The Farmer's Market Rules!!!

OK...it's not quite summer here in Dallas. (Thank goodness...the humidity and 100° temperatures will come soon enough.) But it feels like it after one of my errands yesterday.

While downtown, I decided to stop by and see what early season veggies were in the farmer's shed. (Shed 1. Dallasite locavores...don't shop anywhere else.) I hit the mother lode. First and foremost, there are already East Texas tomatoes in. Both big beefy slicers and smaller heirloom types. The are sitting on a windowsill waiting to be sliced and topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

But that's not all....

Tiny baby beets perfect for roasting with thyme and Balsamic vinegar. Then sprinkled with good-quality goat cheese while still warm.

Turnips. I'll boil them and mash them with a little butter and salt to make my other half incredibly happy. Now, if I can just come with an interesting recipe for the greens.

Green beans that I'll simmer with bacon and chopped onion until meltingly tender. And new potatoes that will go in the green bean bath for the last hour or so of cooking.

And to gild the lily, wonderfully sweet spring red and white onions. They'll go on top of the tomatoes, in the green beans and are good enough to eat out of hand.

Also found some handmade pasta and the most wonderful farm-raised eggs. (They were perfect this morning in my Mother's Day Eggs Benedict.)

This is only the beginning. I'll be there almost every weekend. And my $20 or so will continue to yield a cornucopia of goodies. I already have my eyes on jalapeno peppers. Yellow squash. Cucumbers. And of course, more and more tomatoes.

Maybe I'll see you down there?