Tuesday Morning Farmer's Market

My Grandma & Grandpa B always had a big garden in their back yard filled with wonderful vegetables that they would lovingly tend. Their veggies always turned out huge, due, I'm sure, to Grandpa's compost. Although their garden was great, it wasn't big enough to grow the amount of veggies they needed to "put things up" for the winter. They would often take my sister and I to local farms to pick fruits and veggies by the basketful. It was in their garage I learned the art of canning ~ a tradition I still love to this day. My Grandma's recipe for relish can't be outdone, and everyone in the family joked that it disappeared so quickly that people must be eating it as a side dish!

That said, I want to carry on the tradition with my girls. I want them to experience the fun of picking your own vegetables and fruits.... and yes, I want to teach them to can. They need to taste the difference. Fruits and vegetables fresh from the soil taste amazing, like nothing you would ever be able to purchase from a store. Thankfully, we have several "you-pick" farms within driving distance that I am determined to visit several times this year. Click here to find a "You Pick" farm near you!

Today we skipped the picking it ourselves option and went to the local farmer's market. Madison absolutely loved it! She and Ella sampled all sorts of fresh berries and had fun choosing what we would take home. We ended up with blueberries, green beans, tomatoes, carrots, a loaf of sourdough bread, and several cuts of grass-fed beef. We will make some fresh muffins with the blueberries and freeze the rest (my Food Saver is my best friend!). Tonight for dinner it's steamed beans and carrots... and I can't wait!