First Local Meal of the Season

The first Downtown Farmers' Market of the season was packed. I was amazed at how many people were there. I got the chance to visit with my favorite vendors and buy some great produce. With the produce I bought, I was finally able to have a complete meal with only local foods. We have been buying as much local food as we could during the winter season, but haven't had enough local produce to make a complete meal since late fall. So, this is what we had for lunch after we got back from the farmers' market on Saturday. For those who are interested in buying more local food, I will try to include sources for all of my food and where I bought it from.

Roasted Beet Salad with Quark cheese and Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinaigrette*

• Lettuce from Maharishi Vedic City Organic Farm in Fairfield, Iowa bought at their farm
• Beets from Grinnell Heritage Farm in Grinnell, IA bought at Downtown Farmers' Market
• Milton Creamery Quark from Milton, Iowa bought at New Pioneer Food Coop in Iowa City

Organic Strawberries and Yogurt

• Organic strawberries bought at the Downtown Farmers' Market
• Yogurt from Radiance Dairy in Fairfield, Iowa bought at their farm
• Drizzle of local honey from 3 Bee Farms in Griswold, IA bought at Drake Farmers Market

Cucumber & Dill Salad

• Cucumber bought at the Downtown Farmers' Market
• Yogurt from Radiance Dairy in Fairfield, Iowa bought at their farm
• Fresh baby dill from Mariposa Farms in Grinnell, Iowa bought at Hy-Vee

Skim milk from Picket Fence Creamery in Woodward, Iowa bought at Gateway market

*My vinaigrette is not local- I have a lot of of vinegars left from my shopping days at the San Francisco Farmers' markets (so they were local to me at one time, I suppose). The vinegar that I used for this dressing was a Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinegar from Hare Hollow in Healdsburg, CA bought at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco. Unfortunately I can't find local olive oil, so I buy the closest available which is usually California.

Check back soon to see more about my first farmers' market visit of the season!