I adore this time of year. We love getting out in the sunshine and enjoying the neighborhoods around St. Louis. And we always seem to make our way back to Soulard. Without a doubt, this place will always have a piece of our hearts. It’s a neighborhood that holds a lot of firsts for us and one that will continue to bring us good eats, plenty of drinks and the best entertainment. A weekly stop for our family is the farmers’ market. If you follow my Instagram, you know that we frequent this place and love on it so hard. So. Hard. Sure, it’s b u s y…biiiizzzaaaaayyyy… in the summertime, but trust me, it’s worth it.
Psst! If we aren’t friends on Instagram yet, lets fix that!
Grab a Bloody Mary, your reusable grocery bags, some moola {this stuff isn’t free, obviously, but the price is right, my friends! WAY cheaper than the store} and an open mind.
One of my favorite things to do at a farmers’ market? Get a ton of fun vegetables in small portions. And whatever looks good/whatever you end up buying dictates the weekly menu. For us, on Monday we used up the butternut squash. Today was the sweet potato. We already dived into the bananas and apples. Picking fresh produce from the farm stand makes cooking that much more enjoyable. {And Pinterest that much more friendly!} Buying in smaller quantities allows us to try more and not get bored mid-week. It keeps us veggie-stocked and veggie-interested.
Another reason why farmers’ markets are great: It gets your kids involved in the meal-planning process. Get them to tag along and look at all the fruits and veggies that are in season. Free smells, for sure. What are they drawn too? What is making them say “Hmm?” Try it! The whole “eat with your eyes first” thing is so true. If it looks pretty {and it feels right}, try it out in a new dish.
Sans kids? Same rules apply, friend. No kiddos needed to eat with your eyes first.
Sharing a quick picture of what we picked up this past weekend:
Do you hang around the farmers’ market in your area? What is your favorite veggie to cook with during the week?
amanda
June 25, 2014Love Farmer’s Markets! We eat a lot of green beans.