The intense Alabama summer heat tends to inspire eating a bit lighter than usual. Last week, I decided to head to the farmers market for a few ingredients to create some refreshing summer dishes. The challenge was to find light fare that could be used for five days’ worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner – all for under $25. Impressed with the vast array of options at each of the vendors’ stations, it was difficult choosing what to buy.
Managing to stay within my $25 budget, I made dishes using only the following items: bread, breadcrumbs, jam, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, eggplants, basil and a pre-made pie. Everything else used to prepare the meals was just common spices or drinks that were already in the pantry. The food lasted all five days, and the leftovers still tasted delicious.
I went to the Homegrown Alabama Farmers Market for the fresh ingredients. It occurs every Thursday from 3-6 p.m. at the Canterbury Episcopal Chapel lawn. For more information, visit them online at http://www.homegrownalabama.ua.edu.
Breakfast: Bread with Jam
Price: $$$$
After much debate, I finally chose to buy homemade strawberry jam from Dan’s Produce, a vendor at the market, for breakfast. I also purchased fresh bread from the supermarket bakery because the bread vendor that typically sells at Homegrown Alabama was not there during my visit. A big cup of black coffee to wake me up for my 5:15 a.m. opening shift at the Rec Center completed the meal.
Lunch: Caprese Salad
Price: $$$$
For lunch I made a caprese salad. I first had this dish when I was on a trip to Italy with my Latin class during my sophomore year of high school. It is an incredibly simple and fresh dish to prepare, as well as delicious, of course. It pairs nicely with a white or light red wine. I would advise staying away from a darker red, as those tend to be more acidic, and the fresh tomatoes already provide a good deal of acidic flavors. All of the ingredients for this dish, except for the cheese (which came from Target), were available from the vendors for Williams’ Farms and Burnette Farms.
Dinner: Eggplant Parmesan
Price: $$$$
For dinner, eggplant parmesan was the course. This was my first time attempting this Italian classic, and it came out splendidly – though I’ll admit it ended up more cheese than eggplant. This dish pairs really well with a robust red wine, such as a Barbera. After cooking, the tomatoes’ acidity is no longer noticeable. They are almost sweet, so a red wine can really balance out the flavors of the dish. The produce came from the same vendors as the caprese salad, while the cheese and breadcrumbs came from the supermarket. This one was a bit more pricey than the others, but it yielded 6-8 servings.
Dessert: Homemade Pie
Price: $$$$
As a special treat to myself, I also picked up a homemade personal pie. I asked the vendor from Hippies Artisan Pies for her favorite and she told me it was the brandied cherry variety. This obviously wouldn’t last me the entire five days, but I really wanted to give it a shot, and it fit the budget. It was a fantastic way to finish a long day.
