My neighbor and friend of 16 years, Yarden, and I got together this past Saturday morning for some adventures. We first went to the farmer’s market that is held in the 10 hour parking lot downtown (Charlottesville, Virginia). It is a bustling, popular place for farmers and health-conscious people alike. The available fresh produce and other food products is fantastic. There are also artisans, gardeners, and other trades present. I bought eggplants, peaches, tomatoes, potatoes, an onion, a petite cantaloupe and the smallest garlic you ever did see.

Here are photos from the farmer’s market:

We went hiking up on Carter Mountain along the Monticello-Saunders Trail and the back trails that lead up to the edge of the orchard. The back trails we hiked were a bit longer than I expected, so we got a good workout hiking about 3 miles Saturday morning. I probably would have worn better shoes if I had thought it through better.

It was a humid morning for hiking, but otherwise pleasant besides some brief rain drops. Maybe if I wear better shoes next time, I will hike a longer distance. We came across some wildlife while out and about on Carter Mountain. We found a dying butterfly that was fluttering along the forest floor. He was so beautiful. We also found a little tiny frog (toad?) hopping out of the way. Yarden brought her dog along and he had fun exploring the woods and chasing after a few sounds.

I used the two eggplants I bought at the supermarket for two recipes. The first was a tomato, onion, garlic, and eggplant sauce that I ate over spaghetti and the second was a eggplant pizza inspired by Julia Child’s recipe. I did my own variation because I had an onion to eat and was out of garlic. I also didn’t quite have all the ingredients for either dish. Both turned out well though! Mmmm. Here is a photo of the eggplant pizza dish (it was good hot and cold):

Thank you for reading today’s post! I tried to share photos 1-2 times a week, sometimes more, and I hope you will visit again!