With so many great food possibilities at Farmers Markets this time of year, we thought we would take this opportunity to share some tasty recipes for enjoying the fresh produce.

The options are endless when it comes to enjoying your fruits and vegetables. Fresh garden tomatoes for example can be eaten simply sliced, drizzled with good quality olive oil and vinegar and sprinkled with chopped fresh basil. Or they can be the catalyst for a tasty homemade tomato sauce or gazpacho, cold tomato soup. And it doesn't end there. Who says veggies are just for the main course? Carrots and zucchinis have long been regarded as excellent choices for dessert when turned into tasty carrot cake or chocolate chip zucchini cupcakes.

Our featured writer will share with us a journey through a local farmers market and her adventures in vegetables. We also are excited to share with you some delicious recipes such as grilled corn on the cob, chilli butter, roasted garlic butter and chocolate chip zucchini muffins or cupcakes.

This newsletter's featured products are the famous Mauviel Copper Cookware and the small Schlemmertopf Clay Baker. Mauviel Cookware has been the choice of top chefs from around the world, from leading hotels and restaurants to Parisian cooking schools. These pieces are truly an exquisite merger of precision cooking and beauty, and can be found at a significant savings at YourSmart Kitchen.com

Schlemmertopf is the only clay baker still produced in Germany, where the original clay bakers were created. Clay bakers are a healthy, waterless way of cooking. And, they are microwaveable. It can be used for an array of meals, everything from roasted chicken breast to roasted vegetables. Or as in this week's featured recipes, for roasting garlic to create homemade garlic butter.

Have a great farmers market tip that you want to share? Share it with us on our blog at Chef Wannabee

Enjoy! And have a great August. August if pretty active here with Hot August Nights, the Reno Air Races, Hot Balloon Races and Street Vibrations. It will be a busy month.

Also, we will be attending the Gourment Show in San Francisco next week and will report on the some of the new products that will soon be available.

This Little Family Went To Market

Summertime is here. Which also means that tons of delicious fruits and veggies are in season. And what better excuse to sample fresh produce than by visiting a local farmers market.

We decided to try a new farmers market last weekend. We ventured downtown to Little Italy's Mercato on Saturday morning. The Little Italy Mercato spans a couple of city blocks near the heart of Little Italy. As we strolled the length of the market, we could enjoy the sounds of live, musical performances. There was a wide array of food and craft vendors alike. Unlike some other markets around town, we were able to stroll the streets with our little furry friend, Hayley. At other markets we often have to leave our dog outside.

With so many wonderful flavors to choose from, we had a great time selecting fresh corn on the cob, heirloom tomatoes, feta and other Greek cheeses, Bing cherries, pink roses and even a whole chicken. If not for the two hour limit on the parking meter, we might have stayed longer to visit some of the craft booths as well. More and more markets are becoming a great place to find handmade and unique gift items from local artisans. It can be a great place to find unique baby, wedding, birthday and holiday gifts.

There is such an unmistakable difference in the quality of the food that we buy from the local markets. We have been enjoying the fruits of our adventure all week with fresh salads, grilled corn on the cob, roasted garlic and taking in the beauty of the fresh flowers that we bought as well. We even roasted the whole chicken we bought from a local farmer at the market and used it throughout the week to make delicious meals from the leftovers. Think chicken, ricotta cheese and sun-dried tomato homemade ravioli, chicken enchiladas, and chicken, spinach and Parmesan cheese tossed with homemade fettuccine pasta as just a few of the possibilities. Who said leftovers had to be boring? Plus as an added bonus, if the chicken is already cooked you save a lot of time making dinner after work on a weeknight.

Featured Products

Mauviel Cookware

Mauviel Cookware has been the choice of top chefs from around the world, from leading hotels and restaurants to Parisian cooking schools. While the cookware has been around for over 175 years, it was first introduced to American kitchens in 1962. These pieces are truly an exquisite merger of precision cooking and beauty, and can be found at a significant savings at Your Smart Kitchen. Use them to produce professional quality soups and stews, sauces, seared seafood, and much much more.

Schlemmertopf Clay Baker - Small

Schlemmertopf is the only clay baker still produced in Germany, where the original clay bakers were created. Clay bakers are a healthy, waterless way of cooking. And, they are microwaveable. It can be used for an array of meals, everything from roasted chicken breast to roasted garlic. This size clay bakeware has a capacity of 2.25 quart.

Tips

How to Preserve Tomatoes

All good things do come to an end, so how do keep enjoying fresh vegetables throughout the year once the peak season has passed? Thanks to canning and preserving processes, you can keep enjoying them for months to come. Preserved tomatoes can be used later to make delicious sauces, stews and baked dishes. Here's how:

1. CLEAN. Wash tomatoes in cool water, carefully removing any stems or bad spots.

2. BOIL. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place tomatoes in the boiling water for about a minute. Remove tomatoes from the pot and immediately rinse them in ice cold water. Peel the skin off.

3. PRESERVE:

Option A: Go right to the freezer. Freeze tomatoes by placing them in a tightly sealed, freezer safe container. Store frozen tomatoes in a deep freeze for up to a year. Store frozen tomatoes in a regular freezer for up to 6 months.

Option B: Jar them using a boiler water canner. Process the tomatoes in a hot-water bath using clean, chip-free jars. Follow bottling instructions carefully. Store jars in a cool dark place. Use the tomatoes within a year.

Option C: Jar them using a pressure cooker to preserve the garden fresh flavor. Follow pressure cooker instructions. Place tomatoes in clean, chip-free jars, following canning instructions. This is the freshest way to preserve tomatoes. Store jarred pressure-cooked tomatoes in a cool dark place. Use the tomatoes within a year.

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Grilled Corn on the Cob

Heat an outdoor grill to high. Peel back the husks of corn, but do not remove them completely. Remove all silk from the ears of corn and coat lightly corn with cooking spray or butter (if you wish).  Smooth husks back into place and rub each husk with water. Place corn directly on grill surface and grill, turning occasionally, until kernels soften and husks blacken. About 10 to 12 minutes. Pull back husks and serve corn with 1 teaspoon flavored butter.

Tip: you may wish to brush the corn on the cob with the flavored chili butter in order to apply evenly to the corn.

Garlic Butter

• 1 garlic bulb
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves. Place the garlic bulb in a small baking pan; clay bakers work well for this purpose. Drizzle olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil, or if using a clay baker with a lid - place the lid on the baker. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

Allow the garlic to cool slightly. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins. Eat as is atop fresh bread, or mash with a fork and mix with 2 tablespoons of softened butter to make garlic butter. Serve warm.

Chili Butter:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon sweet chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon red cayenne pepper powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Chocolate Chip, Zucchini Muffins (or Cupcakes)

Makes 48 mini-muffins or 24 regular muffins

Ingredients

• 3 cups of shredded zucchini (2-3 medium)
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla ( I recommend Trader Joe's Tahitian Vanilla Extract)
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (walnuts work well also)
• 3/4 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Preparation

Move oven rack to a low position so that the tops of the muffin pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 2 regular muffin pans or 4 mini muffin pans, with cooking spray. (Note: greasing only the bottom of the pan ensures the mixture rises properly)

Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl (just until mixed, careful not to over mix). Stir in the remaining ingredients except nuts and chocolate. Last, stir in nuts and chocolate. Divide batter evenly between pans.