by Sarah Shotts of Sarah Shott’s Storytelling

This week I visited the Rogers Farmer’s Market with my heart set on finding fresh strawberries & rhubarb so I could share my Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble recipe here with you.

But you can’t shop with a grocery list at a Farmer’s Market. I knew better, but I couldn’t help myself.

My first pass through the stalls I did find some beautiful baskets of fresh strawberries, but alas no rhubarb. {Is rhubarb even in season anymore?}

Walking through the market looking for two specific ingredients made me blind to the other treasures. After I realized Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble was off the table I decided to wander and see what caught my eye. When shopping at a Farmer’s Market you need to embrace the unexpected.

Then I saw these beauties.

They immediately reminded me of fellow ARWB Heather Disarro’s Oven-Roasted Paprika Okra. Bingo!

And I am so glad I picked them up. Her recipe is like magic. All the taste and flavor of fried okra without the fried breading. We had these early this week and my husband & I were hooked!

On wandering through the market a second time I even allowed myself to peruse Barb N Stu De Baker’s freshly baked bread. A booth I’d scurried past originally… afraid that I might buy up everything on sight! A low and behold there was fresh challah! I fell in love with tradition Jewish challah bread when I interned in Washington D.C. after college, but have had the hardest time finding it after moving back south. I was sold!

I went home with two loaves… One a sweet cinnamon and one a savory garlic & cheese. Both were heavenly!

So the moral of the story is… sometimes you go looking for strawberries & rhubarb and come away with okra & challah. And that’s okay.

That’s the magic of the farmer’s market.

Cheers,

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah Shotts is a wedding photographer & filmmaker at Sarah Shott’s Storytelling. She moved to Arkansas last summer after marrying her own true love and is quickly falling in love with the area. When she’s not telling wedding stories she enjoys documenting slices of her own life over on her blog. After studying abroad in Mexico and London she acquired a taste for adventure and is excited to explore her new home state. You can keep in touch via Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.