Although the weather has taken a cooler turn in the past week, the produce at the South Berkeley Farmers’ Market yesterday was the product of an unusually hot season that got off to an early start with a number of heatwaves that began back in May. Instead of a steady trickle of new harvests, things seem to be arriving all at once with peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, (all those heat-loving plants) taking the lead.
Melon display from Riverdog Farm. July 2013
Not to be outdone, the melons this year are outrageous. Both Full Belly Farm and Riverdog Farm had incredible displays that heavily perfumed both ends of the market like fragrant book-ends. When asked to describe this year’s season, Judith Redmond blew a lock of hair from her forehead and said, “INTENSE.”
On the menu starting tonight:
Salad of Canary melon, Armenian cucumbers, anise hyssop, and 30-month prosciutto
Roast breast of hen with eggplant purée, Jimmy Nardello peperonata, and salmariglio
Yay summer!
