A photo posted by Rob Stolle (@rcstolle) on

The Union Street Farmers’ Market can be intimidating, especially on a student budget. To navigate it successfully, here’s the golden rule: walk through the entire Union Street Farmers’ Market once before you stop at any of the vendors. Don’t even stop for a sample, you’ll feel guilt tripped into buying something immediately. Trust me, the first strawberry you see won’t be the last.

I love to buy my herbs from Firefly Farms, but that’s just personal preference. But, one of my favorite vendors is Vine, a bakery with the most delicious fresh pastas and breads. Get there first, they sell out of the best pastas and breads pretty fast.

Fresh local & organic bread from Vine is back on our shelves. #shopcoop #keepitlocal #vinegainesville

A photo posted by Citizens Co-op (@citizenscoop) on

We don’t get a lot of fresh produce in college, so I look forward to making this meal all week: crisp salad, succulent tomato bruschetta, and my Vine pasta, drenched in a brown butter sauce that could make a grown man cry.

Brown Butter Pasta

  • Prep Time:5 minutes
  • Cook Time:15 minutes
  • Total Time:20 minutes
  • Servings:2
  • Medium

    Ingredients

  • 1 package Vine pasta
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 tablespoon shallots, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
  • Fresh sage leaves
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Parmesan cheese, shaved

  • Step 1

    Boil a pot of water over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and a drop of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Cook pasta for about 5 minutes, or until al dente.

    #Spoontip: save a few tablespoons of the pasta water before straining, it’ll help thin out the sauce and loosen the pasta later on.

  • Step 2

    Chop the shallots and garlic. Set aside.

  • Step 3

    Chop the rosemary and separate a few sage leaves. Set aside.

  • Step 4

    Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the shallots. Sautée for about a minute and add the garlic, rosemary and 4-6 sage leaves.

     

  • Step 5

    Let the sauce thicken over medium heat until the butter begins to brown and the sage wilts. Remove the sage and toss in your pasta.

    #Spoontip: now you can add a couple tablespoons of your reserved pasta water so everything tosses loosely.

     

  • Step 6

    Season with salt and pepper and add some fresh parmesan, if you’d like, and enjoy.

Fresh Bruschetta

  • Prep Time:10 minutes
  • Cook Time:5 minutes
  • Total Time:15 minutes
  • Servings:2
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tablespoon basil, dried
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

  • Step 1

    Halve and seed the tomatoes. You can just scoop out the center with a spoon.

  • Step 2

    Slice your baguette and arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven on broil for about 5 minutes.

  • Step 3

    Chop the tomatoes into small chunks.

  • Step 4

    Add dried basil.

    #Spoontip: if you’re using fresh basil, chop and use about twice as much as you would dried.

  • Step 5

    Chop the garlic clove and add to tomatoes. Add a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and toss together.

  • Step 6

    Arrange your finished toast slices on a plate with the tomatoes in a separate bowl. Serve while the toast is still warm.

Simple Arugula Salad

  • Prep Time:5 minutes
  • Cook Time:0 minutes
  • Total Time:5 minutes
  • Servings:2
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • Arugula
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Salt
  • Pepper

  • Step 1

    Rinse a bag (or about 3-5 cups) of arugula in a colander. Pat dry.

  • Step 2

    Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Toss and enjoy.