Spring is Just Around the Corner, and Plans for the Collinsville Farmers' Market are Underway; Voluteers are Sought

The best thing about winter--indeed, perhaps the only good thing about winter--may be that it makes us appreciate spring.  This morning I am thankful that March has arrived and that it is supposed to warm up to a wopping 39 degrees today.  It is sunny, to boot!  And, when I think about sun, I think about all of the spring vegetables that will turn that beautiful sunlight into food and that are soon going to fill my plate:

Crisp green asparagus, steamed and doused in extra virgin olive oil and salt, tender artichoke leaves dipped in lemony mayonnaise, spring onions and leeks swirled into potato soup and sliced into salads, and fresh spring peas sauteed in butter and mint.  These are the things I think about as I gear up for the Collinsville Farmers' Market, whose planning has been in the works now since December.

I think about Tom, from Hard Rain Farm, who purchased several hundred dollars' worth of seeds last month that will soon become our food for the next six months and about Mark from Wild Carrot Farm, whose sign has been promising for too long now to see me next year.  Well, it is next year!  The market farmers and other vendors meet on March 10 to gear up for the market, which opens on June 12. 

In the meantime, if you would like to get involved yourself and volunteer at the market, you can email collinsvillefarmersmarket@gmail.com and write "Volunteer" in the subject line.  Volunteers get to help set up the market booth, sell aprons, t-shirts, and sweatshirts, and field questions from market goers.  Plus, volunteers have time to do their own shopping, chat with the farmers and other vendors, and swap recipes for all of the luscious vegetables and fruits.  The market is open to the public from 10:00-1:00 every Sunday from mid-June through mid-October.  Volunteers help out from 9:30-1:30 on whichever Sundays they choose. 

So, I know there are several things to look forward to today as the March sun melts the winter snow.  Spring vegetables, and farmers' markets, and good conversations and swapped food stories that come from volunteering.  Winter is good, indeed.

Do you know how chicken nuggets are made? A Quick Lesson from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

One of our readers emailed us this link to a Huffington Post article about how chicken nugget meat is processed, which reminded me of an episode from Jamie Oliver's, show Food Revolution.  I literally almost gagged while watching it, but it was an important lesson.


In the above clip from his show Food Revolution, Jamie Oliver shows little kids how a chicken is ground up (bits of bone, feathers, meat, and all) in a machine to make a pink paste, then mixed with flavorings and stabilizers to make it edible before being formed into patties.  As you can see from the clip, chicken nuggets are no longer real food but instead are a disgusting substance--who would want to eat that?!

Take the CT Eats Local Pledge!

Welcome to CT Eats Local!  We are excited to have this site up and running and hope that you will stay awhile and share your information and comments about Connecticut food.  Please join our community by becoming a follower and by taking the CT Eats Local pledge.  

Take the Connecticut Eats Local pledge to help build more engaged, healthy, and sustainable communities by:

• educating yourself about the food you eat:  where it comes from, who grows it, and how it is grown; 
• making food choices based on the knowledge you gain from educating yourself about our food; and
• educating others about our food in a non-intrusive manner so that others can make knowledgeable food choices.

Yes, you CAN take the pledge even if you are not a CT resident.

TAKE THE PLEDGE!