Rob and I spent the last week in Beaufort, SC, with a stopover in Asheville, NC, on our way home. We hit four different farmers’ markets in the two towns and found a glorious bounty of fresh local produce, with different offerings than what we’re seeing further north here in Cincinnati.
In Beaufort, we found local, ripe tomatoes right from the fields. We found peaches, still a bit firm for my taste, but heralding summer nonetheless. We found summer squash of several types, all delicious, and sweet local onions. Perhaps most important, we found pie: Specifically, key lime chiffon pie made by a very nice man selling at the Habersham farmers’ market. It’s not vacation without pie.
Asheville’s Saturday downtown farmers’ market was wondrous! I bought, for just $11, a bucket—BUCKET!—of the sweetest strawberries I will ever eat. (What’s left of them I’ve photographed, below.) Gorgeous loaves of bread, handmade pasta and pastries. The produce was more spring-like than what we found in Beaufort: greens like chard and kale, spring onions, green garlic, lettuces of all varieties.
Back home in Cincinnati, we hit the Hyde Park Farmers’ Market on Sunday morning in search of asparagus and spinach, which are still in season here despite the weirdly warm temperatures over the weekend. It was odd to be sweating while purchasing asparagus. Strawberries are just coming on, and I plan to buy several quarts next weekend to make jam. Stay tuned for a post about that adventure!
