Get Yourself to a Farmer's Market & Help a Farmer Out

During the summer, Saturdays are my favorite day of the week.  Why, you may ask, besides the fact its Saturday and its the summer?  Because Saturday is farmer's market day!  Every Saturday starting in June, I arise at the crack of dawn, grab an iced coffee and I'm out the door, off to the market.  I leave the husband and the kid sleeping and I'm off, solo, to find whatever beautiful bounty the farmer's market may yield this week.

Here's a little known factoid about me.  I am frugal.  Incredibly frugal.  Ok, I'm downright cheap.  I'm a bargain hunter to the very depths of my soul.  I hate over paying for anything, including food.  The downside to that is I love the exotic and expensive.  Recently, my husband and I have committed to trying to eat healthier and going organic when feasible.  But let's face it, eating organic is ridiculously expensive.  You would think the absence of chemicals and pesticides would make products cheaper and less labor intensive to harvest.  Yet organic produce and meats are nearly double the price of their non-organic counterparts in your grocery store.  I'm sure there's a good reason, I know certified organic growers have to meet very stringent practices and re-certify for their Certified Organic credentials, yada, yada, yada.  But it sucks for us.  Why should the wealthy be the only class privy to organic foods?  It's just doesn't seem fair.  But I digress.  I'll step down from my soap box because I've found an alternative for us commoners. Every Saturday, local Long Island farmers harvest beautiful fresh produce in the morning and bring it directly from the fields to my neighborhood, all for my convenience.  Most are local mom & pop farms who take exceptional pride in their wares. They are usually organic and offer a plethora of produce.

I look forward to the newest crop of veggies and fruits that were harvested that morning and I let that inspire my menu for the week.  These are the things that excite me.  It is the highlight of my week.  Kinda pathetic, I know.  But I'm a proud food geek, and I stand by my geek-ness.

Besides fresh produce, many pop up farmer's markets offer  a number of different vendors.  My favorite market has several vendors including local artisan bakers, an amazing goat cheese guy, a small privately owned spice company, hand-made flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars, homemade baked dog treats, a pickle guy and another local farm offering vegetable plants, flowers, ornamental grasses and the like.  And everything is affordable and delicious.  I get to meet the people that baked the bread, harvested the vegetables and pressed the olive oil.  It's an amazing experience, getting inspiration for recipes from someone who is passionate about their craft.  The vendors often rotate so it's always a surprise as to who will be there this week.  I've always had an infinity for the underdog and I secretly cheer for the success of these small business.

This weeks farmer's market run yielded quite an array - fresh bread, 3 different kinds of goat cheese, dog treats, ground flax seed, garam masala, smoked salt, Harissa, sour dill pickles, blood orange olive oil, white peach balsamic vinegar, cucumbers, fresh corn, peaches, apples, lettuce, shallots and zucchini.  And I spent just about $30.  Really, $30!  Now those are some bargains I can get down with.  (Stay tuned for my Zucchini Cake recipe!)

 

So get out there and support your local farms and small businesses.  Eat healthy, save some money and help a farmer out.

You can find farmer's markets in your area here : www.farmersmarket.com

Happy shopping!

xoxo Kristen