I am LOVING my local farmers market at the moment, they are open every Sunday and I am there every Sunday. Even last Sunday when it rained nearly all the night before and continued till after lunch.
Though the market was pretty quiet that day....I am curious; where do regular market goers go if they don't make it to the market? The thought of having to buy my produce at the supermarket or run round the local (non-organic) fruit stores and butchers was enough to spur me on. The market always comes out on top for freshness, quality and price.
Strawberries are in season right now, and the strawb sellers at the market are always busy. The kids and I buy some fresh berries, then every week they've had them (counting four so far) I buy a 3-4 kilo box of seconds/water-damaged/jam making strawberries. The seller sells these in big commercial yoghurt tubs for very cheap; tall square white plastic tubs with fitting lids. (These are now holding all my bulk oats, flours and rapadura.)
At home I go through them, wash, pick out any icky ones, cut off stems and soft spots, chop and spread them on trays for freezing. Once frozen, I scoop them into freezer bags and then I can pull out frozen strawbs whenever I need them.
We don't eat jam, but these are great in smoothies, made into sorbet, pureed for home made icy poles and I'm planning on trying to make some sort of pie filling....maybe apple and strawberry?
So, visit your local farmers market, see what's in season and well priced, and put some of it up for winter. Or just for when that particular fruit is no longer in season.
Strawberries in winter for us, yum!
Though the market was pretty quiet that day....I am curious; where do regular market goers go if they don't make it to the market? The thought of having to buy my produce at the supermarket or run round the local (non-organic) fruit stores and butchers was enough to spur me on. The market always comes out on top for freshness, quality and price.
Strawberries are in season right now, and the strawb sellers at the market are always busy. The kids and I buy some fresh berries, then every week they've had them (counting four so far) I buy a 3-4 kilo box of seconds/water-damaged/jam making strawberries. The seller sells these in big commercial yoghurt tubs for very cheap; tall square white plastic tubs with fitting lids. (These are now holding all my bulk oats, flours and rapadura.)
At home I go through them, wash, pick out any icky ones, cut off stems and soft spots, chop and spread them on trays for freezing. Once frozen, I scoop them into freezer bags and then I can pull out frozen strawbs whenever I need them.
We don't eat jam, but these are great in smoothies, made into sorbet, pureed for home made icy poles and I'm planning on trying to make some sort of pie filling....maybe apple and strawberry?
So, visit your local farmers market, see what's in season and well priced, and put some of it up for winter. Or just for when that particular fruit is no longer in season.
Strawberries in winter for us, yum!
Drool.....
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