One Local Summer: Southern, week 10

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Maybe it’s the heat, or just summer travels, but it was a light week for reports from the Southern region. Here’s what those checking in made this week, with homegrown, CSA-raised and market-sourced fresh ingredients.

Tennessee

Kristina the Tennessee Locavore muses that she would have a hard time finding non-local food to eat during this point of summer, describes her week’s worth of simple watermelon and feta salads, BLTs and a dinner of steamed vegetable dipped in garlicky homemade mayonnaise. She also explains the need to can even in 90-plus degree weather, writing, “I also like remembering the farmers I bought from in the summer during a time when it seems like winter will never end. Those little jars remind me that summer abundance will come again, no matter how dark or dreary the days seem.”

Melissa of Bridgman Pottery makes a lovely tomato tart with polenta crust, topped with pesto mayonnaise sauce, and a dessert of “cheater” peach sorbet.

District of Columbia

Erin of New at the Market falls for baby eggplant at the market and improvises a recipe for grilled eggplant with caponata salsa.

Virginia

Sylvie at Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener shares a recipe for sorrel vichyssoise, perfectly refreshing for these hot summer days.

Keeping Up With K harvested their first Purple Russian tomato and celebrated with a create-your-own-party-salad dinner.

Here at FoodieTots, we ate simple, market-sourced meals all week in honor of National Farmers Market Week, including this Tomato Peach Panzanella that combines my three favorite summer ingredients, tomatoes, peaches and sweet corn.

- Colleen