Farmers' Market is in full swing! Lots of yummy vegetables are coming inn and plenty of ripe fruit as well! Me and Audrey are in an extremely busy season and do not expect be able to come back out to Market until September, but there is still lots to see at The Hitching Lot Farmers' Market downtown Columbus!

                                                                                  

 

                                                                       

                                                                              

                                                                  Farmers' Market schedule

                                                                           Directions

Make your own edible arrangment

We had a tea party/brunch for Mother's Day and one of the very neat things we made was an edible arrangement. Not only would we have to drive to pick, but we would have to pay $$$ a great deal more than if we just made it! I figured that we save at least $72 by making our own!                                                          So this is what you'll need to make your own edible arrangement:
Fruit (I would suggest grapes, pineapple, watermelon, honey dew, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, peaches.... stay away from fruit that is really soft, like bananas!)
skewers (12''-18'')
A large vase, basket, or decorative container
Foam (To support/hold the skewers)
Chocolate chips for melting (Optional)
Kale or Lettuce for covering the foam around the base

Wash all the fruit (Use a drop or two of grapefruit seed oil, more on that later!)

Cut your fruit into wedges, balls, cubes, and other fun shapes! (We used a cookie cutter to make heart and star shapes.) 

 Place the strawberries on the skewers and dip in chocolate. I then had an extra vase or two on hand to place the strawberries in rather than laying them down on a pan. (That would make an undesirable flat side on the strawberry!)

 

This was the final product!  Amazing!

 

I would like to say that a little creativity goes a long way on projects like these, and that this was Audrey's project (except for the strawberry dipping ;D) and she did an amazing job!

                                           

Grand-Opening

It's that time again! Farmer's Market Grand-Opening - Saturday, May 12th from 7:00am - 10:00am at Hitching Lot Farmer's Market corner of 2nd Ave. & 2nd St. North, downtown Columbus. Come and join us!

                                                                       
What to expect this week at the Market:

Strawberries
Squash
Tomatoes
Radishes
Turnips
Swiss Chard
Kale
Black Berries

                                                         

Eggs
Honey
Canned goods
Candies

 

                                                     

Fresh flowers
Tomato plants

                                                                                  

                                                             

                                                    
Crafts 
Jewelry

Biscuits w/Sausage or Bacon
Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Apple Cinnamon Scones
Lemon Blueberry Scones
Sausage/Egg/Cheese Breakfast Burritos
Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread
Italian Loaf  (below)

 

                                                               
Extras:
Suzuki Strings (entertainment)
Entertainment & Crafts for the kids
                                                             

And just as a little side note, Simply Sweet will be using fresh-ground wheat, local honey, local blueberries, local sausage, local eggs, and local bacon.... yum!! Can't wait to see ya there!

Coo-Coo for Coconuts

There are so many amazing facts about coconuts (oil)! Some of the benefits of coconuts (oil) include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc. http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
To see how lauric acid works in you body click HERE. 
So I thought I'd go into some more detail about what and how coconut oil benefits your body. 

Heart Diseases:                                                                                                       There is a misconception spread among many people that coconut oil is not good for the heart. This is because it contains a large quantity of saturated fats. However, coconut oil is beneficial for the heart. It contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil are not harmful as it happens in case of other vegetables oils. It does not lead to increase in LDL levels. It also reduces the incidence of injury in arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis. 

Weight Loss

Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes systems. Further, it increases the body metabolism by removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not fat, obese or overweight.

Healing and Infections

When applied on infections, it forms a chemical layer which protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil is most effective on bruises as it speeds up the healing process by repairing damaged tissues.
Infections: Coconut oil is very effective against a variety of infections due to its anti-fungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. According to the Coconut Research Center, coconut oil kills viruses that cause influenza, measles, etc. It also kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, etc. Coconut oil is also effective on fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, etc.

Stress Relief: Coconut oil is very soothing and hence it helps in removing stress. Applying coconut oil to the head followed with a gentle massage helps in removing mental fatigue.
Diabetes: Coconut oil helps in controlling blood sugar, and improves the secretion of insulin. It also helps in effective utilization of blood glucose, thereby preventing and treating diabetes
Dental Care: Calcium is an important element present in teeth. Since coconut oil facilitates absorption of calcium by the body, it helps in getting strong teeth. Coconut oil also stops tooth decay.
Liver: The presence of medium chain triglycerides and fatty acids helps in preventing liver diseases as they substances are easily converted into energy when they reach the liver, thus reducing work load on the liver and also preventing accumulation of fat.
Kidney: Coconut oil helps in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases. It also helps in dissolving kidney stones.

Hair Care:

Coconut oil is one of the best natural nutrition for hair. It helps in healthy growth of hair providing them a shiny complexion. Regular massage of the head with coconut oil ensures that your scalp is free of dandruff, lice, and lice eggs, even if your scalp is dry. Coconut oil is extensively used in the Indian sub-continent for hair care. Most of the people in these countries apply coconut oil on their hair daily after bath. It is an excellent conditioner and helps in the re-growth of damaged hair. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair. It is therefore used as hair care oil and used in manufacturing various conditioners, and dandruff relief creams. Coconut oil is normally applied topically for hair care.

There are many more facts to share, for more go here http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html

How to use Coconut Oil.
If you are using coconut oil for topical purposes, especially hair care, just melt the oil (if it is solid) by keeping the bottle in the sun or warm water. You can also take some coconut oil out and put it in a small bowl and heat the bowl over a flame (do not use microwave). Then take the oil on your palm and apply it to your hair. If you want to use it for internal consumption, simply replace butter or vegetable oils with coconut oil in your recipes. Remember, you need not switch to coconut oil completely, as you will miss the benefits of other oils and dairy products.
Practical uses for Coconut Oil.
Most oil in baked goods can be replaced with coconut oil.
Coconut oil is grate as a vegetable shortening replacement! 
Some use coconut oil in homemade deodorant Click here for recipe .
We use it as moisturizers - Tropical Traditions has the best coconut cream! http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/organic_moisturizing_creams.htm

Where to get coconut oil?
THE ONLY PLACE TO GET IT IS Tropical Traditions !!!!!!
You can find oodles of really cool/yummy/creamy/feel good/amazing coconut products there!!!!!!

Bits and pieces of this article are written by Kiran Patil

Heaven!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

I must admit I make some killer Blueberry Streusel Muffins, but I also must admit, I simply use a Southern Living recipe from my trusted cookbook, "The Ultimate Southern Living cookbook". I think what makes my muffins *killer* is that fact that I use fresh-ground wheat, local blueberries, add oats, and use coconut oil (Which I need to post about the good in coconut oil soon!). So here it goes!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins.....My Way!!!!

Prep 15 Minutes        Cook: 18 Minutes

Yields: 12- 16

Per Muffin: Calories 219      Fat 8.9g    Cholesterol 24mg    Sodium 266mg

To do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees f. Grease muffin tins or line them

Mix these ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Set aside.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use fresh-ground)

1/2 cup oats (optional)

1 tablespoon baking powder (aluminum-free baking powder, more on that later.)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1/2 teaspoon ginger (optional)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind = lemon zest (optional, but bad choice if omitted ; D )

Note: Orange or lime zest WILL NOT substitute for lemon zest!!!! 

Combine: 

1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup coffee (optional, use milk if you don't have coffee)

1/3 cup coconut oil, or olive oil, or melted butter 

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. 

Stir in:

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (This is 2x the original amount, but you would be sad if you only put 1 cup!)

Note: some people toss their blueberries in flour to prevent discoloration in the batter..... I like the homemade look!

 Note:  and nuts if you want. I love nuts, but I don't think they belong in these muffins! If I were to use a nut, though, I would use lightly salted, toasted almonds in the streusel! 

Combine with fork:
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar ( I use sugar in the raw for both sugars. Why? A: because it is in big crystals and makes a nice texture, B: because we have a lot lot lot of it!!!! : D )
1 1/2 tablespoons flour (I do use white : /  .... should I have admitted to that???)
3 - 4 tablespoons oats
1 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Fill greased muffins tins two-thirds the way full. Sprinkle with streusel and bake for 15-18 minutes @ 400 

Now inhale deeply the smell of pure yummyness! 

And for those of you, who like me, fall in love with these muffins and idolize them, here are a few things you might also like : D !!!

Blueberry Muffin Earrings

Blueberry Muffin Candle

Blueberry Muffin Soap

Blueberry Muffin Chap-stick

Blueberry Muffin Purse

.... and of coarse, Blueberry Muffin tattoo

 

and for those who want to take a less drastic approach

 

 I hope you all enjoy this recipe! I absolutely love it!!!! I freeze mine, store them in freezer bags, and heat them in the microwave for 30 sec when I want one...... and, yes, they are still amazing!