Columbus Foodie

Finally a break in the heat wave, not that it’s doing us much good here since our air conditioning is broken. I’m about ready to spend the rest of the weekend sleeping in the car if we can’t get an emergency service call this weekend. So, the trip out to the farmer’s market this morning was a blessed distraction, since it involved a considerable amount of shade, semi-low humidity, and a nice little breeze, even thought it was hot otherwise.

We started our trip with a quick trip to the North Market. Since I had such a hard time choosing pictures this week, click on through if you’d like to hear about what I saw and what I got.

The North Market was hoppin’. Busy beyond belief, actually. And I got lots and lots of stuff there, too. It looks like the first apples of the season are available at The Orchard of Bill and Vicky Thomas. I bought a half peck of the “Wealthy” variety, which they say are great for making pies and cake. Should be delicious.

Also at the Orchard of Bill and Vicky Thomas were these little tiny seedless grapes that kind reminded me of the champagne grapes that I’ve got at Whole Foods before. I’m not a big grape person, but think that these would make a lovely addition to a cheese plate.

And for the first time this summer, I was moved to buy flowers – I got this pot of Black Eyed Susans at (I think) Summer Thyme Farm. It’ll stay a patio plant until it goes dormant in late fall, after which I’ll replant it in my flower bed in the front yard since it’s a perennial. But how could I pass up something this beautiful?

Blackberries were out in full force at Rhoad’s, but I passed on them because believe it or not, for the first time this summer, I’m berried out. Right now, I’m craving stone fruits (peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, etc) and apples, for some reason. And I’m craving apple cider, which must mean that fall is right around the corner.

And everywhere I looked today, I saw peppers, peppers, and more peppers – like this ginormous selection at Toad Hill Farm. To say I picked up quite a few for cooking and freezing (for eating local in the winter) is an understatement.

And at Just This Farm, they finally have my beloved Hard Neck Garlic. I love the huge, mild cloves.

After picking up some green beans, cabbage, canteloupe, and potatoes (along with a couple other things I’m sure I’ve forgotten until I go cook them), it was off to Worthington.

Worthington was wall to wall people. Super crowded. Long lines at Crum’s for strawberries, and the last two quarts were sold as I was looking at the line and weighing my options. Either way, I had plenty of berries last week.

Wish Well Farms had their usual contingent of things, including these adorable peppers.

And I couldn’t resist the call of a quart of those vibrant haricots verts.

The rest of Worthington is a blur. Heirloom tomatoes here, peppers there, potatoes over somewhere else, a salsa verde kit, peaches from Giloogly, and even more than I (or my wallet) cares to remember. No one had yellow corn at either market, so I went over to Carfagna’s (which I needed to do anyway, since I needed pasta and Smith Dairy’s cream) and got a dozen yellow corn ears (to make half, and freeze the other half). Then, it was off to Whole Foods for their farmer’s market.

Not too much there, but I did manage to get my 2Silos eggs, plus some more heirloom tomatoes from this place:

Well, that’s it for now. Any suggestions on how to beat the heat?