I have a problem. When I go to the Farmer’s Market and see all the shiny, multi-colored, beautiful produce I go crazy. I immediately want to buy and/or eat all of those lovely looking veggies and fruits and we wouldn’t want to leave out the freshly made triple berry almond butter or the local honey in various flavors. When you walk into the farmer’s market on Saturday morning you are immediately bombarded with a cacophony of visual and audio stimulations that is now a regular part of my Saturday mornings.
My preparation for the Farmer’s market begins the night before. I gather my bags: a large bag to carry all my goodies and various smaller bags to house individual produce that likes to roll away and some extra bags in case my big bag gets so full that I feel like my shoulder is going to fall off! I also gather any recycling I might have: those little green baskets that housed wonderful strawberries or grape tomatoes, an empty egg container, maybe a glass honey jar to turn in for a deposit or some plant containers.
I have my regular stops where I am able to buy organic produce for less that looks and tastes millions better then anything I have found in the supermarket. Some of my weekly “habit” veggies are strawberries, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, kale, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, and various other in season produce that seems to easily jump into my bag. The strawberry season is almost over in Florida (boo!), and the red peppers are so sweet that they almost taste like candy!
The kale is always trying to trick me. It looks so lovely and green and leafy at the stands and I get tricked into thinking that I will have oodles of time that week to do frittatas, kale chips, a nice soup, and millions of other things with my kale; however, the reality is that the silly kale will start to wilt by the time I get it home. And then begins the taunting as it stars at me from the refrigerator EVERY time I open the door. I am always excited when I manage to use it up before its completely worthless and I found that sautéing is a quick effortless way to put an end to the taunting from my fridge.
Every week around Wednesday when most of my fresh produce is gone and I start to think about the next week’s menus I think longingly of my next trip to that wonderful rainbow of vegetable nirvana in just three days. Yes, I am as excited as my young daughter is when she wakes up Saturday morning and says, “Mommy is it Farker Market day? I LOVE going to the Farker Market!”