Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This week, Christie of  A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures  and Cynthia of  Feeding Big  have us celebrating the bounty of farmers' markets. "If you can buy it at a Farmer's Market and can use it in a recipe...share it!" they urged. Yesterday I shared a Freshly Dug Potato Salad with Pea Shoot Pesto . And this last weekend, my Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf and I actually spent several hours at the Santa Cruz Westside Farmers' Market, getting inspired . #FarmersMarketWeek Tuesday Recipes Bing Cherry and Peach Galette by The Freshman Cook Bruschetta with Marinated Tomatoes and Ricotta by The Redhead Baker Cabbage Slaw with Seasonal Herbs by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Fresh Strawberry Lemonade by Family Around The Table How to Freeze Corn on the Cob by Frugal Pantry Kiwi Guacamole  by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures Summer Pasta Primavera by Palatable Pastime Zapple Crisp by Cooking with Carlee Zucchini Raisin Cookies by Jolene's Recipe ...

This morning I went on assignment to the Scotts Valley Farmers Market to photograph their pop-up breakfast. It was a glorious meal and beautiful day. Chef Heidi Schletch, of Feel Good Foods and Plumline Farm , and her team dazzled us with dishes cooked with produce and goods from the market purveyors. It was amazing. We had smoothies made with Garden Variety sheeps' milk yogurt +  Lone Oak Ranch  peaches + fresh mint  + cardamom; green gauge plum and raspberry jams from  Plumline Farm ; a rice bowl with short ribs from  El Salchichero , farm-fresh eggs from  Lemonade Springs Farm  and braised kale and chard from  Route 1 Farms ; an apple crisp and fresh whipped cream; and more. What a delightful brunch!   A few of my favorite shots from the event...  

Today Jake and I spent a few hours at the Scotts Valley Farmers Market. I was on assignment...but we were kid-free and had a glorious breakfast on a beautiful day. Here's some of the market goodness... A few of the stands were - just to name a few - Route 1 Farms (Santa Cruz), El Salchichero (Santa Cruz), Lemonade Springs Farm , and  Lone Oak Ranch (Reedley). And my favorite shot...I love summer tomatoes!

Today I wandered the downtown farmers' market, looking for a vendor I had planned to interview for a story. Unfortunately, he was not open for business as his website indicated he was. Bummer. The up side: I discovered marionberries and golden raspberries from Borba Farms in Aromas. They were my perfect dessert. While the boys demolished our Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream , I devoured these by the handful. Marionberries are a fleeting summer treat. I usually only see them for a few weeks...if that. Technically, they are Marion blackberries, named after the county in Oregon where they were developed, a cross between a blackberry and an olallieberry. Marionberries have a rich, earthy flavor without the bitterness of some other blackberries. Golden raspberries are one of the three that you can find during the summer months - black raspberries, red raspberries, and golden raspberries. I just love their sun-kissed, golden hue and sweetness. Thanks, Borba Farms! Do you have th...

" Food Fest ,"a write up on Edible Monterey Bay' s blog, pointed us to the hippest place to be on the Monterey Peninsula tonight: the very first Independent Marketplace. So, off we went to Sand City where sandwich-board signs and beaming volunteers direct you to parking lots tucked behind industrial storefronts. A vibrant mural on a brick wall greeted us. "Welcome to the Westend." Picture local farmers showcasing their freshest, in-season produce. Sunny lemons, crisp peas, amethyst-tipped baby artichokes, and creamy parsnips. I enviously eyed a bundle of fuzzy, pale green stalks that a man was carrying out on his shoulder. Cardoons by the bushel. This was my kind of market. Add to the farmers' market displays table after table after table loaded with artisinal foods from bakeries, dairies, apiaries, jam makers and others from all over the Monterey Bay area. Things to buy. Things to try. Things that make you pause a...

Walking through the farmers' market this evening, Riley excited gestured towards a booth, tugging on my sleeve. "Mommy, what are these?" "Those are parsnips." "Can we get some?" "Sure." Dylan darted across the street to another booth; the kid is drawn to pretty cellophane-shrouded treats. Totally Jake's child. "Mommy, look at these! What ARE they?" "Those are caramel apples." Riley shook his head, "Dylan, don't even think about asking for them. Mom's not going to buy you a caramel apple." "But it has an apple in it." "Yea, but it's the caramel part she won't buy." "Okay, fine," Dylan sighs, "Mommy, will you buy me those purple carrots instead?" "Yep." So, armed with parsnips and purple carrots, I think I'll make a caramelized parsnip and apple soup tomorrow! Recipe and photos to come.

Also at the Marina farmer's market this afternoon: Tony Inzana of Inzana Ranch & Produce out of Hughson.  I have no idea where Hughson is, but given the 209 area code, I'm guessing he and his nuts are from the central valley. Riley walked up to the booth and, to my horror, stuck both hands into a bin of hazelnuts, rustling the nuts and rolling them in his fingers.  I had flashbacks to my first time at a market in Rome when I realized that you do not select your own produce; you tell the vendor how much you want and he or she selects for you.  Whoops.  Thankfully, the woman realized I was a foreigner and apt to make a major market faux pas.  We later became friendly as I frequented that market on a daily basis while getting groceries for the Nuzzo family. A quick glance at the man in the apron assured me that he wasn't bothered by Riley's hands in his goods.  So, I smiled at the man, walked over there and started talking to Riley about the nuts. ...

Walking through the farmers' market in Marina this afternoon, I was picking through a pile of dinosaur kale when I heard a squeal of delight.  "Mamma!" Dylan exclaimed "You've NEVER bought these before. Can you buy this?!"  He was excitedly gesturing at a pile of prickly pear paddles.  Ummmm...okay.  One of my cardinal rules of motherhood: if a child asks to try a new food, buy it! So, we picked three medium sized paddles, firm to the touch and a gorgeous shade of green.  Riley offered: "Mom, I don't think you have to cook them at all.  Survivor Man just ate them raw."  Nope, I'm going to cook them.  Now I just need to figure out a recipe...