Now that I have the freedom to do what I please on the weekends, I have become a regular at my local Beaches Farmer's Market. It is open every Saturday from 2pm-5pm next to Jarboe Park on A1A in Neptune Beach. It's a very small little market with a lot of heart. The gal that started it took great pains to invite the local farmers that grow their food naturally or organically. There's typically less than six actual food booths but they have beautiful, fresh produce.
A couple weeks ago when it was drizzly, gray and miserable to be outside, I made a decision to go out and support my farmers. I stepped under one of the white tents to meet a farmer that introduced himself as Francisco. He is talkative, lively and turns out he has a farm out in a rural suburb of Jacksonville called Switzerland. I had bought some amazing citrus from him in the recent past. I asked him what he had today and he showed me what I've put in the picture above. It's called romanesco. It's very similar to cauliflower but milder. It can be eaten raw or steamed. He only grows it once per year. It's a fantastic lime green color and reminds me of a spiky cauliflower pine cone. This is one of my favorite things about local markets. Do most people have any idea how many varieties of vegetables are out there? How many people know that carrots come in colors besides orange? Do people know there are thousands of potato varieties? This is one of the reasons I love local markets. They are reviving- or helping to survive- heirloom and unusual foods.
So back to the romanesco. I purchased it to experiment with. It was a little sandy so I cut into the lovely pyramid shape and soaked it in cold water to let the grit fall to the bottom of the sink. It was delicious raw. I tried to make a penne pasta dish by steaming it and tossing it with some sun dried tomatoes and onions, but it didn't really come together. Next year I'll try it again though.
Last week I stopped by for my shopping and was looking over the bounty of another farmer when he handed me a spinach leaf and told me I had to taste it. Just picked that morning, it was sweet and crunchy. I bought a bag of it and went back today to look for more. I sauteed the last bunch with some olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. It was simple and absolutely great.
I'm proud of my community for putting so much effort into growing food right here. I love knowing that it wasn't accosted by pesticides, picked weeks ago and trucked across the country before it got to my plate. It makes me happy to see the people that are contributing to a better way of eating. I hope that more of my neighbors will learn to appreciate how important it is to spend your grocery money wisely by supporting our local farmers. I'll be spreading the word every chance I get.
