On Saturday morning, I walk down to the market with a tote on my shoulder and an umbrella over my head. It is drizzly and humid but that isn’t stopping me from my weekly market trip. I see the tent tops when I turn the corner from Main to Jefferson street. The week’s list includes: an eggplant, blueberries, herbs, and a pastry for breakfast. This market trip has become routine for me since the beginning of June. I think certain vendors at the market are beginning to know me. Not only is this my newly established weekly produce shopping trip, but it’s also a time to soak in all the beautiful product, people watch, and think about what I am going to eat for the week.
The internet is full of sad headlines — the world is often a place of anxiety and fearful events. While it is my responsibility to stay informed, sometimes I have to disconnect myself from the internet and turn inward to process and digest it all. When I log off of social media, I often turn my attention to the art of cooking seasonally learning as much as I can about it. Back in January 2022, I decided once the markets began over the summer, I would attempt to source produce and products as locally as I could find and afford. Since the beginning of the market season, seasonal eating — sourcing, and eating fruits and vegetables that are at their peak ripeness in a localized area, — is my goal. I also try to source my meats, eggs, dairy, and baked products as local as possible, too. Learn more about eating seasonally and what is seasonal in your state, here.
There are many reasons I decided to try eating and cooking with seasonal, local food. When the idea came to me in the middle of winter, it was a gut feeling. It was tugging at my heart strings. I needed to do this for myself, as a way to expand my horizons and get to know myself better. I want to know where my food is coming from, too. When I shop at the market, I can talk with the person who is growing, cooking, or tending to the food I am taking home. The flavors and nutrients are often richer in food that is eaten at its peak ripeness, too. A tomato picked from the sun-soaked fields is going to taste so much richer and have more nutritional value than a tomato that was grown in a greenhouse and forced to turn red with fluorescent lights. Eating locally also keeps my money here in the community.
So when the first market of the year came, I decided it was time to begin. Now after a month of buying my groceries from the local source, I can say one thing: this is harder than I anticipated.
Let me elaborate. It is not because there isn’t enough produce out there. There are so many farmers I have already started to befriend who have tables and tables food. It is harder for another reason — my fridge has been so full of local goodies, that sometimes I am stumped on what to cook, how to prepare a specific veggie or meat, or what to do with a bucket full of raspberries before they all spoil. To be honest, when I come home after a long day at work or tending to life, the last thing I want is to try and figure out how to make a summer squash sound appealing or how to quickly prepare a dish when I am hungry and ready to go to bed.
It’s humbling to me that my knowledge about eating in season is still minimal after reading so much up to this point. One of the biggest things eating seasonally has done it is kept me learning, and there are a few noteworthy cooks who I have leaned on a lot when navigating this journey.
These cooks are Edna Lewis, Alice Walters, Tamar Adler, Samin Nosrat, and Laurie Colwin.
Edna Lewis and Alice Waters are pioneers of modern-day seasonal eating. They created the roadmaps of how to turn ripe, shiny produce into good meals that honor the natural flavors of each ingredient — dishes that make you savor each bit.
Tamar Adler writes about how to cook economically in her book, An Everlasting Meal. She shares how to use even the littlest scraps from the end of one meal to start the next one.
Samin Nosrat writes about how to cook by using the essential elements of what makes food taste good: salt, fat, acid, and heat.
Laurie Colwin wrote about how she cooked in her tiny New York apartment in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. There is a stretch of time between her and myself, but her thoughts and reflections remain timeless. If she can host a dinner party at a round table in a small apartment, so can I.
These ladies and many others have been champions in navigating how to cook in a way I never have before. They also all pull from their childhood memories while cooking, which I have begun to do as well. (I’m thinking homemade pizza; roasted chicken and potatoes; watermelon popsicles; pickling cucumbers.)
I’ve been fortunate enough to buy or borrow books from these fasinating women and sink into them during my free time. If you’re interested in learning about cooking as well, check out this list of books on GoodReads that includes books by all of these authors and a few more.
This food journey has been a bit of a challenge, but it has done one thing for me... it has helped me be grounded while the world rages on and on.
After reading sad news headlines or feeling the weight of heavy expectations after a long day, I come home and cook. I dice potatoes, rub a chicken with herbs and oil, and cook it all in the oven on 350 while I drink wine or mineral water and begin to smell the savory notes of basil and thyme waft through my apartment. Taking a moment to pause the business, whip up a colorful pasta salad, and write down a few things that I am grateful for keeps me fed and centered. The short talks I have with the farmers I see weekly — listening to how they give careful attention to the growth and harvest of their food — reminds me that there is still good and sweetness in the world.
What’s on my plate
One of the most bright and colorful plates I ate lately was on the 4th of July. We feasted on an all-beef hot dog with lettuce, gouda cheese, pickle relish, ketchup, and stone-ground mustard; potato salad; and fresh juicy watermelon sprinkled with a pinch of salt and mint leaves.
What summer dishes are you enjoying?
Things I’m into right now
Salty: Lessons on Eating, Drinking, and Living from Revolutionary Women by Alissa Wilkinson | I finished this book in less than a week and for good reason, Wilkinson’s words are just as delicious and inspiring as the meals she writes about the amazing women who inspire them. Salty is a lavish dinner party of a book that I can’t recommend enough.
Wild Words podcast by Nicole Gulotta | I have never felt so seen and understood by another writer on a podcast. Nicole has a way with words and speaking to the writer’s life and process that feels personal and insightful. If you are a writer trying to find your way in the world, I suggest listening to Wild Words, she also has an amazing book by the same name, Wild Words, that dives even deeper into the topics she discussed on the podcast.
Heywell Sparkling Water | Guys, this is not an ad but an ode to the best sparkling water I have ever tasted (and trust me, I have tried nearly all of them). Even my lover Caleb — who typically dislikes sparkling, flavored drinks — loves Heywell. This is not another fizzy drink. Heywell water is infused with adaptogens and antioxidants that help support energy, immunity, focus, and manage stress. They also use organic ingredients and are non-GMO, gluten/dairy-free, and vegan. My favorite is their Calm + Restore Sparkling Blackberry Ginger which uses L-Theanine, Lemon Balm, Schisandra, and Amla Berry. I feel so soothed and a realization of stress after I drink this one. I also enjoy the Energy + Focus Sparkling Strawberry Lemon that I drink at work. Calm + Hydrate Sparkling Lime is similar to the Calm + Restore, but also uses Pink Himalayan sea salt, potassium, and magnesium which puts me right to sleep. Their blends truly work to support wellness, but they also taste amazing. If you live in Franklin, you can pick up a can at Field to Fork, find another location near you, or pick up a 12 pack online.
Hey there, you made it to the end of another issue of The Supper letters. Thanks for being here, I’m grateful for your readership. If you liked this issue, share it with your friends! Found your way here through the internet or from a friend sharing an issue with you? Subscribe for free now so you don’t miss the next issue.
See you next week. Cheers!