Farmers Market was Open

I have been really yearning for some honest to goodness fresh vegetables for a while now.  The stores have been understandably sorely lacking in that department and I found out that our local farmers market was still taking place in a shopping center parking lot in town.

I donned a pair of thin gloves for protection and went on Saturday when it opened in the morning.  Although I could not find any eggs that hubby wanted me to get, I was able to get loads of vegetables to satisfy my fresh veggie withdrawal.

I picked up beets, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, carrots, scallions and also got some local honey and fresh strawberries. Although one of the fingers of one glove got a hole in it, I was still very pleased with my purchases and there weren't a lot of people there at the time I went.  

A spinach salad with carrots, scallions and califlouwer was in order for lunch! :)

Then I blanched and froze most of the vegetables to have as sides with dinner for the next few weeks. I did the carrots this evening after work.  I feel much better about the vegetable situation now!

Fresh Spinach Salad 

Blanching broccoli and cauliflower

Beets cooling after blanching

Chopped carrots, ready for draining and freezing

Near the end of March..

I know it has been over a month since I blogged and that was not intentional.

Things at work were getting busier and then I went to visit my granddaughter the first weekend in March after the news of the virus spreading to the US was increasing.

I hope that everyone reading this is safe and well and did not have anyone close to you pass away from this horrible covid-19 pandemic.  It is really a scary situation and it is hard to not be worried about everyone's future.  I feel such respect and frustration (empathy) for the areas hardest hit and the hospitals and doctors/nurses, etc., trying to deal with the lack of equipment, masks, beds, all the things that are so badly needed.

I am grateful that my loved ones are healthy and safe and I hope they remain that way.  My oldest is pregnant and due the beginning of October.  She has a lot of nausea from the pregnancy but hopefully it will go away very soon.

The stores have been picked over by hoarders over and over unfortunately and there are several items that are rarely available.  Hubby was waiting outside one of the three grocery stores in town at 5:30am to try to get some things we needed last Tuesday.  He didn't get everything but was able to get some ground beef and chicken. Our county is on a 'stay at home' order and nothing but essential businesses/services are open right now.

I was happy to find out that the Farmers Market (food is essential) was still going on and was open this morning. It is held in a shopping center parking lot.  I got there when it opened to try to avoid crowds.  I wore a pair of thin gloves that we happen to have but I did get a hole in one of the fingers so it didn't really help that much.  I really was missing getting fresh vegetables and was so happy to get broccoli, beets, carrots, spinach, cabbage, strawberries, and a few other things I can't recall now.  I plan to blanch and freeze small portions of much of the vegetables so that I can pull out what I want to heat up to go with dinners.  We have only had canned vegetables for a while and that is just not the same.

Hubby and I are staying at home for the most part except for shopping for food.  We used a curbside pick up today which went pretty well and we are going to try a delivery service too.  I really don't like him going out at all because he has lung issues from having smoked so many years so I would consider him high risk.  

I am, as I'm sure we all are, looking so forward to being on the other side of this monster!!