I know we're still a ways out, but The Weather Channel forecasts 75F and partly cloudy for our 4th of July this year--positively sweltering by Northwest standards. Surely I'm not alone in having 4th of July memories of shivering under a pool umbrella, trying to keep my paper plate of baked beans from getting drenched in the rain..?
It's gonna be a party, people! No need to barbecue under the shelter of the eaves; no need to hand out fleeces and sweatshirts to your guests. Even if you have no elaborate plans and might not even watch fireworks on TV, you can't let the day pass without celebratory food.
The Market has your pastured ground beef for burgers. While there are all kinds of fancy burger recipes out there, in our house we just take a pound of meat and divide it into patties. Done. But I have gone out of my way to caramelize onions as a topping, just slicing some sweet onions thinly and sauteeing them in bacon fat or olive oil until brown and soft. Tomatoes? Lettuce? Cheese? The Market has it.
For you non-burger eaters, I've seen plenty of sausages on offer by our farmers. And I've seen beans, if you insist on making a veggie burger.
As for sides, have you seen the sugar snap peas?
And salad greens...
If you lean more toward potato salad, the Market has potatoes!
Say you've been invited to someone else's celebration, and you don't just want to bring your hosts a six-pack of the same old beer. The Market has artisan beers. Have you sampled Geaux Brewing's offerings? Take, for example,
And lastly we come to dessert. You know the Market carries ice cream, but I'll be there this week wanting a half-flat of blueberries. Because it's blueberry pie time. And what dessert could be more American? (Except apple pie, but it's not apple season, folks. Which is why we eat that at Thanksgiving. I have still seen some apples at Collins Orchard, and they're still crisp and tasty, but that's another story.)
Wishing you all happy 4th of July feasts and safe travels.
