Friday Farmer's Market

Well, Bailey and I got a late start to the Farmers Market today. We arrived around 10am, and it was PACKED! It was difficult to find parking. I had grand visions of buying a ton of greens for green smoothies from my favorite organic farmer, but he was completely sold out. I was happy to see radishes, because I have apples & fennel at home and was planning an apple-radish-fennel salad, but as I was picking up the LAST Florida onion, another woman picked up the last bunch of radishes. Darn!

So- lesson learned- next time, arrive when they open!

Help Yourself in Key West

Today's post is about an awesome vegan/raw/healthy cafe in Key West.

Ever since I saw this video from Kevin and Annmarie Gianni about the Help Yourself cafe, I've wanted to go there.

That opportunity finally arrived. Earlier this month, my good friend Rebecca and I headed to Key West for a short day trip to ring in the New Year. We were in Key West for less than 24 hours, but Help Yourself was top on the list of places to go : )

We arrived via ferry about 3pm.

Before the trip, I had called Help Yourself cafe (twice) just to make sure they would be open on New Years Eve. They were- but only until 4pm. So, we headed straight there (walking, you know, since we got there by boat), and made it just in the nick of time.

Signs with veggies and organic food make me happy :)

I love their slogan: Food As it Should Be (you know, food)

They have a large selection of hot or cold items, cooked, raw, gluten free, and/or vegan. All fresh and made to order. It was really difficult to decide which to order. Salad or smoothie? Cooked or raw?

I first decided on the raw vegan taco salad. I made a rookie mistake, and I'm almost embarrassed to admit it here. I looked at the ingredients, and I made assumptions that I shouldn't have. I know better than that. Good grief, do I know better. Of course I ordered the salad with no tomatoes, and no corn. I assumed the "brazil nut taco meat" was the same type of nut taco meat I make at home. But, as soon as I got the salad, I could tell that the taco meat was likely not something I could eat, either. My heart sank. I felt SO bad. I didn't want to bring the salad back in, because it was my mistake for not asking about every single ingredient. Like I said, I know better.

But... I couldn't take the chance. We were pretty much stuck on an island, with the whole night ahead of us, no other food choices (other than the dried fruit and rice cakes I always travel with in my bag) and I just could NOT be sick! Not only would it ruin New Years for me, but I didn't want to do that to Rebecca. So, I sheepishly went back in to the restaurant and asked about the ingredients in the salad. Sure enough, it contained sunflower and something else (I can't remember now) that I definitely could not eat. It was all natural and organic, there was nothing wrong with the ingredients, they just happened to be ingredients that I am allergic to.

I was so sad.

This is the part where I tell you how awesome this restaurant is. The owner offered to make me something else, at no charge. Really! I felt really bad about that, since it was my own mistake, and here they were cleaning up behind the counter and getting ready to leave. But she said it was no problem, and my growling stomach urged me to accept her very kind offer. So, I then ordered the "Ancient Secret" salad (and asked about ALL of the ingredients, including the dressing- which I couldn't eat, but she gave me some olive oil and vinegar on the side). The salad was fabulous: mixed greens topped with quinoa, gogi berries, almonds, chick peas, and apples. So. good.

Rebecca got the "Mighty Marinara"- which looked and smelled delicious, and she said it was yummy.

The food was great, the dining area was cheery and comfortable, the weather was perfect, and it was a beautiful start to the New Year. I am so glad we had the chance to try this great little cafe. Here are some more photos:

Extended seating area on the patio. I think this is also where they have a weekly Farmer's Market.

Fun food facts, to browse while you wait.

You can visit the Help Yourself web site here. You can also follow them on Facebook. The food is great, the atmosphere is cheery, and the staff is wonderful. Should you visit Key West, be sure to stop by and at least grab a smoothie.

More Key West photos- these guys are not at Help Yourself, but you can find fresh coconuts several places on the island:

Yes, they literally harvest the coconuts from the palm trees, and crack them open for you right there. Yum. Coconut water is extremely refreshing. Unlike coconut milk (which is actually the meat and water of the coconut combined) coconut water has no taste. It tastes like water. 

Coconut water is fat-free, cholesterol-free, full of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphate) and also contains small amounts of many essential amino acids. Think of it as Nature's Gatorade. And how much better to get it in Nature's packaging (the coconut) than after it's been processed, bottled, canned, and stored on the grocery store shelf. Right?

You can't beat the sunset at the Southernmost Point in the USA: 

So pretty:

OK, that's it for the Key West summary. I do hope you have the chance to visit. I would like to return, because we didn't get to see everything during our short visit- although it was perfect for New Year's.

Just looking at these photos brings back happy memories :)

Ocean Beach Farmers' Market

Persimmons were everywhere!

I am VERY behind on blog posts.... 

I haven't yet had a chance to share with all of you about my California trip at the end of October. I simply have to tell you how much I LOVE California. Do you want to know why? Because I can eat just about ANYWHERE without a ton of pre-planning and bringing my own food along everywhere I go.

I wonder if the people who live in California realize how unusual that is? As someone who does not live in a place with a plethora of health food choices, it simply blows my mind that everywhere we went, there were restaurants, markets, and grocers who carry whole foods, gluten-free, allergy-friendly, health foods, vegan foods... whatever your specific dietary need or preference may be... you can (easily!) find a place to accommodate it in California. Amazing.

At least that has been my experience in the Bay area in Northern California, and most recently, in the San Diego surrounding area.

During this trip to San Diego, I started taking photos of all of the places that offered "gluten free", "raw" or "vegan" choices- and then finally just stopped taking photos of all of those places- because it was, quite literally, just about everywhere. Heaven.

Here are some photos from the Ocean Beach Farmers' Market- which, by the way, is one of the coolest Farmers' Markets I've ever been to. First of all, Ocean Beach is a cool little surf town, right on the ocean, and a great opportunity for people-watching. The Farmers' Market is Wednesday evenings after work. They shut down the main street, and patrons stroll through the street and sidewalks to shop, eat, and listen to live music. They had a live band at each end of the street. There was art, music, jewelry, tons of prepared foods, and, of course, farm fresh meats, eggs, and produce.

All of the amazing food still made me wish I could eat just anything and everything- but there was enough for me to choose from that I certainly did not go hungry. I brought more back to the condo from this Farmers Market than I can typically find at Whole Foods at home. It was awesome.

View from one end of Farmers' Market. It was a cloudy overcast day, but still busy at the Farmers Market

Fresh fruit juices 

Fresh fruit salads just like you get from the street vendors in Mexico.
You could even get sea salt or chili on top, like they serve it in Mexico. Nice!

Trying on a fish hat :)

The rock-n-roller in me appreciated the guitar pick earrings :)

Gut-healthy, immune-building artisan fermented foods

I purchased a jar of organic caraway apple sauerkraut from this vendor and ate it all week. It was yummy. And for eco-points, she even offers $1 credit next time if you return your jar.

Peaches- in late October!

Local, cage-free, hormone and antibiotic-free eggs

Mushrooms 

I don't think there was anything you couldn't get at this market.

I didn't see dairy. But then, I wasn't looking for it. It is quite possible there may have been local cheeses there. There were also local, pasture fed, hormone and antibiotic free meats- both prepared (i.e. artisan salami) and just regular meats (ribs, bacon, etc) to take home and make yourself.

Many of the booths had "No Sprays" signs like this indicating they do not use chemical pesticides or herbicides- but they are not Certified Organic (many small farms find organic certification too costly and the paperwork too time consuming). Of course, there really is no way to know for sure, you simply have to trust your vendor. But they are all very nice, and knowledgable, and do not seem to mind if you ask questions. When you live local and shop the Farmers' Markets you do get to know your vendors. I noticed several of these farms had farm tours where you could go see where your food is grown. So, my feeling is that the "no spray" is likely true. While I try to buy organic, no sprays is good enough for me. I don't want toxic chemicals on my food!

Squash blossoms- I snagged a BUNCH of these! 

Here is one example of accommodating dietary preferences- even the tamale booth offered vegan and gluten free choices!

A local raw vegan restaurant had a booth at the market

One of the raw vegan options (they had several)

Don't worry... not everything in California is health food ; ) 

Time to make the donuts... 

A local gluten-free bakery

Green Smoothies!
I wonder if I could make green smoothies at our local farmers market...? 

Have you noticed that by now it is really getting dark outside? So you'll have to pardon the photos, it was the best I could do : )

More gluten-free goodies (seriously, they were everywhere)

Best. Date. Ever.
No, not THAT kind of date. Although it was a really fun evening at the Farmers' Market- that would be a good date :) But seriously- these date (fruits) were AMAZING! I've never had anything like them. They have completely ruined me for all other dates. They were locally grown, and this guy, the latest generation of this particular date plantation (which has one of the original species of dates brought over from Morocco), even had photos of the date farm and the palms, and how they harvest the fruit. It was really neat. This was absolutely my favorite booth. I wish I would have bought 5lbs of dates and brought them back with me.

More raw, vegan, and gluten free items

More super-healthy juices. You can click on any of these photos to see a larger photo, if you'd like to read the signs :)

Street musicians. Always tip musicians. It's a good thing :)

Eat Real Food

I love this poster.

Florida End-of-Summer Farmers' Market Salad

Sprouts from yesterday's Farmer's Market:

Mmmm... pardon me while I type with my mouth full... yum... yum...

I think I will call this... the Florida End-of-Summer Farmers' Market Salad...
because this is about all you can get at the Farmers' Market in Florida right now :) I think our season is almost the opposite of many others'. Everyone else gets excited for the Farmers' Market to open in the Spring, and they enjoy fresh produce all summer long. Our produce withers away in the heat, and many of our Farmers' Markets close at the end of May and re-open in October. This may also partly be due to our seasonal population changes.

I am looking forward to Fall, when we start getting more fresh veggies at the Market. Just when markets in other areas of the country are closing up for winter, ours will finally be bursting with lots of choices!

So for now... this is what we have (and it's delicious)

Salad
One head of hydroponic butter lettuce. This lettuce was living yesterday morning! You can't say that about that plastic-wrapped head of iceberg lettuce sitting in the grocery cooler ; )
Shredded carrot
A combination of fenugreek, radish, and pea sprouts

Mustard vinaigrette 
(measures approximate) 
3 Tbsp Greek (or any kind) extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp Champagne (or any kind) vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 dates
Blend.
Makes enough dressing for 2-3 large salads. Dressing will keep for a few days in the fridge.

The fenugreek sprouts are new to me. I've read about them (see NIH, SproutPeople), but had never tried them. I am really enjoying them... they seem to have a slightly nutty flavor.

Radish sprouts taste just like radishes.

Pea sprouts (aka pea shoots) taste like very green, green peas.

I cannot even tell you how delicious this salad is! I think it must be because everything is SO fresh. There is so much flavor in these veggies!

More on the health benefits of sprouts here, here and here

Farmers' Market Saturday

Quick post... didn't get much at the Farmers' Market today.

Here's the haul:

Romaine, red onion, and star fruit. Yup, that's it! I also got peaches, but those were for Priscilla. Frankly, ever since we got that case of organic peaches and I made peach everything, I don't want to see peaches again for a while : )

I am not quite sure what I'm going to make to eat this week. But in the fridge I have watermelon, yucca, and a new vegetable I've never tried before called ñame, so I'm sure those will be appearing in this week's meals. Along with a blog post about what the heck is ñame (I don't yet know).

In case you are wondering where I find my cute little dishes and other kitchen goodies- it's usually thrift stores. I stopped at a thrift store on my way home, and here's the score from there:

I've realized I'm a sucker for tiny dishes of any sort. I'm already picturing ice cream or sorbet in those little white bowls with the handles : )

I also stopped at Big Lots, and here's what I found there:

10 hose washers for $1. The garden edging was 75% off- so it came to $1.25 for each roll. I couldn't pass that up. I have big garden/yard ideas in my mind right now... we'll see if those ideas ever actually make it out to the yard, hmm. Maybe in the Fall when the weather is cooler?

Big Lots also had a nice 3-shelf greenhouse on mega-clearance for $5, which seemed like a fantastic deal, but then I figured I don't know what to do with a greenhouse anyway. It's all I can do to remember to water and trim the herbs outside, ha! And I still haven't re-planted those peas that are way too big for their container. And the spinach needs to go in a bigger container too. So, yeah, the last thing I need is a greenhouse, even if it is $5. I can't keep up with what we've already got :)

I noticed some great deals on gluten free and other health food at Big Lots (who knew???), and I'm going to blog about that later. Right now it's time to feed and walk the B-meister.

Speaking of Bailey, I returned home from today's errands to this pouty face:

Bailey was sad he didn't go along this morning. Awww. 

We'll go for an extra long walk tonight.