This is me and the ever-creative Robin Sue of Big Red Kitchen, a friend and fellow-blogger who holds open-air cooking salons at a local farmer’s market in Reston, VA every weekend.
Joining me at her table were other distinguished guests Tracy of Make Room For… and Laura of Beltway Bargain Mom, bloggy friends I was privileged to meet at the Relevant Conference last year. True story: all 3 of us were hugely pregnant (OK, I was hugely pregnant; they were cutely pregnant. When I’m pregnant, I’m just pregnant all over and there ain’t nothin cute about it.) at the conference, which is probably why we gravitated to each other! And now our babies are 7 months, 8 months and 9 months. How cool is that?
There was one more distinguished guest:
Baby Boy
But he ended up getting a little cranky, so he was banished to his Auntie. Not that he minded, by the way, because she sang songs to him and he liked that.
With the exception of the cranky little one, we all enjoyed our time as Robin demonstrated how to make Chunky Gazpacho and Peach Soup.
the gorgeous, farmers’ market fresh ingredients for the gazpacho
chopping the vegetables and sharing knife horror stories (wherein knife blade meets fingertip)
all chopped up and ready for the ingredients that will turn them into soup
The Result: Delicious Gazpacho
peaches ready to be turned into peach soup
decorating the peach soup with raspberry drizzle hearts and swirls
As she cooked, Robin gave us some hints and tips about the products she uses (like this cheap but effective knife sharpener at Amazon.com, and a cutting board set she found at Target), and getting the best flavor out of the selected dishes. For example, she highly recommended allowing the gazpacho ingredients to blend in the refrigerator overnight so the flavors would marry for the best taste. And for those who want their gazpacho a little smoother and not so chunky, she recommended a little less onion so that it doesn’t overpower the rest of the ingredients when pureed. While the peaches were waiting to be turned into soup, they were resting in a bowl filled with water and lemon slices – loved that!
I had such a fine time, fellowshipping with friends and sharing fine food in such a gorgeous and fresh environment! (And I totally did not intentionally alliterate that sentence! True story!)
I was so bummed earlier this week because I was not able to attend a free event at a local farm, called the “Feastival”. I am even further bummed, because this particular event kicked off an even better event – Howard County Restaurant Weeks – when local restaurants agree to offer a prix fixe menu for a certain amount of time in order to make their delicious meals available to those who can’t normally afford such luxuries. The Feastival sounded like a lot of fun, but maybe I can get in on the action by participating in Restaurant Week itself.
A similar event has been held in Baltimore for some years now, with great success. My DH and I have enjoyed Ruth’s Chris twice now, thanks at least in part to the great prices during Restaurant Week, and we’re looking forward to more such enjoyment in the future!
So if you live anywhere near the area, come and enjoy some fabulous dining at very reasonable prices. The best part? As much of the food as possible has been locally sourced, hence the theme “Farm 2 Table”. I love it that more and more restaurants are joining in – even if only for a couple weeks – and recognizing the value of local farms. I believe strongly that the healthiest societies revolve around food produced at local farms adhering to time-honored practices. An incredible list of local farms and food producers is involved in this event.
If you decide to join in on the fun, I can recommend a few of the restaurants that I have personally enjoyed:
The Coho Grill is famous for its jumpo lump crab cakes and its half-price burgers on Tuesday nights (a great value). They don’t currently have information about Restaurant Week posted, but it’s sure to be both delicious and affordable (and I hope it features crab…)!
Alexandra’s at Turf Valley is one of the finest local dining destinations: delicious food, elegant atmosphere, attentive wait staff, and yet it was comfortable without all the stuffy snobbery one usually finds at such establishments. I also love that their menu is approachable: sophisticated enough to appeal to a real foodie, but practical enough to delight a comfort-food-soul like mine! They also do not currently have their prix fixe menu posted yet.
My DH and I were pleasantly surprised by Greystone Grill: we only went when we did because we had coupons from Restaurant.com. It was a much nicer (and pricier) restaurant than we expected, but it was a pleasant surprise (especially since we didn’t have to pay full price!). Their Restaurant Week Menu has some tasty options, but the rosemary chicken skewers on the lunch menu caught my eye. Since it’s not that far from us, I think we might have to try them out…
My DH took me to Tersiguel’s for our anniversary a few years ago. Although I have mostly positive associations with the restaurant itself, and can recommend it to anyone interested, I have to admit my experience there was colored by the fact that my Certain Little Someone had just recently been diagnosed with food allergies at the tender age of 4 months, and we weren’t sure what all his allergies were. I was nervous at that point about everything I ate, and that’s really my strongest impression of this particular restaurant. I would really love to go back there without those fears hanging over my head someday!
There are quite a few restaurants on the list that I have really been wanting to try, but I’ll probably only get to one, if any. I definitely won’t be going to Venegas because of the price ($40.11… x2! Nope, definitely not in the budget this month.), although it sounds like such an amazing restaurant, and I really do love a good steak. The Elkridge Furnace Inn is one I’ve heard about for a while now, but haven’t been to yet, and, at $20.11, their lunch menu is more affordable. Plus, I love that they tell you which farms sourced the foods in each dish! Victoria Gastro Pub is relatively new to the restaurant scene in the area, but it has made big waves since it arrived. Everyone who eats there raves about it, and becomes a loyal customer, so I’d love to eat there myself someday. Unfortunately, my DH can’t have any of the food on their Restaurant Week Menu, so that’s a no-go. Cafe de Paris is a hop, skip and jump away from us, and to be honest, I have no idea why we’ve never gone there! Their prices are pretty reasonable, especially for their Crepe Cafe, which just sounds amazing. Their prix fixe lunch menu is the most affordable at $10.11, so there’s really no reason for us not to actually go there for once!
So if you live in the area, which restaurant do you want to try out during Restaurant Week? And if you don’t live in the area, does your county/city hold anything similar?
Welcome to the 3rd edition of Eat Local Eat Fresh! Link up here your favorite local food sources, such as:
farms
farmer’s markets
CSA boxes
co-ops
groceries
other markets
cafes
restaurants
coffee shops
Any local food source is game! Let’s give the mom and pops the spotlight for a day!
That’s the only rule, that it be a review of a local food source, and/or what you do with the food you get there. I will leave the linky open up all month until the third Friday of the next month.
I loved Jeanette’s amazing sandwich she made from her farmer’s market shopping trip – and I’m super jealous of her awesome farmer’s market! Check out her entry from the May edition here:
Spread the word by adding the button (scroll down the sidebar on the right) to your blog and/or post, and please tell all your blogging friends about it! The more exposure we can give the little guys, the better!
It goes without saying that organic and specialty foods generally cost more than their conventional counterparts… that is because they are worth more! I cannot complain about their higher cost because I am well aware of their higher value.
However, I often think it would be really nice to be able to afford all the organic (and local, grass-fed, free-range, etc. etc.) foods that I want to feed myself and my family. As it is, I do what I can and try to prioritize (according to nutritional and budgetary impact) what foods I do buy in their organic and un-processed state.
One store that helps me do this on a regular basis is a local organic market called MOM’s {MOM’s Organic Market}. They boast that they have the lowest price on “all same brand packaged products of any natural food store”, and at least in my area, it’s definitely true. There are 3 natural food stores within driving distance of my home, and MOM’s is by far the cheapest (and the most easily accessible, which makes it a win-win!).
When you enter the door at MOM’s, you are greeted by a gorgeous array of fresh organic produce:
You can help yourself to a sample or two, and enjoy taking home organic produce at very reasonable prices. Occasionally, they will have seasonal fruits and vegetables at better prices than conventional! Some of the produce is local, and it’s all definitely organic.
Adjacent to the produce section is their bulk section where you can buy dry goods at a substantially lower price than the packaged versions. I’ve just recently started purchasing herbs, spices, and some other items from the bulk bins, having previously been nervous about cross-contamination regarding allergens. (Well, I’m still a little nervous about that, but so far so good. The prices are enough to keep me trying!)
What I really love about MOM’s is that they are always well stocked with So Delicious coconut milk products, like the beverage, coffee creamer (a godsend now that I’m dairy-free while nursing!), yogurt, kefir and ice cream. Even though other grocery stores carry them, I almost always go to MOM’s when I need to stock up on those items, because I know I can rely on them to have them in stock (98% of the time anyway! So Delicious stuff is pretty popular!).
What else do I generally buy at MOM’s? Here are some of the things I buy there on a regular basis:
Wheat-free grains They have the best prices that I’ve seen (except maybe Wal-Mart, but I think even they are comparable, and MOM’s has a wider selection) of Bob’s Red Mill and Ener-G brand wheat-free/gluten-free flours, which are essential for baking for my Certain Little Someone. In particular, I always buy tapioca starch and potato starch there, as well as occasionally sorghum flour, garbanzo bean flour, and brown rice flour.
Local Pastured Eggs They are the only source in my town for these! And they cost $4.29 for a dozen, which I think is reasonable.
Bulk Herbs and Spices This is not my only source for herbs and spices, but it’s definitely on my list, and one I use frequently. I like that they are all organic, and I can buy small amounts for spices I don’t use very often.
Organic Whole Milk Except for when Harris Teeter puts it on sale, MOM’s has the best price for organic milk, even better than Costco.
Bulk Grains and Specialty Foods By “specialty foods” I mean things like wheatberries (which I don’t buy yet because I don’t have a grain mill yet, but I will someday!), sucanat, raw sugar, nutritional yeast (a cheese replacement for vegans and those allergic to dairy and soy products), and the like. They also carry beans, nuts, and a variety of granolas.
Essential Oils They have absolutely the best price I’ve seen anywhere for essential oils, which I don’t buy very often (because they last a long time), but when I do buy them, I go to MOM’s.
They also have a great price for local raw organic honey, and I always check at MOM’s whenever I need a specialty food item for my Certain Little Someone, because I know they are likely to have it (like allergen-free, healthy canned soups to take with us on vacation, and certain snacks).
Where do you like to buy organic and specialty foods? Do you have a local organic market?
I’ve officially finished my “Once A Month Shopping” trial; and I’m working – at least mentally – on a post and perhaps a series recapping my adventure and sharing what I’ve learned. Suffice it to say at the moment that overall, I have deemed the experiment a success and plan to continue as long as it works for me.
For right now, though, I’m going to share one of my favorite sources of dry goods that I haven’t been able to visit recently until today – just in time for my OAMS extravaganza!
Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me, so I wasn’t able to take any pictures, but I found the above one online.
The Dutch Country Farmers Market is a weekend market featuring a variety of groceries and prepared foods from Amish country, which is within driving distance. You’ll find things like pretzels (a favorite of DH’s) in all shapes and forms, donuts, cakes, cheesecakes, all kinds of bread and other baked goods (getting hungry yet?), as well as produce and meat. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing super special about the meat and produce – it’s not necessarily either organic or local, and the meat is grain-fed rather than grass-fed. I usually don’t bother spending the extra money for those things since I could buy the same quality for less at a regular grocery store.
The dried goods section is the one that always catches my attention. What I love about it is that it has all kinds of foods in bulk, many of them cheaper than you will find elsewhere. What I also love is that the bulk foods are already measured and bagged, so you don’t have to do that yourself: the cost-effectiveness of bulk without all the work!
Today at the farmer’s market, I saw all the following pre-packaged bulk goods for decent prices:
a variety of gluten-free flours, including buckwheat, millet, spelt, corn, oat and more
a variety of wheat flours (whole, white, etc.)
a variety of sugar (raw, evaporated cane juice, refined, etc.)
corn meal
popcorn kernels
tons of beans, all kinds
dried fruits and vegetables of all kinds
hand-made chips and other snacks (not all of them healthy)
cocoa
herbs and spices (a great resource for these!)
You can also find not-so-healthy baking and cooking mixes (for gravy, soup, drinks, you name it); those I usually by-pass.
As part of this month’s grocery shopping, I purchased the following:
4.5 lbs raw sugar – $6.62
cilantro – $1.90
1.5 lbs Red popcorn (how cool is that?!) - $1.48
1.5 lbs corn meal – $1.44
For a special treat, you can also find handmade candies and fudge at the farmer’s market. I didn’t indulge today because of Baby Boy’s allergies, but I gave some luscious-looking chocolate covered strawberries a longing look as I passed by. And a review of the market wouldn’t be complete without mention of their extensive baked goods section that features all kinds of delicious-ness baked up by real Amish cooks, including the famous Whoopie Pies (not healthy, but yummy).
Tomorrow, I’ll catch you up on the rest of my monthly shopping for May – once I’ve finished with it!
I don’t know about you, but I love local mom and pops. My DH doesn’t understand, but I’d choose a local greasy spoon over the finest cleanest chain any day. If said local greasy spoon comes with some great ambience and a unique idea, well, then! Even better! I’ll tell all my friends, and even perfect strangers, to go check it out.
I’m all about the little guy. Those big chains won’t miss me and my business, but the little mom and pop will. That makes me feel needed and useful, even if all I’m doing is buying a cafe latte from the local roastery.
Or a cupcake from the local bakery.
To wrap up my mother- and sister-in-laws’ birthday celebration, I took them to a local bakery I had just discovered: Touche Touchet. Even though I had only recently discovered this gem, I learned that it is quite famous in its own right. The head cake decorator has won prestigious contests and awards for her cake decorating skills, and was recently featured in a local news article about successful area women chefs, cooks and bakers. The bakery boasts not only her amazing cakes, but cookies, pastries, sandwiches… and, of course, cupcakes!
We each got to pick which cupcake we wanted from their selection, which rotates regularly so you never really know what you will get before you go (but you know it will be delicious!).
I chose the upside down cupcake with the cherry blossom on top, because:
it is cherry blossom time here in the DC area.
is that a cool idea or what?!?!
no other reason, really.
My sister-in-law chose the chocolate raspberry cupcake because she loves chocolate almost as much as I do. It had a delicious raspberry filling in the middle… yum!
My mother-in-law chose a lemon pound cake cupcake. What a great idea, to make a cupcake with pound cake! Hers also had a filling, but hers was, naturally, lemon.
We all thoroughly enjoyed our cupcake selections, practically licking our cupcake wrappers clean. Now we know where to go for a cupcake fix!
Last night, while I was lying in bed at around 11pm and thinking about this post, I literally had an epiphany. You know, those moments where you have an idea that is simply so brilliant, so simple and so perfect?! I had already decided to share my local cupcake rapture with you, but then I thought… why not let everyone else share their favorite local haunts? Eating locally, whether it’s from a local farm, bakery, diner, cafe or whatever, is good for the economy, the environment… and you! Chances are, the food that’s made fresh in small batches is better for you than the mass-produced food found in chains.
Hence, my new link-up: Eat LOCAL, Eat Fresh! Have a local organic grocery store you love? What about a cafe that makes the best espresso in the county? Or a farm where you find pastured organic eggs? Tell us all about it! Let’s give the mom and pops the spotlight! There are no rules except that your post be about a local food source of some kind. If you want to grab the button and link back here, please do. And be sure to check out the other local haunts as well.
Despite the fact that this was truly a last-minute inspiration, I hope it will be successful. I will keep the links open all weekend long to give you a chance to link up; posts from the archive are fine, so don’t feel pressured to come up with something new. And my goal is to host this link-up once a month, on every 3rd Friday. So spread the word!
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QECH
* QUICK - because who has time for anything more?
* EASY - because I'm no gourmet.
* CHEAP - because who has money for anything more?
* HEALTHY - because you are what you eat.
Joining me at her table were other distinguished guests Tracy of Make Room For… and Laura of Beltway Bargain Mom, bloggy friends I was privileged to meet at the Relevant Conference last year. True story: all 3 of us were hugely pregnant (OK, I was hugely pregnant; they were cutely pregnant. When I’m pregnant, I’m just pregnant all over and there ain’t nothin cute about it.) at the conference, which is probably why we gravitated to each other! And now our babies are 7 months, 8 months and 9 months. How cool is that?
Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me, so I wasn’t able to take any pictures, but I found the above one online.
