Cookin' Good in the Hood

I love farmers markets - in theory. But in reality, I don't often make the effort to go. I don't have the time, and the offerings can be overwhelming. And when you go with the kid - especially when he's little - you have to deal with the clown. And in Marin you it's not just any clown, it's Twee Twee the creepy mute-except-for-a-siren-whistle clown with the byzantine system of stool placement that guarantees you're in for at least a 45-minute wait in 95-degree heat before junior gets a Blues Clues balloon animal.

Lucky for me, just down the street, there's sort of a freelance farmers market set up. A family on Broadmoor owns Simple Pleasures Farm in the Delta. They pack subscription farm boxes (more than I can take on) for pickup and delivery, and sell the leftovers from their driveway on Thursdays.

Tammy and her kids have yummy little cherry tomatoes, luscious pears, watermelons, peppers, peaches, onions, and even fresh eggs!

I stopped today and got the fixin's for a tomatillo salsa. Tammy said, "I'm so glad you're buying these - so many people don't even know what they are."

What they are is yummy! Tart, sweet and fun to release from their little papery outer leaves.

I don't have a tested & measured recipe, but here's what you do

Take a bunch of:

Tomatillos - 10 or 12 (remove paper and rinse. Or don't rinse, I'm not looking)
Onion - 1 whole, peeled and cut into 8ths or so
Jalapenos - 1 or 2, remove the stem
Garlic - 2-3 whole cloves

Arrange them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil (olive or veggie) and sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Roast at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes (I use a toaster oven)

Pour it all into a food processor and Ole! Salsa Verde!