Stay cool with cukes

It's going to be stinking hot this weekend. Hard to imagine you will be spending any time  near your stovetop or oven. 

So let's focus on salads, shall we?

Specifically, cucumber salads since cucumbers are the most refreshing item in the produce bins this week.

The trick to any sliced cucumber salad is to slice the cucumbers as thin as you can. Then, if you have time,  purge them by salting them before making the salad so the dressing doesn’t get diluted by the cucumber juice.

Here are two cucumber salads with personality:

The first brings together refreshing cucumbers, with crisped chickpeas and slabs of salty feta (did you buy some last week at Painted Goat before they sold out?) or any other crumbly cheese like queso fresco from McGrath Cheese Co. The second invites green beans to the mix. And roasted peanuts and fish sauce, too.

Too much personality? Try this yogurt cucumber salad with fresh mint instead. It won't disappoint. This salad is particularly good served with lamb and as luck would have it, Wil-Hi Farm will be with us. Consider picking up some of their lamb chops which require a short cooking time on your grill or stovetop. Try this lamb chops with chimichurri recipe from Food52. So many beautiful herbs at the market right now to make your sauce pitch-perfect.

If the only cooking you can manage is a PB & J, you're also in luck because Noomi Peanut Butter is here, too, for their once a month visit
(hint: buy two jars).

XOLO, our new plant-based Mexican food truck returns this week with their shredded mushrooms (from Hodgins Harvest) and delicious breakfast burritos. Do give them a try!

It's never too hot to eat chocolate. Especially when it's dark and wrapped around a bitter orange peel. This is Marcelina Orange's last visit before September so please do stock up. Grab a couple of bags of her bittersweet treats and tuck them in the freezer to enjoy throughout the summer. 

Food is Med will have refreshing herbal tea blends by the cup but also by the bag so you can make pitchers of delicious iced herbal tea at home. 

And, Freshly Made will be fully stocked with bracingly-fresh cold-pressed juices.... many of them made with cucumber, natch. 

Please be advised, If it gets too hot, we may close a tad early so don't dawdle. Also: you know this market loves dogs, but this may be a good day to keep Rover at home considering how hot the pavement gets. 

See you at the market!