Support Farmer’s Market, Concert Under the Stars

Third and Curry Street Farmer’s Market is open and providing our community with the annual abundance of fresh, organic vegetables, flowers and goodies provided by home cooks, in a venue that’s festive, fun and allows neighbors to visit with each other and gain an understanding of sustainable, responsible growing practices, while building relationships with our local farmers and growers.

We’re lucky to have so many small and local farmers and home cooks available, and we need to do our part to support them. They are an important part of the fiber of a good, thriving community.

Under the direction of our community treasure Linda Marrone, the farmer’s market has flourished and is a manifestation of Linda’s love of and commitment to our community. We’re blessed indeed by her heart, vision and energy.

You may have to wait a couple weeks into the season to find tomatoes (which are needed for this recipe) at the market, but once it’s in full swing, you’ll find a full array of veggies, herbs and fruit for all your summer time meal prep needs. Please note the market is set up to accept most credit cards as well as EBT and Quest cards.

For more information, visit. www.carsonfarmersmarket.com.

Also, tonight is the annual Concert Under the Stars, A Benefit for The Greenhouse Project, featuring co-headliners Ambrosia and Pablo Cruise in an evening of back-to-back hits. The Greenhouse Project works to educate our young people about sustainable growing practices and provides food to the under served in our community. There will also be a live auction with great prizes and a silent auction to benefit our FFA kids. Tickets will be available at the door or at www.carsoncitygreenhouse.org. Doors open at 5 p.m. We’ll see you there!

Now for our recipe.

Maureen Abood is my cousin and she currently has a cookbook, “Rose Water & Orange Blossoms,” on the New York Times’ best seller list.

As a young adult, it started to dawn on me as the elders of our family were passing, some of the family cooking traditions went with them.

We grew up in a close-knit, family-oriented environment that always circled our family heritage to Lebanese cuisine. As we grew up as Baby Boomers the nucleus of family became scattered across the country and my wondering lead to, “who will be the keeper of the traditions and recipes?” And along came Maureen Abood and her food blog, “Rosewater & Orange Blossoms.” I became connected to Maureen via today’s phenomena Facebook and found myself using the blog to reacquaint myself and hone in on the family recipes that had never been written down.

But more important than this knowing the fundamentals of our family cuisine, was the backbone of tradition (in her writings) I found most important. Maureen not only gives the measurements and ingredients, she also gives readers the heart and soul of these recipes.

Locally, “Rosewater & Orange Blossoms” can be purchased at Sundance Books and Barnes & Noble in Reno or online at Amazon or Indie Bound, and anywhere books and e-books are sold. Check out Maureen’s web site, which includes recipes and a small marketplace featuring Lebanese spices and such at maureenabood.com.

Thank you, cousin, for sharing our heritage with the world. You’ve done us proud!

By the way, my recommendation is to match the salad with a bottle of Pinot Blanc. My favorite is Navarro, from Anderson Valley, Calif.

Lebanese Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Mint

By Maureen Abood

One of the best things about this salad is the juice that waits in the bottom of the bowl, ready to be sopped up with thin pita or flatbread. Make the salad an hour or so in advance to let the flavors meld.

Serves 4.

6 5-inch cucumbers, cut into 1-inch chunks

3 beefsteak or a variety of tomatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 sweet onion, sliced into thin half-moons

2 cloves garlic, green center sprout removed, minced

15 leaves spearmint, or na’na, torn or sliced chiffonade

2 tablespoons crushed, dried mint

4 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of 1-2 lemons

Salt and pepper

In a large salad bowl, combine the cucumbers, tomatoes and onion. Top with the garlic, fresh and dried mint, olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper, stirring well to coat the vegetables evenly. Taste and adjust seasoning. Eat the salad up and then make another, soon.

Charlie Abowd is co-owner of Adele’s.