tastes from the raleigh farmer's market

i went to the raleigh farmer's market this past monday. i was overwhelmed by the bounty of okra. i wish i had taken my camera with me to document it. instead, i offer a picture of the okra and tempeh i pan-fried.



also, here is a picture of the okra raita i made. raita is a cool yogurt side dish that can be eaten separately or mixed in to your food to help cool down the spice level. i had never had a raita with a warm component. the crispy, warm okra was amazing in the cool, spiced yogurt. i got the recipe from "5 Spices, 50 Dishes" by Ruta Kahate. i took a chaat class from Ruta a few years ago at her house in oakland. and, i helped test some of the recipes in "5 Spcies, 50 Dishes." i highly recommended this cookbook and her classes. the dishes are fun and easy to make.



while buying up all the okra i could, i realized peanuts (green raw peanuts to be exact) are in season!! if you have read my post on boiled peanuts (last year) you know i am a HUGE fan. my dad makes them for me every year and freezes them (after boiling) so i get to have some every time i go home. i like to make boiled peanuts too. i don't have a pressure cooker, which greatly reduces the total cook time, but i did take 3 hours to boil these the other day (boil with plenty of salt, to taste - yum.



coming soon, pictures of the veggies that are making appearances at the durham and raleigh farmer's markets.