My dad always had a vegetable garden along the west side of our Maplewood yard. He grew tomatoes, beans, leaf lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, and carrots. I remember the way he cut up the cucumbers into slices and put them in a bowl, added water, vinegar and a touch of sugar. Those little slices of heaven were the perfect snack food. Who needed chips when you could have cucumbers? Yum!! He had a penchant for vinegar—another fond memory of fresh produce revolves around leaf lettuce, cooked eggs, and, yes, you guessed it: vinegar.
He’d cut up large slices of tomatoes, give them a good shaking of salt, and we were all good to go. Heaven. Carrots, radishes, beans; they all bring back memories of my dad.
I tried starting a bunch of vegetables from seed a few years back, but let’s just say that didn’t go very well. I felt kind of guilty for not carrying on the legacy of my dad and his lush, abundant vegetable garden.
Oh, well, I can always head to the local farmers markets. Speaking of which, our June issue (available at lakeminnetonkamag.com starting June 1) will feature a local farmers market guide. We’ll wait to give you all the juicy details, but here are the local markets we’re covering:
Tuesdays, July 3–October 2
14600 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka
Saturdays, June 16–October 27
9th Avenue one half-block south of the Mainstreet clock tower, Hopkins
Saturdays, May 19–October 13
5515 Shoreline Dr., Mound
Thursdays, May 3–October 25
301 Cty. Rd. 19, Excelsior
Wednesdays, July 11–October 10
3650 Plymouth Blvd., Plymouth
