A slow food day. . .

Grilled soft shell crabs with all the fixin's.
It's a rough life.

Went down to the Davidson Farmer's Market this morning. It has turned into quite a little market. There are fresh vegetables of course, but much more: artisan breads and cheeses, wild and cultivated mushrooms, fresh flowers, locally grown meats, etc. There are professional farmers, Mennonites, slow food movement purveyors, and dabblers from every background. It may be a little more expensive than the local grocery, but there are deals to be had. Today I grabbed some pork and chicken liver pate made just yesterday by Charles, a French chef. He sold me a nice sized pack for $5.00 (regularly $6.00 but reduced for D-Day, he said). Not exactly within my low cholesterol diet but it tasted and looked too good to pass up. Got some squash and some killer shiitake mushrooms as well as some basil and leeks. Found a guy selling fish on the side of the road and got some fresh, never frozen, soft shelled crabs. Came home and stir-fried the basil with the mushrooms, added some local sweet-hot relish and some black beans for a killer accompaniment to the crabs, which I grilled. Threw in some grilled squash and leeks and rocked it all on the front porch. Click here for some footage from the Farmer's Market last year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvtb_A5ge5k