Each Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon there’s a farmer’s market in Fort Pierce, a South Florida city, which is a part of Florida’s Treasure Coast. Many Spanish galleons wrecked off of the coast, including those of the 1715 Spanish fleet, leaving behind treasures that have been recovered in the past 50 years — thus the name. I’ve never found any gold sparkling in the waters, but for me, this farmer’s market is gold. I find it unique, as it not only offers fresh fruit and vegetables, but atmosphere. There’s always a band performing, sometimes causing visitors to dance while sipping a smoothie or eating a kettle corn; the food vendors are varied. Set adjacent to the Indian River Lagoon, you get a nice view. It’s also in Historic Downtown Fort Pierce, where you can see an old-fashioned building or two. A mix of locals and vacationers, you’ll hear a Boston accent one minute, the next, a Southern accent. Everyone is upbeat, experiencing what markets used to be before they became “super.”

Thank you Sheryl for your contribution!

You can share your photos by emailing us at FoodandPeople@SamuelssonGroup.com You can also submit a post on Tumblr which we review before posting our favorites here on MarcusSamuelsson.com Another option is to share your photos with us by posting them with a story caption in our group “Marcus Samuelssson Food and People from around the World” on Flickr.

My peach salad is sometimes the perfect thing. The sweetness of ripe summer peaches are balanced by the peppery flavor, and you’ll find a ton of complimenting textures in this refreshing dish. Nothing impresses my friends and family more than when I combine savory and sweet flavors like in this salad, and with this deceivingly simple recipe, you’ll “wow” your guests too. Read on for the recipe.

Peach Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette

4 servings

3 cups grapeseed oil

1/2 cup rice flakes

2 tomatoes, sliced

3 ripe peaches, halved, pitted and cut into six pieces

6 tablespoons Sesame Vinaigrette (see below)

2 tablespoons basil, chopped

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 cup frisee

1 cup watercress

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon Japanese pepper mix (Togarashi)

1. Heat the grape seed oil in a deep pot to 350°F.  Add the rice flakes and fry until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to absorb excess oil.

2. Arrange the tomatoes and peaches on a large platter. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons of the Sesame Vinaigrette and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, toss the basil, cilantro, frisee, watercress, onion and Japanese pepper mix with 2 tablespoons of the Sesame Vinaigrette. Mound over the tomatoes and peaches, and sprinkle with the fried rice flakes. Season with salt.

Sesame Vinaigrette

Makes 3/4 cup

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon blond miso

1 anchovy

Juice from 2 limes

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons mirin

1 red Thai chili, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon Japanese pepper mix (Togarashi)

1. Heat the sesame oil in a small sauté pan over low heat. Add the garlic and sesame seeds and sauté until the sesame seeds are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Pick out the garlic cloves and transfer them to a blender. Set aside the sesame seeds. Add the sugar, olive oil, miso, anchovies and lime juice to the blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the soy sauce, mirin, chili, Japanese pepper mix and sesame seeds.

Katie is a freelance food, travel, and fashion writer with a diverse background.  She is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute’s pastry program and of Columbia University’s engineering school.  In addition to Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s blog, she is a regular contributor for citybuzz, a restaurant and travel blog, and for a fashion blog hosted by YMI Jeans.  Katie is also writing a novel partly based on her own experiences with food.I have a vivid childhood memory of climbing out of the pool on a hot August day and running across the cement to my mom holding a towel and a plate of lunch.  She wrapped the towel around me and handed me the plate.  It was full of sliced summertime tomatoes.  I looked at the plate curiously as I sat down on the edge of the lounge chair.  I could still taste the chlorine from the pool on my lips.  I temporarily set aside my childish discrimination against vegetables (yes, a tomato is a fruit but try telling a kid that) and decided to go for it.  I picked up a chunk of tomato, took a tepid bite and – delicious!  It was so fresh and bright I think I could taste the sunshine that had been shining down on that tomato’s vine all summer long.  The sliced tomatoes were gone within seconds.  Can you remember the first time you ate a really good tomato?

Summertime comes every year and with it come the juicy summertime tomatoes.  The tomato plant originated in South and Central America and is believed to have been spread first to Europe by Columbus.  Today, tomato plants grow around the world but thrive where there is a lot of sun.  The top five tomato producing countries are China, the United States, Turkey, India, and Italy.  Tomatoes are such a basic food but their flavor can be so versatile and – as I found out that hot August day – wholly satisfying.  There are endless varieties of ways that you can eat a tomato and how one might be served to you depends a lot on where you are in the world.  A favorite tomato dish of mine is Tomato Basil Capellini.  It’s just about as easy to make as it sounds.  The only ingredients not listed in the name are fresh garlic cloves, salt, and extra virgin olive oil.  The dish always turns out good, but if you want it to turn out great just make sure to use a high quality extra virgin olive oil and ripe, local tomatoes, as they are the star of the plate.

As an added bonus, this time of the year brings a wide variety of heirloom tomatoes to the markets and roadside vegetable stands.  Heirloom tomatoes are the varieties of tomatoes that have bred true for forty years or more.  In other words, they are not hybrids and neither were their ancestors.  Some of the more beautiful varieties of heirloom tomatoes out there right now include the Green Zebra, Black Krim, and Brandywine tomatoes.  Pick up an assortment, wash them, slice them, salt and pepper them, and eat!  Colorful heirloom tomatoes will satisfy the hungry diner in more ways than one – because after all, you eat with your eyes first.

I attended pre-wedding ceremonies. The photos show a ritual of feeding the soon to be bride sweets and putting some turmeric on her forehead to give her your blessings. The bride also puts turmeric on ones forehead.

The photos are of the Shaheed Minar monument that commemorates the protesters that were killed for wanting equal recognition for Bangla which is now known as the Language Movement.

There are also photos of the Buddhist Monastery that I thought was so beautiful! It was the best surprise I got during the whole summer at Bangladesh. My friend and her family planned this trip because I was about to be leaving that very weekend. They did warn me a week ahead that they would be taking me somewhere. So I packed my things and got ready for the 10 hours drive. I’m so glad they didn’t tell me exactly where. It made it much more beautiful the experience.

Thank you Samantha for your contribution. Keep up the good work!

You can share your photos by emailing us at FoodandPeople@SamuelssonGroup.com You can also submit a post on Tumblr which we review before posting our favorites here on MarcusSamuelsson.com Another option is to share your photos with us by posting them with a story caption in our group “Marcus Samuelssson Food and People from around the World” on Flickr.

Become our local guide in your area of the world. We’re especially eager to hear stories and see personal photos related to fishing, hunting, pasta making, holiday meals and family traditions from around the world. And if you have a good cocktail, feel free to share that too!

Crayfish festival is the most fun celebration in Sweden. I couldn’t think of a better way to introduce someone to Swedish culture than inviting them to your backyard crayfish party.

Fact is, you can get crayfish any time of year except late August is when you can legally fish for freshwater crayfish.

The proper way to serve crayfish is by boiling them in some salted water and serving them with hard cheese, bread, mushrooms like chantarelles and plenty of beer and shots of aquavit. You spend the duration of the meal getting your hands dirty, chowing down on really fresh crayfish and singing fun songs.

How do you celebrate crayfish season?