A Trip to the Farmer’s Market May 29, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Sustainable Living, Vegetarian Recipes.trackback
Since our CSA membership ended for the season last Saturday, we headed to the Bradenton Farmer’s Market this morning (last day of the season) to see how far a $20 investment in our local economy would take us.
Answer: a long, long way!
Here’s what we got for $20: 1 head of crisp iceberg lettuce * 2 green peppers * 1 red pepper * 3 ears of just picked corn * 4 cubanelle peppers * 4 ripe tomatoes * 1 seedless watermelon * 1 cantaloupe * 1 pineapple * 1.5 pounds of green beans * 1 quart of hydroponic grape tomatoes * 1 head of celery * 1 quart of plum tomatoes * 1 bunch of Swiss chard
What a haul!
As soon as we got home, I cut up the watermelon and the cantaloupe ~ filling six 6-cup containers with juicy chunks of red and orange melon ready for noshing at a moments notice.
The rinds went into the compost bin.
After a quick rinse, I sautéed the Swiss chard with olive oil, crushed red pepper, and garlic salt, then stirred in a box of Near East Brown Rice Pilaf (following package directions) to make a yummy vegetarian casserole to toss into the freezer for later this week.
I sliced one of the locally grown tomatoes to make a PBLT on whole wheat toast for lunch.
What’s a PBLT?
Peanut butter, lettuce and tomato ~ the PB is salty and crunchy (like bacon) and marries well with the LT.
The result: my favorite summer sandwich.
BFF made himself a grilled “Panini” with Vermont cheddar cheese, sliced tomato, and slivers of red cubanelle pepper.
Since the melon wasn’t chilled yet ~ we enjoyed a juicy Valencia orange with our sandwiches.
For dinner tonight:
Pasta Primavera (angel hair pasta and herbs with sautéed zucchini, summer squash, carrots, and onions), corn on the cob, steamed green beans, and chilled melon.
What a wonderful kick off to Memorial Day weekend!
Plus, when we open the refrigerator, it looks like a Farm Stand moved in ~ with lots of healthy anti-oxidants, vitamins, and fiber in all colors of the rainbow . . . all thanks to our hard-working local farmers, with some help from Mother Nature.
Vegetables . . . it’s what’s for dinner!
Related posts: Tiny Green Thumbs Workshop * Join a C.S.A. * Health Benefits From Greening Your Life * No Impact Man: Gradual Change
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Spirit Lights The Way 
Now, that’s what I call dinner… and for such a deal…! Do you eat any kind of dairy products like cheese or eggs, or is that off the vegetarian menu for you? I don’t remember if you had mentioned it in a post.
We’ve been vegetarians for at least 13 years . . . but not vegan.
We don’t eat eggs ~ just use them occasionally for baking. Probably about 2-3 dozen a year. We use soy milk for cereal, coffee, etc.. We do eat cheese (pizza!), butter (corn on the cob!), and ice cream.
But I’m going to start looking for vegan substitutes because the abuses in the Dairy Industry are so horrendous that I don’t want to contribute to the suffering. I’ll keep you posted.
What a feast for the senses reading this Nancy.
I mostly let the vegetables speak for themselves . . . without much in the way of embellishment.
As I jotted down our purchases, I wondered what a more poetic writer (like you) could do with this bounty from the earth.