Health
Habits
Food
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Better Than Butternut: Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe
10 Simple Ways To Eat Less Without Noticing
Juicing: Stupid and Pretentious or Nourishing and Enlightening?
10 Tasty Carbs That Won’t Make You Fat
How To Start Working Out When You Don’t Like To Exercise
Focus More on Your Brain and Less on Your Diet if You’re Serious About Losing Weight
Home Court Habits: The Secret to Effortless Weight Control
10 Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight When You Think You’re Doing Everything Right
How To Burn More Calories Without Breaking A Sweat
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Foodists
Farmers Market Update: Best Of Spring
Spring Broccoli
Everything I’ve ever wanted out of springtime I found at the farmers market this weekend. The sun was bright and warm and the produce was lush and colorful. I was in heaven.
Finally the strawberries are sweet and abundant. Pea shoots, shelling peas and sugar snap peas are everywhere. And…(wait for it)…the first pimentos de padrón have arrived!
Pimentos de Padron
Organic Strawberries
Padróns are small Spanish peppers that are usually cooked briefly in hot olive oil and sprinkled with course sea salt. They aren’t spicy, except when they are. About 1 out of every 10 peppers is blistering hot, so be sure to have a crusty baguette nearby to soothe your mouth if you ever try them. The bread is also useful for sopping up the delicious oil that becomes flavored with the cooked pepper juices. I adore padróns.
The broccoli and cauliflower were particularly nice looking this week. I ended up getting two different kinds of broccoli, but after seeing this picture I regret not bringing home some cauliflower as well.
Gorgeous Cauliflower
One thing I did get for the first time this week was some baby fava beans. I like the baby ones because they don’t require shelling, the pods are tender enough that you can eat them whole. I like to roast them with garlic, capers, anchovies, kalamata olives and tomatoes. Yum. Just look how tender and fuzzy these little guys are.
Baby Fava Beans
I’m also excited that we’re starting to see tomatoes and avocados at the market together. Mexican food FTW! The tomatoes are even starting to look pretty good.
Hass Avocado
Crazy Tomatoes
I made the mistake last week of buying an organic avocado (it had slipped into the bin with conventional avocados and I hadn’t noticed) at my local market only to discover that it somehow tasted even better than regular avocados. I didn’t even think that was possible. Organic avocados are way more expensive, but I’m now forever ruined.
You also shouldn’t miss the fennel, lettuces, leeks, collards, chard and late season citrus.
Spring Citrus
Baby Fennel
Today’s purchases:
- Strawberries (Lucero Organic Farms)
- Baby fava beans (Iacopi Farms)
- Broccoli (Iacopi Farms)
- Leeks (Dirty Girl Produce)
- Collards (Everything Under The Sun)
- Walnuts (Hamada Farms)
- Chinese broccoli (Chue’s Farm)
- Mediterranean cucumbers (Happy Quail Farms)
- Eggs (Marin Sun Farms)
Indeed. I, too, have purchased an organic avocado recently and was astonished how fabulous it tasted. Thanks for the introduction of the pimentos de padron. I’ve never had these, but now will be on the lookout. Very nice post.
Your farmers’ market posts always make me want to move to California! We are just starting to get lettuces, greens, and strawberries in northern VA. I imagine the asparagus will be finished soon. I keep hoping to see peas! Enjoy your variety!
In the northeast have never seen the baby fava beans. The season is short but while we have to shell the larger ones a great recipe is to sprinkle a bowl of uncooked beans with coarse salt and fresh ground pepper, drizzle with a good quality extra virgin olive oil and lightly toss. Top with a hard cheese like Romano that has been cut into matchstick shaped pieces. Delicious!