Tis the season...

Tis the season for the Farmer's Market.  Our market is open from 8-noon on Sundays.  I love it.  We pack up thinking it is going to be this huge outing but it only takes about 15 minutes of our day.  We wander and all say what looks good for the week...or two.  We spend around $10-20 depending on the week ahead.  I very seldom buy fruit and veggies at the grocery store this time of the year - why would you?  The items that are grown locally actually have flavor.  They are a lot of the time cheaper, bigger, and they are real.  This time of year in Minnesota you can find a variety of potatoes, onions, salad, brocolli, sugar snap peas, radishes, strawberries, and much more.  Soon tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, melons, berries, corn and more will be available.

Later in the summer I buy tons of sweet corn, cook it, strip it off the cob and freeze it in zip bags.  We used every last bag this year.  It was my dad's favorite part of Easter dinner this year.  I also buy big amounts of green peppers and chop them up and freeze those.  They work great on pizza or in soups and chili.  They sell basil in huge batches for $1.  I use those to make lots of pesto for the freezer.  I can't wait to see what I add to our freezer stash this year. 

And the flowers!  Oh the flowers!  Soon you will be able to buy huge bouquets of flowers for only $5.  I like to separate the bushel out and spread fresh flowers throughout the house.

I have many friends who have signed up for CSAs this year.  I am so excited to hear what they get each week in their box of goodies.  I hesitate to sign up for this because of the age my kids are.  I guess I like to get what I know we will eat and I don't want to get a big box of stuff that isn't going to be devoured.  However, it would be a great challenge to find recipes and try some of the things included in the CSA bushels.  There are also weeks when we are out of town or are granted a bag of garden veggies from family or friends and it is really frustrating to have things go to waste.  So we choose to take advantage of the farmer's market.

Whatever you do to feed your family - challenge yourself to get your hands on some local produce.  It is such a treat and such an empowering feeling - knowing you are supporting good old fashioned local farms.