Greetings dear foodies! It's that time of year in our great state of Texas when it's so incredibly hot that the food we do have left is either dying in flavor or dying from the heat! There are a few bright spots though in which I took the liberty of visiting Springdale Farms near my home in East Austin (http://springdalefarmaustin.com/) and took various pictures of what they have right now. The informative and gracious owner, Glen let me know that a great time to do our next dinner will be in late October/Early November. I realize that this is a ways off so we may do an impromptu evening on a lower scale than normal and make it a 'scavenger hunt' theme instead. Any comments or suggestions on are most welcome!
Peppers are definitely around right now.... roast them, take off the skins and make a coulis or just add to fresh salads, pastas, or tapas...YUM!
I also visited the previously known Sunset Valley Farmers Market which is now the Sustainable Food Center of Austin SFC Farmers Market at Sunset Valley (http://www.sfcfarmersmarket.org) . They now sponsor the markets at Sunset Valley, The Triangle (Wed 4-8pm right now), and the downtown Austin Farmers Market. As we make our way into the fall season with the cooler weather, we will definitely see an increase in vendors and be able to sit outside in the eighty degree weather instead of these 105 degree days as of late! The below pictures are some of the things I have found around the market lately. I plan on visiting the Triangle Market very soon in the next few weeks to see what else is popping up. In the meantime, please send me an email or comments on this post on any impromptu dinner ideas for September/October, or of any new local products you have found around Austin. Bon Apetiti!
The new painted mural around the banner for Springdale Farms looks lovely!
Texans LOVE their jalapenos...and right now these are still around so go get em' and add to some pico de gallo or some eggs and queso fresco....
These Eggplants were pretty ripe and looked delicious..found them at the Sunset Valley Market
Fresh herbs are still around too, especially this basil....make some pesto and just freeze it so you have it for the months to come!!
We are at the tail end of the crop of peaches, but in my opinion around here the Fredricksburg peaches are the best! Sweet, Juicy and delicious on their own, or on top of some mexican vanilla ice cream with some crumbled sugar cookies or ginger snaps even better!
Brazos Valley Cheese....one of the new vendors I saw at SFC Sunset valley and he cheese is made with raw milk, so very fresh and has a good bite to it as well!
For those of you who have not tried any of Sweetish Hills baked goods, you can always find them at Sunset Valley every week, or their local store which has been around for years on west 6th street. Their breads are amazing, and cakes, sweet rolls, and croissants are to die for!
Hope all is well with everyone! I look forward to new members and new meetings in the fall!
Ciao! Shannon Sofia Kimball
Thanks, Shannon, for taking a visit to the SFC Farmers' Market at Sunset Valley. The farmers are in a lull, but just as you pointed out, there is still plenty of peppers, basil, eggplant, okra, squash. There is a little, but oh, so prized, of the peaches, jujubes, melons and cantaloupe. And apples coming soon (already at downtown and the Triangle!
Posted by: Suzanne Santos | 08/20/2010 at 05:10 AM