Tour of the Markets-North Union Farmers Market, Legacy Village, Lyndhurst, OH
Join me as I take a tour through a beautiful venue with lots of opportunities for this morning! I would highly encourage you to check out the Legacy Village events calendar before making a trip over here, as they often have outdoor activities on the weekend (art fairs, outdoor exercise classes, etc) that you could double up with your market shopping. A great benefit of having both venues at the same location!
Today there was an outdoor barre yoga class. While I had some high hopes of joining….oooh, I think my back might be hurting a bit today (cough, cough), I was, unfortunately, unable to do so. But, participate or not, this was a wonderful tone to set the morning as you enter the area!
This outdoor shopping center was massive, and had everything from clothing, to jewelry, to furniture, to tons of restaurants. While this tour is about the market, it’s nice to know the surrounding area so you can grab a car full of friends and make a day of it!
The plaza, where the yoga class was held, is in the center of the venue, and home to many evening concerts, kid’s activities and demonstrations.
The doors to the market opened and I was immediately greeted in my favorite way-serenade! There is something about live music and outdoor markets that just work together!
I was blown away by the sheer volume of homemade goods. Typically I will see vendors that have a few items they make with their produce, but this market seemed to really run the gamete of all (sorry, I had to give this stand two picture spaces for their efforts).
Dancing the political conversation with food pricing, I find that the reward for coming early to a market is the eggs. I love leaving with a few dozen for the week ahead, and what a great problem our society has that these locally raised eggs run out at almost every market I attend!
I am a HUGE sucker for pickles, and they were not messing around with their recipes here! From classically delicious to holy smokes hot, these were a no joke!
Moving toward the produce, to the average market going, this may seem fairly standard. But North Union Farmers Market takes a lot of pride in what sets them apart.
Supporting a few different market locations, this umbrella organization keeps all vendors ‘certified producer only’ meaning that they only sell what they’ve grown or items made locally.
That was a piece of mind for me with a desire to support local, and also a huge validation of the season’s production. Many times I chat with the farmers and conversations lead to the weather and crop production. It’s tough to calibrate when I have mangos sitting next to the green onions (not that it’s a bad thing, but different).
Hello strawberry season!! I have faults (gasp), and a big one is a fresh sweet tooth. I can pass up on some desserts, but fresh fruit-move over. Why I’m telling you this…you may notice a lack of fruit recipes when these come home with me. You know that saying Grandma had- “one for cooking, two for eating”? Yup, that’s my cooking experience when I have strawberries. Somehow my good intentions of recipes end up with me eating a container while planning it out. I tried guys, I tried.
Thankfully, greens are very plentiful, and we are moving from the early spring greens that tend to be a bit more bitter into these delicate summer greens!
I have so many new appreciations for how many types of lettuces there are, and ways to use them! Biggest learning thus far-the spine of the leaves. If you are going to try using these for filling (substitute for a taco or wrap), choose a leave with a strong backbone. Your filling and napkin will thank you!
This was an artist’s market! I love that so much! Not only was I able to pick up some great produce, but I came home with one of these olive oil holders (see if you can spot it in my videos!).
This picture really does not do justice, but these paintings were mesmerizing with colors and TEXTURES! My goodness, just looking at the detail throughout and utensils needed to accomplish those results… just beautiful!
Not for the faint of heart, these babies were heavy! Great for so many uses and again with the colors!
This was a wonderful morning well spent! I was skipping to a happy tune as I walked back to my car, bag full and heart happy, strawberry in my mouth 🙂 While the produce is the biproduct of why I check out these markets, the people and atmosphere is what makes this whole journey fun for me, and these people were top notch!
Throughout the week I was busy trying out these goodies and quite happy with my creations! While I didn’t feel it was as ‘creative’ as I had hoped, a big standout here was the French onion soup. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the green parts of the onions, but they melted down right into the butter but kept more structure than the onion for a soup that felt more substantial than the typical French onion.
I’d love to hear your feedback if you try any of these, make modifications, or have ideas!!
Tuna Patties with Green Onions and a Lemon Garlic Dill Mayo
Summer Greens Crustless Quiche with Tomatoes and Bacon
Bacon Wrapped Strawberries with Whipped Basil Ricotta
Thanks for joining me on this beautiful morning and taking a stroll through the market together! I am so grateful for the new places I have been able to travel, people I have met along the way (in person and through this blog), and creative challenges I’ve tried. I find it incredibly rewarding to surround yourself with creation and growth, and this whole experience has been a blessing in so many ways!!
If you haven’t been following along, this is a part of the Tour of the Market series that I started in the summer of 2022, as a way to explore various farmers markets and try cooking with the local and seasonal offerings that they provide. I’d love to have you follow along with me as I continue this journey! Check out the past tours here.
You can also catch the recipes as they are published by liking and following Goddess of Garlic via Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest! If you’d like to see video tours, many of these are also available on TikTok.
Thanks again for tagging along on this journey!
Hannah (your fearless culinary visionnaire)
