Summer Potluck And Farmers Market Inspiration- Part I
What better way to celebrate summer than a get together with friends and fellow cooks, enjoying each others company and eating great food. My friend Cristina and I decided to throw an end of summer potluck inviting cooks that we know from blogs, Food52 and Mealku. Everyone will converge on my house on a lovely, warm Sunday afternoon. Cristina and I began preparing for this weeks ago, sending out invites and planning what we will prepare. What do a bunch of cooks do when they get together, well, the answer is pretty simple, we talk about food and eat.
Summer produce is at it’s peak and I had no idea what to make as my contribution, I decided to visit the farmers market in Fort Greene for inspiration. I wanted to make something fresh and seasonal and after seeing the beautiful tomatoes at the market I decided to make Panzanella, it’s one of my favorite salads and with the very tasty produce I knew if would be delicious. Today was extra special, I had great company at the Market, my friend and fellow cook extraordinaire Emily (Em-i-lis) and her husband Tom were here visiting from DC so we met up in my hood, Brooklyn. We did some shopping at the farmers market and then went to the Brooklyn Flea making our way through the different food stands,
Heirloom tomatoes
I am cooking for a Mealku event on Tuesday and needed inspiration for a fruit salad, look at these beautiful plums!!
Gorgeous plums
Beauties
Kale Anyone?
The Brooklyn Flea is a neighborhood institution, every Saturday from April – November they take over the athletic field of a local high school. There you will find just about anything you want from antiques to arepas. We ate, and ate well.
Tom’s porchetta
Em’s grilled cheese
Stay tuned for part II the potluck party! Today was fun and so good to finally meet Emily, I have to mention that she is a wonderful jam maker and she brought me a container of her fabulous plum basil jam. It’s extraordinary, have had it before and she knows its my favorite, thanks Em!!
apuginthekitchen 
Plum and basil? Intrigued by that combination!
– Have just checked the meaning of ‘potluck’ and it’s sort of like our ‘bring a plate’. What fun that’s going to be, and wish you well.
– And what a fabulous flea market to have in your ‘hood’.
Yes exactly, bring a plate. Everyone brings a dish, it’s so much fun. The flea is the best. It’s huge and there are so many vendors and food options. It’s the best!!
What a wonderful idea to do the potluck – and what a fabulous way to spend the day. I love your photos of the farmer’s market – it looks wonderful. And I’m so happy you had a chance to meet Em! I love her recipes on Food52 and she seems like such a great human being. Excited to see what you make!!
We love doing them, they are so much fun and everytime we get someone new. It’s great to meet new people. Em is the best, sweet and funny and talented. I got some gorgeous tomatoes and cukes and will make panzanella.
It was SO great to meet Suzanne this past Saturday- thank you, S, for showing us around your ‘hood and introducing us to the Ft. G farmers market and the wonderful Flea.
I am beyond touched by your and TWV’s compliments of me here. Truly, thank you so very much. I hope the potluck was wonderful and that preparations for tomorrow’s breakfast are happily underway! xo
Em I was so happy to meet you and show you around my hood. My only complaint is that I wanted to spend more time with you, it just wasn’t long enough. Lets do it again!!
Suzanne! What a fun, beautiful and exuberant post. You have inspired me to head out earlier than I’d planned (I was cooking for the potluck, ha ha) and take advantage of our hood’s fab farmer and flea market. Your potlucks are always so much fun and this one promises to surpass all. Can’t wait!
Can’t wait to see you tomorrow!!! The FM is loaded with good stuff!!
enjoy your party and what fun to celebrate with other food folk 🙂 Great market pictures. Reason #1 to love summer: fresh produce!
You’re so right Liz, yes summer produce is the best part of summer for me. So much to choose from and all so good and fresh!! Thank you.
I think you should make a tv show out of your potluck, so we can all enjoy it vicariously. Have a great time!
Ha! a tv show now that would be fun. I will be posting pics tomorrow or Monday. We have them several times a year and they are great fun. Thank you.
That could be a new Food Network show, food bloggers getting together. I need to pitch this idea to someone. LOL
It would be great wouldn’t it? Food bloggers, food fans all getting together. We actually have someone coming from Pennsylvania tomorrow.
That sounds like such a great idea inviting friends and fellow cooks for an end of summer potluck. I hope you all have a lovely time tomorrow. 😉
It’s fun, we love doing them and everyone has a wonderful time. It’s always so good to hang out with people with the same or similar interest. There is so much to talk about. Thank you so much.
Sounds like so much fun and such a great excuse to get inventive! Your market looks fabulous 🙂
It will be fun and our little farmers market is great. Thanks so much.
Oh my goodness the heirloom tomatoes are fabulous. Your Panzanella is going to be incredible. Looking forward to seeing the photographs!
I love the tomatoes. they always have the best tomatoes there and I can’t help myself, have to buy as many as I can carry. Thanks so much very excited about tomorrow!
Now, I’m jealous! Potluck where every one is a good cook?
Colors in the photos are amazing! I love the sign ‘TRY ONE’.
Please write us (w/ photos) about the potluck too! 😀
I love these potlucks, everyone is an amazing cook and the food is just too good. Wish you lived close so you could come! I know love “try one” they encourage everyone to take a piece of fruit, the kids just love it. Thank you.
Looks like so much fun! I love the colors!
Going to the farmers market in the summer is like sensory overload. I love all the colors and the bounty. It’s wonderful, thanks so much.
All the colourful produce at the market look amazing! Look forward to reading about the potluck!!
Thanks so much, yes will hopefully be posting tomorrow or Monday, Really looking forward to tomorrow.
I like to check in and see all my neighborhood spots in your post. I hope you guys have a great time at the potluck, I’m sorry to be missing it! I will cry sadly while reading how great of a success it was. 😉
Was really looking forward to seeing and meeting you. Hopefully one day soonn!!
Beautiful photos from the market! Oh, sure, a potluck of foodies sounds like a good idea, but it’s a lot of pressure to cook for other cooks! Hoping my food will hold its own. I’m making a bread pudding, which I love to eat but have never made before. For whatever reason everyone around me dislikes bread pudding. Hopefully it works out. Looking forward to tomorrow!
Really look forward to seeing you today and bread pudding is wonderful, can’t wait to taste it!
Sounds like a great idea and a lot of fun, Suzanne – the only “sad” part is thinking that we are already talking about an “end of summer” party… It goes too fast!
I know, summer has flown by, I don’t know where time goes. Thanks so much Stefano!
Love this post! Wishing we had a farmers’ market like that nearby. The pot luck sounds like big fun! Looking forward to your next post…
It must be the time of year–with tomato season in full swing–that also prompted me to make panzanella last weekend. My daughter brought me home some fresh picked tomatoes and basil from the farm where she boards her horses and I had some day old focaccia bread topped with basil and sea salt sitting on my counter. So I ran out to the market, picked up some fresh mozzarella and red onions, and threw together a delicious summer meal of panzanella and sliced cantelope. Delightful. Will you be posting your recipe?
Thank you, there is nothing better than fresh from the garden tomatoes and basil is my favorite herb. I am working on a post today with the recipe for panzanella. I love summer produce and panzanella for me is the perfect light summer meal!
The potluck sounds amazing! That farmes market has me drooling. I love going to those. We just had one in my neighborhood yesterday! It is just so stinking hot here in Houston though, it is pretty miserable to walk around! 100 degree weather is no fun with tons of humidity!
It was so much fun, have to work on the post today. Ugh, 100 and humid thats like my least favorite weather, honestly would rather have it cold at least I can layer and I am warm, nothing you can do in that kind of oppressive heat.
Gorgeous pictures Suzanne! xoxo
What a great idea! And that farmer’s market looks awesome! I am starving atm, and that porchetta panini made my stomach growl! OMG! you are so lucky to live in NY!
The potlucks are so much fun, we always eat well and have a wonderful time together. There certainly is just about anything you would want available here in NYC. Thank you very much!