Now that the weather is warming up, the farmers markets in our area are all getting into the swing of things, and I'm going crazy eating things. It's like the first rush of spring for my taste buds; real, fresh, delicious, succulent FOOD! Last week I bought a head of cabbage to make cole slaw (MY way, with no nasty mayonaise.. all you mayo haters out there can hit me up and I'll send you the recipe - it's good) and I ended up eating shredded cabbage by the fistful before I even got the stuff made. It was so sweet and spicy and fresh! There is just nothing in the supermarkets that can compare to the gorgeous foods we can get locally. Or grow ourselves, for that matter. I just wish I knew how those Mennonites get their cabbage and greens and whatnot out so quickly (I'm definitely a novice gardener)... my cabbage has yet to head up, the tomatoes are just starting to blossom, as are the various squashes (is "squashes" the plural of squash, or is it just "squash"? hmmmm), peppers, and so on. I would have had plenty of lettuce by now if it weren't for the stupid ducks. Stupid ducks! They wiped out my collards, too. Oh well. I get plenty of exercise running after them with a stick, and I bet the neighbors think it's funny, too. Anyway. Back to food.
One of the things I love most about the farmers market is how it opens up whole new worlds of vegetable possibilities for us. For example - I had never had beets until I saw some gorgeous ones last summer, and couldn't resist bringing them home. Turns out that I don't like them cooked, but they were pretty tasty raw, sliced thin with a little salt and balsamic vinegar. We've bought and eaten just about every kind of pepper you can imagine (and I saved the seeds to grow at home!), as well as acorn, butternut, and pattypan squash. And just last week we discovered that turnips are freakin' tasty. I mean, seriously good. So good we went out the next day and bought seed to put in a row. Our vegetable vocabulary is so much bigger now than carrots, peas and potatoes. (Speaking of peas.... mmmm. I love fresh peas. That's all.) I look forward to my trip to the market every week to find out what new deliciousness might be in store. It's so much better than food out of a box or a can... even home-canned.
I think it would be awesome if everyone would stop and really look at the food they're buying, and ask where it came from, and what it really is. There is such an amazing variety of foods out there, grown virtually right next door. It's better for our economy, it's better for our health, it's better for the planet's health. Do something crazy - try some turnips!
(oh, and by the bye - I also tried rabbit a few weeks ago and can definitely say that it is tasty. Especially wrapped in bacon and grilled. It's also good in stew. Just sayin'.)
1 comment:
Although we didn't do the huge garden that we wanted to this year, we're really serious about buying local and organic food. And you're SO right - the difference is unbelievable. Fresh produce is worlds better than the stuff grown conventionally and shipped across the country for who knows how long, and then irradiated. Barf.
I'm so impressed that you manage to take care of two tiny people and a garden all at the same time! My one tiny lady who never sleeps has kept me from having my dream garden this summer. Oh well....maybe next summer?
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