Peter Piper Picked Peppers

I've been away from the computer and the blog for a bit, enjoying the summer. Hope you've been doing the same.

In the interim, I've been making the most of the season's produce. We all love farmer's markets. But how about live music plus a farmer's market?

That's what's on offer at "Saturdays in Saxapahaw," a concert series set on a hill right near the quaint Haw River. The Spoonstress and I went with friends this past weekend and had a good ole time. I enjoyed the company, the music and a cold beer on a hot night (I considered talking my way onto the kids' Slip 'n Slide).

The Saxapahaw farmer's market is a small one, but it's fun. Last time there I tried an interesting yellow or lemon cucumber, which looks pretty much like a bumpy lemon.

This time I got some yellow cherry tomatoes and a great orange pepper for the night's picnic. It was so crisp, juicy and reasonable ($1!) that I snagged another for the week. The farmer said the one that I selected was his "prize pepper," but he somehow managed to let it go.

Farmer's markets work for so many reasons (food miles, buying local, freshness, etc.), but here's something underrated--food with character. Sure, some people don't want a pepper that looks like a tooth (see my prized pepper), but you can get plain old ones the rest of the year at the supermarket. For now, may as well enjoy the summer and its bounty.

Melon-choly

I visited the Raleigh Farmer's Market this week. The visit, coupled with the beads of sweat perched on my forehead, reminded me that it's full-on summer. Tomatoes, cantaloupe and watermelon were all abundantly in season. The zucchini, or squash, as it was called, looked invitingly green.

While the cantaloupes and their beckoning free samples were attractive, I asked around to see if anyone had honeydew, my favorite melon. Nope.

But if you're looking for honeydew, one vendor told me, you should try the sprite melon across the way. After being reassured that the soda industry wasn't in cahoots with North Carolina farmers, I examined what looked like a small honeydew.

The grower, a young man, was giving it toothpick tastes. He described it as a cross between a pear and a honeydew. Maybe the worst parts of each. In hindsight, it's not surprising that I didn't enjoy its flavor, since I don't love a pear.

Back at the ranch, I learned a bit more about the sprite melon. While I was under the impression the sprite melon was a result of some cross-breeding, it's actually an Oriental crisp flesh melon, said Nick Augostini, a marketing specialist at the N.C. Dept. of Agriculture's Specialty Crops program.

Around 2000, the N.C. Specialty Crops Program realized there was a market for this melon and that it would thrive in North Carolina's climate. Today, sprite melons are grown here and shipped across the country, sometimes marketed as Paradise Melons (I think).

Anyway, the outing made me realize there's a whole world of melons, waiting to be discovered. And while I'm getting around to that exploration, I'm enjoying a good ol' watermelon from the farmer's market.