To Market To Market

Don’t you just love the fresh, clean smell of organic fruits and veggies in the morning? Okay, so maybe I’m a little obsessed with farmers’ markets, but now that spring has finally sprung, I’m so looking forward to bulking up on fresh produce.

Buying organic at the grocer can be expensive, so you can save a great deal of cash buying straight from the source at the farmers’ market. There are so many benefits of going this route. In most cases, the produce you’re buying was picked fresh that day. It’s often organic, whether it is labeled that way or not (you can always ask about the farming methods),and you may even get to meet the people responsible for growing and harvesting the food you’re going to eat for dinner. Does it get any better than this? I think not.

In anticipation of my first trip to a spring farmers’ market this year, I’ve assembled a list of must-have foods. Some are on the “Dirty Dozen,” meaning that non-organic versions are heavily sprayed with pesticides. Others are just great in-season snags.

New Potatoes – Not only are potatoes on the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG’s) Dirty Dozen list, but these new potatoes are ripe and ready to harvest right about now.

Green Onions – Onions aren’t on the Dirty Dozen, but these green beauties are ripe for the picking in the spring. Try grilling new potatoes and green onions together and tossing with your favorite vinaigrette for a mouth-watering in-season side dish. 

Wild Mushrooms – Love them or hate them (I happen to love them), mushrooms are packed with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants that your body needs. Why not make a nice shiitake stir-fry with the fungi you pick up at the farmers’ market.

Kale – Although this cruciferous vegetable is technically in season in the winter, it’s never really a bad time to buy kale. It does grow nicely year round, and it packs more nutrition that most vegetables at a fraction of the cost. If you want to eat healthy on a tight budget, kale is going to be your best friend. Don’t like the taste? Toss the leaves in olive oil with a little salt and bake them until crispy. Kale chips are an amazing alternative to potato chips, and they don’t have the typical green-veggie taste.

1 Comment
  • Aleta Blakely
    Posted at 12:40h, 26 April Reply

    Deborah,

    You are awesome!

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