I do! In fact, I have two favorite markets because our city is awesome like that.

If you love your farmers market(s), consider taking the pledge to support family farmers by shopping directly from them this summer. A pledge is a commitment to spend $10 at your farmers market that week. the first time you take the pledge, you can sign up to receive a free “No Food No Farms” bumper sticker. I can’t wait for mine to arrive.

About the campaign:

I Love My Farmers Market Celebration works to raise the national awareness about our glorious farmers markets. Farmers markets provide the vital link between eaters and where our food comes from and as such highlight the importance of protecting farmland.

Since 1980, American Farmland Trust has championed family farmers and helped permanently protect more than 5 million acres of farmland. We have been losing more than an acre of farmland every minute to development, this celebration works to halt that trend.

I Love My Farmers Market Celebration starts May 28, 2013 at noon EST and will close on September 9, 2013 at midnight EST. Pledges will be cast atwww.lovemyfarmersmarket.org.

Participants pledge dollars they intend to spend at their farmers markets. One pledge = A commitment to spend $10 at your farmers market that week. The Top 100 most celebrated markets will receive a special logo honoring their achievement, “No Farms, No Food”® gear, and recognition on the Celebration’s website.

In 2013 we plan to secure at least $1 million dollars in pledges to support family farmers and local farmers markets nationwide.

More questions? Frequently Asked Questions should help!

Note: I did not receive any compensation for telling you about this. I just think it’s really cool! (and, I’ve always wondered how to get one of those bumper stickers).

Pasta with Homemade White Sauce

I’m very lucky in Michigan to have lots of options when it comes to dairy. There are tons of cheesemakers and local dairy farms–some even offer raw milk herd shares. In honor of National Dairy Month, I thought I’d share some of my favorite recipes that use dairy.

Asparagus, Goat Cheese & Fresh Herb Bread Pudding

Polish Wild Mushroom and Potato Soup

How to Make Whipped Cream

Make Your Own Mozzarella

Basic White Sauce

Garlic Spinach Dip

How to Make Fromage Blanc

What are some of your favorite recipes that feature dairy?

This recipe shows how easy it is to use whatever random vegetables come your way! I threw this together after looking through my refrigerator and realizing I had some farmers market goodies to use up ASAP.

Ingredients:

• chicken (I used about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast, cubed)
• oil (I love to use Asian stir fry oil–it adds some extra flavor)
• 4 ramps (you can also substitute a couple of cloves of garlic, minced. You’ll want to separate the bulbs and the greens)
• 2 C asparagus (chopped)
• 2 small bok choy (chopped, greens in a separate pile from the white stalky part. You could substitute cabbage)
• 1 bunch spring turnips (sliced, greens in the “greens” pile that is now forming. You could substitute radishes)
• your favorite stir fry sauce–I used World Fusion green curry sauce. Make your own if you have the time.
• rice

Directions:

1. In a large wok or frying pan, heat a little oil over medium; add the chicken and brown for about five minutes.
2. Add the ramp bulbs, stalky part of the bok choy, and the bulb of the turnips. Set aside the greens for now. Add the sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let it cook for about 15 minutes.
3. When the timer goes off, add as many of the greens pile as your family will tolerate. Stir until they are nicely wilted.
4. Serve over rice.

The Verdict: LOVE. The bok choy and turnips saved what is usually (for me) a sort of bland chicken and sauce stir fry. If you are not used to greens the flavor might be a bit overwhelming, but in the spring I crave those flavors.

My cooking muse has returned! Even after going to the farmers market, all the fresh produce has me in the cooking mood. But, I need to get my pantry ready for spring–especially since our first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) pickup is this week. If you’re not familiar with CSAs, you pay a lump sum at the beginning of the season and then throughout the season you get a “share” of the produce every week.

We took a “sabbatical” last year and I really missed it. We didn’t eat nearly the amount of vegetables as when we had the share. I decided I’d rather sleep in on Saturday morning than fight the crowds at the farmers market, and then I couldn’t bring myself to buy vegetables at the grocery store. Yes, I know, I have issues.

Anyway, this week is our first pickup back at Groundswell. I’m kind of bummed because I’ll be out of town on a work trip so DH will be picking it up for me. So I want to be doubly sure I’m ready to dig in when I get back.

Here’s how I get ready for the CSA season – however, it’s a great practice for the spring produce/garden/farmers market season in general:

1. Clean the refrigerator. Seriously, the amount of vegetables coming in will be overwhelming. And some nights, when there is something else going on right after pick up, you will need all the space you can possibly get to stuff the bags in there before you get a chance to prep everything and condense it into smaller containers. So throw out the expired condiments, the fuzzy stuff growing way in the back, and make it all shiny and new.
2. Find (or make or buy) reusable bags. You can buy all sorts of expensive reusable bags, or you can sew your own. They are a really quick project and there are oodles of free patterns out there (gotta love the interweb and Pinterest!). If you want to splurge, baskets are pretty handy in the garden and at the pickup for bulkier items that don’t want to fit in the bags. Most of the CSAs I’ve been a part of have extra plastic bags that people bring to recycle, but part of the fun is using a reusable bag! Don’t ask me why, it just is. Oh, if you’re digging out your stash from last year, you’ll want to thoroughly wash them. They get icky.
3. Find or buy storage containers. Shhh, I like to use gallon size Ziploc bags. They keep greens for a long time. But if you shudder at the thought of the ecological impact of plastic, wide mouth canning jars and/or plastic or glass food storage containers work too. I also consider my salad spinner a storage device – right when I get the salad greens home I give them a spin and store them right in it.
4. Sharpen your knives. There is a lot of chopping in your future. Make sure you know where your cutting board and sharp knives are!
5. Have a plan for composting. I have a handy dandy plastic container that goes in the freezer so I can dump it out whenever it’s full and it doesn’t stink up the kitchen. I eat the greens off of almost every vegetable, but there are sometimes bad spots or rooty bits or you might forget about something in the back of the refrigerator that goes past its prime.
6. Get ingredients for your go-to “use up the CSA” meals. For me, this includes rice and bottled Asian sauces (for quick stir fry); salad dressing (I like to make my own but in a pinch store bought will do); eggs (for a veggie scramble); and oil, pine nuts (or walnuts), Parmesan cheese for making pesto (you can use up just about any herb this way).

Do you have any favorite tips to share for getting ready for spring?

I’ve been drinking coffee for as long as I can remember. So when Maxwell House Coffee asked me to try their single serve cups, I was definitely up for the challenge!

People sometimes ask me when I first started drinking coffee. I suspect my first taste was as a child at my Grandma & Grandpa Leep’s house after Sunday school. All the adults drank it–black–so I was determined to drink it too.

I more vividly remember fishing with my Dad and Grandpa, on vacation, out in the middle of the lake, when I would say I was thirsty. They would look at each other and say “oops, we forgot to bring something for you kids. I guess it’s either coffee or lake water.”

The coffee tasted better than the lake water. Over the years I became so used to the ubiquitous cans of Maxwell House or any of the other brands that came in tins (whatever was on sale) that I cannot imagine starting my day without it. Nowadays it comes in plastic.

Of course, now I’m an adult with a house of my own. My time in the mornings is not spent talking with my mom and dad over blueberry pancakes and coffee. I’m running out the door with an egg sandwich in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. And the Keurig saves me a ton of time!

When I went shopping for the Maxwell House single serve cups (you can read about it here: https://plus.google.com/u/1/photos/109811431717584457847/albums/5880829536772315745) I reflected on how many different kinds of coffees there are:

However, I’m more of a plain coffee kind of girl. As my Grandma used to say, “I’m sweet enough already.” I usually get one of the other brands with a more exotic photo on the box, but I picked up a box of the Maxwell House. I wondered if it would taste the same as I remembered, being in a plastic cup and all.

It did! I could almost see my Dad’s thermos. Maybe the plastic from the cup of the top of the thermos was replicated by the plastic taste of the single serve cup LOL. Sometimes I use one of the reusable filters and fill my own cups to cut down on plastic waste, but other times I just do not have time in the morning. For mornings like that, I will be using my Maxwell House single serve and fondly remembering a less stressful time of life.

My Dad, the best breakfast maker ever! (and always a nice strong cup of coffee)

I am in the mood for pizza at least once a week; unfortunately, whenever we order delivery, I always regret it two bites in because it seems so greasy. I decided that even if I don’t make my own pizza crust, homemade would be better in terms of taste and health – so here it is, a spring pizza that tastes great and has less grease.

This pizza recipe was inspired by Primavera Pizza, a recipe I found in The Gardener & the Grill: The Bounty of the Garden Meets the Sizzle of the Grill. I say inspired by because I didn’t make it on the grill, or follow the directions and swapped out some ingredients – but that’s the great thing about pizza, it’s very flexible.

Ingredients:

• pizza crust (you can use your favorite recipe or buy it ready made. I picked up a parbaked crust at our local farmers market.)
• pesto (I used my favorite chive pesto recipe, as follows, but you can use your favorite recipe or buy it premade):
  • 1 1/2 C chives
  • 1/2 C parsley
  • 1/2 C Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 C pine nuts
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 2 T lemon juice
• asparagus, cut into pieces (it was a small handful)
• goat cheese (5 ounces)
• optional: Meat (I had planned to use bacon, but forgot to thaw it, so I used salami instead. It was good but DH thought chicken would be a great addition).

Directions:

1. Spread the pizza crust with pesto.
2. Add the asparagus and meat and blobs of goat cheese
3. Bake at 400F for about 12 minutes.

The Verdict: The original recipe called for grilling the asparagus first, but I rather liked the little bit of crunch that was left after baking with the pizza. This was incredible, and it was fun knowing that I went out and picked the chives and parsley for the pesto minutes before dinner. The asparagus was from my dad’s yard. And the goat cheese was made by my friend Veronica, who owns a local creamery. The mix of ingredients was very satisfying and tasted awesome.

I have four sorrel plants that are doing quite well this spring. Sorrel is a perennial herb/vegetable that is sort of like spinach with a rhubarb-ish flavor. Nice and sour!

I was trying to figure out what to do with it since I wasn’t in the mood for soup. DH was going to be grilling asparagus and venison steak for dinner so I thought I could add it to the rice in some way. Maybe a sorrel pesto?

Whenever I get an idea like that, I do a search on the internet to find out if anyone else has tried it (they usually have) and then see if I can get any other tips or see if there’s something I missed. I came across a recipe for Sorrel Pesto at It’s Not About the Recipe (a vegetarian blog; I apologize that I adapted your recipe for use as a side dish to a slab of Bambi. I really do.)

So, I heavily adapted it to add to the rice:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sorrel, packed
• 2 cup chives (about a handful)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (can substitute walnuts)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil (I substituted avocado oil)
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Really, you need directions? Put everything in a food processor until all blended up and it’s a paste consistency, like this:

The Verdict: At first taste, it seemed rather . . . green. But then as I continued to eat it with the rice the flavor grew on me. Once I gave up trying to “taste” for the chives and sorrel separately, together it tasted good. Not sure if that makes any sense! At any rate, I will be making it again as I have tons of sorrel and chives!

This post shared at Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways; Real Food Wednesday; Allergy Free Wednesdays; Pennywise Platter

I travel a LOT for work, and I’ve been working on incorporating healthy practices when I’m traveling. For example, the photo above was taken on a trail during one of my trips. I decided to pack my workout gear (even though it meant checking a bag) and was so happy to be able to explore some trails!

It was much more fun (and healthy) than staying in my hotel room in between meetings. 

Another challenge on the road is eating food that’s relatively healthy. Lots of times I’ll find myself going to grocery store delis or sandwich shops rather than choose greasy fast food. I noticed that my absolute favorite chips are Kettle brand – my favorite flavor is sea salt and vinegar; DH’s is jalapneo – so I was super excited when they asked me to share with my readers about their natural ingredients and the fact that they are NonGMO. 

Just a note, there are a lot of chips out there that say “kettle”; but the actual Kettle brand tastes the best! (And I’d say that even if they weren’t paying me). It’s also nice to know that they are semi healthy (at least for chips!)

“We cook our chips using only the finest all-natural, non-GMO ingredients.  We use no trans fats, no  MSG, no artificial colors or flavors, no list of ingredients you can’t pronounce. In fact, we’re the first potato chip to be verified by the Non-GMO Project.” 

How cool is that? Just goes to show that even on the road, you can pay attention to ingredients. 

How do you find products with real ingredients when traveling? Share below why real ingredients are important to you for a chance to win $250!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kettle Brand. The opinions and text are all mine.

Do aphrodisiacs work? What exactly are they? How can I use them? The Simple Sexy Food virtual tour with clinical sex therapist and foodie Linda De Villers, PhD., answers these questions and more. There are many ordinary foods that can have aphrodisiac effects – and this tour will help you understand them.

In her book, De Villers shares her knowledge about the myths and truth about aphrodisiacs. She also share over 80 recipes and a wealth of love and sex tips.

Sample Recipe

Artichokes Stuffed with Shrimp

Eating an artichoke takes time…a great metaphor for sensual lovemaking.

SEXY FOODS: artichoke (or avocado), shrimp

• 2 medium to large artichokes
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 10 cups water
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 pound peeled, cooked small shrimp
• Lemon wedges for garnishing

1. Remove coarse outer leaves from the artichokes and trim the stems even with the bases so artichokes stand upright. With a sharp knife, cut off the top third of each artichoke. With scissors, trim thorns from tips of remaining leaves. Rub the cut surfaces with about 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice.
2. In a 3-quart or larger non-aluminum pot, combine the water, vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the artichokes, cover, and boil gently until the stem ends pierce readily with a fork, about 30 minutes. Drain.
3. Let cool slightly, then pull out and discard center leaves, and scrape out fuzzy centers with a spoon. Drizzle the cavities with about 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and let the artichokes cool thoroughly. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the next day.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon zest, tarragon, mustard, remaining 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. If making ahead, refrigerate the sauce until needed.
5. When ready to assemble, mix the shrimp with 1/4 cup sauce in a small bowl, then spoon the mixture into the artichoke cavities.
6. Serve the remaining sauce in individual dishes for dipping the artichoke leaves.
7. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Variation: Substitute a large avocado, halved, for the artichokes. You can scoop out a little of the avocado flesh to make more room for filling. Stuff each half with shrimp mixture. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Simple Sexy Kitchen Tip

When grating citrus zest, do not go too deep. You want to avoid the underlying bitter, white pith.

Love Skills

Get the prep work out of the way, and make some time for a little foreplay!

We invite you to participate in the Simple Sexy Food Recipe Photo Contest – http://www.lovecoachjourney.com/recipe-photo-contest – the grand prize winner will get a one on one aphrodisiac consultation and five runner ups will receive a digital copy of Love Skills by Linda De Villers.

In the past few weeks I’ve spent time in Orlando, Minneapolis, Toronto, and finally got home on Saturday. I was so excited to see how much everything sprung up while I was gone!

The sorrel looks BEAUTIFUL. The perennial herbs are green now, the violets and chives have come in, and the beets, carrots, radishes, and peas have sprouted. Oh, and the seedlings downstairs in the light room are coming along great!

Now that I’m home for awhile (no work trips until June, knock on wood!) I hope to post some spring recipes and DIY projects that have been on my “to do” list forever.

In the meantime, I’d love it if you shared what food says “spring” to you! Please comment below.