Saturday’s Basket – Food Meets Art

Typically I write about the delicious produce or meats that can be found at South of the James but this week is a little different.  At my house, we’ve just wrapped up another wedding season which means we’ve gone from one gift season and we’re sliding right into the next!  No matter though because in our quest to support local farmers and food providers at our Farmer’s Market, we’ve also found local artisans that are producing some beautiful work.  As a wedding gift, we recently purchased a beautiful piece of pottery from Jane Hendley at South of the James.   The colors of her work are earthy and multi-toned and the pottery almost begs to have bright, beautiful produce added to it so it can fulfill it’s serve ware duty!   We paired a holy rim bowl with wooden salad spoons, a matching tea towel and I also included a recipe for one of my favorite salads.  The gift was a hit and something I envision them using for years – beautiful as a display piece but even better as a unique and versatile serving dish.  As Christmas approaches, there are many great crafters and artists putting time in at the Market. Be sure to check them out for a unique and special gift!

Spicy Arugula Salad:

4 cups Arugula, roughly chopped

3-4 ounces crumbled goat cheese

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup spiced pecans

Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper and toss!

Saturday’s Basket is written by a Forest Hill resident and is a weekly review of South of the James Market purchases and the recipes she creates with her market finds. View these and more recipes at Pantry2Plate, a food blog with stories of cooking as best as she knows how.