Today I had the opportunity to check off one of my summer goals. My cousin and I grabbed a quick lunch at Stewart’s and then headed to Somerville for their downtown farmer’s market. I had never been to an outdoor street market, but it was fun! It was nice knowing that what we bought was all locally grown/made. The vendors were nice to talk to and we got a learning experience while we were there.
At Stony Hill Garden and Farm Market, I bought a variety of locally grown fresh vegetables like kale, arugula, radishes, asparagus and red potatoes.
At Bamboo Hollow Honey Farm, we got to sample a variety of delicious local honey. We got to learn about where the honey came from, how the bees pollinate and I got a lesson in straight bee pollen. I purchased some buckwheat honey and honey sticks in a variety of flavors. The buckwheat honey is very interesting. It’s dark in color and high in antioxidants. It’s not a sweet honey. The flavor is definitely unique, but I imagine it’ll be delicious in my Asian cooking and teriyaki sauces.
We got to sample some limeade frozen treats from Baby Bear Organic Baby Food and Frozen Treats. I would have loved to try their strawberry basil and frozen hot chocolate pops, but we had other places to go so frozen pops wouldn’t have traveled well in a hot backseat. However I was told they delivered! I will definitely check into that. We bought some vegan baked goods at Ester’s Treats. I got a vegan raspberry-peach muffin that I can’t wait to have for breakfast tomorrow!
From the farmer’s market, we left for Westfield. I bought mango-passion fruit margarita mix from Williams-Sonoma. Then we went to Alan’s Orchard so my cousin could pick up her fresh box. Alan’s sells locally grown and organic foods. I got some Griggstown feta and spinach chicken sausage. I wasn’t sure Mike would like it at first, but we had it over the weekend and he commented on how good it was. I also bought a small bottle of raspberry apple juice and a carton of blueberries. We then walked to Trader Joe’s where I completed my food shopping list and then some. We rounded off our trip with Starbucks and then headed home.
Dinner tonight was delicious! I had marinated pork chops in Lawry’s Steak & Chop marinade and threw them on the grill with the fresh asparagus I bought today. I’m honestly looking forward to my leftovers tomorrow!
After a successful trip to a farmer’s market, I can’t wait to visit others and see what a variety of local vendors have to offer. It doesn’t get any fresher than your own backyard.
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