Hands down, one of my absolute favorite things about exploring new cities (big or small) is to check out the local Farmers Market.  From the Hyde Park market on Sunday mornings in Cincinnati, to the tiny little market in Oxford, OH and even big 'ole Findlay Market in Over The Rhine, I've seen my fair share of absolutely incredible produce from people with even more interesting stories.  I think the biggest thing I've noticed is that the the cities that happen to be more in the middle of nowhere have the most amazing produce, for the best prices.  Think about it... middle of nowhere, that means the surrounding areas are likely farms.  Since the farms are so close and you're buying directly from the source, getting fresh and delicious produce becomes quite a bargain.  The Peoria market did not disappoint.  Located right along the Illinois River in downtown Peoria, there are dozens of vendors sharing their summer's harvest.  Not only is the view great (and if it wasn't raining, I would have snapped some photos), but the produce was great too!  I only brought 10 dollars with me and spent all of it on the most incredible variety of veggies.  (See pic below)

So the loot:  I left with a pint of colorful cherry tomatoes, 1/3 lb of multi-colored string beans, 2 beautiful eggplant, a lb of purple potatoes, 2 beautiful heirloom tomatoes and 1/2 lb of roma tomatoes.  I also got some fresh tarragon, oregano and thyme!  The biggest steal I got however was that zucchini.  It's hard to tell, but it's probably 8-10 lbs and was only $1.  I've been joking around, calling it my new baby.  Can you believe it?! 

Now I want to share a bit of farmers market advice.  This isn't the first giant zucchini I've purchased.  I got one about half this size at a farm stand last summer.  It's easy to get distracted by what an INCREDIBLE deal this is.  When was the last time you got 8 lbs of food for $1?  The thing with these large zucchinis is that they are not anywhere near as flavorful as their smaller, brighter colored younger siblings.  When a zucchini grows this large, it's better to utilize it in ways that are not necessarily dependent on an incredibly flavorful zucchini, or to cook it in a way that imparts a lot of flavor into the dish.  Some of the ways I plan on using this are to make zucchini parmesan or zucchini steaks, use my Vegetti to turn it into "spaghetti" and to bake zucchini bread!  The opportunities are definitely endless.

Now, my favorite part about summer markets is definitely the fresh tomatoes.  My aunt grows her own tomatoes and I can tell you that literally nothing beats picking a tomato right off the vine, and popping it into your mouth.  It's tart, sweet and full of flavor.  I promise you've never tried a good tomato, until you've eaten one fresh off the vine.  Absolutely incredible.  Since I don't have a tomato garden of my own, beautiful summer tomatoes from the market are the next best thing.  The beautiful thing about summer harvest is the extensive variety of tomatoes available.  There's big and lumpy heirloom tomatoes, which are sweet and full of flavor, a wide variety of sizes and colors of grape and cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, and even more varieties I have yet to taste!  A tomato tip:  after slicing into your tomatoes, sprinkle with some kosher salt.  The salt draws out the natural juices in the tomato, and enhances the sweetness and flavor of the tomato, making the absolute perfect bite.  Now if you're like me, you can drizzle olive oil on some sliced tomato and sprinkle salt and call it a day, but sometimes, you want to be creative.  I know in my future, there is some fresh pico, a tomato sauce or broth, and I already enjoyed one of my favorite sandwiches.  See below for the recipe!  

So, what are you waiting for?  Check out your local farmers market, and let me know how it goes!

-Rose

INGREDIENTS:
1 ciabatta roll, toasted
1 heirloom tomato
2 thick slices fresh mozzarella
2 tbsp basil walnut pesto (check out my recipe)
Coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:
Toast the ciabatta roll in a toaster or in your oven set to the broil setting.  Spread pesto on bread, top each half with a slice of cheese.  On a cutting board, slice tomato into 1/2 to 1 inch slices.  Season with salt and pepper and top on bread.