Produce of the Week on $15

One of the most common complaints about buying local is the extra cost. People claim that farmers overcharge and that organic is not worth the price. Having spent my childhood in restaurant kitchens and behind farm stands, I am a vehement supporter of local growers. Today I decided that I would bypass my usual Saturday ATM trip and see what I could buy with just $15 cash at the market.

Klippers Organics. Strawberries and garlic scapes. I will be making garlic scape pesto for my business later this week. The strawberries, as always, were delicious and have been completely consumed.

Sandhu Produce Growers Ltd. First raspberries of the season! Tasty, but I have to be honest and say that raspberries will never be my favorite berry (I can’t wait for market blueberry season!). So far the berries have been eaten raw, soaked in wine, and I plan to make raspberry iced tea tomorrow.

Paul’s Produce. Carrots. These will be going in a batch of split pea soup which I plan to make during one of the inevitably rainy days this week.

On my way out of the market I had to stop at the Pig on the Street food cart once again and was overjoyed to see that they take both credit and debit. This time around I tried the Porker sandwich, was given the alias of "Ham Solo", and decided that these wraps will always be worth the long line. The Porker was even better than the Pig LT. Imagine delicious sausage and bacon wrapped together with goat gouda cheese, caramelized onions, and arugula. Now imagine being able to walk up to a van in downtown and buy one of those. Perfection!