In Vermont

I’m in central Vermont, on a family vacation, so I’ve been trying to scope out the local food. Thus far, I have not had much success. They are about 2 weeks behind in their growing season because of the rain and dreary weather, so all I’ve successfully scored that I know is local is some strawberries.

I will write a follow-up post on some of the local fare. I’m looking forward to the farmer’s market on Saturday, even though we leave on Sunday. Also, I’ve joined Twitter. My name is also Oceanskater on their if you want to follow me, and I’ve added a Twitter badge to my blog.

Our Neighborhood’s First Farmer’s Market

Saturday was this year’s first farmer’s market! I could not have been more excited. I love being able to walk less than half a mile to the village square and get fresh produce that was often picked within the last few hours! I also love being able to support local farmers and businesses by purchasing their goods.

This year, there are 4 farmers (last year, there were only 2) and lots of vendors. One of my best finds was a huge head of red leaf lettuce for $1.50. I also bought organic bok choy, strawberries, fresh mint, and a funny looking cucumber.

I also found a gluten-free, dairy-free baked item! I was talking to a new vendor who had lots of delectable looking treats, and mentioned I couldn’t eat wheat or dairy. He said the lemon bar is made with almond flour and even had an ingredient list to double-check that there was no dairy or soy. And it was really good! I loved being able to share it was my son (and my husband, who loves anything lemon). Be sure to look for them if you’re in the area; their name is Baked Orchard.

They had a clown and Bear kept popping his balloons and then crying. Poor guy! So his dad made him a “balloon” out of an empty, unused dog waste disposal bag Very creative!

Follow Me, As I Follow…

If you look to the right of my blog, you can click on this thing that says “Follow this blog”. It may only work for blogspot-ers, but if you’re a blogspot-er, please click. I have 2 followers, and one of them is me. That’s kind of sad

Bear & I shared a yummy, freshly picked Cortland apple from the farmer’s market. Yum!

Articles Done – Time to Relax!

I have 2 articles due tomorrow, and they are done! I sent them to the publisher, and now I can relax.

After I finish my green smoothie, I’m going to feed Bear lunch. Then we’ll head over to see a friend and go to the farmer’s market.

Produce Extravaganza & Peach Vegan "Ice Cream"

I had a rehearsal downtown today which got out early, so I headed over to Haymarket, a fruit & veggie open-air market I’ve mentioned before, and stocked up.

This is what I got for $9.50:
4 lbs of green cabbage
2 lbs of bok choy
4 cucumbers
8 peaches
3 gala apples
2 pounds of prune plums
3 oranges
1 head of cauliflower
About 10 heads of garlic

Wow! I wish I lived closer so I could go at least every other week I would have purchased more, but the bag was heavy and Roy had just bought some produce at the farmer’s market and produce store.

The peaches got a little beat up, so we ate some, froze some and made ice cream out of some! I made a variation on this Strawberry Vegan Ice Cream from last weekend. This time, I used the entire teaspoon of xanthan gum, which was too much. Next time, I’ll stick with 1/2 a teaspoon. We made banana splits with vegan chocolate sauce (1 part rice milk, heated, with 2 parts chocolate chips) and pumpkin seeds. Yum!

More Fun Recipes to Try

Today, I bought a bunch of new, fun things at the farmer’s market. There are 2 farmers there – one is organic, the other is not. The organic farmer is just getting started and doesn’t have a huge selection, but I also go to his booth first as I try to support organic farming whenever I can. Today, I bought baby red potatoes, sweet green peppers (both of which are on the Dirty Dozen list, which are the 12 most pesticide-contaminated fruits & vegetables, even after washing), as well as black cherry tomatoes, a fun and tasty treat! I bought cabbage, curly parsley, carrots, cauliflower, and swiss chard from the other farmer.

You all probably know that I’m an extrovert. Well, I saw someone eyeing the beets and had to mention that I had used them in a salad just the night before & they were quite good. The person was intrigued that I had eaten them raw, asked if they were too hard (no, they were about as crunchy as a fresh carrot), and commented that they must be better for you that way. I think I may have mentioned that I used up all the beet greens, as well as some rainbow chard that I had purchased the week before, making smoothies and was trying to find a use for the beets. The cashier must have overheard because he started asking me about green smoothies, and the woman next to me started listening in as I shared Green Smoothies 101. The original man (with the beets) told me I should write a book

So upon arriving home, I decided to make use of my wealth of knowledge & made some sweet cole slaw

Brenna’s Sweet Cole Slaw
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I use organic canola mayo)
2 tablespoons honey (I use raw & local honey)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (I use raw & unrefined)
2 tablespoons brown mustard
1/2 medium head of cabbage, sliced
1 medium beet, peeled & shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 apple (I used yellow delicious)

Mix first 5 ingredients. Set aside.
Stir fruit & veggies together. Toss with dressing.

The beets do a wonderful job of making this treat especially pleasing to the eye.

Then tonight, we dipped our cauliflower & black cherry tomoatoes in Creamy Kickin’ Dressing, a recipe I’ve been wanting to try from Kristen’s Raw.

Creamy Kickin’ Dressing
2/3 cup water, or more
1 1/2 avocado, pitted and peeled
2 prunes
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Mexican Seasoning (I used this Taco Seasoning that I mix myself)
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Blend until creamy and enjoy this thick, creamy and kickin’ dressing over your next salad or with chopped veggies.

I altered the original slightly & added an extra half of an avocado (the original recipe just calls for 1 avocado) because it is quite spicy. You could also leave off the cayenne pepper if it’s too spicy, or just sprinkle a little in. Either way, it’s really good, and you can’t even taste the prunes!