Farmer's Market: I've Come a Long Way, Baby

On the 4th of July I celebrated my freedom the best way I knew how-by making pickles.

My friend Bobby, in Jackson, MS, sent me a ceramic pickle crock a few months ago and I was finally ready to try it out. I needed 4 lbs of fresh cucumbers to fill my one gallon crock, so I set off for the farmer's market.

I guess I was expecting nothing more than a few tents, a step up from a parking lot full of trucks stacked with melons and 'maters like we have in Mississippi...Oh my god, I was blown away...this was a full flight of stairs UP. Fresh fruit, veggies, bread, cheeses, meats and even ice cream and sorbets. Not to mention all the flowers, potted plants and seedlings and even composted potting soil. I was seriously overwhelmed. I realized I was having a potential life changing moment when I found myself wanting to take home carrots...I've never eaten a carrot in my life, but look at these carrots!!!!

The farmer's market in Union Square is hardly a secret, it just took me awhile, ok 5 YEARS, to make it there and now that I've been, I'll be there every weekend, even if it's just to look and SMELL!

So, back to the task at hand. I needed pickle stuff. Most stands were selling Kirby cucumbers (perfect for pickling) at $2.00 a pound and a huge bunch of fresh dill was $1.50. My farmer gave me a dollar discount so I walked away with everything I needed for $8.50! I was so excited that I practically skipped back to my apartment and immediately got down to business. I'm so enthralled with the whole process of pickling, I'm going to try and do it every weekend this summer. I'm even going to go back and get those carrots and pickle them for my friend Randy, who always claims the best part of a jar of pickled jalapenos is the carrots.

If anyone out there has a pickle recipe for cucumbers, carrots, peppers or any veggie I'd love for you to share it!