{Hooray for my 500th post! Why do I feel obligated to mention that? I don't know.}
After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I was sold on supporting local food. The best way I could think of to do that was to go to the farmers' market every Saturday and get my produce for the week. Today was my 3rd time going, I think.
The first week we (yes, WE, Andrew was home! Imagine that!) bought rhubarb (with which I made a delicious strawberry rhubarb pie), asparagus (used for an asparagus gruyere tart), kale (which unfortunately never got used and went bad...boo for me wasting food), and basil plant (pictured above, with me), and two potato plants. ((Wow, that sentence had a LOT of paretheses.))
Last week we bought some fresh artisan pasta (basil garlic fettucine, which was hands-down the best pasta I've ever eaten and totally worth the $7 a pound), and I think that's all. We stopped there on our way home from Anacortes, and the kids were pretty tired. I think after the meltdown waiting in line for local Greek food, we took ourselves to our local home and took a nap. We were all localled out.
Today I was excited as ever to go. Pulling up to the market makes my heart pound with excitement every time. I always manage to score an awesome parking spot right on the street. Today we skipped the sidewalk vendors selling wood carvings and candles and went straight to the road in back. Eva loves going because there are at least 758 dogs within view at any given moment. Most of our market conversations go like this.
Eva: Doggy! I wanna pet him?
No, we can't pet the doggy. But you can say hi to the doggy.
Repeat 200 times before market time is over.
But I don't mind.
My purchases for today included more rhubarb (I think I'll try a raspberry-rhubarb pie this time, found in this month's Cooking Light), a bag of spinach (to make a spinach quiche), and some things that I can't remember what they're called, but they look like green onions with a little bulb on the bottom and you use them just like green onions. Green onions are probably my favorite thing (especially on potato soup), so I had to try them.
I have a favorite booth that I always try to buy from, because she's so dang cute. She's nice to me and always says hi to the kids, her produce is awesome, and her prices are the same as everyone else's. I need to figure out the name of the farm. I'm a loyal customer.
I'm really hoping that next week some strawberries will start rolling in. I picked the first one of my plant the other day. It tasted a little weird...I'm not sure why. But if my plant is producing and all I do is water it, then I'm sure the professional strawbverry-growers are bound to be getting a crop soon. As much as I love rhubarb, I'm really looking forward to a more abundant selection at the farmers' market.
Although I haven't yet come close to getting all my produce for the week (I still buy non-local broccoli and bananas), I think I'll get there. I'm pretty sure I will shop at the farmer's market as long as I live.
3 comments:
I Love that farmers market, and it keeps getting better as the summer comes along. I Love to get their fresh cut flowers to, and they are always so cheap! You'll have to check out spooner farms in the valley once the berries start coming. They are the BEST BERRIES ever, and they are throughout the whole summer. They also have a cute little gift shop and and place that makes fresh smoothies with the berries, and has delicious homemade fudge! It is delightful!
Oh we so have to go there in a month and a half (but who is counting?) I am excited!
My parents grow strawberries and they say that the first few of the year are always a little weird and then they get much, much better! I love the farmer's market - ours here is only on Sundays, though, so that makes it a little bit hard. I'm hoping I can find one that's close that is on Saturday.
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