Summer Veggie Jackpot

Last weekend we spent some time up in Northern California: inland, where temperatures edged closer to the 90s than to the San Francisco 60s.  The soil up there is fertile, and the hot sun produces conditions perfect for beautiful summer produce.  Upon waking up Sunday morning, I was handed a cup of coffee then asked if I wanted to tag along on a farm stand run.  I was game.



The farm stand opens daily at 8am; we pulled up at 7:54am to find 8 others already ahead of us in line!

The produce was gorgeous, and I was absolutely shocked at the prices--most produce was $1 for a full bag of veggies.



My loot that morning consisted of 5 cucumbers, 5 heads of fresh garlic, 5 zucchini, 4 yellow squash, 8 Japanese eggplant, 1 huge red onion, a bag of yellow cherry tomatoes, and a bag of vine-ripe tomatoes.

A mere fraction of my loot

And my wallet was only $6.50 lighter.  That's quite a steal, if you ask me.

I'll admit I was a bit nervous as to how I would use up all the veggies before they spoiled, but from Sunday through last night, everything was eaten up in creative dinners and lunches.  We've enjoyed grilled veggies with lasagna, caprese salads, roasted veggie homemade pizza, and grilled vegetable orzo salad.

Now, I know the fruit stands in San Francisco aren't quite such a bargain (understatement of the year), but I am anxious to do a bit more Farmer's Market shopping this summer, and wing it with fresh meals all week.  It develops my creativity in the kitchen!
 
Happy Friday.