Farm Fresh al Fresco

Dining al fresco: heirloom tomatoes stuffed with basil-shallot couscous, steamed beet greens, and a green salad with radishes, slender sweet carrots, and juicy strawberries from the farm.

My friend Ashley brought back produce from her family's farm in Maine, a gorgeous place with a farm stand, Beth's Farm Market, that sells fresh produce home-grown on the farm, bakery items, and greenhouse flowers. The strawberries are incredible, with made-to-order strawberry shortcakes in the summer that have become infamous in the area:

(see photo)

(On my trip up to the farm the summer before last. Nothing better than eating strawberries next to the field they're growing in ...)

Beth's Farm Market has everything from wild Maine blueberries to sweet corn to an array of greens: curly leaf and lacinta kale, dandelion greens, red and swish chard, to Chinese cabbage. Not to mention rhubarb, kohlrabi, and 11 kinds of squash. Definitely stop by if you're heading to Maine!