As I approached the Victory Farms Market stall, where I sell organic produce on Thursday mornings, I was greeted by this beautiful table. We had gorgeous produce today and it was a very windy, chilly and rainy day. Far fewer folks came out to shop, but we still managed to sell out of a few things, like carrots, cucumbers and radishes. I brought home sweet potatoes, an eggplant and a butternut squash, which I've now baked. I'll use the eggplant to make my Thai spread, the squash to make a nice creamy soup, and I'll mash the sweet potatoes. What a yummy meal on a chilly night.
A couple days ago, a light tapping at my door, signaled the arrival of Adrianna, my young neighbor. She was carrying a small tray of lovely carrot muffins, and her knitting. She sat and knitted for awhile after I checked to see if she'd missed any stitches. We talked a bit, she'd told me she'd been in a triathlon. She swam, biked and ran! Wow!
It was a really hot market day. High 90s/30s with high humidity. No matter how much water I drank, I still felt kind of ill by the end of our work and while packing up the vehicle, it seemed like I was moving through pudding, as our cousin used to say in humid weather. Pudding!! I came home and crashed into a seemingly drugged sleep. It's still too hot to walk the dog at 7 pm (98/34) Our Arizona and San Fernando Valley, California relatives have been having triple digit (F) temps so I can't complain...oh yes I can, and do!! Aaaagh, it's HOT! Okay, I'm over that. Thanks for listening. Back to the vegetables.
You never see this in super markets. The really odd ones don't make it past the uniformity inspectors, I suspect. This little guy (eggplant) 
was checking out the carrots. His "nose" give him such a personality. (maybe it's a "her," silly moi.)
them.
One of our younger veggie shopper's displayed his carrots for me. It was mighty hot last Thursday, but I think this week might be hotter. Oh no! I brought with a small cooler full of ice water, which helped us stay hydrated.
It's so old timey. We had conical cabbage,
Magda squash, 
and kohlrabi, among all the other choices this past week.
in case you have the change to buy some: It's excellent cooked or raw. Just trim away the woody or tough portions of skin. Grate it into salads or make a "coleslaw" with it. Steam it whole for 25 to 30 minutes, or slice thinly and steam for 5 - 10 minutes. Saute with butter, add your favorite herbs. Chill and marinate cooked for a summer salad. Mash with a cooked potato, form into patties and fry. Any of the above sound really tasty. Try one of the suggestions and let me know how it turns out.
I work for Victory Farms of Hanover of Thursday mornings at the Farmers' Market, as some of you know. I just love it. It's so nice to talk with people about produce, exchange recipes, buy things from other vendors, like today fresh local strawberries that were so yummy.
are my favorites. I like to eat them raw, or on bread with butter. Lots of people like my radish spread...here's a simple recipe. Put a package of cream cheese, half that amount of butter, and some of the radishes in a food processor and whirl away. You can also add some green olives with pimiento, or even some carrots. You don't need to add any seasonings. If you're vegan just substitute the non-dairy products for the dairy version, of course. It's really a good summery spread for crackers.
