Zucchini Chevre Tartines with Fruit Salsa

My family is pretty understanding about my food obsessions. After all, they are the happy beneficiaries of some pretty great meals, so they don’t complain when I map our travel according to farmers’ market schedules and restaurant hours. We’ve taken some epic road trips and loved every bite along the way. This summer, I think we might have found food heaven. When I read that Vermont was the top state in the country for locally-produced food (see Strolling of the Heifers Index), our summer plans were all but decided. We rented a rustic little cabin on the lake, packed up the car and headed north. We’re woken in the mornings by birdsong, and each evening we sit and watch the lake turn pink, stained by the setting sun. A person could get used to this.

And, oh, what beautiful food: creamy cheese, real buttermilk, maple syrup, tart and tiny currants, artisan bread, you-pick berry farms with fat blueberries and raspberries, earthy chantrelle mushrooms, and cultured butter. The Burlington Farmers’ Market is truly a dream. We picked up everything we needed for these easy tartines on Saturday, and enjoyed them on the porch by lunchtime. The zucchini spread will be your new go-to for picnics, appetizers, and lunchtime sandwiches and wraps—it’s a keeper!