The Real Thing

This morning started with a smoothie made from pineapple, cucumber, cilantro, coconut water, agave and vanilla.  Yum.

The cilantro came from the farmer's market, and let me say, if you haven't had really good fresh cilantro, you are missing out.  This stuff was insanely, headily fragrant.  It bore almost no resemblance to the limp, insipid stuff I've been getting at the regular market.

I admit I am a bit behind the times with the whole farmer's market thing.  Sadly, I tend to dislike most of them, because they always seem to be full of very rich, entitled, superior people waving around their all-natural hemp bags, which they had made for them personally by some poor kid in Guatemala.

I wind up wanting to do bad things around these people, like wave around a lot of plastic bags, shouting that they're non-compostable, or talk about how much I hate polar bears and ice, and how I'm so happy to have just bought my fifth SUV, which I enjoy idling for hours in the driveway, while spraying aerosol cans out the window.  All, of course, while wearing a gigantic, Aretha Franklin-style fur coat.

But recently, Steve and I discovered a great farmer's market about a mile from our house.  It was small, not too crowded, and seemed to be populated by mostly normal people. There were food trucks, and live music playing, and people were dancing and having a good time.

We bought some wonderful organic produce, to boot. Gorgeous ripe strawberries that tasted like candy, super-sweet carrots, the lovely cilantro, dark green kale, loads of apples.  It was pretty fantastic.  And about 1/4 the price of Whole Foods.

One of the things we realized is that the fruit and veg we have been eating from the grocery stores, (even the good stores), bear no actual resemblance to the product that comes right out of the ground or off a tree.  The real thing may not look as pretty as what you get on the market shelves, but boy oh boy, does it taste dynamite.

The main thing I need to pay attention to is getting more iron in my diet.  I could try an iron supplement, but I've read that they can cause nausea and constipation, both of which are the last things I need in my life.

If i get any more constipated, I'll be pooping pellets, so, no thanks.

I will try to do it through food first.

Liver, anyone?