 |
|
|
Every Saturday, from 8am-1pm in downtown Riverside, our local farmer's market sets up shop between Mission Avenue and the Riverside Convention Center. You will find some of the best organic produce, breads, cheeses, flowers, plants, herbs and even fresh fish for sale. The colors, flavors and smells will absolutely blow your mind. And it's all brought in by local farmers. My family and I decided to check it out because we hadn't been in a while. We picked up some fresh strawberries, avocados, strawberry-banana bread, organic pomegranate juice (it's good for you and we even got to sample the different kinds before we bought), oranges (being from Riverside, these are ALWAYS good) and some fabulous garlic, rosemary and thyme infused Ambrosia extra virgin olive oil. All this was under $30. It was fabulous. We have been nibbling on our goodies since Saturday. We had fresh-sliced strawberries on the strawberry-banana bread with a dollop of whipped cream on top for dessert on Saturday night and pomegranate juice with breakfast. I rubbed the garlic olive oil all over a whole fryer chicken and roasted it until it was crispy brown in our oven for dinner tonight. The olive oil kept the juices inside, making the meat juicy. Hungry yet? Here are some of the photos my son took for me while we were there so I could share with you fine folks:
The great thing about supporting my local Riverside farmers market is that, since all produce, fruits, flowers and herbs are grown locally, it takes less gas to ship them in. It also supports the local economy by keeping money here in the community and giving the farmers a platform to sell their wares. Many cities across the country offer up farmers markets in their towns. You really should check them out. It's also a great place to meet your neighbors. We even found two great places to eat while wandering through the downtown Riverside area: The Upper Crust sandwich shop (the heavenly aroma of baking bread hits you dead on in the face before you even walk through the door) and Gram's Mission BBQ, a small, family-owned BBQ joint with dishes like cajun catfish and good ol' Louisiana hot links. If you ever find yourself wandering around Riverside CA on a Saturday morning, come check out the farmers market. If you aren't in the area, check out the local farmers market in your neck of the woods. You can't go wrong!
Heather Chavez - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!
