2 days of local goodness

Yesterday afternoon, after I got home from cleaning with the toxic chemicals, I went on a looong and beautiful walk (is everyone else enjoying this weather as much as me? it's sooo gorgeous!) down to the Eastside Portland Farmers' Market (located at SE 20th and Salmon, Thursdays, 3:30-7:30 pm). It was their opening day. I've never actually been there before, so it was a treat to see it and to support the local farms. Man, did they have some delicious selections. I picked up so much goodness, and for such a low price. There were carrots, beets, potatoes, leeks, vegan truffles (YES!), not to mention live music and prepared food and breads as well. My favorite was the fresh strawberries. They were organic and $3.50 per little container (I can't remember what those are called). I ate the entire contents of the container before I even got back to my apartment, which was about 2.5 miles away. They were just that good. There's something so lovely about fresh fruit that has been picked the day you eat it. It's warm, so sweet, and really irresistible. 

On the way home (after finishing off my strawberries, of course), I stopped into India 4 U, which has fairly recently moved from Hawthorne to Belmont. Their space seems to have been reduced by 90%, but it's amazing how they really squish all their items into the little place. Anyways, I told the clerk that I wanted to figure out some food and he was gung-ho on setting me up with all the ingredients and a recipe for dal. It was great! Now I'm all set, although, with the weather being so warm, I doubt I'll be eating the warm lentils for a while...

Then, today, my friend and I went to Bob's Red Mill in Milwaukie to pick up some bulk items. It was my first time there, but I've always been a big Bob's fan. I bought a Whole Foods bag-full of bulk oatmeal, sesame seeds (I plan on making homemade hummus), fresh-ground peanut butter, flax seeds, and brown rice, and it only cost me $9! YES! Supporting local farms and food seems easier than ever, but that's also because it's May and the fresh food is plentiful. Now I just have to learn how to buy large amounts and preserve them for the colder months.