By Carolyn Twesten, Weaver Street Market Produce Merchandiser
This week’s owner coupon is $10 off a purchase of $30 or more in produce. Learn more about the coupon below.
Summer is officially here and with it comes all of our favorite summer veggies! As usual we have a ton of produce coming in from our local farmers. Here are some of my favorites that you should be sure to grab up when you see them.
Sungold tomatoes. OK, so it’s not a mystery by now that these are fabulous, everyone loves them! If by some chance you haven’t been converted to a sungold lover by now, run right out and buy some! They have the perfect balance of sweetness and acid, with a flavor you won’t find out of season. Ours are coming from Cates Corner Farm in Hillsborough and Red’s Quality Acre in Durham.
If you find yourself with an overwhelming abundance of sungolds, try this recipe: https://www.weaverstreetmarket.coop/shilohs-creamy-sungold-pasta/
Fairytale eggplant. These may be a new one to you if you don’t frequent the local farmers markets. They are tiny (for an eggplant), about the length of your hand, and beautifully striped purple and white. Best of all, they are tender and delicious, without the seedy or spongy texture that large eggplants sometimes have. They are best simply tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted or grilled. Try this recipe if you need a tad more direction: https://www.thekitchn.com/what-to-do-with-the-smallest-most-beautiful-eggplants-of-all-220967
Our fairytale eggplant is coming from a new (to us) grower this year, Elysian Fields Farm. Elise Margoles and her team have been growing some of the most beautiful vegetables you can find at the Carrboro Farmers Market for the last decade. We’re thrilled that she’s growing a few things for us this year including cauliflower, sweet mini peppers, and summercrisp lettuce!
Shishito peppers. An heirloom Japanese variety, these peppers became popular in the United States a few years back. They are slender and green with thin, wrinkled flesh and aren’t much to look at really. But pop them in a hot cast iron pan with a little coconut or avocado oil and fry till blistered and viola! You have a delicious appetizer! Believe me, one pint won’t be enough.
Nourishing Acres is growing shishito peppers for us this year, along with a host of other great veggies: spring lettuce and kale, summer squash, cucumbers, peppers, grape tomatoes, and more!
Heirloom tomatoes. You can’t talk about summer without talking about heirloom tomatoes! We will have a rainbow of varieties, as long as the tomato vines hold out against the summer rains and heat. Heirloom tomatoes—the fruit and the vines—are far more fragile than the average hybrid tomato, resulting in ’maters that are juicy and delectable but short lived. What I am saying is, enjoy them while they are here and eat them in abundance! Tomato sandwiches, caprese salads, gazpacho, Bloody Marys, whatever suits your fancy! I think I can safely speak for everyone when I say our favorite is the Cherokee Purple, a Cherokee Indian variety with dark pink to purple flesh and rich, “old time” tomato flavor. The sub-acid flavor works great in a tomato-mango-avocado salsa. Yum.
Since heirlooms are fickle and seasonal success rates vary from farm to farm, we get a few from everywhere. Cates Corner Farm in Hillsborough, Nourishing Acres and Maple Spring Gardens in Cedar Grove, Braeburn Farm in Siler City, or whoever comes knocking.
That is just a small sampling of all the great local produce items we will have in stock this summer. Discover your own favorites! Ask one of our produce staff what’s local, or look for the “Local” tags!
This week’s owner coupon is $10 off a purchase of $30 or more in produce, good July 4-11, 2018. Owners, look for the coupon in our weekly e-news, sent on Wednesday afternoon. If you didn’t get the coupon, you may need to update your email address in our owner database. Contact us at ownershares@weaverstreetmarket.coop.
Not an owner? Become one today to receive the weekly owner coupon as well as the other benefits of ownership, like invitations to the Co-op Fair, a logo T-shirt and bag, and the right to vote in board elections. Learn more here.