Ohh the Farm Market! Everywhere you look there is happy people, laughing children.. amazing fruits and veggies! It is truly one of my favorite hours of the week.
I am vigilant about eating healthy, most days. 100% so when it comes to my son.. so I'm at at least one farm market a week. If I can, I go almost every Saturday (Trout lake.. http://www.eatlocal.org/) and almost as often on Wednesday (Main St./Terminal)
Saturday, I'm by with adults and I take my time talk to people, investigate, read labels.. Wednesday, I bring my son to let him touch and smell and pick out veggies that interest him, it's a quicker trip, but I feel it's so important for this to be a normal way for him. Not a novelty, but the place he thinks of first in his life, when he needs fresh food.
I know some people can find the prices at the farm market a little higher than you are used to. I won't even go into the "you get what you pay for" speech.. what I would like to do is give you some ideas to help stretch your dollars.
1. This week Zuchhinis are everywhere.. my first thought is breaded zucchini, which I'll indulge in tonight! mmm.. There was the wonderfully perfect 8-10 inch zucc's everywhere, but some people were also selling huge monster zuchhinis. Most were offering them at same price, however, always look around! I found at one stall - monster yellow zucchinis for $1 each~
They will not be the yummiest to have fresh - but freeze them and you can make zucchini bread or muffins or add zucchini to sauces etc all winter long. each bag is about .40cents - compared to 6.99lb for organic zucchini in the winter!
2. It's pepper season! I love that no one at the Farm Market looks at me like I'm an alien as I stand there smelling all the peppers. At a grocery store, people avoid me like I'm a leper, they don't get it.. cause the peppers at the grocery store have NO smell! Eww I say. Peppers should be full of odour..and so I stand there with peppers near my nose with a huge smile! Anyway, I digress...
Peppers are so good in so many sauces, and there are NO local peppers in winter, so I go without, unless they are in my freezer. So make stuff!
Peppers, onions, garlic ++++++++ (beans, carrots, tomatoes! etc)
All these things costs so much in Winter, so don't think about what your paying now, think about WHAT YOUR SAVING BUYING NOW!
Stock up your freezer with sauces, dips, ready to go meals.
This weekend, I've made refried beans (peppers, onions, garlic, pinto beans)
AND... lentils...with peppers, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, garlic, green beans, , carrots
Both of these meals, can go into small or large freezer bags to be pulled out when you need it in the winter. You can make very simple sauces, that you can "fancy" up when you pull them out to eat them or make the ready to eat and freeze.
3. Basil! I wonder if anyone could love Basil as much as I do? Hmm? It is so aromatic and tasty! Pesto is so easy to make and freeze. You can get recipes everywhere.. but my simple way is:
2 handfuls of basil leaves
3 guesstimatable tbsp of pine nuts
4 or more large garlic cloves (6 or 7? lol.. I love garlic!)
olive oil/grapeseed
Parm cheese/goat feta whatever you wish, if you wish...
blend up.. enjoy!
Again.. the cost of organic ingredient Pesto in Winter? HIGH... your cost $2 or $3 for a few portions!
4. Roasted Veggies - roast up some veggies on the BBQ for dinner, leftovers in your fridge.. saute/warm up with some tomatoes.. you've got a pasta/potatoe/rice sauce for the next day!
5. Make more than you need every day with your fresh food. Freeze portion sizes in freezer bags for a quick healthy lunch in the winter.
6. Keep a bag in your freezer for small bits... mostly fruit, some veg.. little pieces you didn't get to, leftover grapes,cheeries 1/2 apple whatever.. throw it in there and use it in the juicer when it's full!
I know there's more... what can you share? I'm going to learn how to make fruit vinegar soon, that'll further strecth the bounty of summer! enjoy.. and share your tips with me... <3
