Food Fridays... Saturdays: Zucchini Blossoms and Strawberries

Procrastination got the better of me last week, but this week, I return with a double dose of food goodness.

Zucchini Blossoms

Last week, I bought zucchini blossoms from Rick Cornelissen of Eco Logic Farms. I had seen them on TV before, but have never tried them. As is my tendency, I bought first and asked questions later. Or in this case, I bought first and figured out what to do with them later.

Image courtesy of clayirving

As I left his booth and went to put them away, a gentleman approached me and asked where I got them from. I pointed him to Rick's booth but told him that I had bought them... all.

Did I feel guilty for buying all of them (despite there only being a quart of them)? A little.

Though, I told the gentleman to let Rick know that he would like some and Rick would bring more next week.

They seem to be quite popular because Rick was unfortunately sold out by the time I got there and I arrived only an hour after it had opened. It might be an early start next week if I want to get some zucchini blossoms.

The ones I did buy last weekend, I ended up sauteing in butter. They were delicious. If I am able to get them another time, I'll try stuffing them with something, most likely goat cheese.

On a side note, if you are going to try zucchini blossoms, you need to eat them pretty much that day. I waited a day, and found a few of them had already gone bad. Live and learn, right?.

Local strawberries

This week at Covent Garden Market, there were a few grocers who had the first local strawberries of the summer. A few of my coworkers had just been talking about strawberries before this weekend, so it was funny to see them start appearing.

They're quite small, as you will see from the photo and video, but delicious. A little on the tart side too. Definitely better than those giant strawberries with nothing inside in my opinion.

Strawberries from Paul Sham on Vimeo.

Strawberry rhubarb pie next week?

P.S. Some of my tomato plants aren't looking so good because of London's insane rainfall. I hope they look less droopy soon.

Food Fridays: Deliciously Delicious Rhubarb Tarts

Delicious baked goods. Cookies, pies, and rhubarb tarts. Om nom nom nom nom. Yes, that was a haiku to baked goods. Yet, despite my appetite for baked goods, I am far from being a baker. From what I know, baking requires good measurement, or at least some form of measurement. Instead, my favourite phrase in the kitchen is "Just go with it." which is my answer to most questions of measurements, amounts or lack of ingredients. For example, at a potluck with friends, I was making my apple and goat cheese salad, and asked my friend to crumble the goat cheese on. When he asked how much he should put on, my response was "Just go with it." Apparently, that response wasn't really helpful. Okay, so I don't have the mindset that would fit a baker. But, last weekend, I bought rhubarb at the market, so my friend, Christina, and I decided to make rhubarb tarts. It was based off of a Betty Crocker recipe, so I don't think I can post the recipe here (copyright, grumble grumble). They surprisingly turned out great. The tartness of the rhubarb was balanced by an abundance of sugar. Also, in a few tarts, I threw a few bits of mint, which I bought on a whim at the market, to see how that turned out. The most surprising thing for me was how the crust turned out. My lack of experience meant that I really couldn't judge how a good dough should feel like and we had swapped butter for shortening. The crust turned out flaky and perfect (in my mind). P.S. Here are some baking blogs that I follow: Joy the Baker and The Canadian Baker.

Happy Mother's Day from all designers

Happy Mother's Day to mothers out there. I found this poster yesterday, and I hope all designers find it funny. It's very true that my mom doesn't know what I do, but she is happy to see my work anyways. One of the many reasons why I love her. Image courtesy of matthewb. Via Design Was Here.

Food Fridays: First farmer's market of the year!

Don't worry. I didn't forget about Food Fridays... or should I say Succulent Saturdays? I decided to hold off on my Friday post until Saturday because today is the first day of the Covent Garden farmer's market, and many other farmer's markets. If you're like me, you don't write grocery lists often and you have too much time on Saturdays, so you can spend your entire morning wandering the farmer's market. The Covent Garden also has an indoor section so I have more options. How do I spend my time at the farmer's market?

1. Get there nice and early.
   I hop on a bus and get to the farmer's market early. I immediately buy the stuff that will sell out quickly. This usually means herbs, but it will vary each week.
2. Get a tea (or coffee if you like).
   I brought a book to read, and I take this time to think about what else I might need. It's kind of like cooking in your head.
3. Return for round two.
   Buy everything else I need.
4. Lunch.
   Market food is delicious, so I eat lunch there.
5. Walk home.
   Why don't I walk to the market and bus back? I don't know, but that's how I do it.
6. Clean veggies.
   Some veggies that you get at the market might be have dirt on them. Veggies happen to grow in it. I like cleaning and drying them all at once so I don't have to later in the week.

That felt narcissistic of me, but I hope everybody visits a farmer's market this summer and can share what they do at the market. Leave a comment! P.S. If you're a north Londoner, there's a new farmer's market at Masonville Mall on Fridays from 8AM to 1PM. If anybody has been there, let me know how it is.

Food Fridays: Apple and Goat Cheese Salad

I love Fuji apples. They are sweet, crisp, and grown in Ontario. Because of this, I worked out a delicious salad using Fuji apples. The real star of the show, however, ends up being the goat cheese, which is delicious and creamy. I recently brought this salad to my work's potluck, and people seemed to enjoy it, which qualifies it to be ready to be shared. A quick note though, I don't really measure the ingredients of the salad. Just go with what you think you like. Ingredients Salad ❑ apples (sweet, preferably Fuji), sliced thin ❑ cucumber, sliced ❑ goat cheese ❑ red onion, sliced ❑ spring mix (or other salad greens) ❑ walnuts, chopped and toasted Dressing ❑ 5 tbsp of olive oil ❑ 2 tbsp of lemon ❑ dash of honey mustard ❑ one shallot ❑ salt and pepper, to taste Directions

1. In a large bowl, dump spring mix, red onion, and cucumber.
2. Crumble goat cheese on top, and add toasted walnuts.
3. Whisk dressing ingredients together, and add to salad.
4. Add apples slices on top.
5. Serve immediately.

P.S. The Covent Garden farmer's market is supposed to start in May, which I hope means tomorrow. I am excited. Update: May 2 at 3:47 PM P.P.S. The Covent Garden farmer's market wasn't open today. Maybe next week?