Farmer's Market Fridays - 10/7/11

Bet you thought you wouldn't see another one of these posts til next summer.  Well, an unfortunate circumstance led me to the farmer's market on Friday.  

I know that 1st grade germs are brutal.  Turns out they're even worse than I thought!  I was sick for over a week with a pretty bad cold.  I was taking cold medicine and resting but wasn't feeling better.  As time went on and it actually seemed to get worse, I figured it was a sinus infection and I should see a doctor.  It didn't explain the persistent smoker's cough that was keeping me up all night long but I didn't think it was a big deal.  That would go away.

So I went to the doctor.  Sinus infection?  Check.  Oh, and pneumonia on one side.  What?!?  Obviously it isn't the worst case of it but it's there.  Who'da thunk?  So my doctor recommended a few days of rest, gave me some medication including an inhaler, and said NO RUNNING.  I had the Big House Big Heart 10K planned tomorrow, which I obviously won't be doing.  And wouldn't you know that we're having the most beautiful October weather ever?  It's absolutely perfect weather for running!  Very frustrating!  I just hope that I'll be better by next Sunday to do the Detroit Free Press 1/2 marathon. 

Okay, back to the market.  Since I hadn't planned on taking the day off, I went in to work early to leave sub plans.  On my way home, I stopped at the market to pick up my share from Living Stones.

dinosaur kale and the last tomatoes of the season

mixed greens

golden beets

leeks and baby bok choy

eggplant and peppers

butternut and delicata squash

I also bought some of the limited edition Halloween and Fall soaps from Cellar Door Soap Co.  I'm a sucker for limited edition bath products.  There were a few others that were very tempting but I restrained myself and only bought 3 bars (I still have 3 in my closet plus the one I'm currently using).  You should definitely check them out for yourself before they're all gone.

I also got some carrots from Farmer Glen.  I was so glad to get to see him one last time before the year was out.  

That was it.  I didn't linger long, figuring no one wanted me coughing all over their produce.  Avalon wasn't there so I couldn't even treat myself to a date bar.  Tomorrow's my birthday so I think Brian and I might make a trip downtown to the bakery to get one.  I'll let you know if we do.

Have a great weekend!

Farmer's Market Fridays - 8/19/11

It wasn't easy getting out of bed this morning.  I was tired and just not feeling well.  But I got myself up and dressed for yoga anyway.  I was sort of a zombie when I got to Sattva and considered doing child's pose for the whole session.  So you can imagine my surprise when we got started and my yoga practice felt better than it has the past few weeks.  We did almost all standing poses, for which I am always thankful.  I tried to concentrate on my breathing and focus on the moment, instead of letting my mind wander to which running route I'll take later or what kind of smoothie I'll have for lunch.  (This has been a real struggle for me lately.)  To do this I just repeated the name of the pose over and over in my mind.  It actually worked!  I'll have to try that again next week. 

The farmer's market was good today.  It's bright and sunny and there's not a cloud in the sky so it's one of those days where it just feels great to be outside.  We ran into my sister-in-law Allison and my niece and nephew, Ava and Karl.  They are just the cutest kids!  After getting their Avalon goodies (no one - not even kids - can resist Avalon!*) they were on a hunt to find the banana.  (Each week a plastic banana is hidden with a different vendor and when a kid finds it he or she wins a prize.)  It must have been hidden well because Ava and Karl couldn't find that banana anywhere!  I bet it was disguising itself as a summer squash.  Tricky banana!

Next I picked up my Living Stones CSA.  Here's what we got this week:

golden beets

collard greens, cabbage, and kale

cucumbers, jalapenos, and squash

tomatoes

cantaloupe

We visited Farmer Glen for some of his sweet carrots.  I had some last week and they were delicious.

Our last stop was Kapnick Orchard where my mom wanted to buy peaches.  I wasn't going to buy any but after sampling a bite I had no choice.  The man who sold them to me said, "These are no supermarket peaches!"  And he was right.  These are the kind that are so fresh and juicy that you have to eat them standing over the sink because you'll end up with peach juice running down your arms.  Yum!

There was one more but I ate it pretty much as soon as I walked in the door.

After the market we got iced coffees from Starbucks, which I enjoyed with my Avalon date bar.  (I didn't take a picture because it pretty much always looks the same.  You can look at last week's bar if you'd like.)

So that was the morning.  What's next on the agenda?  Not much.  I'm still not feeling well so it'll be a bit of a lazy day.  I told Brian I can't guarantee that I won't be in my pj's when he gets home.  (Mind you, I was in my pj's last Friday when he got home and I was feeling fine.  But let's pretend today is an exception, shall we?)

Happy Friday! 


* I take that back.  There is apparently someone who can resist.  A woman stopped at the Avalon table and after examining all the sweets, she turned away and said, "No, I think I'll have a hot dog instead."  Let me also note that this was 9:00 a.m.  Whatever floats your boat, lady.

Farmer's Market Fridays - 8/12/11

It's Friday and you know what that means - yoga, farmer's market, and coffee!  I am going to keep this post brief today because the day is too beautiful to spend it sitting in front of a computer.  

Here's what I picked up from my Living Stones CSA today:

dinosaur kale, rainbow chard, and collard greens

sunflower shoots

beets

hot peppers

eggplant and pickling cucumbers

pattypan and yellow squash

tomatoes

I stopped over to say hi to Farmer Glen and buy some potatoes.  Last week I used his Yukon Golds to make crispy, delicious, fat free potato chips (check back next week for more about that).  I also got some carrots because they looked too good to pass up.

Yukon Gold potatoes

sweet carrots

Our last stop before leaving the market was at Binell Brothers Cutlery & Supply Co. for some knife-sharpening.  I got one knife sharpened for $2 and then bought a used knife for $2.  Used but in good condition and, of course, sharp.  You can't beat a good knife for $2.

Instead of getting coffee at Panera we went to Starbucks.  We wanted iced coffee and as far as I'm concerned, no one else makes it like Starbucks.  There are also great tables outside to sit and enjoy our coffee and the weather.  And an Avalon date bar.  But you knew that.

Now I want to get outside for a quick run and some yard work.  It's funny how even pulling weeds can be enjoyable when the weather is so perfect.  Of course, lounging around on the patio with a book is probably (definitely) even more enjoyable, so I'll be doing that later on today as well.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I'll be back next week, hopefully with a recipe for Meatless Monday...and more about those potato chips I hinted at.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Farmer's Market Fridays - 8/5/11

Happy Friday, everyone!  It's a gorgeous day in Dearborn and the weather was perfect for my weekly trip to the farmer's market with my mom.  First was yoga, as usual.  We did standing poses almost the entire class - something that made me very happy since I have zero flexibility when it comes to seated forward bends.  (Remember the "sit and reach" test in elementary school gym class?  I always had a negative score and I doubt I'd do any better on it today.)  

Next I ate what was possibly the world's most perfect banana.  It was too good to not mention!

When we got to the market I was relieved to see see that Avalon was back after not being there last week.  My mom and I had a long chat with the our Avalon friend, who (after 2 years of farmer's markets) I now know is named Mike.  Our conversation started when we noticed this snazzy new display case on the table:

Nice, huh?  Mike started to tell us about how well the company is doing, especially since being picked up by Whole Foods (5 locations, with a new Detroit location just announced).  The stores carry an extensive line of Avalon vegan goodies and will be expanding into other products, as well.  Because of the high demand for their products, Avalon is going to start doing high-volume baking in a nearby building.  It sounds like there are big, big plans for the company, which I think is so exciting.  We talked about the steps they take to reduce waste through composting and recycling, something that unfortunately is not a common practice in Detroit (and even in Michigan, sadly).  The hope is that Avalon will serve as a model for other businesses in the Midtown area in terms of community and sustainability.  It was a really interesting conversation. 

Finally I bought my date bar and we moved on to pick up our Living Stones CSA shares.  It was another good haul this week:

broccoli, pea shoots, beets, kale (curly and dinosaur), rainbow chard, cabbage, squash (yellow and patty pan), 6 cucumbers, 5 onions, 2 tomatoes

We got flowers from Living Stones, too!

Our last stop was to visit Farmer Glen.  I promised myself I wouldn't buy anything this week because I still have a few potatoes and carrots left from last week (plus all the above items from our share) but when I saw that he had kohlrabi, I couldn't resist.  There were some gigantic ones but I went with some that were a little more reasonably sized.  I can't wait to put some in my salad tonight!

kohlrabi

After the market we went over to Panera.  I had my date bar with a cup of coffee and both were delicious, as usual.


Now I think it's time for a short run, followed by a Banana Chamomile Smoothie.

Have a great weekend!

Farmer's Market Fridays - 7/29/11

Rain, rain, and more rain!  That's been the story of the last 24 hours.  After so many days of bone dry weather, however, I welcomed the rain with open arms.  By "with open arms" I mean I lounged around on the couch and felt grateful for not having to water - NOT that I was out there twirling around in puddles or having a Shawshank moment.

It was still drizzling when my mom and I went to yoga this morning.  So it was a dank, dreary morning, I was half-asleep, and my muscles were still sore from Wednesday's boot camp.  I thought that surely these things would add up to a long, painful yoga session at Sattva.  Aside from the 5-minute-per-leg pigeon pose, it went by surprisingly quickly.  I was a little more in tune with my breathing than usual and before I knew it, the lights were dimmed and it was time for savasana. 

After yoga we headed back across the street to the Farmer's Market.  Although the rain has been wonderful for the plants, it kept many of the vendors away this morning.  I noticed right away that Avalon was not there.  What?!?  No date bar?!?  But it's Friday!  Such a letdown.  Only a few tears were shed before I put on a brave face and soldiered on. 

Fortunately, our friends from Living Stones were there so we picked up our CSA shares.  We have some new things to try out this week, which is exciting!  

 Full CSA share - squash, cucumbers, onions, peppers, kale, rainbow chard, beets, basil, corn shoots, and 2 bags of salad mix

These are corn shoots.  I've never seen these before and am not sure yet what I'll do with them.  They sound interesting, though!

These are radish pods.  They taste like radishes but have the texture of snap peas.  I'll probably either add them to a salad or stir-fry them.  They weren't in the share but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try these strange little veggies.

Despite the 10 inches of rain Chelsea received, Farmer Glen was there with all of his beautiful vegetables.  I imagine his journey this morning being something like a scene from Oregon Trail.  You know, the part where you get to the stream and have to decide to ford it or take a ferry?  I doubt there was a ferry that early in the day so I'm thankful he successfully forded the flood and made it to Dearborn safe and sound.

From Farmer Glen - beets, Yukon Gold potatoes, and carrots (check out that cool twisty one!)

My last stop was over at Prochaska Farms for some tomatoes.  Aren't they beautiful?  I'd tell you what kind they are but when I asked the girl at the stand, I did my usual thing where I heard her answer but didn't actually listen.  She may as well have been talking to Charlie Brown.  So if you ask me, they're "wah wah" tomatoes.  Oh well, they look good no matter what they're called.  

After the market we walked over to the Panera Cares Cafe.  My coffee was just the pick-me-up I needed but it wasn't the same without my date bar.  At least the company was still good.  My mom and I had a nice visit.  It's always fun to gossip catch up with each other.

Tonight is dinner at Woodbridge Pub with my family to celebrate my mom's birthday.  If you're a regular visitor to my blog you know how much I love Woodbridge!  If I try something new I'll be sure to let you know about it. 

Have a great weekend! 

Beat the Heat: Simple Kale Salad

Kale is a green that I've only been eating for a few years.  I'd never heard of it before going vegan and now I absolutely love it!  Kale is packed with nutrients, including calcium, vitamin C, folic acid, and potassium (to name a few). I used to only put it in smoothies but now prefer to make spinach smoothies.  So I eat kale in other ways.  

Currently I have three favorite ways to eat kale - sauteed kale, kale chips, and kale salad.  In the summer when it's really hot, kale salad makes the most sense because you don't need to turn on the oven or use the stove.  Plus it's a nice change from the usual lettuce salad.

There are tons of recipes out there for kale salad, so although this isn't an exact recipe I found somewhere, it's sort of your basic recipe.  Some are more elaborate than others and may include tofu, avocado, or other chopped raw veggies.  I prefer to keep mine simple.

Kale Salad

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale
Olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon

Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Nutritional yeast



Directions:

1. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.  Place in a large bowl of water to rinse and remove any dirt.  Drain and allow to dry completely.  (I use my salad spinner.)

2. When dry, pour some olive oil into a bowl.  Dip your fingers into the oil, massage the leaves so they are covered with oil, and place them in a large bowl.  I find that you don't really need a whole lot of oil - maybe 1 tbsp or so.  Once you've done about half the leaves, you should be able to add the rest of the leaves and the ones that are already covered will transfer oil to the rest.  Just keep mixing and massaging until all the leaves are covered.

3. Squeeze the lemon juice over the kale.  Sprinkle with a few dashes of Bragg's.  Using tongs or your hands, mix everything together.  Cover and refrigerate.

4. When ready to serve, put kale into bowls and top with nutritional yeast.  Taste and add additional Bragg's, if needed.

Makes 4 side salads.

We had this last night for dinner.  The kale came from our Living Stones CSA.

Have you had kale salad?  How do you make yours?

Farmer's Market Fridays - 7/22/11

Happy Friday, everyone!  I don't have too many pictures to share with you today.  Honestly, it was so hot already at 9 a.m. that we didn't stick around long at the Farmer's Market and I didn't take a single photo there.  I got my date bar from Avalon, my CSA share from Living Stones, and some potatoes and beets from Farmer Glen.  Then we quickly scooted into Panera Cares where I could enjoy my date bar in the A/C with an iced coffee.  Ahhhh...

Living Stones CSA

I have to say that I am VERY impressed with the amount of produce I received in my share today.  Up until this week, I was a little disappointed with the shares, especially since it's a full and half of it belongs to my friend Katie.  By the time we split it up it hasn't left either of us with all that much.  We didn't get our share last week because the crops were not quite ready so Living Stones took a week off to nurture them.  That seemed to do the trick!  I left with my huge bag nearly overflowing with fresh, beautiful greens and vegetables.  Our share included red and green kale, collards, brassica greens, rainbow chard, squash, kohlrabi, 2 bags of salad mix, basil, and 2 kinds of beets.  Not a bad haul, huh?  Amy promised tomatoes next week.  I can't wait!

I had to take a close up of these squash.  Aren't they beautiful?  They'll be delicious sliced and grilled.

By the way, I made sure to go to bed a little early and managed to stay awake during yoga this morning (unlike last week)!

Farmer's Market Fridays - 7/15/11

It was good to get back to yoga and the Farmer's Market today.  I can't really say I missed it last week (I was in Hawaii so I wasn't missing much of anything in Michigan!) but I was definitely looking forward to it all week.  My left hamstring has been bothering me for the past month or so which made forward bends particularly challenging.  I need to make it a point to stretch it every day, even when I don't run.  A good sports massage might help, too.  Anyway, overall yoga was good but I was really tired so I wasn't quite as tuned in as I should have been.  I was even nodding even before savansana!  (Shhh, don't tell my yogi!)

When we left the yoga studio it was cloudy and sprinkling a bit.  Rain wasn't in the forecast but a little bit is a good thing.  It didn't last very long.  Living Stones was not there this week so I wasn't able to pick up my share.  Due to a lull in the crops, they are taking the week off to give the plants time to grow.  I was okay with that because when I get my share that's pretty much all I get at the market so I don't really choose my produce.  It was fun to look around to see what all the other vendors had to offer and pick what looked good.  

Here are a few pictures from the day:

Beets and parsnips from my favorite farmer

Tomatoes from Prochaska Farms

Zucchini, summer, and patty pan squash

Delicious Avalon treats

The ever-cheerful Avalon guy

Beautiful lettuce arrangement

Michigan blueberries

Sweet cherries

Tomatoes, parsnips, beets, mixed lettuces, pea shoot leaves, and a rosemary plant - I love rosemary!*

*Anyone else remember that episode of The State?

Farmer's Market Fridays - 7/1/11

Today was a beautiful sunny day at the market.  I picked up my CSA share from Living Stones and it seemed to be a bit more abundant today.  Lots of wonderful greens this week.  I also bought some juicy-looking tomatoes from Prochaska Farms and my delicious-as-always Avalon date bar.  There seemed to be more vendors than ever at the market and so much more produce.  I would have loved to have bought more vegetables - like fat sugar snap peas or tender baby asparagus - but we're going on vacation Sunday and I already have almost more than I can eat before we leave.  Dinner tonight will be Amy's burgers with fresh tomato slices, salad with sunflower shoots, kohlrabi, and more tomatoes, and sauteed kale/collard greens.  That should take care of my half of the share and my friend Katie should be able to polish off her half when she gets back from her vacation.

Here are a few pictures from the day:

my favorite farmer - Farmer Glen

kale and collard greens

more greens - can anyone name them?

kohlrabi

salad mix and sunflower shoots

broccoli

tomatoes