Every Saturday morning my family and I head to our local Farmer’s Market. My girls look forward to picking out the fruit and vegetables for the week, as well as getting their pickle on a stick. I love coming home with a bag of fresh blueberries, cherries or peaches and local honey.  I also pick up olives, pickles, sustainably raised local meats, and vegetables. When I feel indulgent or eager to go back to my Polish roots, I stop by the stand offering freshly made perogies and stuffed cabbage!

The Farmers Market offers an amazing opportunity to connect with the people who grow your food, and connect with the food itself.  The colors, outdoor air and freshly baked or cooked on-site foods fill up my senses in the early morning – a great way to start out the day and the weekend! Not only is the market aesthetically pleasing and fun to walk around, but locally grown food is healthier because it is fresher and has retained more nutrients than produce that has travelled across the country or from the other side of the world. Eating locally also promotes seasonal eating, which I feel is the most important factor in maintaining an energetic and healthy life.

During the summer, nature provides foods higher in sugar, richer in water, and easier to digest. This promotes hydration and energy in the hot months. Salads, raw vegetables and fruits help sustain you in the summer.

This weekend, in preparation for a cooking class, I picked up some gorgeous orange tomatoes. I love buying different types of a certain vegetable or fruit, tasting the variety and beauty in every bite. Heirloom, purple, orange, or yellow tomatoes offer a distinct sweetness from mainstream tomatoes.

My Farmer’s Market Orange Tomato Caprese with Balsamic Dressing & Hemp Seeds is beautiful, impressive and so simple to make. The addition of hemp seeds adds protein and some crunch. You can use any tomato you wish, I just happen to love the sweetness of the orange ones. Heirloom tomatoes would add beauty and originality, as well as a differentiation in flavor.

caprese salad

Ingredients

  • 2 large orange tomatoes
  • Fresh mozzarella cheese
  • 10-12 leaves of fresh basil
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt and pepper
  • Hemp seedsPreparation
  1. Process:
  2. 1.  On a platter, carefully layer the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, overlapping the edges.
  3. 2.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
  4. 3.  Sprinkle on hemp seeds