Vegmom Moments

Farmer's Market Finds

This week will contain posts with few words...  Just because!

Farmer had picked these at 5am and I got them home by 10am.

By my calculations that is about 2 weeks fresher than any thing I'd find at the grocery store.

 

Farmers Market and Strawberry Picking

I didn't get any fruits or veggies during our Farmer's Market adventure, but I sure did get lots of plants:

Some awesome pretty hanging plants:

Some Herbs:

Basil:

Parsley:

And Veg made this really cool Three Sisters Garden:

The Bucket contains one Corn, One Pumpkin and One Green Bean Seed... This was the kids craft for the day.  The great lady gave tons of tips on how to help them grow and how they will work together to creat the three Plants.

Veg is taking very good care of all his plants this year, so I know he will take care of these too.  Very exciting!

After some fun at the Farmer's Market, we had a Great lunch at our favorite Veggie Stop.  Then off to Strawberry Picking:

OH MY YUM!!!!

This was the best Strawberry patch ever.. I hope to go back at least once more before the season ends.

Hubby is taking the last of that batch in his lunch tomorrow and I've been cut off...

"No more Strawberries for you"

MUST --- GET --- MORE --- Strawberries.....

 

Farmer's Market Surprise

We were on a mission to find a GREAT Lake... (another blog post to follow).. and stopped off at a spot that we thought looked like a lake... turned out to be a River (not lake) but there before my eyes.... were White Tent things...

I THINK THAT IS A FARMER'S MARKET..... Could it be??? Oh Yes, Yes it is....

My Mom and I got lots of goodies...  I was soo surprised how much produce was available from those farms this time of year.  Even Watermelons.... I was a Happy Happy Girl...

Oh and check out this Zucchini... I didn't buy it, just took a picture, but it was almost as big as my kid... And they had tons of these... 

Crazy Huge Veggies at that Farmer's Market...

Eggplant Show Down

Eggplant from friend's garden vs. eggplant from my local farmers market...

I'll give you a hint which is from my friend's garden... THE BIG ONE!

No More Watermelon

The season is over for our favorite Farmer at the market.... This was my very last one....

And now it is all in my tummy!

Until Next year, my Watermelon Friend..........

Farmer's Market Saturday

Found some of the most Delicious things today:

 

The Watermelon was so good, I just sat down with a spoon... Hubby and Veg then joined me (seperate spoons and chunks of course, because I'm freaky like that)  We went through and entire watermelon in approximately 15 minutes.

Not sure the other two will last till next week...

Farmer's Market Saturday

So many good finds today at the Farmer's Market... I just Love Farmer's Market Saturdays!!

 

That is a Vegan muffin at the bottom for my Vegman... He was excited about that.  I was more excited for that Watermelon!!!

Oh My Yum!

Food Prep Saturday

Not sure if it was the Farmers Market, or the Blueberry Picking today, but I got some motivation... And when I get motivation, everyone best just get out of my way.....

And so I bring you a Food Prep Saturday:

My Fridge looks like this currently:

Giant Salad, Sprouts, Cabbage Salad.. and the following:

Washed, cut, and ready to go, some local, some fresh, all organic and all delicious:

Celery Root, Carrots, Pineapple, Blueberries (Fresh Picked this morning) , Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes, Coconut Meat, Potatoes, Sprouts, Green Beans, And Cucumbers.

In to the freezer, went some Bananas, Pineapples, Peaches and Strawberries:

My Dehydrator is currently making the ultimate in Kale Crisp Goodness (I already snuck some.. shhhhh!)

 

Here are the blueberries up close from our hard work today... 

And two varieties of Green Beans from the Farmer's Market:

The flat ones are from the farm that Hubby helped work on, and she assured me today, they would be the best green beans I've ever had.  And she was RIGHT!  They are sweet, and delicious totally raw!

Great for snacking and that yummy crunch.  Hubby dipped his in hummus and kept sneaking them from my bowl.

Here is the celery root, cut in to chunks so I can throw it in smoothies.

 

This salad is so big, it will make my belly happy for a couple days:

Romaine, Kale, Cucumber, Carrots, Peppers, Sprouts and Sunflower Seeds

 

And there ya have it...  This will be a good food week.... I can tell.......Are you motivated yet??

Day At The Farm

Continuing with the theme of 2010 of no plans... just doing and going..  I woke up this morning with a brilliant idea...

Wait a minute... back up.....>>>>>  A couple years ago we went to a festival where we saw a local farm family with their animals and teachings....

Then Last year we saw the same couple at the Farmer's Market every weekend.  We would buy their goodies, and one day grabbed a brochure.

Turns out they give tours and other fun things, but most people would go in the summer, when their gardens are actually in full bloom. 

I however, woke up this morning with 20degree temps, flurries of snow, and middle of winter, decided it would be a GREAT idea to go to  the farm for a tour.

The sweet kind lady obliged me with my last minute phone call, and off we went!!!  Soooooo Glad we did this!

You see, they are a working farm with Chickens, Llamas, Rabbits, veggie gardens, fruit orchards and Honey bees.  BUT..

They are all organic, self sustaining, and use or sell almost everything that comes from the farm.  Even the Llama Poop.. Really!  It makes for good soil apparently.   They compost Everything with lots of compost beds.  And spin their own yarn from the llama and rabbit fur.  They also have Solar panels, and showed us how much coal is saved by using them.

Because it is an Organic Farm, they encourage good bugs and birds, so they plant things that attract them.  And shared that info with us.  But also have natural ways to discourage the critters they prefer to not have on their farm.

We saw everything from the animals, to the yarn being spun, a couple different wheels, what happens to the fur...to how the compost is turned and the worms that were busy working.  We also got to feed the chickens, grab some of their eggs, fill their water buckets, give the Llamas treats, and take one of the Llamas for a walk.

The dogs on the farm were Hubby's favorite... And I think they liked him too... 

We also saw how carrots will stay growing all year if covered with leaves... Sigh, wish I would have done that to ours.  *smile*  We learned about soil, compost, raised beds, rotating crops, and saw a new green house being built.

Such a great winter day of learning and fun....  

Feeding the chickens..

 

Sweet little bunny face:

Taking a Llama for a walk...  Much like a dog for a walk, only a lot bigger...

Yup, there are bees in there!  (listen closely)  Yeah, I didn't like this part so much :-)

But the Vegman was right in to the action.

 

You lookin' at me?  I know you aren't lookin' at me!

 

Normally the llamas can roam in that big field, but they came up close for us to visit with them. 

Next thing I knew, we were in there with them and they didn't care a bit.

Sometimes having no plans are the best kind!!!

FARMER'S MARKET SATURDAY

I got a couple new tries this week... First on the list.. Green Beans that aren't Green... But they are organic and local and worth a try!! 

And NO, I don't cook, steam, or nuke green beans...(NeeNee)  Lately, I just clean, clip, and add them to some Apple Cider Vinegar in a bowl.  And eat just like that... crunchy and tangy and Yum.....

(haven't tried these purply ones yet though)

And these Raw Peanuts....Have to say I've never had raw peanuts before...Since changing my food style, I've had Raw Cashews, Macadamias, Walnuts, Pecans and Almonds... but never these guys..

It is a very interesting earthy kind of taste... But I like them... So did Hubby... Veg is still undecided.  He just wants more macadamias.... I need to get back to the store.....:-)

Raw Butternut Squash was my new try last week... and we liked it enough to buy more.  Great just in chunks plain or in smoothies...  Again, not cooked in anyway....They showed up in Veg's lunch box all week and he ate them every day without complaint.

This monster Sweet Potato was too good looking not to buy for the boys.  They like these baked and I try to make a couple a week for their tummies to devour.

And some colorful stuff.... Peppers and Eggplant:

Of course some Watermelon:

Ahhhh..... ready to eat:

And some corn... Which I've been avoiding since my last two worm events.  But decided to give another try from a farm I've really grown to like... And they were smart enough to have their corn already peeled/cut at the top... Thank you great farm for helping me out!!! 

No Worms here:

Corn off the cob, totally uncooked and delicious...

So Funny to think less then 3 months ago I was cooking everything because I thought I had to because my Mom did and my Mom's Mom did and Her Mom's Mom did and my friends and other family do.... It just seems that when you have corn for example that you make Corn on the cob.  Or green beans need to be steamed or cooked to taste good...

All these years I could have saved my self all that time, and just ATE it!   Who Knew?

SUNDAY'S FRIDGE AND COUNTER

As with many other things lately, my Fruit/Veggie Prep cutting spree is becoming a Sunday tradition...Here is what I came up with this weekend (most from the Farmer's Market):

All Raw, Organic and mostly local.....

Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Watermelon, Peaches, Apples, Grapefruit, Red Peppers, Carrots, Cucumbers,Green Beans, Edamames, and Vegan (raw) apple waldorf salad (again per Veg's request)

Grab and go lunches are going to be packed full of goodness!!!

As for the Grab and Go Counter... Its starting to take on a life of its own:

Bananas, Dried fruits, Oats, dark choco chips, lots of raw nuts, and our hand made granola from last week.. (Which hubby didn't share much with the rest of us.... I'll have to make more this week, YUM)

And as for the Edamame's....OH MY!!!  Peeling these suckers took MUCH longer then I planned.  Hubby kept telling me to boil them first and that would make it easier.  I'm sure he is right, but that defeats the purpose of having raw Edamames.  And so I stood by the sink for over an hour... Peeling, breaking, chipping away to find the little beans.

But soo worth it!    Hi there little beans.....

PS, can you say Yuuummmmmmmmmm!!  Sooo Glad I got three of these! 

The first one is almost gone and its only been 48hrs.

WATERMELON ANYONE?

This was only ONE watermelon.... I have lots:

FARMER'S MARKET SATURDAY

I got some Melons... And I'm not talking about the Female kind...

Went with the Big Boys this time:

Notice this one is as long as our kitchen table:

 

And its baby, which was still pretty big.  I'll let you know how they test after cutting them and devouring every single bit:

Update:  SOOOOOOO GOOD!!!  Hoping these two last a full week this time.

My usual Veggie Stash:

And this funky Sweet Potato that Veg picked.. Not sure how it will cook... It's like 10 pounds I think.  It's bigger then his head, really:

Update: The Sweet Potato took 75 minutes to cook at 450 degrees..It really was HUGE. Probably removed every possible nutrient from its big bad self while cooking for that long... but oh well.... Veg ate TWO bowls of Sweet Potato Chunks with his dinner, and Hubby had a huge plate full, saying it was the best Sweet Potato he's ever had!

I was sad to miss the peaches this week, but there is always next week....

FARMER'S MARKET PIE

With a bunch of stuff in the fridge that needed to be used and no desire to "cook" ... This is what I came up with (sorry no pics)

Sliced Zucchini, Patty Pan, tomatoes and Small egg plant in thin lasagna style strips.  (set aside)

Grab some marina sauce, garlic salt, pepper, italian herbs and bread crumbs of your choosing (set aside)

Chop some fresh basil, garlic, onion, and peppers in a pile (set aside)

Put a little olive oil on the bottom of a glass baking dish....

Then just take turns layering the Veggies, sauce, bread crumbs and herbs, until you've used everything up...

Our last layer was the tomatoes with sauce on top and sprinkled with a few bread crumbs and more herbs.

Then I baked it at 375 till bubbly and brown'ish on top....  Outside of the few bread crumb sprinkles for texture and some seasoning, there was nothing else in this dish but Veggies and herbs from the farmer's market.  So fresh and good.

To my surprise Hubby LOVED IT!  he said it was like a yummy veggie pizza without the crust....  I said it was like Lasagna without the noodles.  We decided to call it Farmer's Market Pie.

Although I don't know why?

FARMER'S MARKET SATURDAY

That time of week again...  when I get to drive to my favorite Farmer's Market... which is now even MORE favorite because all the fruit is arriving....

Here is my Bounty from this day:

And in case you were wondering what those big Green things are.. I shall show you!

Oh My Yum!!!   Yes, that is a watermelon that you see, with real black seeds!!  They DO Exist after all...
And organic, and local, and only $2, and Deliciously Sweet!!!

It's times like this, that I'm really thankful for this Old Knife NeeNee gave me.  And several bowls filled with Delicious Watermelon just waiting to be chomped. 

Thank you NeeNee... And Watermelon Farmer's Market People!!

I WANT MORE!!!  Next week I will get MORE!!

----And Then a Love Story----

Mr. Vita-Mix, Meet Miss Watermelon (and a few ice cubes)

A match made in Heaven.....

OH MY YUM!!!  Did i mention, that I WANT MORE!!!  I have a feeling those two won't last long...

And the Vegman is totally ANTI-Watermelon.  I guess the 40 of them he had in Utero made him have a life long desire to avoid them...

So we Introduced Mr. Vita-Mix to some Ice and water... then drain the water and you have Snow Cone Ice... But I don't have any cones... so you'll have to pretend...

Introducing....an Apple Juice Snow Cone Bowl:

Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix for some Mid-day Cool Refreshment on a 90+ degree Day!

SEASHELL POTS

I caught this post from Crafty Crow which linked me to Urban Organica.... And then I stored that little creation in the back of mind. 

When we came back from the beach with some perfect shells to make such a creation, I forgot where I found the posts, and couldn't find any plant people that would help me determine the right plants for the job.  I thought I saw them at the farmers market, festival, nurseries, but they all told me

"No, these are out door plants and not what your needing"

Finally I found those posts , and they called for "Hen and Chicks" so while at the Farmers Market on Saturday, I saw them at our favorite organic herb booth, and they had them growing in a shoe...  They are always so helpful, and gave me all the info I needed.

I let Veg choose which container we got, and the one he picked only had 3 little plants... so we made 3 shells.

Here are a couple of our creations:

 

 

Old CD case made a perfect stand and holder for our remaining shells.

 

So I'm not sure how long these things will live.  My previous attempts at indoor plants have not gone well.

But for now they are pretty and cute and fun to make.

WEEKEND FOOD

First I shall start with my Farmers Market Finds:

 

I do love that place.... I'm still just getting only a couple of each item, until I get really comfortable with what I like and how I want to prepare it.   And I think in the next week or two, I'm going to get A WHOLE LOT of the things I like, so I can start freezing for the winter.  I realize my Farmers Market favorites won't be around much longer. 

Oh, and got this too:

 

Pretty sure I ate my weight in this melon the past 2 days.... So sweet and good!

And my try for some Oatmeal (not out of a pre-made bag)... Using real maple syrup for sweetener.  It was really good.   I've been getting the thick rolled oats from the Bulk bin for my Oatmeal Cookies thanks to Mamasweeds.  And when I saw them on the counter, decided to give this a try on a wet rainy Sunday.

Comfort food at its finest!

 

AH, and this...  I finally made Peach Ice Cream from our Peach Picking excursion.... SOOOooooo Good!  For some reason this picture looks icy grainy, but I assure you, it was SOOOO Creamy! 

 

My New Try for the week was Ezekiel Buns. Wasn't sure how I would like this frozen sprouted concoction.  But I did.  Just stuck it in the toaster and filled up with my favorite sandwich veggies.  If I'm going to continue eating bread, this is certainly the way to do it!

I realized my grocery bill was 1/2 on Saturday, and my pantry is nearing an empty state, while my Fridge is filling up quite nicely.  Think thats how it should be...  Or that is what I'm telling myself right now.

Think those were the hi-lights of the food adventures this past weekend...  Stay tuned for more as the health food turns in our Veg house!