Produce Co-Ops, Farmers Markets, & Pasta Salad

If you know me, you know that although it may appear that I am a true "Texan" the truth is that I hail from oh so far away well just Illinois, if you didn't know that hopefully you still love me. I have embraced the culture of my new hometown and love the people and the community, except I terribly miss the ability to get great produce year round. I remember like it was yesterday the very first time I set out to find great produce in December (this was 1996..wow I haven't lived anywhere this long). I had been getting all my favorite winter produce at the local grocery store before so that is where I headed. One word explains it all DISAPPOINTMENT! I then went to the local farmers market, where I quickly learned that the produce there came from similar warehouses that the national chains use....big huge fail there...why pay twice as much for the same sub par produce. There is a farmer's market in the closest city that is all confirmed local farmers that I love and buy my local honey from so I am not saying to not support your local farmers. Just be mindful, do your research, and stay within your budget. Since then I have been on the pursuit of great produce at a cost that won't break the bank....basically I resorted to shopping at large warehouse clubs, local grocers, chain grocery stores, and farmers markets and racking up the miles on my vehicle and consuming my entire weekends at a rapid pace.

I had a system and have been quite pleased with the healthy lifestyle my family leads, until my sweet neighbor turned it all upside down. In one of my many cooking marathons, she had an ice emergency and I took my entire ice bucket over to her. Where I found loads of really great produce, it wasn't immediately local or organic but looked really great. I was very envious and she began to tell me about a produce co-op that her friend had told her about. I immediately decided I would give it a try and visited their website, which caused a little confusion at first but all the information I needed was there and I decided to give it a whirl. I input my information on that Monday and couldn't wait until the pickup Saturday. Yes the produce is trucked in, but the value is through the roof and there is an organic option that is still a great deal. I believe in buying organic when I can but at the same time, as a single family income I must stay within my budget. So I showed up to pick up my produce with absolutely no preconceived thoughts or notions. The truck was late delivering the produce, so I was able to watch the volunteers meticulously checking the produce and separating it into everyone's basket, as well as meet some amazing new people. Picking up my produce couldn't have been easier and I had a nice assortment of items that I wouldn't have otherwise purchased and some of our all time favorites. Just to tantalize your senses here is a sampling of what I got without any additional items for a cost of 16.50. Although I did opt for additional items making my total 32.50, I wasn't fast enough to get a photo before my herd tore into the produce! What you don't see are the 8 ginormous potatoes, zucchini, lettuce, and cucumbers under the top items. The best part is seeing my family opt for fresh items instead of begging for a trip to the store to get packaged junk.

So long story short I wish the site closest to my home was every week, but since it's not I will have to find a resolution to that. Until then I will experiment with all the surprises that I get in my basket and share some hits and misses along the way. My first experiment was with some pasta, only because I opened the cabinet and it literally fell out at me while I was fishing around for the tea bags, I was in the midst of a sweet tea emergency!

This got rave reviews the night I made it from my son and mother, but for me it was just ok, so I hadn't planned on sharing it. But the next day, I had some for lunch and WOW! Please forgive my not so hot instagram photos as I had no intention of sharing this near fail, I guess this is proof that if at first you don't love something or someone to go ahead and give it another shot.



Fresh Dill Pasta Salad

1/2 box Radiatore pasta (approx. 8 oz) less if you like more veggies
6 small radishes
1 medium cucumber
1 Roma tomato
1 handful of  fresh dill
4 teaspoons of ranch dressing mix

First chop the radishes, cucumber, and tomato into small pieces then sprinkle with ranch dressing mix and mix well. This will allow the liquid from the veggies to create a dressing for the pasta. I then cut the dill into small pieces and added it to the mix. I let that sit while cooking the pasta. After the pasta is done drain and rinse with cold water until it is cool to the touch. At this point mix into the veggie mix and let sit overnight.

Remember that you get bonus points for storing this in jars! My kids loved half of a jelly jar for lunch and I had a pint size (holy pasta batman I shouldn't have eaten that much) for lunch the next day.

 

 



 

 

For printable recipe click here.