3 Things to Pick Up at the Market This Weekend

Here at Food52, we like to talk about what we’re buying at the market: what’s new, what’s exciting, the market's best finds. This is our water cooler talk. And now, we want you to join in. 

Maybe we're inspired by the purple streaks in the sunsets lately, or the last of the purple-kissed Indigo Rose tomatoes that we're roasting with a sprinkle of N. 5 Breeze, but it just so happens that this week's shopping list was unintentionally brought to you by the letter P. Here’s what the Food52 editors can’t wait to pick up this weekend -- and why you should be adding it to your bag, too.

Purple Cauliflower
Yes, purple cauliflower tastes like standard white cauliflower, so you can use it anywhere you'd normally use cauliflower. You might want to choose recipes that will highlight its distinctive color, but that doesn't mean you have to use it raw. Unlike other purple vegetables, purple cauliflower keeps more of its shocking shade when cooked, so roast away!

Pears
Eat them out of hand, turn them into pearsauce, or follow Sarah's lead and bake a pear cake. We tend to choose pears that are just starting to have a little give at the top, but it's fine if you get a basket of rock hard pears -- either way, know that they'll continue to ripen at home.

Italian Prune Plums
These are indeed the type of plums used to make prunes, but they don't have to be dried out for you to enjoy them. As Merrill plans to do this weekend, use them in Marian Burros' Plum Torte -- we can almost guarantee that, like Clara, you'll be asking: "More cake?"

Tell us: What are you hoping to find at the market this week?

Photos by James Ransom