Salem Saturday Market is Back!

Don't forget that the Salem Saturday Market is back up and running in its usual location. It is in the parking lot bordered by Union St, Winter St, Summer St, and Marion St. It runs from 9 AM until 3 PM.

Last Saturday I decided to check out the first market of the year. I realized it would be a little sparse and it was. One thing that would be nice is if they moved things closer together when there are less vendors, but I suppose that would probably take a lot more organization and work on the part of the market managers.

Nevertheless, I wandered the market in search of some goodies. There were lots of plants, lots of crafts, and quite a few food booths. I bought a torta at one of the Mexican stands and then wandered until I found Persophone Farms. They had lots of root vegetables and some cabbage and kale. I bought turnips, parsnips, rutabega, potatoes, both orange and red beets, and shallots.

I ended up making a baked root vegetable dish. I washed and cut up the veggies, coated them in olive oil, added sea salt, a little pepper, and some sumac and baked the whole thing for about 30-40 minutes. Yummmmmm! One of my friends, who hails from Australia, said they call that Bubble and Squeak. What a quaint little name.

I really love that I was able to make a healthy, delicious, LOCAL dish even on the first day of the Saturday Market.

Check it out this weekend and see what you can make.

I Discovered a New Spice!

Okay, I didn't really discover it like Einstein discovered the theory of relativity. I discovered it more like Columbus discovered the new world; lots of people already know about it, but its the first time I've ever seen it.

Sumac is my new favorite spice. I picked it up at the new Downtown Market and Deli on Liberty. I noticed a giant bag of it and thought it must be really popular if it was sold in such large quantities. When I asked the proprietors about it, they enthusiastically explained that it was a spice that could be added to falafel, salads, meats and almost anything. So I decided to pick up a small bag of it and try it out. I got about a cup or so for $2.50 and took it home to try.

It's amazing! I'm serious. It has a fresh, lemony flavor without the sour citrus taste. I've added it to my chicken, sauteed onions with it, and yesterday I sprinkled it on zucchini and put it on the grill. My friends couldn't get enough of the zucchini!

It's actually a pretty mild flavor and just adds a fresh citrus taste to things. It is a pretty dark red/brown color and makes a nice garnish as well as adding flavor.