Buying Local at a Farmers Market

Last year, a mommy friend introduced us to a local farmers market on Thursday afternoons. We have been going on a pretty regular basis and have loved getting to know the farmers and artisans. The farmers market moves inside a church basement for the winter, so we can still get some items (though limited).

Farmers markets are a great way to buy organic food. I found that the food is fresher and will usually last a little bit longer than store bought organic items. I have also found that the prices for organic produce, grass-fed beef, pasture raised chicken and pasture raised eggs are usually cheaper than purchasing the items at Whole Foods. Plus, a farmers market is an opportunity for my toddler to run around, listen to music, and connect with the community.

Here are some photos from our trip this week.

 

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A Perfect Family Day

More than one year later, my husband and I are still trying to figure out how to balance family time and personal time. Today was a perfect day. We balanced family time and personal time very well. We even enjoyed a homemade meal on the breezeway patio!

Local Strawberry Picking
Family time (with extended family).

Plant Shopping
My personal time.

Homemade Grilled Pizzas
With homemade pizza crust and a dessert pizza using the freshly picked strawberries from this morning.

>> What does your (realistically) perfect day look like??
 

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Nesco Digital Food Dehydrator [Giveaway]

Prize:

Nesco Gardenmaster Digital Pro Food Dehydrator

ARV $170

Hosted by:

A Lucky Ladybug
and 
M.O.O.N.

"New Digitally Controlled" unit! Top mounted fan eliminates liquids dripping into the heater chamber. Expands to a giant 20 trays so you can dry large quantities all at once! 1000 watts of drying power means you can dry more, faster. Patented Converga-Flow® forces heated air down the exterior pressurized chamber, then horizontally across each individual tray, converging in the center, for fast, even and nutritious drying. If you are an aspiring gardener or love to visit your local farmers market, then you need a dehydrator.  There is no better and easier way to preserve in-season produce than to dehydrate it.
Fast, Powerful Fan! A quiet, 2,400-RPM motor and specially designed 4-1/2 inch fan mean faster, more nutritious drying.  Adjustable Thermostat!  The adjustable 90-160 degree F digital control gives you the flexibility to get the best results.

 As needs grow, this four-tray unit can be expanded with accessory Add-A-Trays®, up to 20 trays (20 sq. ft.) Drying pressure adjusts automatically to the number of trays.  Included  accessories: No-Spill Fruit Roll Sheet, Clean-A-Screen®, Jerky Spice Packet and Cure.

**If you are a company and would like to see your brand advertised in a M.O.O.N. event similar to this please contact MakeOurOwnNetwork@gmail.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway
"Make Our Own Network" solely organized this event and I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are 100% my own and may differ from your own or even those stated in this post. All Natural Katie is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. This giveaway is open to the Continental US only (because of shipping costs) and will end on August 29th, 2013

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Looking For a New CSA Farm

Since our last CSA Farm no longer offers the CSA option, I am on the hunt for a new CSA Farm for 2013 and beyond. Local Harvest is a great resource for farms and CSAs. I love that I can search for a CSA by zip code. I started with Local Harvest and came up with a list of 5 potential CSA farms.

As I was looking at the listed farms, I was surprised by how many of them offered meat. There were even a couple of local farms that were mostly devoted to meat, including chicken, poultry, grass-fed beef, sheep, and goats (all natural, antibiotic-free, hormone-free, pasture fed animals). I strive to buy grass-fed beef, organic chicken, and anything else local, but I never quite known how local the meats are at Whole Foods (yes, I know I could ask the employees, but I haven't). I feel somewhat satisfied and relieved to find out that there are a number of local farms that offer high quality meat. I feel like I am reaching a new level in my eco-friendly living. Eating local, pasture-raised meat is like music to my ears.

Currently, only my husband eats meat in this house. I have started slowly incorporating fish back into my diet because of specific dietary needs in the current chapter of my life, but no meat for me yet. I do eat a local, organic, pasture-raised egg every morning and consume whole fat dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.), which is either local, grass-fed, and/or made from raw milk. I like staying as close to the natural source as possible. The less processing there is, the more nutrients my body gets from the foods I eat. Of course, serving high quality, local, organic, pasture-raised, grass-fed meat to my husband, my family, and my friends is very important to me. I am currently reading a book that talks about the amazing health benefits of eating real meat, real dairy, and real fats (more to come on that in another post).

My goal for 2013 is continue to transition to locally sourced produce, meats, and dairy. Tonight, I felt like I took another baby step in this direction. I am very excited about all of the CSA opportunities.

>> What are your food goals for 2013?
 

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Top 3 Things NOT to Do At a Farmer's Market

There is something about a farmer's market that make me a little nervous/anxious/ whatever you want to call it. Honestly, I do not feel at ease when I shop at a farmer's market. Maybe I do not go often enough. Maybe I do not feel comfortable with all of the unspoken rules. Maybe I do not like that they are no signs to tell me who grows organically and who does not. I have had my share of mishaps and embarrassing moments farmer's markets. Today, I bring you the top 3 things NOT to do when you are shopping at a farmer's market (from my own experience).

1. Do Not Ask Young "Farmers" to Pick Out Your Produce - when a guy who looks like he is in his mid-20s tells me to pick out which watermelon looks the prettiest, I do not feel confident that he has any idea what he talking about. I know how to pick out a watermelon, but feel weird going around flicking and slapping watermelons to pick out the perfect one.
   
   
2. Do Not Buy From the First Stand - walk around to the other stands; see what others are selling. You might find a better deal or better quality.
   
   
3. Do Not Buy the "Pretty" Produce - I might not be a master gardener, but I know that tomatoes organically grown on a local farm do not look perfectly round. I have grown my own tomatoes and I have picked tomatoes from an organic farm. If anything, ask the farmer what they use to control pests.

>> What mishaps have you experienced at the farmer's market?
  

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Final Thoughts About This Year's CSA

I wanted to write a little bit about our CSA experience this year. Although we had a difficult growing year because of the extremely hot weather and the lack of rain, I still felt great about buying local (within 15 miles) and organic produce. My husband and I expected more from the CSA, but we did accept the risk with the Farm and it was "one of those" growing seasons. Either way, I am hooked on local farms. Forgot the farmer's market. I want to go straight to the farm!

A few weeks ago, the CSA completed their weekly pick-ups, but opened up the fields for "you pick." So, I went picking! Twice already! To tell you the truth, I would have rather done the you pick all season. Being out there in the field, looking for something green, red, or purple is very exciting, but also very relaxing. No one else is around (unless you have friends or family with you). There are not shopping carts. No announcements over the loud speaker. No one else trying to get in line at the farmer's market. Just peace and quiet! You really learn a lot of about how to pick produce at the right time.

Two out of the four remaining fields have already been mowed oven, but there are still some items left: cherry tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, hot peppers, mustard greens, arugula, and greens. I hope to get at least one more picking in before they mow over the remaining fields. Please enjoy the photos below from my last two "you picks."

Trip 1 - red cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, bell peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes, zinnias



Trip 2 - Tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, greens, arugula, mustard greens

   

>> If you were part of a CSA this year, how did it do? If you were not part of a CSA, would you ever consider joining?

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Wordless Wednesday - My Husband Cooked Vegetarian!

Some of you might not be surprised by the title of this post, but I am. Why? Because my husband loves meat and is never going to stop eating meat. To my surprise, I get the following photo from my husband of what he cooked for dinner while I was out of town.

Vegetarian Coconut Red Curry

Eggplant from our garden
Garlic from the organic CSA farm
NO MEAT! :)

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Wordless Wednesday - Eating Local

Tomato from dad's friend's farm

Basil from our garden

Mozzarella from TFM

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Crazy Weather Affecting CSA

For those of you who are part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) -- have you been affected by this crazy hot weather? Our CSA has been struggling because the heat has affected pollination, which means that means that we have been getting produce less than expected. However, I know that we accepted the risk along with the farm and we are in this together. Nothing beats local, organic produce, no matter how much of it you get each week. The awesome thing is that the farm also raises chicken and is trying to get members to recommend other ways that the farm can provide for them. It is so good to know that the farm cares about the members just as much as we appreciate all of the fresh, in season, organic produce that they provide us.

>> How has your CSA been this season?

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Confession: Does Organic Produce Spoil Faster?

I have a confession to make! I do not use organic produce (from the CSA Farm or the grocery store) in a timely manner. I have a habit of letting stuff sit in the fridge for at least one week before I even think about using it. Obviously, produce begins to wilt, soften, and spoils. I composted about 1/3 of the organic cherries yesterday because they were moldy. Organic cherries are expensive. I felt bad that I let 1/3 of them spoil.

Is this left over from my pre-organic days where food would last 2 weeks before it started showing signs of wilting/spoilage? I do not know. Is it because my husband and I have both been working crazy long hours and we do not cook as often anymore? Probably. My head is so full of work, chores, and everything else that I do not have time to craft yummy dishes to utilize the perfectly in-season produce that I buy or pick up from the CSA Farm.

At least I ate a decent breakfast this morning...

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Freshly Picked From My Garden

A lot of people don't understand why you should know where your food comes from, that they should try to grow their own food, and that sometimes, it can be quite easy to grow food yourself.  Yes, sometimes it is also difficult and frustrating.   I encounter a lot of opposition, push back, and confusion about having a garden and trying to grow my own food.  Sometimes, I even encounter it on a weekly basis.  But, I reminder myself why I grow some of my own food.  I do not do it for others.  I do not do it to get praise from others.  I do it for myself.  I do it because I get satisfaction from growing some of my own food.  Something about it just feels right to me.  Once in a while, sometimes a long while, I come across another person that does it for themselves.  And this person reaffirms that I am doing the right thing.  

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Wordless Wednesday - 100% Local Meal

I finally, FINALLY, can say that I prepared a meat that was 100% local!  Salad from the CSA, local meat bought at Whole Foods!

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Affecting Change in My Community [#CTWW]

This week's challenge comes from Reduced Footprints.

This week, watch the following video. Then share it in some way ... email it to a friend, share it on a social network, post it to your blog, etc. AND THEN ... consider how you might affect change in your community. Of course ... we want to hear all about it!

This video reminded me of our recent focus on buying local produce and meat. The CSA that we joined is a great way to support an organic and heirloom farm located right in our city! I also realized that I do not have to go to farmers markets to buy local, I can find local produce and meat at Whole Foods. I feel empowered to affect positive change in my community.

>> How are you supporting your local community?
 

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Scrambled Eggs with Garlic Scapes [Recipe]

One of the treats in our weekly CSA pick-up was garlic scapes. I have never seen garlic scapes, nor have I heard of them. I did a quick search online and found that you can do just about anything with them, from adding chopped scapes to pastas and omelets to making pesto. This morning, I made scrabbled eggs with chopped garlic scapes. They were a little awkward to cut, but the results were delicious.

Raw scapes have a slight garlic taste. Cooked scapes reminded me of asparagus. Here is the simple recipe that I followed. Za'atar was used as a seasoning.

Ingredients
Handful of garlic scapes, chopped
Eggs

Directions
1. On medium heat, sautee garlic scapes in butter for about 5-10 minutes until tender and browned.
2. Add egg mixture and preferred seasonings and cook until eggs are cooked through.

You can also incorporate chopped garlic scapes into an omelet.

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Wordless Wednesday - Free Plants

I am so grateful that the dill, radishes, and cilantro all reseeded themselves. Aside from the radishes, the dill and cilantro are clustered together.

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Wordless Wednesday - First Harvest

Plants reseeding themselves = freebies!

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Slowly Converting My Husband

Our garage doors are being replaced today. The original wooden garage doors and motors have both crapped out and there might have even been an incident of my husband backing into the garage door because he forgot to open it. Although I love the original garage doors for their character, it is time for new ones. We decided to replace the whole system.

My husband picked out a local Overhead Doors company. I did not question why he went with this company. I am grateful that he called and arrange the work to be done.

When we both agreed on the scope of the work to be done, he turned to me and said, "we're buying local."

LOL. I was half amused and half surprised that he made the connection. Yes, we are kind of supporting a local business, which is probably franchised. Most contractors that do work house repair/improvement are local businesses. Even though we would not have an option for a non-local company, I am proud of my husband for making the connection.

As they teach in Business School, the Rule of Seven applies to husbands also. A person has to see or hear something at least seven times before they take action.  In my case, the Rule of Seven Hundred might be more appropriate...

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Tell the FDA to Just Label It

Whether it is salmon genetically engineered to grow at twice its natural rate or herbicide-resistant corn that encourages the use of more chemicals in our food supply, we have a right to know what's in our food.

Already, more than 40 countries – including China and Russia – require labels on genetically engineered food. As Americans, we deserve the same opportunity to make informed decisions about what we eat. As more Americans know about genetically engineered foods, more pressure will build on the FDA to label GMOs.

Everyone has the right to make informed decisions about the food they eat as well. Tell the FDA to label GMO (genetically engineered) foods. Be an informed consumer!

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Wordless Wednesday - Going Back to the Start

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My Eco-Friendly Weekend Activities

Between work, friends, and family, I have had a pretty busy week. I have not posted as much as I would have liked to. Nonetheless, my mind has been racing with lots of fun eco-friendly activities and plans for this weekend. I am highlighting some of my eco-friendly weekend activities.

1. Carpooling - offered to pick up our friends twice this weekend.
2. Garden - going to start some of my seeds and begin planning for others. I still have a few cold weather and companion plant seeds to purchase.
3. Reusing/Recycling - cleaned out half of the old/expired bottles from the fridge door. Recycled the plastic ones (yes, Rumpke accepts them!) and kept the glass ones for bulk bin purchases.
4. CSA - downloaded the application, will print at work and fill out.
5. Haircut - asked my mom to cut my hair. She is pretty good at cutting my hair with a little style in it.

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