Cooking With Fresh Food From the Farmer's Market

My favorite part of Summer is the abundance of fresh, local produce available for months on end. Yes, you can find local produce the rest of the year, but there is nothing like juicy, succulent tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, peppers, fresh herbs, did I mention tomatoes? You get the idea.

A wonderful offering of Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library is the Monday Farmer's Market (8:00 to 11:30 a.m. on Mondays, May 13 through Oct. 7, 2013) where you can find herbs, garden fresh veggies and fruits, bread, fresh cut flowers and plants, and more (even programs such how to make your own kale chips on June 10, 2013 10-10:30 a.m.!). Stop by to stock up on such items and then visit the Cooking Neighborhood for recipe ideas!

Below are a few recommended cookbooks to spark inspiration on using your fresh finds:

• True Food : seasonal, sustainable, simple, pure by Andrew Weil and Sam Fox, with Michael Stebner
• Cooking in the Moment : a year of seasonal recipes
  by Andrea Reusing
• Cooking From the Farmers' Market by Jodi Liano and Tash De Serio
• Eating Local: the cookbook inspired by America's farmers by Sur La Table with Janet Fletcher
• Clean Food: a seasonal guide to eating close to the source, with more than 200 recipes for a healthy and sustainable you by Terry Walters
• Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: recipes from a modern kitchen garden by Jeanne Thiel Kelley

What have you been cooking lately? Let me know below and give others great ideas for Summer meals!