Going Local

Farmers’ markets in Phoenix are out and about year round. And they are all over the city!  That makes me happy and makes finding fresh produce much easier.

Today I had the pleasure of venturing out to one in Tempe, just down the street called Rays Farmers Market (raysmarket.net).

I picked up mostly produce, locally grown from Pepper Ranch Farms in Mesa, AZ.  They had just about anything you could want or need. Everyone was so helpful and lively. Here’s what I picked up:

Kale, cilantro, grapefruit, oranges, tomatoes, snap peas

I wondered around the small market and found a stand that had zucchini treats including zucchini bread, zucchini brownies, and zucchini cookies. The zucchini brownies were so good! She had all the ingredients listed, nothing ‘processed’. I chatted with the owner, Janelle, about my new endeavor. Janelle told me that she recently cut out meat in her diet because of all the hormones. She said the hardest part is being sneaky with her kids and substituting products.

I went straight home and made an egg white omelet with some of the new produce. I could taste the difference in freshness already.

Challenge of the week: find something to do with the kale and sweet potatoes.

I honestly cannot bear to just eat a cooked sweet potato. I need to find a creative and healthy way to prepare them. I’ve never prepared kale before, but I’ve heard its good? Ya, we’ll see about that.