The farmers' market and a new love

Yesterday was opening day of the local farmers' market in Copley Square, so Little H and I made our way over there in the afternoon. I'd been looking forward to it for some time, and to be honest, I was a little underwhelmed. I expected more vendors, and a greater variety of fruit and veggies. What I seemed to forget is that it's only mid-May in New England, which means that there still isn't much growing happening around here. Even though the selection was a bit lacking, I did manage to pick up a few things that are pretty wonderful.

A couple of vendors sold locally-grown arugula, lettuce and other greens, English cucumbers, a variety of herbs, and delicious looking bright red strawberries.
There were also some locally-grown plants and flowers (unfortunately none of which I would have been able to carry home while also pushing Little H in the stroller).
However, the 4 items I walked away with were ones I was not expecting to purchase: goat cheese, ricotta, fresh bread and homemade raspberry jam. As soon as I saw the goat cheese, made at Crystal Brook Farm in Sterling, I knew I wanted to use it to make scrambled eggs for dinner that night (one of my favorite egg dishes). I warmed up some fresh 7-grain rolls in the oven to have on the side. These come from Iggy's Bread, who is based in Cambridge and supplies bread to many Boston-area bakeries, cafes and restaurants. They make quite a few different varieties, but this is the first time I had the 7-grain rolls. Wow, they are amazing! They have a nutty, grainy flavor with a touch of sweetness, and are extremely soft. I warmed another one up this afternoon and topped it with the homemade raspberry jam I got from Hamilton Orchards. Thanks to the market being open 2 days a week, we will now be enjoying Iggy's bread very often!
But one of the best purchases was the Renaissance Ricotta from Narragansett Creamery in RI. I walked up to their table and was handed a little paper cup filled with the ricotta and topped with a blueberry. I was in love. The ricotta I normally buy is the part-skim grocery store brand. Now that I've tasted the really good stuff, I'm not sure I was even eating ricotta before. The Renaissance Ricotta won first place in the WI World Cheese Championship (I know nothing about this competition, but I thought it sounded pretty important in the cheese world). It's made with whole milk and a little sea salt.... that's it. Because it's so pure, they suggest you eat it within 4 days after opening since it spoils faster. I bought it without batting an eye, and then realized I had no idea what I was going to do with a pound of ricotta in such a short amount of time. Enter the fabulous world of the internet. I found quite a few recipes, one of which I'll be sharing with you tomorrow.

I think I'm in ricotta heaven.