I’m experimenting with a new feature for The Weekly Veggie: Monday Dose of Market.  There are so many wonderful vegetable varieties each week, especially this time of year, that just telling you about one seems unfair.  I’ll post pictures each Monday of various veggies from markets visited during the week before. I may have gone a bit crazy here…. Let me know what you think!

This week I visited both the Portland Saturday Farmers’ Market at Portland State University (where it rained buckets!) and the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market.  Highlights were the City Garden Fair, peppers, peppers, and more peppers, tomatoes and garlic.

Portland Community Gardens held their Annual City Garden Fair at the Portland Saturday Farmers’ Market at Portland State University. 

Purple Tomatillos.

Some kind of eggplant.  I didn’t think I’d be posting these, so didn’t do my usual investigation.  Can you tell me what variety these are?   Fairytale Eggplants grown in the Lents Children’s Community Garden.

Not actual lemons, but lemon cucumbers. There were lots of categories with no entries.  If you’re a Portland Community Garden Grower, start planning for next year! 

Next up, garlic from a father and son team at Allium Acre (where they grow their garlic on just 1/4 acre in Canby, OR.)  No chemicals and pesticides.  More varities than you see here!

 An heirloom variety good in stir fry and sauces.  

I took some home and added it to one of my favorite summer dishes–shrimp boiled in beer.  Though I’m warming up to the small bay shrimp we have here in Oregon, I miss the fresh shrimp caught off the coast of South Carolina.

 Rainbow of Peppers from Rick Steffan Farms.

 I used to think a red pepper was a ripe green pepper.  Nope.  These are all different varieties.

I was SO excited to find these.

Pimentos de Padron. We had these in a tapas restaurant in Barcelona (which the locals pronounce Barthelona, by the way.)  So easy, and if you can find them, a great way to impress your foodie friends.

And finally, Holy Tomatoes! Every time I type the word ‘tomatoes’ I think of Dan Quayle and the potato(e) incident, and have to took it up to be sure I’m spelling it correctly.

Cherry, grape, and pear tomatoes from Sun Gold Farm.  I used these for dinner last night–Wild Salmon with Corn, Cherry Tomato, and Artichoke Saute from Ivy Manning’s Farm to Table Cookbook.  My husband likes to gloat about what we can eat at home for less money compared to restaraunts…he gave this one a “30 dollar meal” rating.  After dessert of Peach and Blackberry Hazelnut Crisp from the same cookbook, he upped it to a “40 dollar meal.”  Ivy gets all the credit. 

From Groundwork Organics: Aunt Ruby’s German Green Heirloom Tomatoes (not my Aunt Ruby.) We’ve been eating these all week on egg salad sandwiches and with basil and homemade mozzarella.

Deep Roots Farm had mountains of Roma Tomatos for canning / sauce making.  I have yet to try this type of canning on my own.  I am cogitating on it this week.

Have a great week!