One of my favorite summer activities is visiting the farmer’s market on Saturday mornings. At my first apartment here in Chicago I would take the bus down to the market, fill up my tote bag & come home with all sorts of goodies for the week – when the gladiolas were in abundance I would frequently be toting 2 large bunches of them back on the bus in addition to the produce.

This week’s bouquet – two summer favorites: sunflowers & gladiolas.

When I received my preview copy of Comfort Food this spring, the package included a tote bag with the book cover on it. When I saw it I knew it would be perfect for my farmer’s market bag for this summer. It is “just the right size” – anything more than what fits in the bag is too much for me to handle in a week. My Saturday morning routine now is to pick up an iced coffee & then head up to the farmer’s market to pick up produce for the coming week. It is fun to see what make it into my bag & then decide what to make. My tote bag was filled with many delicious items this weekend & I had a great time in the kitchen.

In addition to weekly treats, I have enjoyed making of several batches of treats that are now in the freezer. Once the summer days have faded away & the middle of winter returns it will be nice to pull some of these goodies out of the freezer & bring a bit of summer back into the house. So far the freezer is housing: Strawberry Freezer Jam made from the last of the Michigan strawberries; Pesto that will be incorporated into all sorts of recipes.

This week’s fruits: peaches, blueberries, golden plums.

Farmer’s Market produce seems to be made for simple dishes. Sometimes I follow a recipe and sometimes the dishes are “on the fly” creations. Some favorites of this summer: Zucchini Basil Muffins (with basil from the pot on my deck, these have frozen & been thawed wonderfully); Mom’s Marinated Carrots; Grill Veggie/Pesto Pizza; Grilled Fruit Sauce over Gelato. And I never tire of putting an assortment of veggies in my grill wok.

This week’s veggies: carrots, beets, onions, potatoes, baby portabellas, yellow & green globe zucchinis.

Kate’s publisher sent me several of the Comfort Food tote bags – so, it’s time for another contest. Between now and August 5th, leave a comment with one of your favorite simple summer produce recipes. I’ll draw 5 winners from all the entries.