Farmer's Market day - "I do, I do!"

Thursdays are great days not only because the next day is Friday, but also because it is the Lake City Farmer's Market day. We've been waiting all week for another injection of fresh, fresh, fresh. The summertime abundance of Washington organic produce boggles the mind and titilates the taste buds. As you can see, we've got everything from apricots to okra, broccoli to onions. And don't forget the cherries, blueberries, green, purple, and yellow string beans, and the juiciest peaches on the planet for starters. I even got panir cheese made from milk from a local dairy (for dinner we had brown basmati rice and Mung Beans with Panir Cheese).

To prepare for the farmer's market, Lucy and I used up the last of the fruit we had in the fridge in a delightful desert. We started with a recipe from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and ended up going in our own funky direction. Here is the recipe and some pics of happy eaters.

Almond Crisp with Cherries, Apricots, and Blueberries
featuring all organic ingredients and locally grown fruit

Topping:
2/3 cup flour *
1/2 cup chopped almonds **
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsps. cultured, unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup packed rapadura (organic sugar cane) - or use sweetener of choice

Filling:
~ 1lb halved, pitted cherries (Bing, Rainier or sour - use more sugar/sweetener for sour)
~ 2 lbs halved, pitted, then quartered apricots
1 cup blueberries
2 tbsps tapioca flour (or thickening agent of choice)
1/2 tsp stevia (or sweetener of choice)

Grease a gratin dish. Mix all topping ingredients in a small bowl, using fingers to get the butter into small bits and thoroughly mixed in. Mix the filling ingredients directly in the gratin dish. Sprinkle on topping. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes, until the top is brown and the thickened juices are bubbling around the edges.

*I stayed gluten-free by using a mix of brown rice flour, tapioca flour, and xanthan gum. I think whole spelt flour would also be nice.
** To improve digestibility, I soak the almonds for at least 10 hours, blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds, and finally peel the almonds. Yes, I really do this...

I love fruit-encrusted kid faces... Below is an amazing flower photo by Rob of course.