OH MY GOD. It’s Farmer’s Market Season and this year we had two new ones pop up locally that have about 80% of the same stuff as the Thursday one I’ve always gone to during the Spring/Summer…yet I go to them anyway because I CAN NOT STOP MYSELF.
Two years ago (I believe) Huntsville started having a Thursday Farmer’s Market in our small downtown area. I would go stock up on a week’s worth of tomatoes, squash, berries…the kids would enjoy a homemade fruit Popsicle and we’d be on our way back home.
But this year? The popularity of that one event has spawned two more smaller events, one on Tuesday and one on Saturday. PLUS! I have an egg dealer now. Someone I can buy eggs from for 2.50 a dozen. Basically? It’s getting all whole-food and clean-eating up in the Zoot house.
Except that I’m also stocking up on Diet Cokes while Target has them on sale for 5.99/24-pack. I like to make sure I have plenty of aspartame on hand to balance out my produce.
But seriously! My kid’s and I love the Farmer’s Market. Partly because of the yummy fresh produce, but mostly because of the treats from local artisans. There’s tons of bread and preserves. Honey and teas. But our favorite? The ice creams and popsicles. Wesley likes the fruit drinks (fresh strawberry lemonade!) and fruit popsicles, Nikki likes the chocolate goat milk ice cream. And me? I eat it all. But this week our favorite goat cheese producer posted this on their Facebook page:
OH MY GOD. I got to the Market 15 minutes before they official opened so I could make sure to try some. I encouraged Nikki to get one too, even though I knew she’d hate it. And she did. And then I had an excuse to eat TWO of them. And they were truly delicious. Worth every freakin’ bite.
I love talking to the farmers that produce the food and products, they have so man interesting stories and can teach your kids so much! Wesley talked to a farmer about “ploughs and Power Harrows” for 30 minutes!
I just feel like it’s such a positive outing every time. We come home with something fresh I feel obligated to cook. We enjoy some sort of local creation from someone in our community working hard for our dollar. We visit with friends and we enjoy the outdoors. While my wallet may not be too happy with the new 3 markets/week habit, my body and my family and my community are all reaping the benefits of it.
And if you’re hoping for recipes? Don’t hold your breath. My Go-To for fresh veggies is to slice, coat with olive oil, and shake in a bag with some ranch dressing seasoning. Then roast in the oven for 30 minutes or so, depending on the veggie. I’m not going to win any accolades for my creativity, but I’m eating fresh veggies grown in my community so WHO THE HECK CARES?
THAT TEA. The tea is the BEST STUFF EVER.
I think we’re going to hit the Bailey Cove market again this weekend. We went the first time and they sold out so early. I think they have a better idea of the crowd now, so hopefully they won’t sell out like that.
Oh! I forgot. Another roasted veggie thing…slice, coat with olive oil, and dump on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and a little red pepper if you like it spicy. Just adjust how much you use for your taste preferences, I love cumin so I’m pretty heavy-handed with it. SO GOOD. Makes great enchilada/taco/burrito filling, or we will sometimes just do a bowl of rice, black beans, and veggies, topped with lettuce/tomato/cheese/sour cream/avocado/salsa/whatever taco fixings you like.
I keep meaning to go to the farmers’ markets around here… and then I don’t. But I certainly make sure I never run out of Diet Coke. 😉