Marco's Farmers Market Watch: September 22nd

Buongiorno,
Our Cook Here and Now anniversary dinner is one day away -- hope you got your shopping done!
Some great new treats made the wet scooter ride to the market today completely worthwhile. So many vegetables look amazing under the rain: their color is accentuated when wet, and their surroundings dulled by the overcast sky. There's a food haiku in there somewhere...

Apples, pears and grapes are taking over the stands in all their varieties, and I took a detailed series of photos to show just how many there were. I hope it will inspire you to go and try a new kind -- I recommend the Mutsu apples.

Tomatoes and eggplant of all kinds are still tasty: you have just a few weeks left, unless the rains end the tomato season early.
See you at dinner tomorrow!
Ciao,
Marco Flavio

What I found this week:
Apples of all kinds ... and I mean *all* kinds.
Eat them raw, poached, or in pies and tarte tatin. It's an embarrassment of riches out there.

Jonathan apples. Spicy and fragrant, with a thick peel. Great for hand-eating or cooking sliced.

Gala apples. Juicy, crisp, sweet and the #3 bestselling apple in the U.S. Great for hand-eating or in pies.

Fuji apples. My personal favorite (and the bestseller in Japan and #4 in the U.S.) with a dense, crisp pulp and a sweet flavor. Great for hand-eating or in pies.

Red delicious apples. The bestseller in the U.S. and very sweet. Not great cooked because of the texture, but excellent for hand-eating.

Golden delicious apples. The #2 bestseller in the U.S.
Still... not my favorite, because of its mellow flavor. Its flesh resists browning, so it's great in salads.

Granny Smith apples. With their wonderful tartness, they're the best pie apple. Period.

Mutsu apples, also known as Crispin in the U.S. It's a cross between Indo and Golden Delicious, with a more complex flavor than its parents. An interesting new discovery that's great as a dessert sliced with cheese or for making cider. Give these a try!

And for anyone who wants to cure their own olives, there are a couple of vendors selling them fresh.

The winter vegetables are starting to show up: organic swiss chard is here and so are richly-hued red and orange organic beets.
Swiss chard recipes from Allrecipes or Epicurious.
Beets recipes from Allrecipes or Epicurious.

Comments

[SilverSara]

Gorgeous photos!!! Those beets look beautiful - Great job.
-Sara

[Alia Salah]

I would love to be a part of your next event!!