I had SUCH A FUN TIME at the Bellefonte Farmer’s Market this weekend! A HUGE thanks to all of the vendors who provide fresh seasonal produce for our little town every Saturday morning in the Gamble Mill parking lot! If you’ve never been there, the Bellefonte Market is a small but mighty group of growers and producers who put so much love into their produce and other offerings.
Available items differ every week depending on what’s in season, but right now you can find tomatoes, new potatoes, onions, greens, cucumbers, peppers, peaches, basil, cilantro, ZUCCHINI GALORE, and so much more! I’m also always so impressed by the protein that is available at market: bison, beef, pork, whole/half chickens and eggs.
For my recipe demos, I focused on two super simple appetizer recipes starring beautiful summer tomatoes: fresh salsa and bruschetta! It was great to have a chance to chat with people and share these easy peasy recipes. The surprise star of the show was the batch of salsa where I used peaches to replace some of the tomatoes and added extra jalapeños (with the seeds!) — can’t beat a good spicy/sweet combo!
I sourced ALL of the produce for these two recipes from Bellefonte Farmer’s Market (except for the limes)! Thanks to the following vendors for sharing your bounty!
Cramer Farm - tomatoes, sweet onions, jalapeños, garlic, basil
Lois the Pepper Lady (Wizard of Odd) - beautiful basil, jalapeños
Restless Roots Farm - cilantro (and some beautiful flowers!)
Keyfarm Premium Beef - delicious bread from Gable House Bakery
Earth Design Farm - yellow cherry tomatoes
OHF Orchards - peaches
And if you don’t live anywhere near Bellefonte, this is just a friendly reminder to support your local growers and check out a farmer’s market near you! If you live in Centre County, check out Centre Markets for details on all of the local markets.
I hope you enjoy these fresh, simple, summer appetizers. Give them a shot while the summer tomatoes are bumpin; you know grocery store tomatoes just don’t compare!
FRESH SALSA
Ingredients:
3 medium-large tomatoes (or 8 roma), diced (replace one tomato with peaches for a fun twist!)
½ large sweet onion, diced
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped or torn
1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced (Two if you like it hot; leave seeds in for max heat)
Juice of 2 limes
Salt, to taste
Instructions:
When chopping the tomatoes and onion (and peaches, if you’re using), go for small uniform pieces. Chop the jalapeños smaller and remove the seeds/ribs if you don’t like spicy!
Add everything to a bowl, stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve with your favorite mexican dishes, alongside guacamole, or by itself with chips!
BRUSCHETTA
Ingredients:
4 medium-large tomatoes (or 8 roma), diced
⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Instructions:
When chopping the tomatoes, go for small uniform pieces.
To chop the basil, roll it up into a tight little cigar shape and thinly slice (chiffonade).
Add everything to a bowl, stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve over toasted bread (crostini) with fresh mozzarella.