buying local

i am lucky enough to live in a place where i can find a farmer's market/flea market somewhere every single day.  every tuesday there is one called ROOTS and it is so fabulous.  we just moved here, so you can imagine my delight in finding such a place.  i'll be going there every tuesday from now on to buy my produce and fruit for the week... it is ridiculously cheap and wonderfully fresh.

this last picture is all the produce i got today-- totaling $22.00.  are you kidding me?  i purchased: 1 large watermelon, 2 cantaloupes, a bushel of oranges (7 in all), 1 red onion, 2 green bell peppers, 2 yellow onions, a quarter pound BBQ beef jerkey (for the hubby), and 2 cartons of fresh, big strawberries.  such a deal, and it's all so fresh.  i'm so excited to go cut it all up. 

there's goldie.  i did not purchase her today.  but she was such a good little shopping buddy.

while i was there, i decided to do a little digging.  i always want to know how to pick out the best produce.  i'm not a farmer, so what do i know?  today i asked about watermelons and cantaloupes.  here's what i found out:

WATERMELON

when choosing a watermelon, choose ones that are a darker green.  if there is some white near the bottom or on the side, that's okay.  i found out that watermelons are green because of the sun-- they have to sit on one side in order to grow, hence the whiter spots.  interesting, no?  anyway, you hit the sides of the watermelon and listen for hollowness.  you don't want TOO much hollow sound, because that means it's too ripe.

CANTALOUPE

when choosing a cantaloupe, you want them to be yellow.  you know how sometimes they are kinda green?  you want to avoid those, if you can.  the more yellow they are, the more ripe they are.  you can also smell the tops of them (where they were connected to the vine), and if it smells like a cantaloupe, then you've found a good one.

so, if you've got some local markets near you, i urge you to support your local farmers and go!  you'll save so much and be so happy you did.  there is nothing more enjoyable than walking around and smelling all those wonderful smells.  YUM!