I like Middle-Eastern food. It’s usually garlicky, spicy and full of savory flavor. So when I was reading David Lebovitz’s blog yesterday and saw Baba Ganoush, I wanted to make it. I’ve been wanting to make the eggplant dip for a few years now, but this time, his photo really put me on the prowl for eggplants.

So, I walked down to the farmers’ market today hoping to find an eggplant or two. I didn’t find any. I guess they probably don’t ripen until about the same time as tomatoes — they are both in the same plant family, you know. But I did find a host of other yummy-looking, ripe fruits and veggies.

Here’s what I saw available today: zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, salad greens, yellow peppers, onions, peas, potatoes, dill weed, tomatillos, cantaloupe, watermelon, cherries, apricots, peaches and summer apples. There were also flowers for sale from Lek Perkins. (Full disclosure, Lek is my father’s cousin’s wife. See, I’m related to almost everyone here.)

I ended up buying green beans. I love snacking on them raw or sauteeing them quickly with a little olive oil, garlic and salt. I also bought some yellow banana-ish looking peppers. I plan to stuff them with something, probably cheese, and possibly make them into chiles rellenos, one of my favorite Mexican dishes.