Farmer’s market bounty

I love my local farmer’s market. And I loved it when I was a super-broke single mama on food stamps with 2 young daughters. Most farmer’s markets accept the EBT card, and it’s fantastic to support the farmers directly instead of all the middlemen. The produce is so fresh, it lasts so much longer than anything you buy at the grocery store. And maaaaaaaan is it delicious! It’s May, and the strawberries are mouth-watering sweet yumminess. The heads of lettuce last 2 weeks in my fridge! The avocados ripen perfectly! The squash come in all different colors and the apples are so sweet.

Buying produce in season is shown to provide health benefits including more nutrients because there is less time between when it was picked and when it reaches your grateful mouth! It doesn’t have time to be drained of its vitamins and minerals on some truck or ship for weeks. And it is great to talk to the farmers to ask them how their produce is grown, and when it was picked. I visit my local farmer’s market every Sunday, so I’ve become familiar with which farm stands have the best produce (in my opinion), which stays freshest the longest, and has the most reasonable prices for what they’re offering.

During this wacky COVID-19 crisis, it seems that many of us are cooking at home more often – even those of us still working. Restaurant closures and stay-at-home orders mean we’re combing the internet and our cupboards and fridges for easy but tasty and nutritious meals. I’ve been roasting lots of sliced brussels sprouts and other veggies, baking fish and chicken, eating lots of salads, and munching on so many berries! Mmmmmmmmm the berries!

What are you cooking?