we stopped by the east lake farmers market this morning. it’s at the corner of 2nd ave. and hosea williams drive. the market is fairly small but has numerous farmers with local fruit, vegetables, eggs, chickens, salsas and more. we picked up some local peaches, blueberries, and salsa. the market is open on saturdays from may through october from 9am to 1pm.

– ryan & gub

east lake farmers market

2nd ave. and hosea l. williams drive
atlanta, ga 30317

saturdays
9am – 1pm
may – october

we recently made some fried squash blossoms from our garden that were delicious! we were getting frustrated over the amount of flowers falling off our plants but it turns out they were male flowers that don’t grow fruit. gub remembered having fried squash blossoms in italy so we found a recipe and did some frying.

to make these tasty treats, first gather and clean some squash flowers. next dip the flowers in egg and batter before frying them up in some oil at medium heat. it’s the same as frying anything, you’ll just want to use a light batter since the flowers are so delicate. we went with corn meal and loved it!

– ryan & gub

fried squash blossom recipe:

ingredients:
fresh squash flowers
whipped cream cheese for stuffing (if desired)

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 squash flowers
– stuff squash flowers with a little whipped cream cheese if desired
– heat oil in a frying pan at medium heat
– dip squash flowers into egg wash and then batter
– gently place battered squash flowers in frying pan and fry until golden brown
– place fried flowers on splatter guard to let cool and drain the excess oil
– serve hot

we just discovered a great bbq restaurant called garden produce & country store! on the front page of their website they say “welcome to your neighborhood barbeque.” we wish they were doing business in our neighborhood!

we woke up this morning and decided to go on a ‘bbq adventure!’ the only rule was we had to try a place neither of us had been to before. after doing a bit of research and reading some reviews, we decided to venture out to a tiny place in stone mountain, mostly because of the words in this review. we were not let down!

we are big fans of ‘side of the road’ and ‘hole in the wall’ style restaurants that have great food. this quaint bbq joint totally fit the bill! it can be found on an unassuming canopy road near stone mountain. you’ll know you’re there when you see a couple of red gas pumps and a few cars parked on the side of a house. garden produce was quite small, with only a few tables for seating, but featured a comfortable rustic atmosphere. diners on the patio greeted us with a cheerful, “hello,” as we approached the restaurant.

we both really enjoyed the bbq; it was well worth the drive! ryan got ribs with field peas and baked beans and i got pulled pork with squash casserole and fried okra. the meals came with a delicious slice of corn bread, a pickle and a pineapple wedge. we are pretty picky about our bbq and often don’t like the same style, but we both really loved our meals! the ribs were great, not too smoky but still flavorful, and the pulled pork was excellent as well. plus the prices were very reasonable.

there were plenty of sides to choose from and they all looked great. some of the veggies came from their huge garden, including the field peas and squash. they also offer a homemade pastrami sandwich that sounded amazing! the country store sold seasonal produce and various jarred products, including pickles, jams and relishes.

we’ll definitely be going back again soon!

– ryan & gub

garden produce & country store

567 stephenson road
stone mountain, ga 30087
770-413-0338
gardenproduce@bellsouth.net