“Fast Food” at the Farmers’ Market?
Submitted By: Bridget Wellerstein (bwellers@mac.com)

Challenge
What to make for dinner that’s healthy, fast and tasty.

It was near the end of the week and I was exhausted and out of dinner ideas. The boys and I had been running around town all afternoon. I had just dropped Ethan at his baseball game. Daniel and I were on our way to return a movie and talking over what to do for dinner (well, I'll come clean, we were actually talking about where to pick up some take-out food) when Daniel asked me what was going on at the plaza.

Solution Details
We decided to pop in to see what treasures we would find.

We enjoyed a lemonade and listened to some music while we strolled. We ran into several friends, met and talked to a few farmers, bought some things for dinner and dessert and got a new recipe for kale--which I had never had so it was an opportunity to show the boys that even when you’re a grown-up it’s fun to try new foods.

Farmers' Market
When we got home we admired our veggies. The tops of the onions were magnificent! We talked about how they grew, who grew them and where they were grown. We worked together to chop and prep our goodies having fun and laughing. When we sat down to our simple and delicious dinner we all felt satisfied about the meal and how it got to our table which made it even more delicious. Now tell me where in town you can have that much fun with your kids, enjoy a great dinner, support local farming and have the sweetest strawberries for dessert all while giggling until your sides ache? One place... the Farmers’ Market


Benefits & Payback
We found something fast, healthy and tasty for dinner and the boys are excited about returning to the Farmers’ Market.

They have never felt this way about any grocery store and most certainly never asked to go with me to buy groceries but the farmers’ Market is whole different story. We never know what new vegetables or new varieties we’ll discover or what adventures we’ll have at the Farmers’ Market.

As parents, David and I feel that the way we live reflects our values. We value our family, our community and the earth. We value quality--real food and real people. We don’t see any value in cheap food. Supporting the Farmers’ Market is a great way to convey our values.


Informational Links
Lafayette Farmers’ Market - Facebook Page (365 fans and counting...)

Contra Costa Certified Farmers Markets - Lafayette Market (with vendor list and music schedule)

Sustainable Lafayette Local Food Page



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