It may be because I live in Chicago, and this seems to be the longest winter ever this year, but after traveling to Los Angeles lately, I could not get enough of the sunshine and nature’s beauty. But when I visited the farmer’s market in Santa Monica, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
Perhaps a skeptic would say that any farmers market after a long winter would be awe-inspiring, but I have never seen such a variety of produce and other goodies for sale all in one place!
The mulberries were one of the first things I tried. I honestly can’t remember if I have ever tasted fresh mulberries. They were unbelievable. I wish I could have bought a case of them to bring home.
Next on the list were the fresh dates. I have never seen so many varieties. It was really fun choosing several different kinds to try. Some were moist and tender, others were dry and chewy but still delicious. Needless to say, they didn’t last very long!
From various kinds of fresh greens to eggs, cheese and seafood, the market was astonishing, stretching out for blocks. Everything I sampled was delicious and I only wished I could have purchased more and used it to create some amazing dishes.
While there were a lot of items that weren’t practical for me to buy, I was eyeing a variety of interesting fresh dried beans, thinking I could get away with a few bags in my suitcase. A woman who happened to be picking out beans to take home shared her favorites with me, these Mauve Runner beans, and another variety called Peruanos. I ended up buying a bag of both.
I couldn’t wait to try cooking with them at home, but oh, what to make? The woman I met at the market warned me not to make something where the beans would get lost in the dish. After searching for a recipe that called for what I had on hand, I decided on a simple dish, loosely based on this recipe for Humble Home-Cooked Beans.
I started out by soaking the Mauve Runner beans overnight, so that they would cook more easily. I had just under 13 ounces, so about what the recipe called for.
Then I simmered them tenderly on the stove with some other interesting ingredients.
They were cooked in about 45 minutes. I finished preparing the dish, according to the recipe, and served them with some greens, sausage and avocado, and a bottle of cold beer. The beans were amazing. What a fresh and lovely spring meal to enjoy for dinner.
I am going to buy more beans the next time I have a chance at a farmer's market.
The Chopping Block's Owner/Chef Shelley Young kicked off the outdoor season of the Green City Market last weekend with a cooking demonstration. Check out these great pictures from Cindy Kurman of Kurman Communications. Today is the first day of the Wednesday GCM market. If you see some beans, please share your farmers market inspiration with me here in the comments.
