One of my favorite things to do with my family is going on a weekend Farmer’s market trip either locally or wherever we may be (when we are on a trip). I enjoy looking at each stall showcasing their handcrafted products or organically grown produce and/or plants.
We take time walking and enjoying all the “free-taste” offered by each seller. My kids get to taste the products and naturally, they ask us to buy more for them to consume on other days. While we look around what’s available during the season, my husband and I get to plan what we want to cook together, weekday meal plans for the family and the entire weeks’ school and/or work lunch ideas.
Because going to the Farmer’s Market is more economical and healthy, we get to enjoy our food budget with freedom to purchase what is needed and wanted, making our weekend mornings an enjoyable family errand, street food, food exploration day.
One might say, it’s still expensive to go to a Farmer’s Market because only organically grown produce are available and these products are pricier than produce sold by bulk at big supermarkets. Well, I learned from my own personal experience that buying all kinds of meat products and stocking processed food is the main reason why my food budget is exhausted easily. When my family eats fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables, minimize our consumption of meat products and a lot of those “boxed goodies”, we have more spending money left to buy these all-natural foodstuff.
Enjoy the photos I took and imagine yourself at a Farmer’s Market.
For more information about Orange County Certified Farmer’s Market, just like the link. Photos below were taken at the Saturday Irvine Farmer Market located at the Mariner’s Church parking lot.
Bought some fresh Cauliflowers for my cauliflower soupBerries are everywhere!!! I bought some for my pancakes…Always stock up some Hass Avocados for salads, breakfast, snacks, smoothies, etc.Kale and Chard for our Detox JuicingI am never out of Onions… Red Onions are great for salads…Another necessity, Lemons are high in Vitamin C and is needed almost everyday in my kitchen.My Asian ingredient that’s always available in my kitchen, Ginger!! I use it for juicing, soups, stir-fry, steamed fish, etc.Everybody loves spinach!! I know someone who can’t live without it – POPEYE!!!As requested by my little girl, we got some Yellow Peaches. It says “More sweet than my Mother’s Love,” to me, it was sweet but nothing beats my Mommy’s love 🙂Very slim carrots for our Detox JuiceBeautiful Orchids for sale!!Plants for sale too! This is where I got my beautiful Bougainvilleas…Daikon radish very cheap and nutritious… I use this on soups and simple Japanese grated daikonCherries were everywhere!!!My little girl enjoying the wide variety of “Free-Taste,” this is her favorite thing to do when we go to Farmer’s Markets… who wouldn’t enjoy doing this?Kohrabi is a German Turnip. I pickle this, great as appetizer!Fancy tomatoes.. Fancy mixing this into your salad?Vegetable explorer! She loves discovering special fruits and vegetables…Another attention-grabber, red radishes… beautiful and fresh. Easy to add on salads and stews…It’s a must to always but a bouquet here… Price in the stores are 3 time more expensive!Although my eldest daughter doesn’t enjoy eating these (Bitter Gourd Leaves/Dahon ng Ampalaya), she still tries her best to eat some to test her capacity to eat different tastes and textures.. I am so proud of her!Final stop… my coffee from freshly ground organic coffee beans. This is LIFE!!!Some street food vendors at the end of the market for people to enjoy and relax…
Nilagang Mani (Boiled peanuts) is a very economical snack available everywhere in the Philippines. Memories of traveling by bus with my Mom going to Pangasinan or Baguio City.. Mommy buys me a bag of boiled peanuts and boiled eggs to snack on during the long road trip.
It’s very common to see street peddlers in Manila selling these boiled peanuts. Sometimes, they come in pre-packed brown bags and peddlers would quickly load a tour bus to sell to travelers for their long bus ride to the provinces.
Recently, my husband and I bought a small pack of these boiled peanuts from an Asian store and knowing that my eldest daughter loves to eat this too, I was inspired to make some from my kitchen in order to save money, control the saltiness of the peanuts and add more seasoning to make the boiled peanuts more aromatic and flavorful.
Street peddler posted online by Richard Macalino
Here’s my very simple recipe:
Ingredients:
2 lbs. raw Peanuts
1/4 cup salt
5 pods of Chinese Star Anise
1 tbsp. Garlic powder
Cooking Procedure:
Wash raw peanuts well. In a large stock pot, add raw peanuts and cover it with water or fill the pot until it’s about more than half way filled. Add salt and start boiling. When the water in on a rolling boil, add star anise and garlic powder. You can add more or put less depending on your taste. Continue to boil covered for 2 hours.
Turn off the heat after 2 hours and leave the peanuts to cool down with the salted water.
After 3-5 hours, drain and your boiled peanuts are ready! Enjoy!
It’s truly a healthy and fun snack for the whole family. Making a big batch is a good idea. It holds well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, even up to 5 days. You will find boiled peanuts from Asian markets but I think it’s more fun to just make some at home.
Raw peanuts soaked in water with salt ready for boilingHealthy boiled peanuts great for snacking
2014 was the year I feasted my eyes with local Filipino food at the Centris Weekend Market in Quezon City, Manila. This is a place where my sister would go every early Sunday morning to get her produce and ready-cooked Filipino food for a simple weekend treat.
It was a super humid day but I forgot about my sweaty nape and back, just by staring at all the local delicacies and fresh Filipino vegetable varieties.
Without a doubt, I had to have my Taho (soybean pudding with brown sugar syrup and sago pearls), my cheese and ube (yam) flavored Sorbetes (local Pinoy “dirty” street ice cream — it’s NOT dirty, it’s just the way Filipinos got used to calling it), my coffee Barako (fresh local Batangas coffee) and my Lumpiang Sariwa/Ubod (Vegetable egg rolls from the heart of Banana palms wrapped in crepe, served with sweet sauce infused with fresh minced garlic and ground roasted peanuts).
This is a must-see, a must-visit and a must-experience place to go to for all the Balikbayans going to Quezon City.
Mamang Sorbetero. Order your ice cream on a cup, a cake cone or a bun!! Yes, a BUN!
Arurusip (seaweed) and Manila Clams
Local Roasted Cashew nutsWild Pig and Deer Tapas (Dried or Cured Meat)Sugar-Apple or Atis in Filipino… Childhood memories eating this for snack.Variety of Dried & Smoked FishReady to eat deep fried snack varieties (Fish, Pork belly, Ukoy, etc)Heart-attack in a tray (Deep fried Pork skin and fat)Exotic roasted CalfMy favorite Filipino Pork Barbecue in a Stick!! A must eat for everyone.Fried here, fried there, fried everywhere!!! Time to eat! Great with Spicy vinegar dipping sauce.
DOYDY.COM 