Each Saturday as the girl and I make the rounds at the farmers' market, we always stop and take a gander at the San Miguel Seafood booth. The enthusiasm that these two men bring to their booth is contagious. They will take the time to give each person tips on how to best prepare their freshly caught bounty. Each week I watch them pull out the whole fish and present them down low where the younger children can get a good look. These fishmongers smile and laugh and tell stories...they are truly hands on and it's a treat to watch them engage with the public.
Text message from Auntie (7:30 pm):
Um...do you want to make peach mint ice cream tonight? I've got peaches and access to some mint...and we have Jam's recipe (from Thai Fresh), but no ice cream maker and no sister-friend to make it.
...it's so effing good.
How could I resist such an invitation? I had purchased an ice cream maker on clearance earlier in the summer and had yet to try it out. Auntie arrived at about 8:45 and we started our first foray into making ice cream at home. Needless to say, we were up past midnight waiting for our results...but it was worth every second. So. So. Good.
Let me also add, that Jam's blog is one you should have in your bookmarks if you don't already. She is selfless in her sharing of recipes and techniques which she compliments with beautiful photographs of her food and family. If you are in the ATX and in search of incredibly delicious Thai food that is locally sourced and with every effort towards sustainability, make your way over to Thai Fresh...you won't be disappointed.
Yesterday The Girl, Auntie and I spent the better part of the day running around the ATX. In an attempt to beat the heat, we met up at the SFC Farmers Market downtown (as early as we could muster). I have really grown to love this market lately. It feels more and more abundant each time we go, and I find that I really start looking forward to going by Thursday evening. Yesterday was "Love Your Local Farmer Day", and I really wish that we could have voted for EVERY one of those hardworking, heating-enduring, smiling-through-the-sweat vendors. Here are some of my favorites from yesterday:
Fragrant bouquets that include flowering lemon basil (yes they are as incredible as you would imagine), cucumbers, onions, and baby zucchini...all from Bar W Ranch in Mullin.
Tree-ripened peaches from Engel Farms in Fredericksburg. By this morning, The boy had eaten all but one.
From Dai Due of Austin: Maybe the best bread & butter pickles I've ever had. Ever. I wasn't able to capture the pimento cheese I bought before we annihilated it as an afternoon snack. All of their stuff is SO incredibly yummy. If I were a meat eater, you would have to beat me away from their supper club offerings. Seriously.
We add a cup to our collection from M. Schopper Ceramics whenever we get the chance. This week we added a bowl!
The Girl picked this amusing T-shirt from Will Heron Designs.
It was a really hard choice...ending in a wee bit of a meltdown...but we'll just ignore that fact, K?
It didn't really have anything to do with t-shirt choices when it came down to it, but isn't that always the case? As much as we love going to the market, in this heat it's only a matter of time before someone has a meltdown...this time it just happened to be her. Nothing that brunch at Zocalo and a little A/C couldn't remedy. We all needed a little something special: The Girl and her tacos, me and my coffee, and Auntie and some kind of horchata/agua fresca concoction that she seemed to think was divine...once it stopped curdling. :)
Next stop? City Coliseum Garage Sale!
