today is the first day of the east lake farmers market, which runs on saturdays from 9am to 1pm. it’s open through october and can be found at the corner of 2nd avenue and hosea williams drive in the east lake/kirkwood area. the market features lots of local farmers selling fruit, vegetables, eggs, salsas and all sorts of other stuff.

to kick off the season, today is the third annual collard greens cook-off! you can sample great collards from both top local chefs and amateur neighborhood cooks.

see you there!

– ryan & gub

east lake farmers market

2nd avenue and hosea williams drive
atlanta, ga 30317

saturdays
9am – 1pm
april – october

gub planted some daffodil bulbs right before clementine was born. she acquired a bucket full of them from a pottery student at the art center, so she planted them in our backyard.

this spring they finally bloomed when clementine was 9 months old!

– ryan & gub

we picked all of the green tomatoes from our garden this year before the first big freeze and they finally ripened. now we have a bowl full of nice red tomatoes to enjoy!

– ryan & gub

east lake farmers market offers a cooperative csa program you can join to help support your local farmers. they also sell extra csa shares at their saturday market for only $15, which is a super deal! we picked up an extra share last weekend that had basil, rosemary, greens, kale, egg plant, bell peppers, various hot peppers, radishes and more. it was a great assortment for the money!

we also bought some fresh local eggs at the market. it’s interesting how different the sizes and colors of local eggs are from the ones you get at a grocery store. ours were shades of green and brown, a little smaller and had more texture then you are used to.

we’ve had lots of fun coming up with meals incorporating our fresh, tasty ingredients!

– ryan & gub

east lake farmers market

2nd avenue and hosea williams drive
atlanta, ga 30317

saturdays
9am – 1pm
may – october

we had a very nice red tomato from our garden! i’m glad the weather and squirrels are finally cooperating with us.

– ryan & gub

our bell peppers and tomatoes are going crazy right now! between the squirrels and crazy summer heat, we haven’t had a very productive garden this year. however, recent rains have brought new life and we have a ton of peppers and tomatoes growing!

– ryan & gub

gub’s mom converted an old playground in her backyard into a super cute gardening shed! it was a gradual renovation, but it turned out great. we were impressed with her clever re-use of the playground, which hadn’t been used in ages. here are some photos of the process!

– ryan & gub

our green peppers are finally ready! we have a ton currently growing in our garden, but these are the first ones big enough to eat. they are quite tasty!

– ryan & gub

we recently fried up some okra from our garden and it was delicious! we ate the tasty treats with ribs and collards from maddy’s and cole slaw from chik-fil-a. it was a hodge podge of our favorite southern delights!

fyi, maddy’s collard greens recently won best overall at the east lake farmers market collard greens cook-off and they are pretty awesome!

– ryan & gub

maddy’s ribs

1479 scott blvd.
decatur, ga 30030
404-377-0301

fried okra recipe:

ingredients:
5-8 large okra sliced

egg wash:
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk

batter:
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp parsley

directions:
– clean okra and slice
– heat oil in a frying pan at medium heat
– dip okra slices in egg wash and then in the batter
– gently place battered tomatoes in frying pan and fry until golden brown
– flip okra and fry the other side until golden brown
– place on okra guard to let cool and drain the oil
– serve with bbq or other southern treats

our summer garden provided its first vegetable of the season! we have lots of okra and tomatoes that are very close to being ripe, but this cucumber won the first crop of the season award. we made a tasty cucumber & tomato salad with it, adding the lemon cucumber mentioned in yesterday’s blog post.

– ryan & gub

cucumber & tomato salad recipe:

ingredients:
1 cucumber diced (peel if desired)
1 tomato diced (or 1/2 package cherry tomatoes diced)
1/4 cup italian dressing

directions:
– clean tomatoes and cucumber and dice
– place in serving bowl and mix with italian dressing
– let vegetables soak in dressing for 30 minutes or more
– serve cold