow Chard, Red Russian Kale, Green Onions, Delicata, Lemon Cumbers, Green Cukes, Yellow & Green Zucchini, Patty Pans, and Yellow Crookneck Summer Squash. This coming weekend we'll be bringing our first carrots...and perhaps even a few watermelons and pie pumpkins. Our heirloom tomato plants are still right on the verge of ripening, but I expect we'll be eating our weight in tomatoes within the next two weeks.
My Cucumber Mint Lemonade was such a success at the Studioplex Market that you can be certain you'll find it at all of our future stands. Our Tulsi Sun Tea may just lose its place as our signature farm drink, but for now we'll let them share the title. This doctored-up lemonade is a delightfully refreshing summer drink that's very simple to make and has such a great texture from the pureed cucumbers. And, if you're not pregnant, I recommend trying it with a splash or two of vodka, rum, or tequila!
On a note of gratitude: we have been overwhelmed with our customers kind words about how wonderful and fresh our produce looked (we promise it tastes even better!). I can't thank all of you enough who have come out to support local farmers at markets that reward such hard work. We're glad you're enjoying our harvests.
Happy Eating!
Jessica
