Durham Farmer's Market

Greg and I have been enjoying the Durham Farmer's Market a lot this year.  We started thinking about buying local once he started his job.  The reason it got in our head was because we had found a CSA that was going to be a perfect match for us.  The CSA let you 'shop' online to build your perfect week's worth of food (all locally farmed), and then you'd pick it up.  It also allowed you to cancel a week if you were going to be out of town, or if you missed the cancel by date, you could send you share that week to a local charity.  What is it that people say?  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  ha!  Well, after we paid to join, the guy in charge sent out an email saying that everyone was going to be refunded and they were not going to be able to do the CSA this year.  Boo!  

Since we had already committed to spending a certain amount per week on our CSA share, we decided to just take that money to the Farmer's Market every week and buy as much of our produce as possible there.  Now, I really look forward to getting up on Saturday morning and heading over to the Farmer's Market to shop.  I love the idea of supporting local farmers, and of course eating locally grown and farmed food is the best.  

You guys, I know that some people think it's ridiculous to spend extra money for local food, but I promise you... It is totally worth it.  The eggs that I get from the Farmer's Market are amazing, they have more flavor and they are much creamier.  The strawberries that we have been getting this season are out of this world delicious!  The best strawberries I have ever eaten.

Another perk of going to the Farmer's Market is that the local food trucks show up.  YUM!  I love getting a yummy breakfast from the food trucks!

I encourage you to seek out your local market, and give it a try.  Just take some cash with you, and buy what you think looks good.  You'll be supporting your local economy, and you'll be cooking with fresh, whole foods.  

Here's what we got one week... Eggs, strawberries, kale, sweet potatoes, asparagus, romaine lettuce, and mixed lettuces.

I was SO excited about these strawberries the first week they were at market!

Here's a shot of the food trucks lined up one week.  Yum!

Bark in the Park

The week after we got back from our trip to DC, Greg's friend at the Bulls called to let him know that they were having Bark in the Park that week.  We decided to go because when we went 2 years ago, we really enjoyed it.  I mean, our dogs act crazy initially because there are so many other dogs there, but then they get adjusted and end up relaxing.  Last time we went, I didn't pack water and a bowl for them to drink out of, and so we had to buy a bottle of water at the park for the dogs which was not ideal! 

It's actually a pretty cool event, if you have a minor league (or major) baseball team near you, then check out their promotions schedule to see if they do a Bark in the Park.  They had a bunch of local dog daycares, and vets set up with tents and information.  The company that makes the "thundershirt" is actually based in Durham, so they had a booth also.  Penni got a toy from the thundershirt people that she is obsessed with.  Overall, we had a really good time, and it was so nice having this event in April instead of July so that the dogs (and humans) didn't get so hot!

Penni checking out the other dogs

Hershee watching the game- ha!

Here's a family picture