17 different women, 36 crazy children, 0 babies in utero
Adventures, Advice and Questions from a group of Mormon women who met in Queens, NY and have now scattered all over the place.
 

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

I Love the Farmer's Market



I love going to the Farmer's Market. It doesn't matter where it is, Union Square, Santa Monica or New Dehli (wouldn't suggest actually eating any of the fresh food in India there unless you want to bring home a nasty parasite as a souvenir). I just love perusing through the piles of fruits, vegetables, flowers, cheese, fish, homemade jam, and homespun yarn. I love being able to easily trace back where the food came from, when it was picked, who it was packed by (it't not so easy with the food at the grocery store).

It boggles my mind to think about all the varieties of food out there in the world. I didn't even realize on of my most favorite foods existed until I reached adulthood. It makes me wonder what other "favorites" are out there that I just haven't found yet. The Farmers Market is a great place to start the search because it always has different varieties of foods and there are usually samples. I get to try stuff that I never heard of before. It is where I first tasted an asian pear and a donut peach (two of the most delicious fruits in my book).

Whenever I go to the Farmer's market, I never go with a list. I just like to see what looks good and more importantly what looks interesting. The photo is of the food I bought during my last trip to the FM:

One beautiful vine-ripened, summer tomato - Ate it with fresh mozzarella, basil and basalmic vinegar. AMAZING!

One giant artichoke - I had never seen such a huge artichoke. And don't you love that long stem! It makes me want to tie a ribbon around it and present it like a bouquet of flowers.

Two zuchinni's - Grated these up into the breakfast pancake batter for the girls. Love hidden nutrition. My mom was a pro at this.

Two avacados - How much do I love fresh guacamole? Here is my easy recipe: Smash together one avacado, some diced tomato and red onion, one clove of diced garlic. Add lime juice and salt to taste. If you like it a little spicy, add some hot peppers. I know it's not an exact recipe, but you'll have fun experimenting with the amounts.

Three sweet lemons - What is the difference between a regular lemon and a sweet lemon you ask? I didn't know either, but the farmer let me taste one at the market and I was sold. A sweet lemon tastes like lemonade without adding the sugar. It's awesome!

One cherimoya - I had never heard of this fruit before my trip to the FM but apparently it is considered one of the best tasting fruits in the whole world. This is exactly why I love the farmer's market! Who knows when or if I would have ever come upon this fruit if not at the FM. To think I could have missed out tasting one of the most delicious fruits in the world! And it was delicious.

I love going to the Farmer's Market. I always learn something new, whether it comes from speaking with the growers or trying something new. Maybe next time I'll pick up some purple brocolli and try this new recipe. Who knows, it could end up being my favorite vegetable in the world!

To find a Farmer's Market near you click here

posted by This is Carrie @ 7/12/2006 08:46:00 AM   add to kirtsy


13 Comments:

  • Do you think my allergist would test me for the cherimoya because it looks so good. Thanks for the post...I ended up find a gajillion other green markets besides Union Square (that one has some bad meningitis memories)...so I think I might try out a few.
    posted by Blogger Kage at 7/12/2006 10:33:00 AM  



  • I am sorry, but that purple broccoli looks sad!

    You always inspire me to go and try new things. The hardest part of my life was the three long years I spent as a vegetarian who HATED vegetables. I want so badly to love them. I just don't. I try all the time. Especially lately. I am up for any good recipes that can disguise a vegetable. I need it to taste like cheese or something and I will eat it.

    I too love farmers markets, but I get the baked goods. YUMMMMMMY!
    posted by Blogger Kelly at 7/12/2006 11:52:00 AM  



  • maybe if I learn how to spell brocolli, I would like it.
    posted by Blogger Kelly at 7/12/2006 11:53:00 AM  



  • I eat the stuff from the produce stands in India all the time. Watermelon, bananas, okra, gourd...never had a problem - if you wash it in bottled water you should be fine. In fact, never pass it up. Fresh bananas are something you'll never get to try in the states :)

    Cherimoya looks awesome!
    posted by Anonymous Anonymous at 7/12/2006 03:06:00 PM  



  • Anonymous-

    Thanks for the tip. If i'm ever in India again, I will try it. I obviously wasn't brave enough the first time. Heard too many horror stories.
    posted by Blogger This is Carrie at 7/12/2006 08:16:00 PM  



  • Oh, and I have tried fresh lychees and dragonfruit from a market in HK and they were HEAVENLY. I can only imagine what a fresh banana in India would tast like. Man I love food!
    posted by Blogger This is Carrie at 7/12/2006 08:18:00 PM  



  • Thanks for this post, Carrie! I too, love the farmers market. I was just back in portland and tried to make it to the farmers markets there, but there was just too much to do!

    I actually worked at a farmers market produce stand in a Portland neighborhood on Saturday mornings during grad school. My grandpa, who was an old fashioned door-to-door milkman and seemed to know everyone in the food biz in portland, hooked me up. It was really hard for me to get up at 4:30am to be there in time to unload the produce, and set up for the day, but I LOVED that job!!! Meeting the farmers, listening to the live music, interacting with the diversity of customers (everyone from Russian immigrants who bought produce w. food stamps to hippy drippy pdx types to my former high school calc teacher who probably wondered where my brain cells had gone after I added up his order incorrectly).....it paid just above minimum wage, but at the end of the day I got to take as much produce home as I wanted. I also bartered with other stands at the market and I would almost always come home with fresh baked pies, soups, jellies, organic juices, etc. and was basically set to eat for the week.

    I just found a farmers market in my DC area neighborhood and can't wait to go this Saturday morning!
    posted by Blogger Jen at 7/13/2006 09:08:00 AM  



  • Carrie - you've inspired me to check out the Santa Monica FM this saturday. The only thing annoying about FMs is that all the ones close to my house are sunday only. RATS!
    posted by Blogger Beth at 7/13/2006 09:52:00 AM  



  • I love farmer's markets, too, and you always meet such interesting people there, especially at the smaller ones that we have discovered outside of town. We got some really interesting herbs at our latest farmer's market, things that we had never before grown in an herb garden--lemon balm (which is delicious on chicken, and can apparantly also be used as furniture polish), terragon, sage, and 3 new kinds of basil that we had never eaten, including a kind of purple basil that smells delicious. Love it all.
    posted by Blogger Heather O. at 7/13/2006 11:05:00 AM  



  • The first thought that popped into my mind when I read "Farmers Market" was DONUT PEACHES. I had never had one until I was at the FM by Lincoln Square and the Temple. I was buying peaches and one of the farmers suggested I try a donut peach. SO good. My husband and I bought tons of them and ate them the whole way home. YUMMY!
    I too love the pies and jams. I was just at a FM and they had some delicious salsas. Such great finds!
    Z-I'm with you on making veggies taste a little less vegetable-ie. I put brown sugar and butter on cooked carrots, cheese on my brocolli, and lemon juice and toasted almonds with green beans. Give it a try!
    RE: guacamole - we put fresh cilantro from our garden in the guac and it's heaven.
    Carrie - what did the cherimoya taste like?
    posted by Blogger Melissa at 7/13/2006 12:20:00 PM  



  • I'm the same way with finding more and more foods to love as I get older. Maybe that's why my waist gets bigger and bigger. I keep passing the sign for the farmers' market around here and now I feel motivated to go.
    posted by Blogger Kathryn Thompson at 7/13/2006 02:09:00 PM  



  • Carrie, you have totally inspired me to take my kids to the farmers market bright and early tomorrow morning. It's called Larry's and it's about 10 minutes from our house, surrounded by vineyards - DS is so excited. All he cares about is that he gets to hold the basket and pick out some fruit - I think it'll be a blast.

    Jen, there are some awesome farmers markets around the DC area. There is one called Cox's in Vienna - check it out for sure (it's right by where I grew up). They do amazing stuff for Halloween and Christmas.

    Thanks for inspiring me, Carrie! I'll be calling you tomorrow for recipes for all of my finds...
    posted by Blogger chloe at 7/13/2006 07:41:00 PM  



  • The Cherimoya tasted a little like a banana and a passionfruit mixed together. They must be really seasonal because there was none at the FM today. There was also no purple brocolli

    I did get a cinnamon basil plant. I couldn't pass up the smell. We also couldn't pass up a fruit they called a "dinosaur egg". It is a breed of pluot-a mix between an apricot and a plum.

    There was also a booth selling all sorts of locally made middle eastern foods. It brought me back to our neighborhood in Astoria, so I promptly bought some tabbouleh, tzatziki, pita bread and the best of all--a delicious artichoke hummus.
    posted by Blogger This is Carrie at 7/15/2006 02:34:00 PM  



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