“I love summer food.” Winter food recipes typically require more complex ingredients and more complex preparation because they use foods that require more cooking time, such as root vegetables, and winter squash. Or they require oven or crock pot cooking because the charcoal grill is put away for the season. But in summer, whether it be charcoal or gas, the go to cooking is on the grill. This makes the kitchen less hot, and the smell of cooking food calls forth our neighbors, who whether hungry or not, cannot resist the smell of barbecue.
We gravitate to recipes that we love from our youth; in my family, the barbecue sauce for grilled chicken required only a good bit of chopped onions (perhaps ½ cup) sauteed in butter (or probably margarine at that time, when margarine was [falsely] touted as better for you than butter)—about ½ stick, then a good shake of ground black pepper, and then ½ to ¾ cup lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (or a combination of the two, vinegar being much less expensive than lemon juice at that time); this sauce is simmered for five to 10 minutes and can be made well in advance.
At the time of grilling the chicken, the sauce is spooned lightly over the chicken after it has already cooked slightly on one side and has been turned. Keep spooning over chicken whenever turned or meat looks dry. Be ready to cover the grill to contain flare-ups after adding the sauce. Any leftover sauce can be added to chicken at the table as long as raw meat has not been submerged in sauce.
Joining our barbecue chicken was fresh green beans with fresh potatoes and garlic butter, cucumbers and onions (in a vinegar base), and slaw. Everything so new and fresh and delicious. Look for your summer favorites at the Fayette County Farmers’ Market.
The market is open Saturday morning from 8:30 to noon and is located in the municipal parking lot on the corner of South Main and East East streets in Washington C.H. SNAP EBT food benefit cards, Senior Farm Market coupons and credit/debit cards are accepted. Those using the SNAP EBT card for produce receive matching dollar “Produce Perks” tokens ($1 for $1) for additional fruits and vegetables. So,”buy one, get one” for fruit and vegetables, up to $20 EVERY market day.
The following list contains the names and products of the vendors that expect to set up for the Saturday Market. Other vendors may participate as well.
Chilcote Farm (Bruce & Marlene Chilcote): Honey, sheet cake, caramels, peach coffee cake, blueberry buckle, gooey cinnamon swirl cake and cookies.
Forgotten Way Organic Farm (Cathy Ludi): Therapeutic grade essential oils, wooden signs, homemade soap, vanilla, balms, dry shampoos, and foot soaks. Organic free range eggs.
Garland Farm Sweetcorn (Isaac ad & Justine Garland): Sweet corn
Greens & Greenery (Katrina Bush): Seasonal, sustainably grown produce: garlic, green beans, white and yellow potatoes, hot and sweet peppers, tomatillos. Dried catnip. “Sacred Basil” herbal tea.. Beeswax body care products. Buckeyes. (Baklava next week!)
Jones Farm Fresh Produce (Jon & Taylor Jones): pork chops, sweet Italian and jalapeño brats, breakfast and large sausage patties, maple links, bulk sausage, ground pork, chorizo chicken brats, wings, ground hamburger, brown eggs, sweet corn, tomatoes ( slicing and cherry), red potatoes, red, white and candy onions, squash, cucumbers and peaches.
Nidays Microgreens (Victor Niday): Micro-greens
Persinger Cottage Foods (David Persinger and Julie Mosny): The Jam Man will have jams, jellies, peach butter and Texas sheet cakes. The Pie Lady will have Bun’s Bars, zucchini bread, raisin, cherry, strawberry rhubarb, black raspberry, blackberry, peach pies. Oatmeal cookies, cinni mini’s.
Wolf’s Den Creations/Two Feathers Wild Jams and Jellies (Shawn and Tracy King): Jams and jellies
Wood Designed by DW (Debbie Welch): Wood crafts: decorative bird houses, wooden totes, patriotic & wooden Ohio signs, pigs, cows, chickens. Hand made crocheted dishtowels, clothes, potholders, pocket books and baby booties. Special orders welcome.
Your Other Mother’s Kitchen (Don & Sara Creamer): Artisan breads, whole wheat brownie tarts, and bran muffin tops.
B.Y.E. Gardens (Brian and Elaine Yoder): Tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, red onions, candy onions, red potatoes, cucumbers, melons, flowers by Justin, Michigan blueberries as well as baked goods.
By Thy Hand (Mark and Lori Chrisman): Angel food cakes, specialty breads, pies, cookies, dip mixes.
