What I Did on Saturday During my Summer Vacation Farmers Market haul

It was drizzling this morning when I went over to the nearby market and I had a hit list ready to go. And then I notice that the pig farmer was on hand this week. Hoo-yah! Real pork! No salt water injected into the meat to pump the price. Just pigmeat. I bought four packs of loin chops (2 to a pkg) for $3.29/lb -- about $4.75 each. "It was still walking on Monday." Guy said he sells a ton of bacon. I bought two packages, $3.89/lb. Bought breakfast links Ð he said they weren't very salty. Bought patties to grill (essentially the same sausage).

My strike list included red potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, onions, a few tomatoes, sweet corn, mint (for jelly), parsley (my own is puny), cilantro (for salsa for a Fair entry). Bought all that and some okra and more tomatoes. I've a feeling I may have stolen the tomatoes: the normal packaging has been $3-4 for maybe 3-7, depending on size. I mentioned the morning drizzle at the beginning of this. I was eyeing the tomatoes and noticed a sign that said 'salsa tomatoes - $8.' I was told that salsa tomatoes were cracked or not quite poifect - and would need to be used soon. That fit my plan so I was about to pick up the box (wet) and she offered me a dry box. Good idea. Well, I got the box home and when I commenced to selecting tomatoes to use noticed that nary a one was cracked and about half of them could stand a little more ripening before use. I'm guessing I saved a good $5-8 on the deal. I was tempted to go back for another box but my good sense mercifully overcame me.

French toast and sausage links for breakfast after I came home. I was disappointed in the sausage but don't blame the farmer. I think I overcooked these bad boys and I did it bbuttackwards to boot. I was browning them (from frozen) and ten added some water to sort of steam them a bit. A fair amount of fat came off them; I'm thinking next time I will first thaw them for starters, then steam them in a bit of water, then brown them off. And they were saltier than I would have liked, too. Gotta get back to the Sausage Sisters Smith links are nice -- very little salt.

I made a dutch oven full of vegetable stew -- I'm reluctant to call it ratatouilleÑit's not that clbutty, I think. :-) Eggplant, onion, garlic, potatoes, zucchini, and canned tomatoes. Dried basil instead of fresh; a little bit of sea salt that a net friend sent me for my birthday last year. Tasty, tasty, tasty. It needs mushrooms, though.

I used a salsa recipe from the new Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving with some minor (and safe) adjustments. I don't expect it to win a ribbon, but stranger things have happened. My favorite son is coming home the day before the Fair starts and he and I will go together on opening day. And then the whole family will go another day on the weekend. Chris will be here for a whole week! Won't be back at Christmas this year, though, because the Mars Orbiter will be doing some serious picture taking by then, I guess, and that's the project he's There you have it: What I Did on Saturday During my Summer Vacation. -- -Barb Princess "If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."