Because I love my own cooking and my shiny new macro lens, I spent a lot of time this evening getting up close and personal with my food.

You’d think the kids would have learned by now; that camera is an extension of my body. But no, I had to put up with completely unreasonable questions such as, “Mom, why are you taking pictures of food?”

Well, because it’s pretty, goofy kid!

We got up this morning and I had a vegetable jones, one that wouldn’t be satisfied with plain ol’ grocery store dreck. So off we went to the serious Farmer’s Market, the one without the jugglers and the food on a stick and the hordes of oddly dressed people. No, we went to the farmer’s version, which is just a little ol’ parking lot with some vendors set up, and a curious mismatch of yuppies, foodies, and poor people trying to eat on the cheap.

I spent most of my money at the same farmer whose stand I pass twice a day on my way to work, which is silly, but he wasn’t the only one.

No, I found good tomatoes and cucumbers, which was cheating a little, since I’m growing both of those. But they’re not ready yet and I’m not a patient woman.

I found a local olive oil producer who warned me that the one I’d selected was really strong. Good! The stronger, the better for some things, and this stuff is delicious.

And I found the sweetest, ripest little apricots I’ve had since we had a tree in our yard when I was growing up. Man, I should plant a tree here; apricots are by far my favorite fruit. Seamus liked them too.

I didn’t just cook local stuff tonight. I wanted to grill a tri-tip, and I like corn and artichokes with that, so that’s what I did.

I wrapped both the corn and the artichoke halves in foil with garlic butter, and threw it all on the grill as low as it would go and just left it.

Tri-tip’s got a good layer of fat on it and is notorious for flaming up and getting burned. The last time I cooked it, it was on someone else’s grill and I couldn’t get the meat far enough from the fire or the flame low enough, and it was a little too crunchy on the outside for my taste. But I know my own grill’s quirks, and it came out perfectly; maybe not quite as rare as I like it because I had to let it stand while I fixed John the noodles I’d forgotten, but it was still extremely juicy and yummy.

But the best part was the salad with those fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, a chunked-up avocado, and drizzled with that beautiful oil and salt and pepper. That couldn’t wait until dinner; it was half gone before anything was off the grill.

Now that’s what summer tastes like!