Summer and I took a girls’ trip to Maine this past weekend to enjoy a slice of summertime with her cousins. From building sandcastles at the ocean to blueberry picking to strolling through a farmers’ market, Maine offers a beautiful scenic backdrop for so many memories.
My brother, Jimmy, and sister-in-law, Anne, have lived in a zillion different places. (As of the last count, I think they’ve had 25 different kitchens or something!) A few years ago, they made “Vacationland” their home, and it’s hands-down my favorite address of theirs to visit. There are myriad charming things to do in Maine, and if you love to take photos like Anne and I do, everything looks like a postcard.
Anne and I spoke earlier that week to make a rough blueprint of meals and activities (her plan-ahead approach has always been a welcome balance to my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants default!). When she mentioned the local farmers’ market would be open on Saturday, she already knew how excited I would be about making and sharing delicious food with people I love.
As we chatted through ideas, I told her how V and I had been on a homemade pizza kick lately: It’s a great foundation for fresh summer veggies; I can make the dough ahead of time, so dinner can happen in 30ish minutes; it’s toddler-approved and interruptible (What? You sit and eat an entire meal from start to finish while it’s still warm?!); and through trial and error, by combining a few different recipes and tips, I’ve landed on a foolproof dough that works every time. Sold! I made a batch to bring with us while Summer was napping, and on Friday we packed the car and hit the road for a weekend of cousin fun.
The Kennebunk Farmers’ Market is a delight.
One of my favorite things to do is slowly stroll through a local farmers’ market on a weekend morning, savoring the sights, scents, and sounds of hardworking vendors proudly displaying their goods, while local musicians strum away on banjos and fiddles and friendly community members say hello to everyone they know. The Kennebunk Farmers’ Market didn’t disappoint! When you’re traveling or visiting a new town, it’s a great way to get a taste of the local area. So, with Summer in her UPPAbaby Vista stroller and cousins Audrey and Tom wanting to be close to her, we were able to do just that.
I get giddy being around fresh, seasonal bounty. Nothing can beat the beauty or bright taste of a peach, tomato, radish, or green leaf that was just kissed by the sun rather than traveling across borders in storage and being stocked on a supermarket shelf. Locally grown produce at its peak reflects its truest flavors and taste like life. I know I’m moon-in-Taurus-romantic and all, but even nutrition science states that most produce loses 30 percent of its nutrients three days after harvest, so it’s not just me. The fruits and veggies at local farmers’ markets make us feel alive. And it’s interesting to discover a variety of produce I don’t usually see at my grocery store, from purple cauliflower to pattypan squash to a rainbow array of heirloom tomatoes.
Equally important, I love putting my money where my mouth is by supporting local farmers in today’s agribusiness-dominated food supply. These humble heroes go to great lengths to produce the most nutritious goods possible by using sustainable techniques that promote the humane treatment of animals and workers and minimize the impact on the earth. Having the privilege to speak to local farmers directly has gained me a wealth of information, from planting and harvesting tips to food-pairing and recipe ideas. If you think about it (because I didn’t until much later in life, when my dear, Jersey friend, Leo—an actual organic farmer—was hailed as one while vacationing in Jamaica), farmers are some real celebrities. I mean, who should garner more attention and praise than the mindful folks who tirelessly grow sustainable crops that keep us and our future generations alive and healthy? That’s a pretty sweet person to share a conversation with.
Seeing my little love’s eyes light up from all the bustle and excitement of being at the market with her cousins was heartwarming. She just turned two at the end of July, and each time I see her with them, I’m in awe of how quickly she’s growing–how quickly they’re all growing! It seems as though she went from “baby cousin” to “little cousin” in a flash. But it was even more than that. Let’s rewind…
I have a really special relationship with Audrey and Thomas, as I was able to spend precious caregiving time with each of them when they were first born and then during many visits when they lived far and I was a houseguest. As a then-childless auntie, I had a flexible schedule and energy to spare to help out. Audrey was born just before Christmas. I was living in New York with my fellow-musician, then-husband, so we left a little earlier for our annual holiday visit to Massachusetts. For almost a week, we went to Anne and Jimmy’s after dinner and stayed until 2 or 3 AM (live gig hours!) so they could catch some sleep in between all things newborn. Audrey and I spent those cozy holiday nights snuggled on the sofa by the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, she sleeping and us quietly watching seasons of 24 on DVD. Her name was, in fact, inspired by a character on the show, and we joked that we hoped her first sounds didn’t mimic that of the countdown timer.
When Thomas was born a few years later, we traveled to North Carolina to spend most of his first week of life helping out in a similar way. But he was born a few days early, so by the time we got there, things had gotten hectic fast. With a newborn and toddler’s needs to tend to, the cozy, surreal glow of Christmas lights had been replaced by battery-operated toys and flashing monitor screens, and episodes of 24 had been replaced by Peppa Pig.
It was in this scenario that my brother delivered what I still consider to be the most simplified and accurate parenting advice I’ve ever heard. We had just arrived, Anne was resting, and once we had smushed all over new baby Thomas, hugged and kissed sweet Audrey, and gotten settled in and caught up to speed, Jimmy was aching for a nap. “Any final instructions?” I asked my brother as he began to creep his way upstairs to catch a few winks of sleep. He exhaustedly turned on the step, nodded, pointed, and said, “Play with her, keep him alive. Goodnight.”
As I watched Audrey, Tom, and Summer select cut flower stems to bring home, and observed Audrey sort them as to who loved each color more, the magnificence of the moment washed over me. There was my darling niece, who is like a daughter to me, and for the longest time was the closest I thought I’d ever have to one, handing Summer, my daughter, yellow zinnias (a symbol of endurance, lasting friendship, goodness, and remembrance), and I was overcome with love and gratitude.
I was snapped back to reality when the rain came. We ran for shelter under the Hancock Family Farm tent while it poured. And it was amazing.
When the sky finally cleared enough to make a break for it, we strolled back to their home, skipping through raindrops and splashing in puddles along the way.
Pizza Time!
I love a meal where everyone gets to pile in the kitchen, turn on some music, and help prepare the food, and pizza night is the perfect opportunity for all those things to happen! The kids helped put the flowers in the vases and rinse the produce, then Summer snacked on peaches and colored at the table while Audrey and Tom took their turns with the rolling pin.
Out of the two balls of homemade pizza dough I had brought, we decided to make one loaded pie for the grownups on a pizza stone and divide the second one three ways, so each of the kids could make their own individual pizzas with their topping of choice on a cookie sheet. I find it empowers kids to encourage them to be creative and make decisions in the kitchen. It teaches them important skills, helps them appreciate their food, and even enjoy it more!
Once all of the dough was rolled out, we topped the large pizza first, opting to skip a red sauce base, and layered it with organic shredded mozzarella cheese followed by slices of fresh heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, pattypan squash, and a fennel-shallot mix that Anne had sautéed.
While the kids loved helping put all the veggies on ours, once they got down to choosing their toppings, they stopped after cheese and tomato. Ha! And that’s fine. At least they saw how versatile pizza can be once their taste buds are ready to be more daring. Speaking of daring, enjoy this series of toddler + cheese antics…
Let’s Eat!
We topped all of the pizzas with fresh julienned basil once they came out of the oven, and sat down to eat. (Delicate toppings like herbs won’t fare well in the hot oven, so top them right before serving.) Between helping the kids and being hungry and excited to taste our oozing creation, we dove into (and finished!) our pizza before I took a photo of it, but trust me, it was delicious! Though the veggie-topped pizza would have made a great meal on its own, we added a seasonal side salad filled with more delights from our farmers’-market haul. It was a perfect meal.
Farmers’ Market Homemade Pizza Ingredients + Cooks’ Tools
You really can’t go wrong when choosing how to top a homemade pizza. Here’s what we used that was in season and available from the Kennebunk Farmers’ Market:
- Pizza Dough – Make your own or purchase pre-made.
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – Because, cheese.
- Garden Tomatoes – When tomatoes are in season, I prefer to layer them on the pizza instead of red sauce.
- Seasonal Veggies – You can add them raw, drizzled with olive oil, or sauté them ahead of time. Both are delish!
- Fresh Basil – Add fresh herbs, or delicate greens like arugula, after the pizza comes out of the oven.
- Pizza Stone – I use this Emile Henry pizza stone at home.
- Rolling Pin – I use a maple rolling pin similar to this or a marble rolling pin similar to this.
- Pizza Wheel – I cut my pizza with a sharp knife or this pizza wheel.
- Baking Sheet – A standard baking sheet will do fine for baking kids’ individual pizzas.
See the full recipe below.
Family + Summertime + Farmers’ Markets + Pizza are some of my favorite things in life, so to enjoy them all in one weekend was spectacular!
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Farmers’ Market Homemade Pizza
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 1 pizza each 1x
Description
I love a meal where everyone gets to pile in the kitchen, turn on some music, and help prepare the food, and pizza night is the perfect opportunity for all those things to happen! You really can’t go wrong when choosing how to top a homemade pizza especially if you’re using delicious, seasonal produce from a local farmers’ market.
Ingredients
Farmers’ Market Pizza
- 1 ball of pizza dough
- 8 ounces organic shredded mozzarella
- 2–3 farmers’ market tomatoes, sliced
- 1–2 cups of summer squash, sliced into ¼ inch rounds (we used zucchini, yellow squash, and pattypan squash)
- ½ fennel bulb, sliced
- 1 shallot, sliced
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for sauteing and drizzling
Kid’s Margherita-ish Pizza (if making individual pizzas, split evenly among the pies.)
- 1 ball of pizza dough
- 8 ounces organic shredded mozzarella
- 2–3 farmers’ market tomatoes, sliced
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 500°F. (450°F if using a baking sheet + add baking time.)
Farmers’ Market Pizza:
- Roll out dough to fit the pizza stone.
- Sauté fennel and shallot in 1 teaspoon of oil until very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Spread the shredded mozzarella cheese onto the dough evenly.
- Top with fresh tomato slices, summer squash, and sautéed fennel and shallot and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is browned.
- Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Kid’s Margherita-ish Pizza (if making individual pizzas, split evenly among the pies):
- Roll out dough to fit the pizza stone.
- Spread the shredded mozzarella cheese onto the dough evenly.
- Top with fresh tomato slices and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is browned.
- Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
I’m listening to: