What it refers to is eating locally grown food, something I whole heartedly support.
Although I always have some kind of a garden, there is no way I can grow all the produce I use. To get the best of the season, I head on out to the local farmers markets that have sprouted up all over the city in recent years.
A couple shots of my local market on Atlantic Avenue
Places like this are where I buy most of the fruit I use for preserves if I haven't been able to actually go to a grower and pick my own. You can browse around, chat and get to know the farmers and how they grow their produce. Are they organic, pesticide and herbicide free, what ever? Best of all, the produce is fresh and you can find things that are a little harder to find in a grocery store.
Sour Cherries
That's how I found these beauties, eleven pounds of sour cherries and at a fantastic price might I add. They are all pitted and frozen, just waiting to be made into pies and tarts. If you like cherry pie and have never had fresh, do yourself a favour and try it. It is almost a religious experience. LOL
I also bought a bunch of sweet cherries. More pitting and now I have 14 jars of delicious cherries in red wine to see me through the cold winter months.
Soon I'll be back for plums for plum jam, the easiest jam I have ever made, free stone peaches, spiced peach preserves in honey and peach jam and pears, maple walnut pear preserves. I will be busy in the kitchen gathering up as much of summer as I can to get me though the winter.
One other thing to note, lots of farmers markets are now featuring locally raised meat and poultry and dairy products as well. It is like the farm coming to your front door. The next best thing to being able to raise/grow your own.
So, do you support your local farmers? Are you a locavare? I certainly am. How do you enjoy the summer and all of its bounty?
Take care and thanks for dropping by.
You know, it is very bad timing that you are posting all these delicious recipes....the same week I started a SlimFast diet!! no fair.
ReplyDeleteI'm adding a cheat day.
LOL, I won't tell. I promise I'll try and find a healthy, diet friendly recipe soon. Maple Mojitos? maybe not. Guess you won't want Jean's chocolate marshmallow brownie with chocolate icing recipe? I'll wait a bit to post that one for you. Good luck with the diet.
ReplyDeleteI already have that recipe...the kids have been asking me to make it lately too. Little do they know I put some of my frozen zuchinni "sauce" in the batter - ha!
ReplyDeleteStill... I don't think that will make it healthy enough.
That sounds good and I have pounds of zucchini to use up. That's healthy enough for me LOL
ReplyDelete