We were in a rush this morning. My sister-in-law sprained her right knee in a snowboarding accident. She needed a ride to work since she can’t drive. So we were up and out of the house earlier than usual. I prepped finger foods for my daughter to eat in the car, and wolfed down a few bites of applesauce with all my morning medicines. It wasn’t much, but, along with a mug of green tea with honey, it was enough to hold me over until lunch.

Being up and out so early was a blessing in disguise. The best farmer’s market in our area takes place on Wednesdays. So I decided to swing by and see what was available. I didn’t have the stroller with me, but I only had $20 in my wallet, so I figured I could juggle my little girl and $20 worth of farmer’s market booty. Note to self: $20 goes further than you think at a farmer’s market. Always bring the stroller. Here’s what I got:

There was soooo much beautiful produce available, and so much variety compared to what you find in a supermarket. And almost everything is significantly less expensive. For the most part, I was looking for juiceable ingredients. But there was a lot of gorgeous food just begging to come home with us. I cannot WAIT until I can eat normally again.

A few notes on produce prep and storage:

I’ve found beets to be one of the dirtiest vegetables ever. The ones I got today were pretty clean, but I’ve had some from the grocery store that were nothing short of muddy. I’ve tried various ways of cleaning them and this is the best, in my opinion.

Using your biggest mixing bowl (or a freshly cleaned sink) add a few tablespoons of baking soda and lots of cold water to cover the beets. Swish them around and rub the really dirty spots with a cloth. If they’re reallyyyyy dirty, you may want to let them sit a bit and soak. Take the beets out, drain or pour out the dirty water, and rinse. I leave them laid out on a kitchen towel for a while to dry a bit before wrapping them in dry towels and refrigerating them.

One of the only herbs I don’t have in my garden is parsley. They were 50 cents a bundle, so I grabbed two. I hate hate hate when produce goes bad before I get around to eating it. This method of herb preservation (also works well with green onions) practically makes them last indefinitely. Simply snip off the dried up ends so they’ll be open for sucking up water and put them in a glass or other container of water.

You can keep them on the counter, but they last longer if you keep them in the fridge. Then just change out the water every few days. It may look like a garden in your fridge, but it’ll save you moolah. And besides, it’s pretty.

Notice the empty shelf just waiting for the beets to take up residence there. I love a fridge full of produce. 🙂