Farmer's Market Alter-Ego

The farmers market is in full swing and it's amazing how much the selection has changed in just a few weeks. The spring peas have all but vanished. Strawberries are becoming few and far between. In their place there are sweet, early carrots and big, glossy blackberries. Each week I venture out to watch the seasons change and fill our fridge for the week ahead. However, I have also been reminded of the not so glamorous alter-ego to the farmers market - produce prep.

Most farmers kindly bag your purchases, usually in plastic. The truth of the matter is that if you don't get them out of that plastic fairly quickly you'll have mold city. I typically spend an hour or more once I get home washing and prepping my treasures. Using the produce can be equally as challenging. The first few days you have so many fabulous choices dinner is a very exciting time, but after a few nights you find what you have left is a random pile of odds and ends.

At this point there are several options. There are some great websites like All Recipes that have engines where you enter what you have and they make a recommendation. This is great, unless you don't have the other ingredients called for, nor the time to run out to the store and still get baths and bedtime in before you collapse.

Let me remind you of another great alternative - the frittata. I can't make a decent omelet to save my life, but if you can make scrambled eggs and have a skillet that can also go into the oven you're set. Basic instructions are here. I made one with onions, spring peas, mushrooms and diced new potatoes. My husband said it needed some ham (he was right, but I was trying for vegetarian, so I just gave him a dirty look). We were fed. Dinner was good, fast and cheap. It doesn't get any better than that.

Coming Soon

I have been doing some research on summer movies for a project at work and I came across a movie I haven't heard of (I think I heard something about a Julia Child biography, but nothing specific). Regardless, I saw this trailer and put it on my must see list. Just wanted to share - Julie and Julia.

Popsicles

Popsicles are a seasonal favorite at our house. My little one feels no warm spring or summer day is complete without an afternoon sickle traditionally eaten on the front stoop. While I too love a good Popsicle, I am overly aware of how much sugar and how little nutritional value is in this treat. My step-son loves to make his own popsicles. Typically, he uses Kool-Aid or Gatorade. As I looked at all the fruit flavored names and thought about my favorite pops – Dole Fruit pops – it occurred to me that there is no reason you can’t have great fruit pops with all the nutrition of real fruit and less sugar. What surprised me what how much less sugar.

I bought some fun shaped Popsicle molds off of Amazon and looked up a basic recipe. So basic, it is 4 cups of fruit and 2 tablespoons of sugar – puree and freeze. As I mentioned in the entry on preserves, my family has serious texture issues, so I used the food processor. With strawberries, it was super easy; just wash berries add to food processor with sugar, puree, pour into molds and freeze. I also made peach. These took a little more time, as the fruit had to be de-seeded and peeled.

This morning my little one had a homemade strawberry pop with her breakfast. It was raining outside, so we were in the den. I had one too. They’re good. The texture is understandably a little thicker, but not unpleasant. Not only did we get all the flavor, but we got the real fruit fiber and vitamins too. The best part was saying yes to such a decadent request on a rainy day and not even feeling guilty.

Pepper Place Opens

My favorite farmer’s market opens this weekend – Pepper Place! Yes, it’s a little bit yuppieish, but I love it. Fresh fruits and veggies direct from the farmers with music and baked goods. It also opens at 7:00, which is great if you have a toddler that has you up by 6:30 regardless of which day of the week it is and you think your head might explode if you see one more minute of Playhouse Disney. The website is pretty basic, but you can find it here http://pepperplacemarket.com/. Mark your calendars!

Mother's Day

I’d like to begin this entry with an apology for the delay in posts. My step-daughter took a nasty tumble from a horse and, among other things, broke her hand into a dozen or so extra pieces. She’s doing fine and back at school – lots of PT in her future.

Secondly, I’d like to give a warm and respectful Mother’s Day regards to all my friends trying to raise children….in any capacity. It’s not for the faint of heart (or stomach). The image with today’s post is a copy of the Mother’s Day card our equestrian gave me yesterday, which I love. It shows exactly how well she knows me.

If anyone’s wondering, we do not have an “eat everything on your plate” philosophy in our house. For the most part, you have to take (and eat) at least a couple of everything and you have to “eat a good dinner” if you plan to have anything else before breakfast. We started this when my step kids we younger…along with bribing them. We found that with a warm pan of brownies waiting they could hold their breath and shovel down most things.

We are trying a little bit of a different approach (although I’m sure we will use the brownie technique with her too) with our two year old. The pediatrician told us to feed her whatever we are having. Some days she loves broccoli. Some days she hates it. However, it was a neat party trick the night we filled up on black pepper and olive oil Triscuts. To all those moms, dads, aunts, uncles, etc. out there – keep up the good fight and remember – when they get to be teenagers (especially boys) they get so hungry they might just try anything. Good luck!