Awake at the Whisk

Sunday, February 13, 2011

New at the Farmers' Market!

California farmers make living la vida locavore easy. And it just keeps getting easier. In fact, the Sacramento farmers’ market is practically a complete grocery experience. We’ve had tortillas, bread, olive oil, produce, jams, almond butter, cheese, meats, and eggs for years. Yet, just when you thought life couldn’t get much better, the farmers add even more to their wares. The joy just keeps coming!

Behold the latest additions to the Sacramento downtown farmers’ market. Throughout the week, I’ll bring you four new must-try items. So keep reading! Come Sunday, you’ll be itching to get to the market and be first in line.

Raw Milk

Don’t let the word “raw” scare you. This is fresh milk—and as good as it gets.

Raw milk from Organic Pastures now sold at the Sacramento farmers' market.

When I was 16 years old, I lived in Denmark for a year. My Danish host family ate seasonal produce, baked homemade bread daily, and visited a farmer down the road weekly to purchase fresh milk. This rested in a bucket in the fridge until the cream rose gently to the top. We would then skim off the cream (for later use), saving the lighter, whole milk for our morning muesli or our afternoon tea.

This is the kind of milk now being sold at the farmers’ market by Organic Pastures based in Central San Joaquin Valley. It comes straight from the cows to you. Their milk is never pasteurized, which is said to help maintain the natural balance of vitamins and beneficial bacteria so rich in cow’s milk (and which pasteurization can kill). Their cows eat grass—not feed—and are never given controversial hormones or antibiotics.

Bonus for home cheese makers: the active bacteria found in raw milk makes a superior product when compared to cheese made from pasteurized dairy.

At $4 for a half gallon of skim milk, prices are competitive. The thicker the milk, the more you’ll pay. It can run up to $9 for a pint of raw cream. They also sell raw butter (unsalted) and kefir (a raw dairy product with yeast cultures similar to those found in yogurt).

Best of all: it tastes good!—silky with the sweet tang of rich refreshment that only a grass and clover-fed cow can make.

Don't forget to tune in later this week to find out about three other new finds at the Sacramento farmers' market!

Labels: California farmers' market, farmers' market, kefir, Organic Pastures, raw butter, raw cream, raw dairy, raw milk, Sacramento farmers market

# posted by Amber @ Sunday, February 13, 2011 3 Comments

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Food, Inc. Acclaimed Film Airs on KVIE Tomorrow Night

Last July, I wrote a review for a documentary that has been sweeping America: Food, Inc. The movie has even enjoyed its moment in the limelight on Oprah. Food, Inc. is required viewing if you buy or eat food. Yep. That’s pretty much everybody. So, tune in. Trust me. You want to know what’s going on with our food system. And Food, Inc. leaves no question unanswered.
Thanks to our local PBS station, KVIE, you won’t even have to pay the $9 ticket price to see it. Just turn your TV dial from the comfort of your home. It airs twice this week: Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10:00 P.M. and again on Sunday at 3:00 P.M.

I recommend hosting a gathering of friends to celebrate Earth Day and watch Food, Inc. together. This is the kind of movie that generates conversation, so make sure you have people around you to converse. You’ll all be ready to take action when the movie ends, so plan for that, too. For starters, you can use my handy guide to the farmers’ market. I have a feeling you’ll be shopping there more often.

You’ll probably come up with other great ideas to improve the way you eat. Write me. Comment on my blog. Share your views with all the locavores who gather here. We want to hear from you!

This incredible film moved my meat-eating husband to start ordering veggie burgers at our local brew pub. I can’t wait to hear how it inspires you.

Labels: documentary, Earth Day, farmers' market, Food Inc., food system, KVIE, locavore, PBS, Sacramento locavore

# posted by Amber @ Tuesday, April 20, 2010 1 Comments

Monday, December 7, 2009

Living Christmas Trees at the Farmers' Market

Looking for a living Christmas tree? You've got to check out the local Sunday farmers' market here in Sac. Read my full story: http://sacrag.com/2009/12/christmas-at-the-farmers%e2%80%99-market/.

Labels: Christmas tree, farmers' market, living tree

# posted by Amber @ Monday, December 07, 2009 0 Comments

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