Sorry it has been almost a week since I last posted, I have been busy with school work and visiting family over the weekend! But I will update you on all that has happened during the past few days! I have not been eating exclusively local (within 100 mile radius) for the past few weeks because it is very challenging to avoid things such as olive oil, peanut butter, bread, salt, spices, butter, etc. And when eating out it is even more challenging (dining halls, restaurants). Instead what I have decided to do is incorporate as much local foods into my diet as possible. I am increasingly becoming aware of the nutritional value of local foods vs. grocery store produce and packaged foods, the positive environmental impacts of buying local and the pleasure of knowing your local farmers. In previous posts I have shared recipes in which I used as much local foods as available to me and I encourage you to try them out as well! The basil pesto recipe is great and many community farmer's markets offer herb plants such as basil, cilantro and mint. Tuesday's farmer's market offered kale, sweet and yukon gold potatoes, carrots, radishes, concord grapes, apples, peaches, broccoli, cauliflower and much more! Many of these things will be available through the beginning of November and into the winter so stop by your local market to see what they have to offer!
While visiting my family this weekend we took a trip to Hollin Farms in Delaplane, Virginia. Nestled near Sky Meadows State Park and Route 17, Hollin Farms allows visitors to pick their own apples, pumpkins, potatoes, peanuts, kale and other field greens. This time of year they also offer glasses of fresh apple cider and caramel apples! Below you will see some pictures from the farm!
Hollin Farms sits atop a big hill with beautiful views of the valley
Old farming equipment
Pumpkin patches and the view of the valley
An apple growing off another apple
Lauren displaying an apple she picked
On Tuesday I headed to the Harrisonburg Farmer's Market and picked up a fresh head of broccoli and a zucchini for $3.75. When I came back from the market I realized that I still had a bunch of sweet potatoes from the previous week's market so I peeled them all and cut them into like sizes and tossed them with some olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. They are a great side or serve them cold in a salad! Thanks for reading and look out for a post later this week!
~Ryan
"Food should be FUN." Thomas Keller
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