From Rain to Rainbows

Finally catching a break in the rain, we have had really lovely weather for Farmers Market the last two Saturday mornings.  I was happy to once again see a crowd of people at market.  Even though we are still fighting with wet fields at home, I could tell that having a couple of nice Saturdays in a row has rallied the spirits of most of the vendors.    

            This evening I was once again driven inside from my work in the field by rain.  Grumbling to myself, I looked out the screen door a bit later to see if it had stopped raining.  My view was filled with one of the biggest and brightest rainbows—double rainbow, in fact, that I have ever seen.  How can one complain about the rain when it is followed by such a beautiful sight? 

            The rain passed and I returned to my work with a light heart.  This was Tuesday evening and I was doing the task I love most of all—cutting flowers.  I was gathering them to make bouquets for Wednesday market.  In case you can’t make it to market on Saturday mornings from 9:00-Noon at the Fairgrounds or if you need to re-stock on produce mid-week, you can still buy fresh fruits and vegetables at the Zanesville Downtown Famers Market.  It happens on Wednesdays at the Welcome Center parking lot from 3:00-6:00pm.  This is conveniently located on Fifth Street right at the end of the I-70 ramp.

            A couple of readers picked up on the fact that I did not list vanilla in the ingredient list of my last recipe “Aunt Fancy’s Berry Tart,” yet I mentioned it in the cooking directions.  This recipe does indeed call for 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Sorry for the oversight.

            Summer weekends are so busy with cookouts and potlucks.  It seems like there is always somewhere to go on Saturday or Sunday afternoons/evenings—often both days on some weekends..  The recipe I have this week, from Cooking Light, is a variation on the classic “cucumbers and onions” recipe, which I absolutely love.  It takes that oldie-but-goodie standard and dresses it up a bit, utilizing the wonderful flavors of various fresh herbs, but manages not to over-complicate things.  This recipe is great because you can pick up the items you need to create it at market in the morning and quickly throw it together to take to an event later that same afternoon. 

Herby Cucumber Salad

·         ¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt

·         2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh dill

·         1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley

·         2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

·         1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

·         1 ½ teaspoons coarsely chopped mint

·         2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

·         ¼ tsp. sugar

·         ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

·         ¼ teaspoon salt (I thought it needed more, about 1 tsp.)

·         1 garlic clove, minced

·         5 ½ cups thinly sliced cucumber (about 2 large)

·         2 ½ cups thinly sliced red onion

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until well blended. (I thought this was completely unnecessary; I just whisked them together.)  Combine the cucumber and the onion in a large bowl.  Drizzle with yogurt mixture and toss to coat.