May 22nd was a beautifully sunny Saturday day and so we rose early and headed out to hit the local farmer’s markets. Though the Mt. Laurel Farmer’s Market doesn’t officially begin until June 4th, there were a few vendors out this weekend selling garden fresh vegetables, knit & crocheted items and one of my favorites, cheeses and jellies. As a matter of fact, while I was working at the CMMS event I met Dr. Robert from Southern Pines Chiropractic Center at Mt. Laurel. He mentioned his wife Sasha loved all things foodie or crafty. I found Sasha’s Simply Cheese on facebook and immediately fell in love with the business. Not only does she sell products from www.simplycheese.net but she also makes her own fruit and wine jellies. I was so happy to meet Sasha at the Mt. Laurel Farmer’s Market Saturday and try her delicious cheeses and jellies first hand. The Lavender Zinfandel jelly was sweet yet floral and would be delicious on chicken or poured over some brie, wrapped in filo pastry and baked. Yum. We also tried her cabernet sauvignon jelly paired with the pepper jack cheese and immediately picked up a jar. I intend to pour it over pork tenderloin as a marinade before grilling. I think I will also make a sauce for the pork with the jelly. It was just so good. 

After visiting with the MLFM vendors we stopped off for a quick and inexpensive bite at Jimbo’s and then headed to Pepper Place in downtown Birmingham. I love going to Pepper Place every year because there are so many local farmers, artists, crafters, musicians and all around awesome people there. We first went through the fresh produce area and let me tell you I really regret that I did my grocery shopping the day before because I wanted one of everything. I picked up some kale from Pond Creek Farm (Cullman, AL) and then a half dozen Chilton County Peaches from Burnette Farms. I want to make Spanish bean soup this week and I am going to try my hand at a peach cobbler. 

We stopped by the Pepper Place garden and then headed to the back area which I don’t remember there being vendors back there last year. I purchased some green tomatoes from A & P Farms (Gallant, AL) and the lovely woman working in the booth gave me two recipe cards with alternate recipes from fried green tomatoes. One is for grilled tomatoes with Cajun dressing and the other for un-fried tomatoes.  Zoey and I stopped to share a cup of Strawberry Italian Ice while Adam taste-tested some wines from the Winery at Pepper Place. He picked out his two favorites; the Jacquelyn which is an apple Riesling and Triptych which is a blended red wine.

We ventured to the far side of Pepper Place to walk through the artist/crafting vendors and I grabbed a loaf of French bread from the Culinard Cafe. We looked at handmade crocheted items, beautiful cutting boards and carved wood, fun kitchen wind chimes, handmade jewelry and much, much more. All-in-all the day was relaxing but adventurous.  Zoey enjoyed the music and seeing all the dogs walking with their owners. Adam loved the taste testing and the ambience and I loved spending the day in the sun with my family and some interesting and creative small town vendors. To by fresh, to buy organic and to support local small business owners makes me extremely happy.

My husband has a penchant for making unusual drinks. He had read an article online about a rosemary infused cocktail and was set on trying it. As it went, he forgot the exact recipe; only remembering specifically that it called for Rosemary Simple Syrup.

After some experimentation, he came up with this refreshingly herbal cocktail.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz premium vodka
• 1 oz premium gin
• 1 shot of rosemary simple syrup
• Citrus Soda (like Sprite or 7up)

Directions:

In a rocks glass, pour vodka, gin, and simple syrup over ice and stir until chilled. Top off the glass with the citrus soda. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary, if you wish.

My husband has taken up making his own beer as a hobby. He’s been using the Mr. Beer kits and has had many successes. His latest batch has been a huge hit with family and friends. The 8 liters he made were gone in a flash, much to his dismay. However, he had the foresight to right down his recipe, which he gladly agreed to share with me.

These instructions assume you will be using the Mr. Beer kits, so please reference the brewing guide for the standard process of brewing your own beer. These instructions are guidelines for tweaking the process to make Pate’s Pale Ale.

Ingredients:

• ½ oz. rose flavored syrup
• 1 oz. premium vodka
• ice
• club soda (if making a cocktail)

Serves 1