Wednesday Market Challenge

Today was kind of a big day in my culinary life. I went to the Wallingford Farmer's Market, bought fresh local ingredients and made dinner entirely out of them. Now, I have been to farmer's markets more times than I can count. They are a visual joy. Impeccable produce, breads, meats, pasta, etc. The promise of the market just appeals to me on a deep level. So why haven't I purchased from them in the past? A couple of reasons...

Zack and I just don't eat many vegetables. He just doesn't like many of them and I haven't learned how to cook them well. I definitely make a lot of salads, but they are generally of the spring greens, fruit, nuts and cheese variety and lacking in true, healthful vegetation. Farmer's markets are also more expensive and I have a strange dichotomy when it comes to money and food. When it comes to every day groceries I am very cheap. When it comes to dinner party groceries I am very generous. When it comes to dining out, I am very very generous. So, despite delighting in food and cooking, I can also be very basic and Zack is perfectly happy with that. Toasted tortillas, sauteed chicken with taco seasoning, beans, salsa and sour cream are a regular weeknight dinner. I know, its a shameful secret. :) Here's another one - my favorite on-the-go lunch is a large diet coke and hamburger from McDonald's. Hey - it's only five points! The third reason is that true farmer's market shopping is not conducive to deciding what you want to make, shopping for it and cooking. The opposite is true. I am a big-time plan ahead person, so this is hard for me. You go to the market with only the vaguest (if any) idea of what to cook and based on the ingredients available, you are inspired. The balance is that the excellence of the ingredients will stand out and require less manipulation. The foods can be enjoyed simply prepared without complex recipes.

So, I set out for the market today with the desire to buy and cook our dinner from what was available there. I have a great desire to bring more vegetables to our dinner plates and have Zack actually enjoy them! I have to tell you that it was a wonderful experience and has inspired me to create for myself this Wednesday Market Challenge. Every Wednesday, at 3pm, I'm going to wonder the Wallingford Farmer's Market. Each week, I will buy the main ingredients for our dinner there. In this way, I hope to learn more about what's in season when, to grow in my ability to cook without recipes, to feed my little family well, to grow to know the purveyors of the food as many other writers have inspired me to do and to support a wonderful network of farmers, bakers, ranchers and food products that make our dinner tables more delicious. I'll be posting the Wednesday Market dinner here each Thursday morning.

If any of you would like to join me in this challenge, feel free to post your farmer's market creations on my Wednesday posts or if you'd like to join me at the market, that would be wonderful too!