1) Yoga was awesome. Not the hardest class I’ve ever gone to, but certainly did the trick of turning me into a noodle and getting the stress out of my shoulders.
Pre-yoga oatmeal digestion was not a problem
2) After yoga I showered and ate two dates before Matt and I headed out in search of vegetables
3) We went to the farmer’s market – the big one that is far away – too late. Most of the local farmers were gone. BUMMER! Why must farmer’s markets be on Saturday mornings! Afternoon is a much more appealing time for me to go run errands. We did get the following local, organic produce:
- Okra
- Green beans
- Eggplant
- Lettuce (2 heads)
The other 80% of the market is produce from everywhere from South America to Mecklenburg County (our county!) and most of it is not advertized as organic so I can only assume it has been sprayed. The sellers are usually not the growers, so it’s hard to get info from them. I have been boycotting this section of the market all summer, but a few things down the way (North Carolina apples!) caught my eye, so we headed down that way. I could not believe the prices! Everything was extremely cheap. Bell peppers were $.75 each, spinach was $.50 for a bag, sweet potatoes $.79/pound. And even better deals.
And then it hit me: normally I’d just go to Harris Teeter after the market to get the rest of our vegetables that are probably not local, not pesticide free AND cost a fortune. So there’s no reason to totally boycott this side if I’m just going to buy it at a grocery store with a middleman anyways. So since the true local produce was all gone, we went with some of the semi-local options. I did a lot of chatting with people, but it was hard to get info from them since they did not grow it all.
- Collard greens from a local farm here in Mecklenburg County
- Apples from Henderson, NC (likely not pesticide free)
- Bell peppers from NC
- Peaches from NC
- A sweet potato from NC
- A grapefruit and bananas from who knows where
But they were cheap!
Look how teeny tiny these guys are!
4) If I thought Thursday’s Squash Stoup was good and last night’s Cranberry, Sausage, Brussels were good – OMG to the combo of the two!
I heated about 1 cup of the root veggie mash "soup" and topped that with heated leftovers plus cinnamon. Totally bliss. Loved the combo of the sweet squash, tart cranberries, savory sausage, spicy cinnamon, hot peppers and big ol’ brussels.
Oh the side I had some of Matt‘s giant apple with cinnamon
And a few salted peanuts when Matt was munching on them on the couch!
5) I’m off to do a SMALL amount of work and then gear up for a fun evening out to celebrate a new restaurant opening + Diana‘s Birthday!
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
I totally agree about farmers’ markets!! Why are they in the morning?? It can’t be enjoyable for the sellers/growers to have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn to set up, and it’s certainly not enjoyable for me to try to rush to get there in time. So annoying. We should have a protest
I love teeny tiny sweet potatoes — one serving sized. I don’t like the GIANT ones, because I always have to cut it
And don’t feel bad, living in upstate NY, a lot of things will NEVER be in season locally for us, like oranges, bananas, avocados, grapefruits, etc. Buy local and organic when I can, but I don’t drive myself too crazy. 
That’s super cheap for peppers + spinach. I thought $1.99/lb for bell peppers was a steal, I stand frugally corrected LOL.
Jenn
aww those baby veggies are so cute! the leftovers combo sounds delicious-what great flavor combos! have a great night tonight!
Oh, by the way, our closest farmer’s market doesn’t open until 3:00PM and they will not sell anything even a minute before then. Fair selling rules and such. I didn’t like it the only time we went this summer.
Good reasoning about the farmers’ market; I always prefer organic whenever possible, but if you’re going to buy it anyway, may as well be (as) local (as possible).
I’m so happy you had this for lunch because I never got a chance to comment on how AMAZING your dinner sounded last night. And the soup looks fantastic. The two together had to have been bliss!
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Those sweet potatoes are the perfect size! I wish I could find little ones around here.
Our Farmer’s Market opens at 9:00 and I’m always there early and wishing they would open earlier. LOL
P.S. I was drinking water out of the same glass you have while reading your post.
I know a lot of people say it’s important to buy local to support our farmers. But at the same time, I’m living on a limited income, I gotta support myself!! So while it’s nice to buy local goods when we can, there’s no shame in buying foreign produce when it’s cheaper, especially dirt cheap!
Glad to hear you enjoyed yoga this morning! And what another great load from the Farmers Market. Have a great time this evening!
I love brussel sprouts! That stir fry looks amazing. I usually bake them, so this will be a new fun way to cook them up.
I love tiny eggplants! I have never seen them that small tho! How cool!
Woot woot! Almost b-day par-tay time!
See you soon!
I never knew teeny-tiny veggies could be so cute!
trips to the farmer’s market are so fun – so many fresh, nutritious things to choose from. enjoy your weekend!
Our farmer’s market is on Fridays and I still manage to miss it. Its in the parking lot of a large mall so occasionally I ll find myself there and be surprised that its farmer’s market Friday and have no cash on me. The convenience of debit has spoiled me I think.
That is too bad about the organic produce. But, I think you did the right thing, if you aren’t buying local organic, the next best thing is local.
Those little veggies are so cute!
Wow! I had the same dilemma today. I’m always so conflicted about buying local vs. organic vs. non-local/non-organic. I try to buy local organic as much as possible, but it’s not always feasible. We visited a local fruit/veggie stand today that has produce from everywhere, but the prices are unbelievable ($.99/lb for yellow and orange peppers or brussels sprouts!!!). I couldn’t resist!
I love getting my produce at the farmers market, but understand your frustration!! I love brussel sprouts, I am excited for fall veggies, your combo looks yummy. Have fun at the restaurant opening ; )
I love local stuff. Our local farmers market is full of local stuff that is grown organic without the organic label due to price. It’s got so much great stuff that I love.
Your lunch looks so good – like Fall in a bowl.
Unfortunately, we don’t live anywhere near any major farmers markets or even organic grocers like Whole Foods. It really stinks. I buy organic when I can, but our budget is pretty tight so it’s not always possible.
mm that lunch sounds delicious and so fall. I was really intrigued by the dinner you guys threw together last night, it reminded me of stuffing minus the bread.
OMG! Those photos could be on today’s Cute Food Saturday! The theme was tiny vegetables!
Sounds like you reached a happy medium – if you can’t have local, organic produce why not buy the cheapest? That makes perfect sense
I love the baby veggies! Have fun tonight!!
Hey Kath,
I was thinking about starting hot yoga. How was your beginner experience with it? I’m afraid the heat might make me feel sick or dizzy and uncomfortable. Would you recommend hot yoga?
Yummy , those veggies look great!
Such cute tiny veggies! Awww!
i love the tiny eggplants at the farmers market! my fiance won’t eat them so those are the perfect size where i don’t waste anything!
those are the funniest eggplants ever
i’ve been going to my local farmer’s market just as it closes lately and cannot BELIEVE the prices. now i never wanna go earlier in the day….but it’s true – a lot of the good stuff is gone.
Mmmm! Eggplant yum! I love farmer’s markets too, but sometimes it can be a bit of a jaunt, and you need a bit of luck.
girlll that meal looks fabulous. I WISH I could get all those flavors in one bowl. Unfortunately, my dining hall does not make kathstyle meals
have a fun night at the new restaurant opening! can’t wait to hear the recap
jenna
The title of this post was so misleading! I was waiting for a review of my favorite movie — Newsies!
My local farmers market is on Sun morning, and though I love it for the quality of the produce, the prices are actually pretty high. Your prices are amazing! I’m so jealous of the $0.75 peppers!
I love ‘baby’ vegetables, they taste so much better – the flavour seems more concentrated.
What are collard greens, I’ve always seen them written about in American books and online and I have no idea what they are!
I love Farmers Market. They even have a Great Harvest there…. sweet. On my last trip to cosco we got 2# Medjool Dates. So good
so adorable-those eggplants, and i love love love love eggplants! And the taters are perfect for single servings..
Kath, that camera is amazing! Your photos are just stunning! I am glad you were able to support the farmers, even if some used unwanted methods/traveled long distances. Have fun tonight!
I think it’s great that you’re thinking critically about these things, and making the best choices for you. I am part of a CSA right now and it’s the most affordable choice that I can be proud of. Around me, the farmer’s markets are SO much more expensice than the store that it’s hard to do my regular shopping there. I’m always so jealous of bloggies who get good deals that thier local farmer’s markets.
Jess,
I would totally recommend it!! Remember you can always just go down to child’s pose if you want. I’d let the teacher know it’s your first class before hand too, just so they know if you’re a bit shaky and might be able to offer guidance. Be sure to drink water before and after, but otherwise, I don’t think the heat as big of a deal as it seems.
Kath
Those eggplants are adorable! My neighborhood farmer’s market opens at 1:00 on Thursdays. Love it!
A lot of times at Farmer’s Markets, even if the produce doesn’t say organic, it will likely still be pesticide free.
Getting certified as organic costs a lot of money, and small farmers can’t afford it – but it doesn’t mean the food isn’t grown ‘organically’ !