Zingiber officinale

I had hoped to hit a different market this weekend, but with house guests and a whole mess of other things happening, I had to go with the familiar. (Really, I needed one that was open at 9:00 on Sunday and was close to me).

Among the vendors in the bank parking lot, I cannot for the life of me remember their name right now, was one selling fresh local ginger root. That’s right, Zingiber officinale itself grown right in our own backyard. I grabbed one of the roots and then decided that having two would be better. You see at home, The Wife was in the first few days of a cold, nursing a sore throat among other symptoms.

If you did not know, ginger has been shown to aid “…the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and have analgesic, sedative, antipyretic and antibacterial properties. “ (Wikipedia) In other words, it’s a good home remedy for relief of symptoms from a common cold.

Heading home I hit on an even better idea: ginger would be good for her cold, and what’s good for a sore throat? Ice cream, of course! Even better if it’s sweetened with honey from Maryland instead of sugar! I went up to Glut Food and picked up some Trickling Springs heavy cream and half & half and went home to cook up some medicine. This locally-made, locally-sourced ginger ice cream would be, of course, for medicinal purposes only.

It was not to be used as some dessert, it would be strictly medicinal!

Purslane

The Gardeners Gourmet stand is in its full summer glory about now with a dozen different kinds of heirloom greens.  My personal salad favorite, purslane, is back in season.   If you’ve never tried it, here’s your invitation to do so!  It’s super healthy — more omega-3 than any other vegetable,  and tons of vitamins and minerals.  It was apparently Ghandi’s favorite food.  I eat it raw in salads (pick the leaves off the bigger stems), though you can chop it up (with the stems) and eat it cooked as well.   A quick search found recipes for:   Grilled Zucchini Salad with Purslane and Tomato, Purslane and Pea Soup, and Purslane and Pork Stew (a Mexican favorite).

I also bought some Indigo Frissee, which tastes like wasabi.  I’ve never cooked with it before, but I bet it’s a great saute green — maybe under a mild fish or pressed tofu.  Both greens are $9 per pound at the Gardeners Gourmet stand.

My full bounty is pictured below: eggs from pasture-raised chickens, non-homogenized milk (with the cream on top!), homemade mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, sourdough bread, rhubarb, cukes, sugar snap peas, and the greens.

Market Bounty