The Fresh Market

I mentioned in a earlier blog about a new market that opened in our area.  They have every kind of fresh vegetable and fruit you could imagine.  I am  like a kid in a candy store when I go there, it fascinates me to see all of these good foods spread out before me.  The people who run the market are nice enough to label all the fruits and vegetables, to tell you what they are, how they taste, and how to use them.  It also serves as an ethnic food market, designed with aisles for Mexican, Italian, Asian and Indian foods, and it has an Amish bakery inside too, it's a great place.  I go primarily for the fruits and veggies, and occasionally when a dish calls for something exotic, I know I can find my ingredients there. 

I was out of fruit for my weekly fruit salad, so I went shopping at my market.  Cantaloupes were 2 for $5.00, blackberries were .99 cents for a an 8 ounce container, BIG strawberries were $1.99 for 2 lb. container, kiwi's 5/$1.00, Pineapple $2.99 and it was HUGE it weighed 4 pounds! Navel oranges, also HUGE, were $4.99 for 10, sweet red cherries .99 cents for 1 pound bag and seedless red grapes $1.99 for a 2 pound bag.  I got all my fruit home, cleaned it, cut it, and made this beautiful salad for me to snack on, instead of cookies and cakes, you know they are not good me.  So when I get hunger pangs, I go to the fridge and pull this out instead, it's sweet, full of fiber and better for me to eat.

 Also at the my market, every kind of herb you could imagine.  So,  I stocked up with fresh cilantro, rosemary, thyme, flat leaf parsley, mint, dill and chives, all were .99 cents per bunch and they were big.  Instead of using a lot of salt, I now use herbs to make my dishes flavorful.  I use the mint for unsweetened iced teas as well as savory dishes, it gives them a really fresh flavor.  When I get the herbs home, I wash all of them, wrap them in paper towels to drain off the water, and stand them up in the sink so any excess drips off.  Then I re-wrap them in dry paper towels, lightly mark them with a marker so I know what they are, put them in plastic bags, push out any air and seal the bag.  They will stay fresh for a week in the fridge this way.