A Peachy Trip to the Market

In an effort to avoid another restaurant review (though they will still be popping up here and there), I asked Morgan what fun summer things she wanted to do.  A day or two later, she asked if there was a farmers’ market anywhere near us.  There is, in fact, so she suggested we go and see what we were inspired to make.  The nearest market to us lives in Carousel Park, a horse farm turned public park (complete with 200+ acres of hiking trails, fishing areas, and a leashless bark park).  Instead of using the park’s main entrance, the farmers’ market has an entrance and parking lot of its own just off Limestone Road (DE-7), so it’s incredibly easy to find.

When we arrived, I made a beeline for the information tent, where I picked up a “Delaware Grown” 2020 calendar and several recipe cards for free.  I also bumped into someone whom I’ve served in restaurants multiple times (that’s Delaware for you).  She told me that the Carousel farmers’ market will be open through the end of October and gave me a brief overview on what was around: mostly Amish farmers come down to sell their crops, though an Italian food specialist was there selling hot meals.  Also, there was a stall with honey, loose leaf tea, and handmade soaps (they all smelled amazing).  Not keen on interacting with strangers, Morgan opted instead to do a quick sweep of the market, which isn’t all that big.  After completing her circuit, she led me back through each vendor’s area, discussing what these ingredients could be turned into.

We’d bought peaches at the supermarket the previous week, but time flies when you’re procrastinating (which is my life), so they got moldy before I had the chance to eat one—and I love peaches.  Thus, when I was surrounded by little baskets of delightful looking fresh peaches, all I wanted to do was turn them into a dessert.  Specifically, a dessert I’d made in dutch ovens over open fires back in my Scouting days: peach cobbler.  Before making our purchase (be sure not to forget cash), Morgan did some blackbelt Google-Fu and found an easy vegan peach cobbler recipe in no time flat.

We didn’t have all the ingredients at home, so we did have to pick them up with our weekly grocery shopping (and an incorrect assumption incited an impromptu run for cornstarch a couple days later).  However, once we had all the proper ingredients, the recipe was amazingly easy, just like it says in the title.  Neither of us are all that practiced in the science of baking, so please forgive our ugly cobbler.  It’s delicious, and it’ll be delicious if you make it too, plus, if you’re a person who bakes even sometimes, I’m confident yours will turn out much more presentable than ours did.

This was an awesome new experience for me.  Cooking in general is a thing I haven’t needed to do for myself until recently, so the fun kinds of making food are still a bit foreign to me.  Our cobbler was good for a week after we made it (and wrapped it and stored it in the fridge), and the microwave brought back the ooey gooey deliciousness that makes a cobbler what it is.  Please try this little process and tell me what you think!  It doesn’t have to be peaches, and it doesn’t have to be cobbler.  I’m sure there will be farmers’ markets open for at least the rest of this month around you (barring big cities, probably), so go see what meals you see in the ingredients available there.  Even if you don’t cook or bake, give it a try.  You might be surprised what you’re capable of.

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