By Leslie Myers
Post Sunday Morning Long Run (17 miles)
July 19th, 2010
Yes, I am training for the Chicago marathon.  And it is less than 3 months away.  Hence the long runs!  And the appetite.  Sunday is usually my day to indulge. And I don’t mean to go-all-out-and-shovel-three-pieces-of pizza-and- a-box-of donuts-and-a-bag-of-Cheetos-and-a-couple-of-pints-of-beer-into-my mouth-for-dinner-binge (can’t say that I’ve NEVER done that….). But just to have something quality and not what I usually eat during the rest of the week.  The latest thought is to pick or design a recipe and do an organized meal on Sundays.
If you are lucky enough to live in Southern California, then a trip to the Rancho Santa Fe Farmer’s Market is a “must” on Sunday mornings. I purposely started my long run at 5:15 a.m. (it’s a 2 hour plus time commitment) so that I could have some quality Dog Beach time and then get to the farmer’s market on the early side.  And no, I am not crazy! 
Most farmers’ markets are terrific with the exception of Las Vegas where nary a fresh piece of produce can be found.  Let me digress—the only thing that I can positively and fairly say about the culinary scene in Las Vegas is that Nora’s Wine Bar on West Charleston is terrific and possibly the best Thai restaurant in the world (Lotus of Siam) is located in Sin City on East Sahara.   In North County, San Diego, in addition to Rancho Santa Fe, we have wonderful markets in Escondido, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Leucadia, La Jolla and Oceanside.  Not only do these markets have produce for sale from small, local farmers; but olive oil companies, fish mongers and small prepared food vending stalls (who hawk treats such as crepes, grilled sandwiches and pastries) are aplenty.  I love supporting local farmers, growers and producers and try to eat food that is raised as locally and naturally as possible.  
First off, Geoff and I went to visit Mark Lane, owner of Poppa’s Fresh Fish Company, who sells “shuck as you order” oysters for $2.00 a piece in addition to fresh fillets of fish such as of local halibut and wild salmon.  And he is a RIOT! We each indulged in an oyster (mine complete with Choulula sauce and freshly squeezed lemon) while soaking up the ambiance of the market.  A Jason Mraz”esque”  duo was playing wonderful music and the mood was calm yet festive. Geoff discovered a seafood stall where they were selling salmon burgers on whole wheat roles with grilled asparagus, grilled sweet onions and Dijon aioli (the proprietor explained everything for the burgers was purchased from the other vendors that morning). 
We then picked up our mystery basket from Inland Empire CSA (more about this next week). While this wasn’t a normal full box, it did contain the following:
•    2 kinds of Kale
•    ½ Flat of strawberries
•    Broccoli
•    Garlic
•    Onions
•    Leeks
•    Heirloom Tomatoes
•    Yellow Carrots
•    Finger Radishes
We also picked up:
•    10# Valencia Oranges (seems like a lot but we’ve been into freshly squeezed juice in the mornings)
•    2 # Peruvian Purple Potatoes
•    5 large Avocados
•    1 flat (30) Eggs
•    3 lbs White Nectarines
•    Extra Cucumbers
We headed over to Jimbo’s (our local specialty foods store) and grabbed some Strauss Family Organic Half and Half for ice cream. We knew that the strawberries’ hours were numbered. And I say “hours” because if you have ever had really ripe, pesticide-free strawberries you know they will turn to a moldy mush within the day—especially if they get jostled in transit. 
For our Sunday night dinner, we settled on making a batch of strawberry-mint ice cream and an espresso-cumin rubbed flank steak with purple potato-leek hash. We also made a salad utilizing many of the vegetables from the CSA box as well as some shaved organic dry jack cheese and a basil-honey dressing made from cold- pressed Arbequina olive oil we had purchased from a great olive oil vendor the week before. We popped open a bottle of New Zealand Pinot Noir (not a perfect pairing but curiosity got the best of us and we went ahead and uncorked it anyway).  I also hulled and froze the remaining strawberries-about 4 pints-to use for smoothies at a later date.
If you have never been to a farmers’ market, I suggest that you take a trip to one. Bring your own bags and small bills (the farmers appreciate exact change).  Go with an open mind and dive into your creative side cooking and eating what is locally available and bountiful. You won’t be disappointed! 
-LM

www.inlandempirecsa.com
www.ranchosantafefarmersmarket.com