A Farmers' Market convenes every Saturday in the Splash Pad Park near Lakeshore Boulevard less than 2 blocks from my house, offering not only fresh organic fruits and vegetable, but honey, nuts, plants, flowers, ready to eat food, clothing, massage, music, and much more. I don't go very often even though it's so close because the vegetables are expensive with the cost of transport and the certified organic status contributing some to the price.
I sometimes buy items because I like to support farmers and local food availability, although I like some providers more local than Lodi, Stockton, and Capay Valley. I bought 3 heirloom tomatoes from Wild Boar Farms, 4 exotic squash from Lucero Organic Farms, and 2 lemon cucumbers from Capay Organic. That came to about $8.00.
I went to Lakeshore Produce, 3260 Lakeshore Boulevard, and bought a few things, including some bulk dried garbanzo beans, maybe 2 cups, some dried lima beans, maybe another 2 cups, and a 16 oz. jar of Taj Ethnic Gourmet brand Calcutta Masala Simmer Sauce. The jar of sauce was $4.29, and the whole purchase was about $7.00. Link to Ethnic Gourmet products
Another Indian food product I like that is available at Lakeshore Produce is Patak's Taste of India: http://pataksusa.com/products/
These simmering sauces are a quick way to make a tasty meal with next to no preparation.
The heirloom tomatoes from Wild Boar Farms are delicious and my favorite purchase, so much more flavorable than those that are bred to be perfectly round and solid red. I really recommend these tomatoes. Link to Wild Boar Farms, Suisun: http://wildboarfarms.com/wild-boar-farms-tomato.html
Link to Lucero Organic Farms, Lodi
Link to Capay Organic Farm, Capay Valley (a beautiful valley to visit) http://www.capayorganic.com/
I took these things home, and put about a cup and a half of the dried lima beans into the crock pot before going off to Chinatown to buy a few more things.
With very little money, say $10.00, I can by a lot of vegetables in Chinatown, in fact, so many that I haven't used up all of the vegetables I bought the last time. I just bought a few things-3 good-sized oriental eggplant, 3 long carrots, a large head of Romaine lettuce ($0.49; 3 for $1.10), and some a pound of Chinese broccoli. This all came to $3.00 even.
The Chinese broccoli is excellent and is mostly leaf and fleshy stem that is never tough; an excellent buy.
I began shopping for vegetables in Chinatown after borrowing a library book showing all the types of Chinese vegetables and giving their names. Oversimplifying some, but 3 major classes are the cabbages with various types of bok choy alone, the rapes ( I know, I don't like the name of this class of plant) which include leafy vegetables like the Chinese broccoli and a bunch of others, and a bunch of squash types that are called melons. They are not sweet, fruit melons, but squashes or pumkins for soups. There are many other types of vegetables and fruits such as amaranth, watercress, and the usual things you buy in the chain grocery stores. I think the book I used might be out of print, but this book by Rosa Lo San Ross looks like a fair equivalent covering possibly fewer varieties.
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Bok-Choy-Cooks-Vegetables/dp/1885183232/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310914041&sr=1-3
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Bok-Choy-Cooks-Vegetables/dp/1885183232/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310914041&sr=1-3
For gardeners, you might try this book by Geri Harrington:
NOTE: At this time, I am not getting paid by any company for endorsing products, and I would only accept paid endorsements for products actually used and liked. I am a little upset that Amazon is not paying local affiliates as part of its disgruntlement with the State of California wanting to collect sales tax on internet sales, but that said, rural people get great access to books through Amazon.com.
Then I ate a Sticky Rice Tamal, some pork in probably orange sauce, and a soda at Sum Yee Pastry shop, 912 Webster Street, where a variety of things are available in more variety and better prices than those at the Chinese chain restaurants you find in suburbs. Communication is a little slow and with repetition before I get what I want, but the value is good, and I think it's good to get outside one's linguistic comfort zone occasionally. That came to about $5.50, an was a lot better than McDonald's.
When I got home, I made a Succotash Soup.
RECIPE: THIS-ISN'T-YOUR-MOTHER'S-SUCCOTASH SOUP
About 1 1/2 cups of dried lentil beans, cooked in the crock pot with enough water that they won't burn while out of the house.
1/4 white onion, chopped
2 medium to large heirloom tomatoes
1 medium zucchini squash, chopped up but not too fine
1 yellow summer squash, also chopped as above
1/2 red bell pepper
7 0z. drained, canned corn
1 small potato, peeled and diced
1 serrano chile, seeds removed
1 California bay leaf
pepper, and salt to taste
chopped cilantro, added before serving
It's as easy as can be, but it's important to cook the lima beans thoroughly before you add tomato because it will stop the beans from cooking completely.
World's Healthiest Foods- Lima Beans link
We have quite a few options to choose from, and if you have a yard, you can grow a bit yourself.
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