Sep 06 2011
Day #6 of the locavore challenge! It has been hard to blog everyday as I have been having internet access challenges here because of weather conditions mainly heavy rain, winds which seems to keep knocking out my internet; however for now I am up and running. Over the weekend I visited one of my favorite local farm markets, New Paltz Market on main street in down town New Paltz. www.newpaltzfarmersmarket.com An easy way to plan locavore meals is to shop first at your local farm markets & stands to see what is available. You can purchase the main ingredients for your meals according to what looks freshest, what you like, mix in a new ingredient that you haven't tried before and what is the best value for your money. Talk to the market vendors, who are often the people who are growing and producing what they are selling. Ask vendors questions..what are their favorite ways to prepare an ingredient, do they have recipes- (many have recipes available at hand or on their websites), how long will this item be available? You may skip over that more costly heirloom tomato only to find it gone next week, so don't miss out.
During my shopping trip this week I purchased a light, crusty and flavorful Ciabatta, (an italian style flatbread) from Bread Alone; www.breadalone.com At Four Winds farm stand I filled a bag with a mix of salad greens and picked up several heads of garlic. www.fourwindsfarm.com . Next I stopped at Acorn Hill Farms, makers of goats milk products; soaps, creamy & tart goat cheeses from traditional logs to a very spreadable ricotta style cheese. My pick this week was Luna's blend; creamy goat cheese studded with walnuts, crystalized ginger and apricots. www.acornhillfarmsteadcheeses.com On to acquire more produce, I stopped at Meadow View Farm stand to buy yellow and green beans, sungold cherry tomatos, red onions, eggs and the last musk melon on the table. (which still needed a day or two to ripen up a bit more). www.meadowviewfarmstand.com On the way home from the market I passed by a small farm stand in the neighborhood and picked up local corn, eggplant, cucumbers.
After unpacking all of my goodies at home I put together a Salad Bar meal for our family lunch. We all enjoy these kinds of do it yourself meals, take what you want, make it your own and get creative with toppings and seasonings...everyones happy. My salad bar consisted of; salad greens, chopped cucumber, sungold tomatos, a few ears of corn I quickly cooked and cut off the cob, grated carrots, sliced red onion, leftover red bean and olive salad and warm ciabatta bread and goats cheese. I put out a variety of homemade salad dressings I had on hand along with some toasted nuts and celtic sea salt and we all enjoyed an end of summer meal on the back deck.
Quick Tip: Keep a variety of pre cut veggies, fruit, salad greens on hand in seperate containers in your frig. These ingredients can be the start of your next meal, (think stir-fry, soups, entree salads) and also works well for hungry nibblers. I find if fruits and veggies are prepped and ready to eat my kids (and I) will reach for them instead of a prepackaged salty or sweet item.
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