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Grilled veggies make a great appetizer, entrée or side dish and are a great excuse to experiment with vegetables you haven't tried before. The trick is to know how thick or thin to cut each vegetable and to find a good cooking temperature to avoid burning them.

Try grilling one of these veggies or experiment with another of your choice: zucchini, summer squash, fennel or onions (cut in 1/2" slices); mushrooms (cut in half); peppers (halve, seed and flatten on grill); romaine or radicchio (small heads, halved); beets (cubed); sweet corn; broccoli (separate into florets and steam for 5 minutes before grilling)

Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the vegetables with olive or grape seed oil. The cooking time varies depending on the size and type of vegetable (e.g. peppers will cook more quickly than beets) and the temperature. Keep an eye on your vegetables to prevent them from burning. When the vegetables are half-cooked, flip them over and add salt and pepper. If you are feeling adventurous, try experimenting with herbs, but know that a little often goes a long way.

- From Sasha Kaplan, 2006 Cooking Demonstration Chef

Featured Vendor: The Village Crepery

"We see opportunity for crepe creativity all around the market," state Meg Vogt and Deb Bridges, owners of The Village Crepery. "Last year when we applied to make crepes at the market, I just thought it would be fun. I had no idea the bonds that would form and the education I would glean from the farmers."

Each Saturday you'll find Meg and Deb creating tasty crepes with ingredients found in the market that day. Beautiful basil from Winter Green Farm accents the egg, mozzarella, spinach, and crème fraîche in their 'Sunrise' crepe. Strawberries, also from Wintergreen, can be enjoyed with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and are the best selling crepe on a sunny day. Eggs, from THINK Unique Gardens' happy hens, are used in their savory creations and customers are treated to a complimentary crepe if a double-yoked egg appears. DeMartini Family Farms has recently supplied mouth-watering peaches and the latest berries for sweet crepes.

New additions this year include two fun and entertaining employees, Syd and Eileen, and two more crepe irons to limit the wait time. The Village Crepery also features compostable potato plates and flatware from Trellis Earth Products on NE 6th and Couch in Portland.

In addition to being at the HFM, The Village Crepery has a mobile cart in Holladay Park north of the Lloyd Center MAX line during the week. They will be launching their website (www.villagecrepery.com) soon.