What’s Cooking in Natchitoches By Courtney Howard For quick early supper on a hot summer’s day: Prepare the meal in this order and it will be ready in less than 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle oil in cornbread pan and heat while oven is preheating. Put corn in a pot and cover with water. Cook for 20 minutes. Mix up jalapeño corn bread (from a mix). Pour into hot pan and bake for 20 minutes. Cut zuc- chini, squash, and onion. Steam in microwave, season. Chop herbs such as rosemary, tarragon, oregano or dill and stir into butter for corn. For a refreshing dessert, cut a watermelon and deseed it. Puree in blender. Add 6-8 ounces of ginger ale and the juice of one lime; freeze in a 9 x 11 glass pan and serve light- ly frozen as a sorbet for dessert. Put in a martini glass to make it look festive. ( Do this earlier in the day.) What’s Good To Eat Here is what some of the folks shop- ping at the Green Market had to say about what they look for each week. April and Jody Matt buy purple hull peas for canning. Jody says, “I like tomato and ham sandwiches.” Their kids, Jude and Audrey like watermelon and the puppy dogs. Susanne Taylor shops for fresh fruits and vegetables to make baby food for her daughter Anna Sophia. Susanne says,”Anna Sophia likes goat milk and avocado blended in the Baby Bullet. She also likes stewed fresh carrots with a bouil- lon cube that I put in the Baby Bullet.” Susanne likes to grill zucchini and squash with balsamic vinegar and oil. Gabrielle Lovemore, a student at NSU Middle Lab, likes cantaloupe. She says, “We will take it home and eat it.” Just about everyone was taking home a watermelon. Watermelon is both a crowd pleaser and a crowd feeder. Lots of folks stop and taste the beef jerky that Rick Woodward makes. He has formulated a special recipe called “swamp sticks.” This is special con- coction he took five years to perfect. He says, “It makes beef jerky taste like crawfish.” His beef jerky is a treat that is worth coming back for each week. While Rick stands and talks to his cus- tomers, Roger Dietrich sits in a relaxed mode next to him. At first glance he seems to be just hanging out with his buddy, but that is not the case. It is what’s in his cooler that you want to try. It’s his tamales that are perked to perfection. He says, “I perk the tamales. It’s a different process from steaming; a recipe from the Galien family in Cloutierville.” He also sells smoked sausage, Mr. Tom Buckley’s recipe, boudin, and double fried cracklings. Vegetable Dinner Walmart has this adorable cutting knife to add to your kitchen for under $5. Audrey shows the tomatoes she picked out. Gabrielle Lovemore picks out a cantaloupe. Kyle Wesley Miller, first year graduate student in sport’s administration, and his wife sample salsa. “That’s good” says Dorothy Jones after tasting a swamp stick. The Green Market If you’re trying to beat the heat this summer or at least escape standing over a hot stove, go visit the Green Market downtown on the Cane River each Saturday morning from 8 a.m. until noon. ( It closes July 28.) You can buy locally grown produce, jams and jellies, honey and salsa, and a few unex- pected treats like hot tamales and beef jerky. While produce markets along the side of the road or near a neighboring farm have been a common site across the country for decades, a new trend has developed over the past few years combining a pro- duce market with local vendors who produce, cre- ate and craft other prod- ucts. Green markets now encompass both fruits and vegetables from local growers with local artists and craftsmen who sell their handmade creations. That is what you’ll find at the Cane River Green Market. Need a last minute birth- day gift for an afternoon party? You can find hand- made jewelry or a cute hair bow for a baby show- er. Instead of donuts, pick up homemade bread or muffins. You can escape the hot stove for a few days with these items. An added bonus of going to the market is seeing your neighbors and friends. Socialize while some live music plays before noon on a Saturday. Susanne Taylor makes healthy baby food for Anna Sophia. Centa Foster shops for honey with her grandchildren. Gale Norman (closest) with her visiting sisters (Linda Hilton and Celeste Bernard) choose Italian pull apart bread for their appetizer.