Columbus Foodie

I think of all the weeks that the Goodale Park Music Series has gone on this summer, my favorite theme had to be on August 8th, when Bethia of Hungry Woolf hosted a “Grown in Ohio” potluck that celebrated local foods. The fact that it went down during the best part of the growing season meant that people were inspired by the farmers markets, and we saw tons of dishes made with super-fresh produce.

The Spikedrivers were the music act for the week, and people were up and dancing like crazy!

Feeling super inspired by the farmers market, I couldn’t settle on one dish to make, so I ended up making three. The first was a nice Italian pasta salad that used tomatoes from my backyard, local onions, bell peppers and zucchini.

For the vegans, I made Roasted Potatoes and Garlic, using potatoes from the farmers market, garlic from my backyard, tossed with a little olive oil and seasoning from local Aimee’s Blue Ribbon Spices.

The roasted beets with feta and raspberry vinaigrette is another favorite of ours, and we used a combination of farmers market and backyard beets, Blue Jacket Dairy feta, and local raspberry vinegar.

Some of the dishes others made were downright beautiful to look at, like this ratatouille.

Others just brought local Ohio produce to share in their natural state.

Bethia went all out and made a salad with a plethora of local veggies and chive blossom vinegar.

And perfectly ripe Ohio peaches needed nothing more than being sliced up.

Others made things to use the bounty from their CSAs, like this summer squash strata.

And this cucumber salad that used a plethora of veggies.

I never had watermelon salsa before, but I can guarantee this won’t be the last time. Yum!

Wow, check out the colors in this pepper salad!

And P. absolutely loved this Chicken Pelau dish.

Cucumber and tomato salad is one of my favorite summer salads.

Give me a bowl of tortilla chips and some of this corn and black bean salsa and I’ll disappear in a state of snacky bliss.

Just a reminder: Tomorrow is the last show of the season, with the eclectic stylings of Flypaper. I’m hosting this week’s potluck, which starts at noon at the gazebo at Goodale Park. Music will start at 12:30. The potluck theme is eclectic, so bring whatever you’d like, whether it’s your favorite dish, something that’s inspired you at the farmers market – no need to be constrained by themes or labels. I’ll be bringing Puerto Rican roast pork, and rice with pigeon peas. And maybe a couple other things, too. Make sure to bring your own plates or utensils and something to keep yourself hydrated. See you there!