Mark’s Melon Patch

We stopped by Mark’s Melon Patch in Georgia on the way home from visiting J’s grandparents.  It is a roadside stand to beat all roadside stands!  There was so much to look at that it was a bit overwhelming.  The boys liked play ground and outhouse complete with girly posters…  I liked the flower gardens and mountains of fresh produce.

Have you ever seen a yellow watermelon?  I hadn’t so I made sure to buy one for us to try.  It tastes just like red watermelon to me.

I couldn’t resist the fresh Georgia peaches either.  We bought a basket of beautiful peaches that I turned into this:

The peach cobbler was heavenly when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.  Yum!

Peach Cobbler

1/2  cup  unsalted butter
1  cup  all-purpose flour
2  cups  sugar, divided
1  tablespoon  baking powder
Pinch of salt
1  cup  milk
4  cups  fresh peach slices
1  tablespoon  almond flavoring
Ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

******

Melt butter in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter (do not stir).

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, and almond flavoring in a medium bowl; pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

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A Trip to the Farmers Market

So, I’ve become slightly obsessed with making better food choices.  Ever since I watched Food, Inc. on pbs.org I have become disturbed by the practices used in the production of our nation’s food supply.  Quite frankly, I am horrified.  Go check it out.  Everyone needs to be better informed.

In light of my new food awareness I have sought out ways for our family to consume healthier items that are available locally.  Joining the organic produce co-op was one step.  Trying the organic produce delivery service was another.  I’ve also tried to incorporate more organic items into my grocery cart when I shop at Publix.  The truth is it’s darn expensive to be healthy!  But if you do it right by searching out coupons, promotions and buy only seasonal produce it can be much more affordable.

Another venue I discovered just yesterday is the Brevard County Farmers Market.  It’s is held every Thursday afternoon from October-June at a local park’s equestrian center.  What drew me to it was it’s advertisement for grass-fed beef.  When the boys and I checked it out though no such booth was set up and I was not sure who to ask about it.  We’ll have to go back next week because I was impressed with what we saw and bought.  I ended up with a gorgeous head of hydroponically grown lettuce, a tray of beautiful hydroponic tomatoes, two organic cucumbers, a loaf of amazing-looking iced cinnamon bread and two white chocolate dipped pretzels for the boys.

I never thought that I would be one of those organic, granola types…, and I’m not as fanatical as some folks (I still wear deodorant).  But I do feel like I need to be a better job of policing what goes into my body, my husband’s body and my kids’ bodies.  It’s the least I can do, right?

Greens and Things Delivered

Overall I’ve been happy with the produce from our local co-op.  However,  it is a pain to run down to the pick-up location in the middle of Cutie Pie’s nap time.  If the pick up hour was a little bit earlier or a little bit later, I’d be all set.  But the 1:15 PM to 2:15 PM window is pretty much the worst possible time for us given Cutie Pie’s napping schedule.

So, I did a little research and found a local organic produce supplier who delivers to my door for only $5 more than I’d been paying!  And they have a convenient website from which to order!  I gave Greens and Things Delivered at try this week and was super happy with what we received on Tuesday.

The only issue I had was the huge window they gave for delivery.  It was basically all day.  If I left a cooler with some ice on the front porch and my payment under the welcome mat then I did not have to be home to accept the delivery.  I love that!  Our produce arrived at 6 PM though.  We were home so we didn’t need to leave the cooler full of ice on the doorstep after all and we didn’t get to have the produce for lunch or snacks.  But, hey, they deliver and it was awesome stuff.  I really cannot complain.

Here’s the list of what was in this week’s box:

green aparagus (CA)

collard greens (Lady Moon Farms FL)

fancy zucchini (MX)

cucumbers (MX)

green leaf lettuce (Lady Moon Farms FL)

box of grape tomatoes (MX)

2 hass avocados (CA)

fuji apples (US waxfree)

bananas (Ecuador or Columbia)

green bartlett pears (Argentina)

navel oranges (CA)

strawberries (FL)