Farmer's Market

When I move to a new area there are a few "nesting" routines I go through to make myself feel comfortable in the new area. Having moved recently for graduate school and then again for the summer, I've really narrowed down those routines to three things I have to do to be happy. One, hang up pictures in the new place, find a good shopping center, and lastly, I have to find a fabulous grocery store. Moving to Shreveport presented a bit of a challenge for two out of the three things. After asking a few of Jason's colleagues, I finally found a grocery store last week, Brookshire on Line Avenue. I also decided that I needed to find a farmer's market since summer produce is the best. Success. Jason and I went to the first Farmer's Market of the season here in Shreveport on June 5th. It was exactly what I needed. If my friend Leah were with me she'd be screaming, "community" the whole time. I finally found two things I love, heirloom tomatoes and a sense of community. Below are some of the pictures I took while at the farmer's market.

I only picked up a things during my trip because I got there too late. As someone who has spent a lot of time at farmer's markets, i know better than to roll up to the market after 10am, but, I was moving slowly. I did pick up a few heirloom tomatoes, some peaches, cucumbers, and olive oil (a lovely man talked to me about his olive oil creations so I bought a bottle, it was tasty). I happily took home my purchases and made a great salad for lunch using the tomatoes and herbs from my new herb garden (another project I have taken on).

Caprese Salad
2-3 tomatoes (I love heirloom so that is what I used)
1/2 pound of fresh mozzarella
8 fresh basil leaves
1-2 tablespoon(s) of Olive Oil (I used a specialty Olive Oil that had garlic and other herbs in it)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice up the tomatoes and and mozzarella and arrange on a plate. Chop up the basil (i like to keep it in long strips) and put on top of the tomatoes and cheese. Drizzle olive oil on top, then sprinkle salt and pepper. Delicious.

Also, a few of you have been inquiring about my herb garden so here are a few pictures! I'm growing sweet basil, boxwood basil, mint, cilantro, chives, rosemary, and dill.