Go Places & Eat Things

Farmstead Cheese and Fresh Donuts

My brother was here for a weekend visit recently and our itinerary was filled with two favorite pastimes: go places and eat things.  

I was hungry for another helping of cheese from Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery, the Central Illinois farmstead cheese maker whose Little Bloom on the Prairie I had first purchased this summer from a shop in Chicago.  I knew from the cheese maker’s newsletter that they would have some of their cheeses at the Oak Park, Illinois, farmer’s market, so we got on the train early on Saturday morning and made our way there.  

We walked the mile from the train in the new autumn chill, stopping for coffee to warm us up. After wandering the farmer’s market, colorful with apples and other fall produce, we located the cheese merchant at the market and I picked up a Little Bloom on the Prairie, a cut curd Camembert style cheese aged 4-5 weeks, Angel Food, a ladled curd cheese aged about 3 weeks, and a wedge of Roxanne, a raw sheep milk cheese. A quick scan of the rest of the market added two lovely baguettes and some jars of pasta sauce and olive bruschetta.  

As anxious as I was to try the cheeses, we couldn’t leave without sampling the cinnamon donuts made early that morning by folks at the Pilgrim Church next door to the market, along with another cup of hot coffee to warm us up for the walk back to the train. I understand that local groups take turns helping with the donuts as a way to raise funds for the church and for their own efforts. The cake donuts were fresh and delicious – autumn perfect - and the large group of musicians playing bluegrass music in the church basement was a big, happy bonus for our trip.   Back at home, we made lunch of the bread and cheese. What a treat! The Angel Food  was wonderfully soft and runny. The Roxanne is a new favorite - worth every mile on foot and on the train.  

Another great outing this weekend was a trip to the nearby Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Market (yes, a grocery store!), where the produce department is a knockout! A rainbow of bell peppers, plus sweet and hot peppers to spice up any cuisine you have a taste for. Eggplants of many colors. The produce goes on forever. It was the first time I’d seen fresh green olives in my grocery store. I didn’t buy any but I’m going to look into what it takes to cure them, as I understand they can’t be eaten raw.  

Sunday Morning Market

We’ve just returned from the Sunday morning market, and a kaleidoscope of fruits and vegetables so recently hand picked from local gardens brightens our kitchen. The tomatoes are vividly hued and especially fragrant, fresh and warmed by the sun on this hot August morning, bringing to mind rustic meals eaten outdoors in gentle climates.

Under the market awnings, berries were still going strong, and cantaloupes brought a lush sweetness to the air, but the August heavyweights – sweet corn, yellow squash, zucchini and, of course, tomatoes – had muscled their way into the bushel basket displays, assured of their place on the summer table.

Because the day promises to be the hottest yet this year, vegetable preparation will be simple, and frankly not much is required for the freshest produce of the season. A few cranks of our favorite seasonings on thick slices of tomato makes a great start to a perfect summer lunch.

As for the handful of red-speckled pears I picked up on a whim, they might find themselves in a crumble or other simple dessert when the weather cools in a day or two.