Archive for the ‘farmers market’ Category

Feb 12 2010

Food Matters – You are what you eat~

Posted by JacQ

Thanks to Cage Free Family, I learned about the movie – Food Matters.

It is true… across cultures and countries, we all know – you are what you eat. Today, through the fast food chains, over-processed food, frozen dinners, unbalanced diet, we are heading into a world constantly managing poor health and weight issues. Let me correct myself, we ALREADY ARE in a world constantly managing poor health and weight issues.

A good start is to start supporting organic farming by finding out about your local farmers markets, purchase from local farmers who practice organic and sustainable farming. Learn more about how well balanced diet can help increase energy.

Since we are now staying in Phoenix, AZ area for a while, I have found out about the Arizona Community Farmers Markets. They post a calendar for all the dates and locations for you to see.

I have been to half of the locations they offer and I am in heaven!

The latest one I went was the Skysong Farmers’ Market at ASU Skysong Center (Thursdays from 3pm – 7pm). I saw a few of my favorite vendors there!

Big Happy Farms for their wonderful selection of locally grown fresh produce and satisfying collection of locally grown citrus. I am addicted to the Meyer Lemon they have at their booth. I have been making fresh squeezed Meyer lemonade with a few leaves of fresh mint for a refreshing and healthy drink. Tastes much better and healthier than store bought juices and sodas~

Gibson Girl Greenery for their great selection of beautifully potted herbs and plants. Josie, the owner, is incredibly kind and helpful. Please stop by to say hello and start your own herb garden today!

Arizona Buffalo Company for their selection of all natural Arizona buffalo meat products. I got a 1.5 lb of buffalo tenderloin and made a Japanese Steak House style stir fried rice with it, oh~ I can’t wait to make it again… Jeremy and I were both extremely happy with how that dinner turned out~ If you want any particular cut of meat, they recommend you call ahead and tell them, so they can check availability and bring the meat to you or the market you are going to be visiting.

I wish I have photos to show, maybe next time I go, since every time I went, I ended up buying so much my hands were too full to hold the camera too~

Another great thing I have learned from the movie Food Matters, is about Andrew W. Saul, the author of Doctor Yourself. The mega dose vitamins treatment is in ways much safer than prescription drugs. You will be amazed with what high dose of vitamin C can help you recover or even prevent the most common cold and flu. However, I don’t want to claim that it works for everyone. So far it has worked awesome for me. Whenever I feel the start of a cold/flu, I will take roughly 3000 mg of vitamin C and about 90% of the time, I don’t have to deal with being sick, or if I do, I recover from it within 24 hours.

For example, I woke up with a swollen right tonsil and it hurt really bad whenever I tried swallowing… not sure what to do but I took in 3500 mg of Vitamin C and lots of water to see if I can fight it off~ ( I think this was a result of having party food from the night before, double dipped hummus…)

By that evening, the swollen tonsil was almost gone and I did not have to take anything beside vitamin C with lots of water.

All I wanted to say is that Food Matters offers information that you might find helpful and surprising, and if you are willing, give their advises a try, and see if it makes any difference for you. I have asked Blockbuster to add the movie to their collection and they did, so you can get it from their online rental. They even offer the film to be viewable online for $4.95 if you would like to watch it now!

Aug 31 2009

Good Eats – Insalata Caprese

Posted by JacQ

I have tried my first Insalata Caprese when we were camping in Austin this year.

I got a container of fresh mozzarella balls, fresh basil and a bottle of 10-Year Gran Riserva Balsamico by Lucini Italia (I highly recommend it!) from Whole Foods. I also bought some vine ripen tomato from a local farmers market to make my first Insalata Caprese. mmm… I loved it!

JacQ's Insalata Caprese IngredientsFour months later, I am craving it again… I stopped by North Market in Columbus, Ohio. There were lots of local farmers selling heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil, so I got some Green Zebra tomatoes (often called an heirloom, but it is not) and a few other varieties.

While we were in North Market, Jeremy also purchased a quarter pound of a beautifully aged, 9-year cheddar cheese from Mike, the owner of Curds and Whey. I could not resist the thought of putting a little bit of it in my Insalata Caprese.

When we were in Arizona earlier this year, we visited the Queen Creek Olive Mill – a family owned extra virgin olive oil mill in Arizona, USA! We loved all of their extra virgin olive oils~ One of my favorites is the Mexican Lime Olive Oil. I am also going to try that for my Insalata Caprese this time.

Oh, I know… I am going crazy here… adding all sorts of goodies to make my own Explosive Insalata Caprese.

An Explosive Insalata Caprese by JacQThen I decided to add some chopped fresh roasted ginger cashew and fresh roasted curried almond to this. Plus some reindeer salami we bought in Alaska. The last item was Cherry Wood Smoked Mozzarella by Maplebrook Farm in Bennington, Vermont (purchased from Whole Foods here in Columbus.)

A dash of sea salt and fresh ground pepper… ah, I am in heaven. The result was an explosion of flavors.

Jun 18 2008

Peach Picking at Marburger Orchard

Posted by JacQ

This Sunday morning, I have decided to plan us a nice get-a-way in the Hill Country. Our good friend Jason was really nice to let us borrow his motorcycle to do this little trip. Here’s my plan for that day – Brunch buffet at La Normandie Restaurant, then ride through the Medina Lake area through the Hill Country to Marburger Orchard outside of Fredericksburg to pick some peaches.

It was sunny and the weather was perfect for a long bike ride. We did not think the scooter would be up for the task since we would like to ride a little faster than 50/mph~ :D

The food at La Normandie never disappoint. We each got some salad, cheese, main dishes, and then pack down 6 different desserts from the dessert table~ Man, we were full…

The ride through Medina Lake area was nice. The hilly roads made nice scenery for the two-hour ride to the Marburger Orchard. Read the rest of this entry »

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