Don't Judge a Plum By the Color of Its Skin

Plums are totally underrated. I admit, I use to underrate them myself. Then, things changed when I first devoured a farmer's market plum-- which did not happen until last year. In a previous post, I mentioned that I have become a crazy-canning lady. So crazy, I even started canning plum jam after I experienced a farmer's market plum last year.

This year, whoa, plums have jumped up a whole big notch in my book. At a recent farmer's market trip, I visited a stand that specializes in peaches-- they were delicious. After purchasing a small bucket of peaches, I was one heel turn away from booth hopping, when I overheard a conversation between the booth owner and a customer. The booth owner told the customer to take a look at the sliced-sample plums, and then a look at the whole plums. I looked, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

This is how the exterior of the plum looks: they fall harsh on the pale side. * Note: objects on camera may appear bigger than their actual size (the plums look like the size of a racket ball here, but they more accurately reflect the size of a ping pong ball).

This is how the interior of the plums look. If oranges are labeled blood oranges when the interior is highly pigmented, then I think these should be called blood plums... Ok, maybe not. Frankly, I don't quite favor the name "blood oranges." I don't recall ever trying them, and I don't think it'll be easy to after seeing its appearance on Dexter, episode after episode.

Anywho, the booth owner explained that they are Japanese plums. He said back in the day, they did not care about the color of the skin, thus the surface color doesn't look appealing. As you can see, the inside totally looks like it came from some other kind of plum with a beautiful outside.

These plums are so delicious, they are the best plums I've ever tasted. Sometimes I like to eat the skin, sometimes I don't. With these, definitely skin! Even when they are ripe they have a nice crisp bite to them. They are very juicy, very sweet, and very good tasting! I got a small container for $3.00. The pit is very small so you get a lot of meat to work with.

See, very small, and that's not even getting to the core of it yet! Moral of the story: don't be deceived by the outside of a plum if you haven't seen or tasted the inside: don't judge a plum by the color of its skin!

♥ Yen

Get the Most Bang for Your Buck at Farmer's Markets

I've been raving about how awesome farmer's markets are, and I don't think I can stop it. I went to my downtown farmer's market this past Saturday-- not quite surprising, is it?

See, lots of people, lots of entertainment, and lots of booths.

In addition to reiterating the awesomeness of farmer's markets, and displaying the pictures I snapped on my most recent farmer's market trip, I want to share a couple of tips on how to get the most bang for your buck at farmer's markets.

1. If the farmer's market that you go to is open multiple days a week, go on the day(s) when it's the busiest

Find out which day(s) has the most vendors present. Thanks to technology, the internet makes this easily accessible, unless your farmer's market doesn't have a website... which would mean they are lagging behind on technology-- even I have a website. Haha! In all seriousness, if this information is not available on the web, ask the vendors or the information booth at your farmer's market directly.

Reason: more vendors = more competition. More competition = more selection. More selection = lower prices. Here's a great analogy... I was watching an episode of The Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network the other day. When the competing teams had the freedom to park their trucks and serve customers at a location of their choosing, they were charging each menu item with whatever dollar amount came to their minds at the start of the competing day-- talk about monopoly. When the competing teams were forced to battle bumper-to-bumper on the same street with all the teams, competition forced the teams to slash prices to beat the other competitors' prices. This form of competition in economics theory also applies at farmer's markets.

Example: my downtown farmer's market is open on Saturdays and Tuesdays (I have only shopped there on Saturdays). I went last Tuesday, and before going, I looked online to scoop out the vendors who will be present (mainly because I wanted to see which food booth I wanted to have for dinner). It did not take long for me to notice that the vendors present on Tuesdays only reflect a small fraction of the vendors present on Saturdays. I went anyway.

With less vendors, less competition, and less selection, the same crops available on Saturdays are marked up on Tuesdays (I went again the following Saturday to reverify). What I can purchase on Saturdays would cost me more $ on Tuesdays. If I can stretch out my dollar further on Saturdays, when more vendors are present, logic tells me I should avoid going on Tuesdays. Plus, more vendors = more to choose from. It also mean more food booths available! Thumbs up to win-win-win for the consumer!

2. Buy crops when they are at their peak, or immediately after

Example: at the start of peach season, peaches are still young and blooming. They are still superior to grocery store peaches: they taste better, and will usually still beat the prices of grocery store peaches. However, when peaches reach their peak, all the booths that sell peaches have much sweeter and cheaper peaches.

I started canning last year and I have become a crazy-canning lady. Unfortunately, my dinky porch is not conducive for harvesting any fruit trees. What a bummer. Since I have to rely on buying my fruit, and I now can a lot, waiting until the prices are more econmical is most optimal. Here's another area where you can stretch out your dollar at farmer's markets. Wait a little longer and snatch peaches when they are cheaper, and sweeter. Win-win scenario for the consumer :)

* Notes: All information is based on my opinion derived from my observations. What I see at my farmer's market(s) may not be a generalization of all farmer's markets. Make observations at yours and note the similiarities and differences. Happy shopping, and may you find lots of bargains at your farmer's market.

♥ Yen

Why You Need to Go to Farmer's Market

I went to the downtown farmer's market in my local area for the very first time the other day. I know, I can't believe it either-- did I really say I went there for the first time just the other day? Yes, sadly, I really just said that. However, it does not mean I've been shielding myself from farmer's market all this time. For the past few years, I've been going to smaller farmer's markets that are located closer to me. They had what I needed, and I was satisfied with the prices, so why not save gas money and avoid the hustle of the downtown bustle? That was my reasoning.

Now, I have opened my eyes, and I see the world beyond itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie farmer's markets. My downtown's farmer's market is like a massive-admission-free-outdoor convention. There are countless stands/booths and 7 out-of 10 of them offer free samples. The booths are very diverse and there are a variety of products being showcased. You will find the common farmer's market offered vegetables, fruits, jam, salsa, bread, etc. You will also find atypical booths: doggie goodies, body art (Henna tattoos), caramel popcorn, garden decor, and more. You will also be able to take a trip around the world by touring international food booths: Thailand, Mexican, Italian, Caribbean, Greek, Middle Eastern, and more. And just like any massive-admission-free-outdoor convention, there are a ton of attendees. Maybe you're already use to this, as this is typical at farmer's markets in a lot of other areas-- I wouldn't know, because I've only been acquainted with itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie farmer's markets until now.

Now let's get to why farmer's market is the way to go: it's awesome. Farmer's market provides fresh produce that beat the prices of grocery stores (almost all the time-- 97% of the time). When I say fresh, this is what I mean: I have never had a real peach until I had a farmer's market peach. There is a BIG difference. Ever since I met a farmer's market peach, I always feel like I am overpaying for grocery store peaches. So fresh produce and good prices. Sold! I guess if you have your own garden, you don't need farmer's market-- you could possibly host your own farmer's market.

The day before I went to the downtown farmer's market, I brought a substantial amount of veggies from the grocery store-- shame on me. So here's all that I got on my recent farmer's market visit:

- 3 big zucchinis for $1.50
- 1 loaf of baguette for $3.00
- 1 bag of caramel popcorn for $4.00

Umm... I think I forgot to mention you don't have to pay taxes on your purchases at farmer's market. Thumbs up to another way of saving money! Happy shopping, and support local first.

♥ Yen