I like Alice Waters best for writing in The Art of Simple Food how she glories in the daily picking, washing, tossing, and dressing of a salad that she then eats with her hands (I do too—more on that another time).

As bizarre as it is to be in the prime of a growing season while the rest of the country’s green slumbers under snow, I find the lettuces in the CSA box and at market help me adjust to the subtle seasonal markers here in Miami. The dried heirloom tomato chips from Redland Organics help too (this is what I imagine Sun Chips literally taste like),

and springy leaves with roasted chioggia slices connect the Wonka to the food wonk.

The beets are from a wonderful vendor at the Coral Gables Farmers’ Market who insisted I try everything (I bought most of it—beets, three kinds of radishes, something akin to bok choy with a bite) at the opening day of that market, where I arrived to hear the tail end of a cooking demonstration on why to temper:

The palmiers will be tested for crunch next time;

the fleeting honeybell season gives these citrus priority.

I learned about pumellos and the ripe colors of delicate starfruit varieties,

and smiled at a small girl eying the vendors as I did, willing them to prove their commitment to truly local food.

The market finds piled atop the CSA box full of more greens, tomatoes, and starfruit this week:

And visiting Redland Organics at Sunday’s Pinecrest market, I found gandules (pidgeon peas), part of Puerto Rico’s national dish, “Arroz con Gandules.” It is a dish for celebrations, I have discovered, and this is a week for celebrating—

What’s your favorite salad? Anyone need a little citrus sent their way from this warm clime?

Related posts:

1. the month of the scone
2. first Miami food exploration of the new year
3. I recognize that smile

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Posted by Kristen Taylor on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009, 12:17 am * Filed in Food, Market. * Tags: csa, farmers, Food, kristen, kthread, local, Market, miami, taylor. Follow responses through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.