Callum and I went to the farmer's market today. Poor kid. He's not allowed to play with his friends, but he can help his mother shop!

We've been going irregularly this summer (damn that camp!). Our local farmer's market is expanding and has moved into a new, indoor location. I was a bit worried at first. It felt clear that they were just getting started, and admittedly I was used to farmer's markets in San Diego which stretched on for blocks. Heck, before that, when we lived in Pennsylvania, we were walking distance from this market. I wouldn't say that my standards were super high, necessarily, just that I was hopeful that this would grow into more than a few half-full bins and some buckets of flowers.

It felt much better in there today. Bustling with people and full of produce.

We didn't buy any flowers, but we got lots of amazing local produce. Tomatoes, squash (yellow, zucchini, and patty pan), corn, snap beans and blackberries. We came home and ate the blackberries immediately. I am trying hard to live a more sustainable life. Already we recycle more than twice as much as we throw away in trash, we're pricing rain barrels, and I'm working on ways to be more sustainable in our food as well. My friend Shoshana does this better for her family than anyone I know. She's made an incredible commitment to eating as much local meat and produce as she can, seeking out resources with a tenacity that impresses me. I'm not sure I can give it as much of a go as she has, but we're trying to be more intentional in our actions around here. I'm trying to manage our grocery shopping better (conflicting reports tell me to shop more often or less often...any thoughts?) We've done better with our wee container garden of herbs this summer, and yard-man Neel is already thinking of ways to grow some actual produce next year. So I keep trying.

It's all good.

We came home and made a big salad with a lot of our goodies. It's meant to be lunches for the weekend, but I'm not sure it'll make it that long.

Farmer's Market Israeli Couscous Salad

Saute' a chopped onion in some olive oil until golden brown. Add a bag of Israeli Couscous and toast until brown. Add two cups vegetable broth and simmer 8-10 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Slice one zucchini and one yellow squash and brush with olive oil. Using grill pan or outdoor grill...you guessed it, lightly grill the squash rounds. Add chopped tomatoes, basil leaves, more olive oil and some sea salt. Endeavor to prevent yourself or your eight-year-old son from picking away at the bowl before you can eat it for lunch.

Except for the basil which came from a pot on my back porch (and the couscous, if you must...okay and the sea salt and olive oil), all the ingredients of this salad were purchased today. I thought about adding some feta and still might, but honestly, I didn't expect it to taste so good on its own. Something about toasting the couscous and then cooking it in broth really expanded the flavors. I only added the olive oil to make it combine a bit.

Like I said, it's all good.