I Am a Farmer's Friend

Of all my summer favorites, nothing beats a perfectly ripe tomato plucked from the bin at the local farmer's market.

You thought I was going to say "plucked from my garden", didn't you?

Well, you should know that I cannot grow a single thing. Nothing.

Even when I buy just a little pot of herbs to sit in the window, where I could snip them at will - it's just wilt and die.

Houseplants too.

Can't grow a single thing.

But, oh man, am I ever a friend of the farmer!

You'll find me every Wednesday morning at the Portland Farmer's Market in Monument Square, paying for all the stuff I should be growing, but can't.

Here's what I got today...

Tomatoes, corn, radishes, cukes, red onions, shallots, cilantro, a jalapeno pepper and zucchini.

And lots of cherry tomatoes.

I've got a long list of things I want to make with all this swag.

But considering the current heatwave we've been having, it's gazpacho tonight.

Cool and refreshing, a cinch to make and so good for you it's crazy.

This is one of those recipes that you don't have to follow exactly.

No yellow pepper? Use a red one.

Don't care for V8? Substitute with tomato juice.

(I haven't tried it, but I think the spicy V8 juice would be awesome.)

Give it a whirl and see if your body temp drops a few degrees.

Gazpacho

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large or 2 small cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced

1 small red onion, diced ( or for a sweeter flavor, try a shallot)

2-3 large, ripe tomatoes, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves

3 cups V8 or tomato juice

3 Tbsps. red wine vinegar

Garnish: feta or goat cheese, croutons

Place the garlic, cukes, onion, tomatoes, yellow pepper, parsley, juice and vinegar in a large bowl and stir well to combine.

Remove 2-3 cups and transfer to a food processor or blender. Blend until almost smooth and return to bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Garnish with cheese and croutons, if desired.

What about the rest of the haul?

Check back soon...