Fresh, new and a surprise, or two: Waiting at a Market Near You
Wanting to use nothing but baby Vidala onions in a couple of my "to try" recipes, I've had to wait until spring, when Vidalias are harvested, to make "Zucchini Patties with Feta" and "Fresh Dill Salad," from The Fresh Market's "25th Anniversary The Fresh Market & Friends Cookbook. So, from the moment the onions were first spotted at Hilton Head Island's The Fresh Market, the wheels were set in motion to prepare a meal I'd been thinking about for months. Besides perfect onions, the market also had everything else I required for the recipes -- a spectacular bundle of fresh dill (a memember of the carrot family), brightly-colored orange carrots (with their feathery green tops still intact), zucchini (free of nicks and scrapes), and some very nice cucumbers. At this point, I was ready to leave the produce section and venture over to the dairy case for Greek yogurt for the salad, when something totally unexpected caught my eye. There, just beyond the produce, amongst flowers like tulips, lilies and irises, were bunches of pussy willows, a vision I've not seen in a very, very long time. Onions notwithstanding, in that moment, I knew spring had arrived. Yes, for sure, it was spring, and the wait for zucchini patties, finally over.
Recipes for "Zucchini Patties with Feta Cheese and "Fresh Dill Salad," courtesy "25th Anniversary The Fresh Market & Friends Cookbook;" www.freshmarket.com. Visit the Fresh Market, on Hilton Head Island, at 890 William Hilton Parkway, 842-8332.
Sue Ade is a syndicated food writer with broad experience and interest in the culinary arts. She has worked and resided in the Lowcountry of South Carolina since 1985 and may be reached at kitchenade@yahoo.com.