Davis Square Farmers Market Journal

Market Day: July 14
Highlights of this week’s market: zucchini, summer squash, beets (including the beautiful and mild-tasting Chiogga), corn, peaches, blueberries, beans, eggplant, tomatoes


This Week’s News:
This week’s market day was rainy and grey, but locally grown sunflowers provided a burst of color. They got me musing on flower-growing, an aspect of agriculture that even locavores don’t always consider. The vast majority of cut flowers available in the US are grown in Colombia, where the flower industry is known for its heavy use of pesticides. Shipping the flowers up to the northeast makes the process even more energy-intensive. During this time of year when the Northeast is in bloom, forgoing industrially-raised flowers for locally grown ones is another way to support local agriculture.


Flowers aside, the big news of the week was that the eggplants have appeared. Hanson Farm has a range of varieties, from the plump white Clara to the dark, slim Orient express. These are a different thing altogether from the giant purple bombs you’ll find in the grocery store all year round. Their skins are thinner, their flesh is more flavorful, and they’re light and almost bouncy. Grill or roast them whole, then scrape out the flesh and mix it with olive oil and herbs and spread it on bread. Or use them in caponata, or ratatouille, or any of the other dishes that demand the best vegetables of the summer.

Our chefs will weigh in later this week with a recipe for eggplants: in the meantime, make sure to eat a peach from Kimball’s Fruit Farm or put a few ears of corn on the grill.