Saturday is Farmers Market Day

Today I visited three farmers markets, two of which were first-timers for me (see Open-air Markets post).

First stop: Atherton Market at Atherton Mill. I wasn't expecting this to be an indoor market but was pleasantly surprised when I found out. We got a late start, so it was slim pickin's. By far, my favorite vendor was Pickleville's Billie's Pickle Jar, where I sampled dill and garlic pickles, and also an unexpectedly fabulous mustard sweet relish. I hate relish (especially sweet relish) but love pickles and mustard, so I figured I'd give it a try, and I'm glad I did. Online, Pickleville pickles run $2 more per quart than at the market, giving me even more reason to go to Atherton Market and buy in-person. Billie packs 'em in tight and scoops in some brine to top it all off. His suggestion: freeze cubes of leftover pickle juice to use in your Bloody Mary. I will definitely give that a try with the leftovers from the dill pickles I bought.

A close second was Chosen Roaster. The slightly buttery smell of freshly roasted nuts brought us back around for a purchase, and we bought a bag of peanuts and a bag of cashews (though I was tempted to try their third offering: almonds). They don't use much salt when roasting the nuts, but you can ask them to salt the nuts in the bag before purchase. The peanuts were a little dry, though they were the biggest peanuts I've ever seen. The cashews were heavenly.

Second stop: Mecklenburg County Market. This market is hidden away behind the hospital off of Harden St., just down Morehead from the King Street Market. Here, we found some Old School brand yellow grits from just east of Charlotte, which we plan to use in shrimp & grits to feed my dad, who's visiting from Boise. We also bought a South Carolina peach, which later turned into a deliciously refreshing vodka spritzer.

Third stop: Charlotte Regional Farmers Market. By 3 p.m., most of the vendors had cleared out, even though they're open until 6 p.m. on Saturdays this time of year. We bought some red bell peppers, green onions and red potatoes, but we eyed the assortment of sweet and spicy peppers available and plan to purchase some next time.