Colorful Farmers Market Finds!

This week I managed to find a rainbow of fun fruits and veggies at the farmers market.  Full of color and flavor, there are so many exiting varieties to choose from!   The presentation is as fun to experiment with as the combinations of flavors, and with such colorful produce, cooking becomes a true art.

Beautiful heirloom tomatoes.  Each variety has its own unique flavor, some are more acidic, while others are so sweet that they taste like sugary fruit.  They are fun to slice and arrange, or mix in salads.  Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and their true flavors really come out!

Roman Broccoli and Orange and Purple Cauliflower.  These varieties are delicious sliced and roasted in a pan in olive oil, and a little butter until golden brown.  Sprinkle them with sea salt, pepper, chopped fresh parsley and freshly grated parmigiano cheese.  An all time favorite!

Green Beans!  Yes they are purple...but will magically turn green when cooked.  I like to blanch these beans in boiling water and add a paste made with garlic, salt, and fresh mint.  Drizzle with olive oil and a little red wine vinegar and mmmmmmmm.  They are great to eat left over and cold too.

Concord Grapes!  I bought these beautiful grapes mostly because of their perfect shape and beautiful color.  Silly right?  But I saw them more like an item in a still life painting than as a fruit that I would eat.  I don't often eat grapes or use them in cooking so I wasn't sure what I would do with them.  I decided to make a jam, and I am glad that I did.  It is certainly delicious, full of sweet and sour floral flavor, and gorgeous color.

Peel skins off of the grapes and puree with sugar in a food processor.  Slowly boil grape skin puree and grapes with sugar and lemon juice until mixture thickens slightly and whole grapes break down.

 Push mixture through a strainer to remove the seeds and solids.

Return to a low boil for about half an hour, or until mixture thickens more.  Taste.

 Prepare jars.

Place jam in jars, seal, and boil jars to preserve.  Let sit for a day in refrigerator to set and solidify.

 

Eat!