Back Home - Farmers Market!

Farmers Market! Summer is here and it is in full swing!

Santa Barbara Tuesday on State St.

Santa Barbara Tuesday on State St.

Farmers Market is the best way to acquire food short of gardening and farming yourself! I am very fortunate to be in an area where the Farmers Market is very strong in the area and well attended. Wherever you are if you have not found your market yet please do! Facebook has a page: I Support Farmers Market. "There are 6132 local Farmers Markets in the US. There are only 4100 Walmarts. Farmers Markets and local Farming help regions be self sufficient and promote safe food. Farmers Markets provide more Organic Choice and CSA. Join & share this."

Living here in Santa Barbara here are a couple of great references: Santa Barbara's Farmer Markets. A Farmers Market nearly every day here, my two favorite days being Saturday and Tuesday. (Pictures are from Tuesday on lower State St.) Another is Edible Santa Barbara and I certainly should mention and plug Santa Barbara's SOL Festival coming up Oct 2. "Sol Food Festival is a one day community created festival to raise awareness of the Sustainable, Organic and Local food systems of Santa Barbara County."

One of the must stop is to visit the sprout booth and Norma. I think a third of my veggies come from this very booth!

Sprouts - The living food! Vital good for you and I!

This booth is well supported and they stay busy serving the public!

I owe Norma's dad (the founder) along with herself a world or perpetual thanks. I hope to visit her soon in Ojai and tour her small farm operation. There are many reasons today why I choose to patronize Norma (I do sprout my own Buckwheat Groats). One big reason is that her farm is on well water whereas I just have city tap water and do not have my own filtration yet. Another big reason is the diversity of choice. My kitchen would be overran with sprout jars to have the variety I have now grown accustomed to.

Norma has now taken on the business from her dad; growing and marketing.

Sprouting of course is generally the easiest gardening you will ever undertake. Here are some references: Sproutman Publications, Good Sprout News, Sprout People.

Sprouts certainly can be eaten raw and is great for salads and sandwichs. However if you cook consider simply putting sprouted lentils on top of rice as it finishes providing a light steaming. All of the raw foods I make like flatbreads have a large portion of sprouts as part of its recipes.

My Treasures! Micro Green Mix, A basic salad mix, pumpkin and sunflower sprouted seeds, sprouted lentils.