Passing the baton....and summer PEACHES!
Those of you who read last week's blog will know that the lovely Sierra Scott has stepped down at the IFM. My name is Celia Pain, and I first met Sierra at a bar-trivia night, where we were introduced through a mutual friend and chatted away about our shared interest in soil health, reading, and our similar work history managing farmers markets. Almost six months later, Sierra appeared to ask: would I like to manage the Irvington Farmers Market? The answer was a resounding yes!
It's been a handful of years since I last managed a market — I was busy living in New Zealand and getting a Master's degree in the interim — but what a happy return it's been! Already I've got my own geography-based nickname from secret-softie Gigi at Bien Cuit Bakery, swapped stories of things we (grudgingly) learned from our exes with Holly at R&M Farms, and witnessed the thunderstorm-chic stylings of our ingenious customers when caught in the rain. Note: compostable produce bags make fabulous head scarves.
There's also been some truly serendipitous moments, like discovering that Jarvis of Titusville Farms is the assistant artistic director of the fabulous theatre-farm Fable & Sow — a name that rang a bell because it was founded by two people I went to college with! These are the moments that highlight exactly what makes the farmers market such a special environment: the sense of community. Much like a tree in the forest reaches down to a network of fungi and plant roots, we humans are interconnected too... sometimes more than we know!
So come say hello at the market tent, and let's get acquainted! I'd love to meet more of our regulars, and swap ideas on how best to celebrate peach season while it lasts.
Homemade peach salsa is my favorite, and would pair beautifully with salmon from Pura Vida Fisheries or grilled chicken from Letterbox Farm or R&M. There have been some gorgeous yellow peaches from Meade Orchards at the market lately, just begging to be diced up alongside red onion and cilantro from Titusville, heirloom tomatoes from Dan Madura Farms, and cucumber and jalapeño from Halal Pastures. Finish it all off with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of EVOO from Agape Premium EVOO. Those of you in the mood for a sweeter, spicier approach might like to visit Boogie Down Bronx Honey and try your hand at making some hot honey — fabulous drizzled over charred peaches and halloumi.
Peaches taste great in salads, especially when paired with sweet, ripe tomatoes, as in this caprese salad with a twist.
Peaches also bring such pleasure and flavor to baking. Try your hand at this peach rye cake which could be enjoyed at breakfast if topped with White Moustache Yogurt or, for dessert, if served with ice cream. Make that peach ice cream, please. Also the perfect match for those wafer-thin chocolate chip cookies from Heathcote Bakery or the fabulous maamoul Levantine cookies from Zeena Bakery.
Don't be shy — come drop by the market tent for a chat!
