To Market, To Market in Dripping Springs

I decided to celebrate my independence on the 4th of July by breaking out of my normal market routine and heading to the newly formed Dripping Springs Farmers Market. I know what you're thinking - why would I head 30 minutes out of the way to go to a relatively small market on the side of the highway? Believe it or not, it was worth the drive.

The market is located at the intersection of 290 West and RR 12 (in the grassy triangle on the north side of the road). Even though there were only a few booths, they were packed with fresh goodies and there were lines of people waiting to buy. I bought cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, okra, and peppers. But my favorite find was the greens from Bella Verdi Farms. You can't find lettuce this time of year because of the heat, but Darrell Joseph and his crew grow their lettuce and microgreens indoors so that you can have delicious, locally grown salads all year long.

The Bibb Lettuce was delicious, but I particularly enjoyed the Meditteranean Microgreen mix. The Arugula gave it some spice and the beet greens give it some sweetness. Darrell said you could use them as a salad topper, but I used them as my salad base because I liked them so much. I marinated some vegetables in a homemade dressing and topped the microgreens with the mix. It was very refreshing during our blazing hot weekend! I might have

mistakenly referred to microgreens as a garnish before, but you can bet I won't do that again.

The Dripping Springs Farmers Market is every other Saturday (next market is 7/18) from 9-11. Go early, buy some beautiful produce, go for a nice drive and then go have lunch at the Salt Lick. Now that would be a great Saturday morning!

You can also buy the microgreens at Central Market if you need them in between market days.

Marinated Summer Vegetable Salad with

Mediterranean Microgreens

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsps white wine vinegar

juice of 1 lemon

1 clove garlic minced

salt and pepper to taste

2 small (or 1 large) cucumbers, peeled and chopped

2-3 small tomatoes (I used 2 green zebra tomatoes and 1 red tomato), chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 package Bella Verdi Farms Mediterranean Microgreens

In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing - olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, toss the cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers together and then mix with the dressing. Let the vegetable mixture sit for 30 minutes or so to pick up the flavors.

Place a handful of greens on your plate and top with a large spoonful (or two) of the vegetable mixture on top. Enjoy!