Fridge Foraging and Farmer's Market

I woke yesterday morning to the sound of the furnace running. Yes, the furnace. How wrong is that? It's July for crying out loud. It shouldn't be cold enough for the furnace to run, but it is. I truly didn't want to get out of bed after hearing that. After much stalling and snoozing I eventually pried myself out from under the covers and slogged off to the Farmer's Market.

I'm glad the market is open on Wednesdays again. There aren't as many vendors as on Saturday, but there aren't as many shoppers either. It gives me a chance to browse and chat a bit with our local growers. On Saturday I feel I have to dart into the booths, snag my items, pay and get the heck out of the way for the next person. Wednesday is much more relaxed, and though the vendors aren't as numerous, the selection is still wonderful. Look at all the beautiful stuff I bought:


I finally had to stop shopping, as I had run out of room in my bags. It's a good thing I had cleaned out the fridge on Tuesday. I barely managed to squeeze all my purchases in as it was.

Tuesday morning's fridge clean-out wasn't really a planned thing. It was more an act of desperation. I was getting ready for work, and I needed to pack something for lunch. I just started throwing things together until I had used up many of the leftovers and other odds-and-ends in the fridge. Oddly enough, I had fun packing my lunch. Generally I'm rushing around trying to get myself together. Packing my lunch is just one more chore to get through so I can get out the door. Fun doesn't enter into it, but the creativity involved in Tuesday's lunch prep pushed the act from mundane to something much more satisfying. I couldn't wait to eat my lunch.

Tuesday's Foraging-in-the-Fridge Experimental Lunch

Salad Course

1 generous tsp of home made bean dip
2 generous tsp of plain yogurt
2 smallish cooked potatoes, cubed
3 radishes
handful of sprouts
chopped cucumber (about 3/4 cup)
shredded lettuce (about 1/3 cup)
Salt and pepper

Mix bean dip and yogurt until smooth. Add all the other ingredients and toss until coated with bean dip dressing.

Smoothie Course

3 cups greens (spinach, beet greens, kale)
2 cups green tea
1 peach - peeled, sliced
1 cup strawberries

Blend greens and tea until smooth
Add peach and blend.
Add strawberries and blend.

Ok, I realize there's nothing original about potato salad and a smoothie. (Though I was rather pleased with my idea to mix bean dip and yogurt for a salad dressing.) It wasn't the uniqueness of the lunch that I found so satisfying, it was the spontaneous creativity involved in preparing it. That, and the fact that it kept the leftovers and the odds-and-ends in my fridge from going to waste. Not bad work for someone who generally isn't a morning person.