Now we’re cookin’! The market this week will be overflowing with the sights and smells of summer. And at the Market Master table we are ready for you too with recipes for you to take home that utilize this peak-of-summer cornucopia of color, flavor, texture and the full rich flavor of just-picked, sun-ripened fruits and vegetables.
Can you tell I’m excited? This is such a great time of the year to cook for daily meals but also for things like tomato sauce and preserves that you may can or freeze and then use in the middle of winter when summer seems so far away. I like to make pesto with lots of fresh basil (which is much more flavorful and also much less expensive than store-bought) and freeze it in small plastic containers. Then in mid-winter I can make pasta with pesto or add it to a winter tomato sauce and really spice up an otherwise dreary February day.
Speaking of Pesto, here is a variation on the original Silver Palate Cookbook version that had a little too much oil for my taste.
<hdr15>Traditional Basil Pesto
<lst>2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry
4 garlic cloves, more or less to taste
1 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ - ¾ cup best quality extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
<bt>Combine basil, garlic and nuts in a food processor and chop. With the motor running add the oil in a steady stream. Stop the machine and add the cheese and seasonings and pulse until combined. If you are making this to freeze, you may leave out the cheese and add it later when you thaw it out to use.
<ro1>THURSDAY NIGHTS at the Park
<lst>Featured on June 28, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
The Seldom Scene – Bluegrass
<bt>Sit back, relax and enjoy an evening of progressive bluegrass music when the Seldom Scene returns to Nottoway. The Seldom Scene thrives on playing bluegrass a little differently than everyone else. If other bands used a fiddler, the Seldom Scene used a dobro; if others relied on old standards, the Seldom Scene played rock classics like J.J. Cale's "After Midnight." Through skilled musicianship and an urban approach to bluegrass, the Seldom Scene has become one of the most influential—if not the most influential—bluegrass bands of the last 30 years. The band was formed in 1971 in Bethesda, Maryland. Dudley Connell (guitar/lead vocals), Ben Eldridge (banjo), Lou Reid (mandolin/tenor vocals), Ronnie Simpkins (bass/baritone vocals) and Fred Travers (dobro/lead vocals)
<ro1>From the Heart of the Forest
<bt>Looking for a good workout in a stunning forest setting? Want to help save trees and wildlife habitat and see short-term results of your efforts? Check out the Invasive Plant Removal site. This Saturday join volunteers who will be removing winter creeper, Amur bush honeysuckle and multi-flora rose from trees and the forest floor.
Students and scouts, do you need to earn some community service hours? We have just the project for you this summer and fall. Learn about climbing vines, thorny shrubs and creeping plants that destroy trees and wildlife habitat. Help manually remove these invader plants in the heart of the forest and lend a hand again in the fall, when we replant the area with native species. Spend time outdoors, learn something new and use cool tools.
*Next workdays: Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon, June 23; 8-11 am, July 14, August 4 and August 25
*More information: visit http://fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/ima, call 703-324-8681 or email friendsofnottoway@gmail.com