Central Square Farmers Market

Today with the sun out, birds singing, and the absence of clouds, cold, and soaking downpours (the weather has been pretty awful, which is why I haven't posted recently), I ventured over to the Central Square Farmers Market in Cambridge. This market is quite different from the Copley Square market in a few ways, but majorly one: size. Instead of being in the center of downtown, it was located in a parking lot, with about one third of the farms, and not a whole lot of people (yet...I went early). But that doesn't mean it wasn't awesome!...just tiny. It actually made selecting veggies easier, since there were fewer vendors. There were two or three major farms, selling strawberries, tomatoes, and greens, two bread specialists, a Vermont maple syrup stand (not really "local", but legit), and a few meat/seafood stands, which I didn't visit (not because I don't trust their products, but because I simply wanted a little bit of produce).

From the Central Square T stop, on Mondays from 12-6pm, walk down Norfolk street (about a block away from the T), and you'll find it. It's behind a building, and so I didn't see it until I actually walked by, so don't be confused if you peek down Norfolk Street and don't see a whole lot going on. 

Size doesn't matter when you're supporting local farms...well except maybe the size of fresh tomatoes...

 Since I had to work, I couldn't stick around too long, and I still needed to make myself lunch, but I still  snapped a few pictures of Central Square for you. This is a place I usually don't frequent unless I'm coming for a concert. I've been to a club called the Middle East during my freshman year, and more recently, I've been to the Cantab Lounge for spoken word and bluegrass, and also the Lily Pad, which is a little bit of a hike from the square itself, but also a great venue for concerts.

Central Square

Lots of businesses around here

T stop

It's so Boston, but cute, with a little church in the background. 

A bag from Kimball's farm, one of the vendors. 

So let's talk about my bounty. I left feeling pretty awesome about my purchases, because I know I'm getting quality food, and supporting local business. There was something called a diva cucumber, which the farmers told me were sweet and succulent, and great on salads, and I really can't wait to try them; I've never seen them in the super market, either because they're not there or I'm just not paying attention. I got a bunch of cherry tomatoes that are all sorts of colorful, a salad mixture which looks delicious, some bread which was advertised as being great for bruschetta (hmm, dinner idea?), and a pint of strawberries-don't worry, I didn't get severely ripped off with the strawberries there, I ate most of them on the ride home.

I also bought a zucchini, and ate the whole thing. It was...delicious. No picture here, because I was too hungry to take a picture and the zucchini is now completely gone. I've been going to this website every once in a while, called World's Healthiest Foods. It has healthy recipes, and complete nutritional, flavor, and historical information on every fruit, veggy, grain, nut, oat, meat...anything you can think of. They also feature foods that are in season, so you are guaranteed to get super fresh, ripe fruits and veggies in the market (pineapple is actually in season during the winter, something I didn't know until this site). They also feature a few different ways to prepare said featured food. 

So I was starving, summer squash is very much in season (yes, summer squash and zucchini are the same thing), and I had all the ingredients to make a simple, fast, and awesome lunch. (Emphasis on simple...because it was literally a bowl of zucchini). It's super nutritious and filling, low in calories, great source of fiber, vitamin C, and is beneficial in the prevention of certain cancers and heart disease. Booya. 

So, if you're hungry, have these ingredients, and feel like eating an entire medium sized zucchini cut into quarter inch slices, this is what you do:

-put a little veggy broth in a skillet, mainly enough to cover the bottom, and heat it up

-when it starts to steam, throw in the already cut zucchini pieces for and let them cook (usually around 3-5 minutes depending on your stove)...I also threw a little garlic in there. Look at me, cheffing it up. I made that word up. I digress...

-while the zucchini is doing it's thing, and while you're frequently stirring, in a bowl put some olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped garlic, stir it up, and set it to the side, because this is a mediterranean style dressing.

-when the zucchini is ready, put it in a bowl, drizzle the dressing on top, add a little freshly ground pepper, and if you're feeling really wild, add some salted/roasted sun flower seeds. Woah. 

Delicious, and now I have 66% of my vitamin C, and a whole lot of fiber. Awesome! 

In a nutshell, Central Square Farmers Market is awesome, despite the size and despite the almost hidden location. It's one of those things that you only really know about if you live here, and I like that.