Prickly Pears

We got to the farmers' market this morning and had some interesting conversations with some of the vendors. I told the woman with the beautiful fava beans that we used to grow them but they became so infested with black aphids that we stopped planting them. She said she released thousands of lady bugs, into her covered beds. The ladybug larvae eat the aphids and they will stick around the garden year after year as long as they get enough aphids to eat. She bought hers at Sebastopol Hardware the first year and never had to buy any more.

The cheese guy had a fromage blanc that he ate on the smoked salmon from the seafood stall next door and proceeded to give us several recipe ideas for meals he made from ingredients from the surrounding stalls. We bought butter from him and a large piece of smoked salmon and some tuna poke from the seafood stall. The guy with the beautiful lettuce and the baby zucchinis said he was able to sell them because he grew them in a poly tunnel. He said the cold nights this year has meant that a lot of produce was quite late. We bought some Argentinian chorizo which Jim is going to cook for dinner tomorrow night with chimichurri, and my favorite chocolate espresso cookies from my favorite bakery stall. 

 The cacti planted in the parking strips around the edges of the market space were, like everything else this year, blooming madly. The prickly pears develop underneath the yellow flowers and will turn dark pink or purple. They are delicious cooked or raw and taste like a cross between bubble gum and watermelon. They are covered with hair like thorns and must be handled with gloves and scrubbed hard to get rid of the painful barbs. They are wrapped in a thick skin ,which can be peeled by hand off the fruit after it is slit down one side, and full of small black seeds which can be eaten or strained out of cooked fruit producing juice. The juice can be added to lemonade, margaritas or made into salad dressing.

The cactus paddles, nopales, can be fried, grilled sauteed or roasted. They tend to be slimy somewhat like okra unless soaked in cold water and salt drained and scrubbed. They should be crunchy and taste like a cross between green beans, asparagus and green pepper.

Fueled by our successful trip to the farmers' market I geared up to do some errands I have been putting off for months, getting some new ear plugs, sunscreen and nail polish from Walgreens, a place I hate, some new tennis shoes (exactly like the old ones but without the holes in the toe) in the shopping center, and stopped by a shop I have never been in before, where I got a couple of long sleeved t-shirts and a colorful blouse. Having once been quite a shopper I no longer am, and was pleased to be home in less than two hours to put away my purchases.