A Surprise, The Farmer's Market and a Salad Recipe

Chip,the kids and I went up to Buffalo to visit my Dad this past weekend. My aunt, uncle and a cousin were also visiting from Richmond, VA....well it turns out my mom was going to be in town from Florida as well.....she was going to be 5 minutes away and we decided to surprise her and her girlfriend at the local farmer's market they were browsing through that morning.....that's my mom on the left just before we snuck up on her.....



Look at these wonderful things we saw........



The cherries were yummy!!! :)



The produce was at it's peak.....everything looked fabulous!!! One of the farmers even had recipes printed up for the produce she was offering. Of course I grabbed one and had to try it....I've included it at the end.




The herbs and lettuces were sooooo green they almost looked fake!!!




We then spent the rest of the day at my Dad's house....we swam and rode the quads all afternoon. It was the perfect summer day!!! After an afternoon of fun we had dinner on the patio....ribs, beans, roasted potatoes....and this lovely Cucumber, String Bean and Olive Salad.



Here is the recipe if you'd like to try it....

Coarse salt
1 lb. string beans...I used green and yellow
2 cucumbers
1/4 lb. pitted kalamata olives...cut in half
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley....I used cilantro...and I put a little extra in.
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
freshly ground pepper
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Bring a pot of water to aboil Salt the water. Add the string beans , and cook until bright green and just tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain, and transfer to the ice bath until cool. Drain, and cut in half lengthwise. Peel cucumbers, and split lengthwise. Remove seeds using a spoon. Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices on the diagonal. Combine with string beans, olives and parsley leaves in a medium bowl. Place mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Slowly add olive oil, whisking constantly until well combined. Toss with salad.

This salad was a nice change using summer fresh ingedients.....I'm sure you will enjoy it.