She strikes gold at local farmers market

I struck gold at the Arlington Heights farmers market last Saturday. Not only did I chat with an old friend, but I met some new vendors as well.

After viewing all the market offered, I truly relished my purchases — a purple cauliflower, some pale green crunchy kohlrabi and a “candy sweet” onion. Visions of a veggie stir-fry danced in my head with cherry tomatoes and thyme from my kitchen garden. A slim slice of Edam (the sample was so tempting) on a crusty baguette, and my entree will be complete.

Before I even spied them I inhaled the fragrant aroma of the Red Haven peaches. I remember the annual forays my family took from northwest Indiana to Michigan in search of those tree-ripened blushing beauties. Their fragrance is like a sweet sun captured in a golden skin.

I am lucky someone now trucks them closer, the day after they were picked. No amount of sugar added to hard supermarket orbs can substitute for the natural fructose in ripe fruit.

Hard, green factory-farmed tomatoes are held captive in ethylene gas chambers until they “ripen” and turn somewhat pink. During our long winter, when a recipe calls for tomatoes I count on sauce or tomatoes from a can, but now that summer has arrived I enjoy heirloom varieties picked ripe and full of flavor by the farmer who grew them. The price per pound is slightly higher than at the supermarket, but the improved flavor makes it easier to eat more veggies.

In recent years the market moved from a busier street to the somewhat secluded parking lot near the library, but it’s definitely worth the search. Once you visit you’ll make the farmers market a regular Saturday morning outing.

Audrey T. Beauvais

Arlington Heights