Farmer's Market goodness

With Summer ending and Autumn approaching, FAST I'm soaking in as much of the seasonal goodness as possible and there is no better place than the local farmers markets! Once again I hit one of my local markets and boy did everything look so good, I bought it all!

Last week I tasted some of Clement Poultry's Organic Chicken and Turkey bacon, they are out in Newcastle and I am planning to visit their farm soon. Free range organic chickens, a nice turkey for the upcoming holidays and fresh eggs, it all sounds amazing! You can tell they love their birds, those chickens look so happy (Look 'em up on facebook if you're interested!)

Visiting the market is just the beginning of the "Adventure", I love making a day out of it, from browsing, chatting with the farmers, purchasing everything that looks amazing and then sorting it all at home.  It's a very rewarding ritual, and it ends with some yummy dishes on the dinning table followed by big happy smiles.

Just a couple of tips I discovered along the way.... with veggies so fresh and beaming with summer you dont' need to do much with them. Keep it simple, let the vegetable shine.
Lately I can't get enough of beans. Cranberry Romano beans are so beautiful to look at, fun to shell and boil up in a breeze, seriously they're done in about 25 minutes and then I just shower them with a ton of delicious GOOD quality olive oil and enjoy! A bit of garlic in there too takes it to another level.

Flat green beans are probably my new favourite thing! Simmered in a thick tomato sauce or just in good olive oil with salt and black pepper, these Lebanese classics are sure to please!

St. Jacobs Country

Red Clover Lemonade

A trip to the farmer's market this week had me discovering a new interesting ingredient - red clover! This little basket of buds came with a recipe so I decided to give it a try today.

The night before I squeezed the lemons and boiled up the buds as instructed on the little recipe note. It was extremely easy to put together and the only tip I can add is to strain the clover tea using a paper towel (scotties sponge pockets are great as they don't break down easily - line a sheet inside a strainer)

This is going to help remove any tiny bugs, and there was quite a variety in these blossoms, and they went right through the sieve the first time around.

The taste is very good, and you can read up on all the health benefits of red clover and maybe give it a try :)

Disclaimer: Clover like many herbs is not safe in all situations, please read up on it first and from what I read already if you're pregnant do not use it.