Thursday, July 25, 2013

Farmer's Market Stop

Spring Means Farmers' MarketsAfter youngest son complained about the lack of fresh fruit in the house and I did a quick look at what was on hand I decided a run to the local farmer's market was in order. I'd been planning on trying a few new recipes and craving one of my favorite things: Grilled Ratatouille..so off to the market I went.
My area has a traveling market that sets up for a few hours on one day a week in my own community as well as those around me. Our day is Friday and I've been eyeballing it but haven't really seen many deals. I'm hoping as the season goes on I will start to see some good buys here. We have a permanent year round market as well and this is where I chose to go.
I gave myself a $20 cash budget for this and spent $18.65.
Here is what I brought home:
A bag of spinach ($1.99) , a locally grown cabbage ($1.50 ), two pints of mini cukes (2 pints for $3), an eggplant ($1.29 per pound), two quarts of on sale strawberries (99¢ each), a bunch of on the vine tomatoes ($1.49 per pound), 8 (2 1/2 lbs) plums (99¢ per pound), and 8 (3 1/2 lbs. nectarines (.99¢ per pound).
My plans: plums and nectarines are snacks, spinach will be used in a salad with some of the strawberries for today's lunch, cabbage will be used several times, I plan on shredding some and trying a homemade sauerkraut recipes I found online, some for cabbage & noodles one night next week for dinner, the rest as coleslaw. The eggplant will join tomatoes, onions, garlic, zucchini, and bell peppers I have on hand in the aforementioned ratatouille to be served as a side one night and as part of a main dish another night next week, the strawberries not used in the salad will be cut up and lightly sugared and used with cereal, yogurt, and over made from scratch waffles for breakfasts. Tomatoes will find their way onto sandwiches and in salads. Half of the mini cukes will be turned into my mom's cuke salad to go with tonight's dinner and the remainder will be used in a recipe for refrigerator bread and butter pickles I am trying.

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