A Day In The Life Of The Green City Farmer’s Market

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I love going to the Farmer’s market and purchasing as many ingredients as I can to make my meals. This helps me to truly understand where my food is coming from.

The best part is that I know the foods I purchase are going to not only be nutritious but also super flavorful because I am getting them right from the source. Most of these farmer’s pick the tomatoes right off the vine or pull the carrots fresh out of the ground right before they get into your hands. I also try to make sure I am buying local because then I know my ingredients take less time to get from the ground to my plate.

Plus, the farmers are great at telling you how to use and prepare these fresh foods. They also let you taste before you buy! I always learn something when I go to the Farmer’s Market–like what a tropea is!

Tropea looks like a oval shaped red onion but tastes similar to a shallot–mild and sweet. I learned that it is especially delicious in salads or egg dishes.

My experiences at the Farmer’s Market inspired me to do a cooking demo at my most favorite Farmer’s Market in Chicago, called The Green City Market. I was able to demo a couple healthy and delicious recipes from my new cookbook, Target To Table.

I wanted to show people that you don’t have to sacrifice taste to eat healthy. Just upgrade your traditional recipes by using the freshest most flavorful ingredients. Instead of pasta, try spaghetti squash. Instead of the ground beef from the grocery store–try using grass-fed beef from your local farmer. Delicious and nutritious!

I decided to demo my Superfood Salad and Fruitilicious Upside Down Cake from the book.

Here is a sneak peak of the recipe from Target To Table.

Lucky for me, I had the most talented sous chef to help me prep for my demo at the market. My Mom is amazing!

Because both of these recipes call for true superfoods–I was able to purchase the majority of my ingredients from the Farmer’s Market. The raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries from Hillside Orchards in Berrien Springs, MI were my favorites. I learned that they always rinse their berries once before they sell them so that they are immediately read to eat!

It was a day filled with food, fun, friends, and sunshine.

I hope this post inspires you to visit your local Farmer’s Market, find out where your food comes from, and learn how to choose the freshest most flavorful ingredients right from the source! #thesource

Healthy and delicious meals start with one superfood at a time. We call this from Target To Table.