Fresh Reading/ Fresh Eating

I just finished re-reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I read it last year along with The Omnivore's Dilemma and I got all fired up about eating locally and seasonally. If you haven't read them, both are great books. Reading Kingsolver's words again re-vived my desire to eat and live well. To make conscious decisions about what we buy, eat, and grow. And it feels right to read it at the start of a new year. This chilly time of year when I am inclined to spend more time in the kitchen (the kids were so excited that we baked our own bread last week). The time of year when I start dreaming about spring planting. So this week my bedside table and the kitchen table have been piled with stacks of cookbooks and gardening books. I love all of the fresh possibilities.

Another thing that has me excited about eating locally/seasonally is The Beaches Local Food Network. I was shocked when we moved here three years ago to discover that there weren't any great farmer's markets. I couldn't understand it. This is the perfect climate to have tasty produce all year round. So I was very excited to make our first trip to the new (to us) market last weekend. We had such a great time and came home with so much good stuff that we headed back today. In addition to all of the good produce and friendly faces, there is a also a wonderful community garden and a great playground. I think we'll be making it a weekly outing since it makes every one happy. Last week we ate romanesco cauliflower for the first time...my first fractal vegetable experience! And purple heirloom carrots, fresh satsumas, fresh dill, basil, parsley, and bok choy. Today we got an early batch of Florida strawberries, freshly popped kettle corn, a beautiful head of lettuce picked this morning, and bright green spinach. If you are in the area, I highly recommend a trip to the Beaches Green Market. Every Saturday 2-5 at Jarboe Park, Neptune Beach.