My Favorite Recipe

Louisiana Seafood Gumbo
-Olive oil, for sautéing
-Medium-sized onions, coarsely chopped
-Clove garlic, finely chopped
-Green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
-Baked okra, sliced
-Chopped tomatoes
-Stock, recipe follows
-Shrimp heads reserved for stock
-Sliced hotlinks
-Cleaned crab and chopped into chunks
-Lemon slices
-Chopped green onions
-Served with rice

Directions:
-Coat a large saucepan with oil and cook the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, bell peppers, and okra. Add the roux and mix thoroughly to pick up all the excess oil in the pot.

-Next add the tomatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. When mixed, strain the stock and add it to the pot, mixing thoroughly to prevent lumps. Cover with lid, bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes. Clean the shrimp and sauté in a separate pan to get rid of any excess moisture. When they have turned pink add the shrimp and crab to the gumbo. Cook for 10 minutes. Lastly, add lemon slices and chopped green onions

Food Network, "Louisiana Seafood Gumbo". 05/30/10 .

Here is my family's Alfredo recipe:

Fettuccine with Alfredo Sauce – 4 servings


This is an enhanced Alfredo Sauce using three cheeses.

We have also added garlic and mushrooms to a basic

Alfredo Sauce. Parmesan, the third cheese, is tossed with

the noodles and also passed around the table.

4 tablespoons butter

4 cloves garlic, chopped

A handful of sliced mushrooms

1 and 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash of white pepper

1 and l/2 cups half-and-half (light cream)

2/3 cup shredded semi-soft cheese like

Provalone or Mozzarella

1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola (we use Feta)

8 ounces medium-wide noodles

¾ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Begin by bringing water to boil in a large saucepan.

(Cook noodles as package directs.)
In a small fry pan, over medium low heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter

and sauté the garlic and mushrooms until lightly browned (2-3 minutes).

Remove from heat. Set aside.

In a 2-quart pan over medium-low heat, melt 1 and ½ tablespoons of the butter. Mix in flour, nutmeg, and pepper; cook. Stirring until bubbly. Slowly stir in half-and-half; cook, stirring constantly until sauce

gently boils and thickens. Mix in semi-soft and Gorgonzola cheeses until blended. Add garlic and mushrooms. Turn heat to lowest temperature to keep warm.
Toss cooked noodles with 1 and ½ tablespoons butter and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Use the remaining cheese on the sauce.

Favorite Recipe

Here is a link to my favorite meat pizza recipe. I'm a big pizza fan and tried this one a few months ago and loved it :)

http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/super-bowl-recipes/hearty-meat-pizza.htm

8th Post

Breaded Eggplant w/ Lamb Gravy
-Family Recipe, not written down, dictated to me.

After roasting a leg of lamb, take the drippings and combine with water and flour roux and create some lamb gravy. Pour into small pot & set aside

Peel a large eggplant
Cut into slices 1/2 inch thick
Spinkle with salt
Cover the slices with a wet paper towel
(this removes the bitterness of the eggplant)

Prepare a bowl of flower and small bowl of whipped eggs
and a plate of bread crumbs

Let the eggplant stand for an hour
Take a frying pan, pour a 1/2 inch of olive oil and bring to high heat
(sizzling)

Now take the eggplant slices
Dip in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs
Then fry on both sides
Fry untill golden brown

Create several and serve with lamb gravy

Enjoy

The most readily apparent element of each of these websites it the biases that the creators hold in terms of each. With both the Mon Santo site and “saynotogmos.org”, their motivations are quite clear, as the author, their purpose for providing this information, and their biases are clear within the realm of the work. Because of this, when it comes to instilling any particular fears about eating genetically modified foods, the assertions of either site simply cannot be taken at face value. Still, there some notion about fearing something upon which so much debate rests. That said, the fact that there is so much debate does create the precedent for a great degree of openness regarding the issue, whether it is simply labeling the products using genetically modified ingredients. Even though the industry might claim that this might lead to a consumer backlash, discussion is still the best method to promote greater safety and responsibility. With the internet, even though there still may be some form of contact, as was apparent on the sites, there remains a disconnect between the viewer and information supplier, separated by technology and geography. There is little accountability this way, the individual can make variable assertions and suffer few repercussions for their actions. Because of this, even though a website may be accessible to the user, the fact remains that this form of media allows a certain degree of anonymity and thus potential irresponsibility on the part of the author.


Here are two opposing viewpoints regarding the issue:

“Attack of the Really Quite Likable Tomatoes” Economist 27 Feb. 2010: 16. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 May 2010.

Clark, John. “Why Should We Believe in GM?” Farmers Weekly 24 Oct. 2008: 56. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 May 24, 2010.

7th Blog Assignment

I feel the site with the least reliable information is of course saynotogmos.com. Like the others have stated below me, they used no sources in siting their information and seemed very biased in opinion. Next on the list I would rate monsanto.com as the middle reliable site. It provided very little actual facts and information, rather more info on trying to "sell" me into believing what they believe in. I feel the most reliable site for actual information and facts is the nature.com site. The nature.com site did the best job siting sources of where the information came from and was most professional to read, though a bit boring.

After reading through all of these I am still unsure about genetically modified foods and how I feel about them. Going into this, it just seems so impossible to do anything about. It's such a large issue that seems near impossible to solve. People are not going to start paying much more for foods just because they are not genetically modified. People want low prices... it's that simple. And until organic foods can get their prices down to similar levels that these genetically modified foods, I don't see the majority of people switching over anytime soon.

However, regardless of price/demand and the whole social issue of selling genetically modified foods, I really don't see any reason why all foods shouldn't be labeled that they are genetically modified. Like the person said below me, we should all know what we are eating and how it is made. We have the right to know. That way it is up to the CONSUMER to decide whether they are okay with eating genetically modified foods or not. To me, that makes the most logical sense.

Azadi, Hossein; Ho, Peter. "Genetically modified and organic crops in developing countries: A review of options for food security" Biotechnology Advances Vol 28, Issue 1. Jan 2010.

7th Blog

Reading over the websites the most biased information I saw was saynotogmos.org. Although I know I should be avoiding genetically modified food, these people do not even give contact information to debate on the issue. The second of course was monsanto, they are selling me something. Nature.com seemed to get their message across but since I am still not entirely sold on the importance of this issue, I had trouble reading through the whole website. Yes Food Inc shocked me but I do not think I need to examine every bite of food I eat.

I do not have qualms about eating genetically modified food, yet. But I do have some long term health problems that I've become slightly lethargic about. Maybe once I get hit with some sort of revelation: a doctor convincing me to switch to holistic medicine or a week of eating all organic clearing my senses, maybe then I'll really start to think about how this will affect my health. I think right now I need to think globally (what gmos is doing to this planet) because it is difficult to see the importance of paying top dollar for food.

I think all food should be labeled genetically modified, it should be part of the freedom of information act. I cannot see any reason why food should not be labeled genetically modified or organic or trans-fat or fat-free or whatever else people want or need to know. We should all know what we are eating and we should all be able to make the decision of whether we want to eat it or not, it's our bodies, no one has a right to tell us what goes in it.

Staff. "Attack of the Quite Likeable Tomatoes." Economist. Feb 2010: 394. pg16

Staff. "GM Faces Unfair Regulation." New Scientist. Feb 2009. 201. pg 5

Blog 7 Big Business Again

The Monsanto site was a terrific selling tool-easy to get around and pleasant to look at-green and healthy looking. Scitable was pretty good for I think unbiased info. Phd's wrote in and responded asn well as others who cited and used a reference page. The sayno website seemed to be an opinion page. There was no author or group taking credit, although some of the responders included their name and reference sheet. This was very had to trust-it could have been a government ploy to see who their detractors are.

Do I have qualms about eating GMO's? Yes! And what gets me is that I'm sure I have for years even thought I have yet to see products labled GMO's. The Scitable website brought up my concerns: we don't know the long tem consequences of consuming a GMO-how much is to much?Especially in the case of the biotech companies wanting to add vaccines to food. It seems like they will create a resistance to the vaccine. It makes me sick that business is tampering with fish and animals to make them grow larger, quicker. I'm angry that peopleare ruining the food chain for the entire world. The "reason" for this, (rather exscuse) is to feed third world countries-the answer to world hunger. And I really hate that those people are getting this food with no choice at all-no one is giving them the option to take it or not.

I believe the FDA has refused to enforce labeling because of their big business ties. The fact that their leaders come from the different food companies tells us all that we need to know aobut the FDA -that and they do not have the publics best interest at heart.

I'm sure some really sincere people are working on biotech stuff to 'feed the third world', thinking theyare doing a service for mankind. Isn't that just what the mortgage brokes said as well? "We were just trying to get the people into a house", leading to banking and financial collapeses in the US. And behind it all were a few big business (financial) firms.

Nakaya, Andrea C., ed. America in teh Twenty-first Century: Opposing Viewpoints Farmington
Hills. Greenhaven Press, 2006. Print

GMO

After reading the websites I feel that the saynotogmos site was really bias and one sided. I mean I noticed they had some good information like regulation and labeling, gmo and children, and also the safety of gmos. The site has basically articles for everything on gmo’s and even about Monsanto. I feel the Monsanto site just basically covers the breeding and biotechnology of their seeds, but doesn’t provide too much information. From taking a few health classes and from watching Food Inc, Monsanto controls the seeds and farmers basically. They modify corn, cotton, oilseeds, vegetables and fruit seeds and In-the-seed traits that protect against bugs and weeds. So basically they have the upper hand in the seed industry and when farmers don’t cooperate they get a big lawsuit. I feel that the tinyurl.com site provided good information as well. Like I found it interested that they labeled the approved commercial products like plum, soybean, canola and corn. They also listed the products that are in the development like rice, maize, Coho salmon and tobacco. I felt I learned a lot from this site, and I fell the information was valuable because I had no idea that plums were virus resistant. I also thought learned that soybean was herbicide tolerance, and I don’t really see that this site is too bias I feel it just informs you more about gmo and its risks. I think that they all provided useful information, but none of them changed my mind about eating gmo foods because I have been eating them for so long already and I don’t see why I will just change my eating habits all of a sudden. I mean I definitely am more aware of what I eat now, and am trying to eat a little healthier but I don’t think there’s going to be a point where I just completely stop eating gmo foods. I do feel that foods should be labeled because there are a lot of people who eat them without knowing they are genetically modified. I feel we should at least have the right to have our foods labeled, because although the companies are making and modifying the food, we are the ones eating them. So I think it’s only right we do as the Europeans, and that maybe can be a step towards more healthy people. Because with the percent of obese children and adults here America we got to start making some changes when it come to food and labeling could be a good start.

Sixth Blog

Although this is not my first time learning about where foods are processed and where they come from, I still found it very interesting. One of the biggest impacts for me was the how the beef and chicken are produced. I find myself eating a lot of fast food and I know at anytime, I could be at risk for some of contaminations that are in those meats. No factory is perfect, especially with the employees working at extremely fast pace they do. Even if the USDA clears the meat for being safe, they still aren’t a hundred percent accurate because, they rely on being able to see if the meat is contaminated and there is no way you will be able to just see if the meat id infected. I also found it disturbing that the companies like Tyson and Monsanto, refused to talk about their production process. That just made me assume they know they are guilty, but just don’t care.
Knowing what I know now is why I don’t eat as much beef hamburgers as I use to. I mean I still like eating chicken, even though they aren’t good for you, but I feel that beef have had more issues. The beef that get processed can be from thousands of different animals and how they feed the corn cows, increases the chance of Ecoli. I honestly feel I will eventually turn away from fast foods, and eat healthier. But even green plants are contaminated, so I almost feel how the world is today, that nothing is safe to eat. I know now day’s companies just want money as fast as possible, instead of being healthier. I just find I sad that these companies can do whatever they want basically and have so much control, especially over farmers. Even when Smithfield workers are always punished and nothing happens to the company, when they are the ones transporting to the country. Evident that America cares more about their money, than the people who actually live in it.

"Genetically Modified Foods and Organisms”. U.S. DOE Human Genome Program. 05/09/10 .

It was not the idea that the production of food has become increasingly and almost universally industrialized that was most shocking in the film, as this has been the historical trend, but rather the fact that this history has indeed begun to repeat itself. During the Industrial Revolution and afterward, health and safety standards were either not implemented or downright ignored for the sake of production, and unethical practices existed in terms of both the product and producer. As societies have advanced, and discoveries have been made as to how dangerous these elements of production were, entities reacted accordingly, in an attempt to prevent further damage. It can be argued that this is both the governments, as well as the consumer’s role, to not only protect themselves but society as a whole through their actions. When these groups fail to perform this duty is when we as a people have truly not acted in accordance with the benefit of our shared history, and the damages incurred on those before us.

While it can be argued that the industrial system is necessary for our world today, and is unequivocally so for the American lifestyle, it is at our own peril that we fail to update this system. The idea of monopolizing the use of certain dominant kinds of seed is in line with this, drawing distinct parallels between the current day and the monopolies of the golden age of industry. It is not because the industrial system has changed to meet a new standard of efficiency, but rather that the consuming populous has become as complacent in their actions as to have allowed the degradation of the means of production. Even though to very nature of a monopoly is the crowding out of competition, and thus makes combating such a thing difficult in the present, one only needs to look at the past to observe the brand of behavior that led to the current situation and understand that the status quo will only intensify the quagmire.


Here is a U.S. government document regarding the nature of monopolies in the economy:

United States. Federal Trade Commission. J. Thomas Rosch, Commissioner. Monopolies, Innovation, and Predatory Pricing: Observations on Some Hard Questions in the Section 2 Context. Antitrust 2010 Conference: New Administrations, New Cases, and New Economic Realities in Global Markets. Los Angeles, CA: 2010. Web.

6th Blog Assignment

Wow. Just wow. This film truly opened my eyes. I had never seen this movie before, though I had heard of it and heard it was a good film for everyone to see I just never took the time to sit down to watch it until now.

It just goes to show what people will do for money. I never really realized that just these 3 or 4 large conglomerates dominated the food market like this film stated. I was priveleged to take a class last quarter called Journalism 190 (which I HIGHLY reccommend all of you take if this film interested you) that discussed the media monopolies like Viacomm that simply brainwash us into eating certain foods, behaving certain ways, and doing EXACTLY what they want us to do. This film reminded me very much of the many different films we watched in that class. It was crazy to see the extent these corporations go to just to make a buck. Like genetically modifying chicken so that their breasts are larger? I mean come on.... sure Americans for the most part prefer to eat white meat but completely changing the species of an animal and altering the course of nature just for the sake of profit is simply not okay. It's frusterating to see that the FDA and USDA see these things going on but yet don't do a thing about it. I guess the hard part to consider is where do you draw the line? What is okay and what isn't? All I know is that this movie really made me think and like the person below stated, I also will NEVER EAT TYSON CHICKEN AGAIN... blech. It just creeps me out to think about it.

Bucher, O; D'Aoust, JY; and Holley, RA. "Thermal resistance of Salmonella serovars isolated from raw, frozen chicken nuggets/strips, nugget meat and pelleted broiler feed." Weblog Entry. Department of Food Science, University of Manitoba. 7 March 2008.

Ahhhghghgh;h!

Crisis of personal responsibility is right. I’m referring to the food manufacturers and their awful mechanized way of processing. I think because it’s so unnatural to see a living creature dealt with in such a manner that really plays on my mind. It’s not a natural thing to do. I think it’s so scary because it seems like people will be next! Machines are for manufacturing metals, chemicals, -things. Not living things. It was a very upsetting film which I could only half look at. Wasn’t there a lot of difference between them and the PolyFace Farm owner who had his kids helping him butcher? And the bacterial level was so much lower!
On a different note, I really got angry (oh why am I not surprized?) to find out that big business and both political parties (Bush and Clinton) had not cracked down on these practices. There is no way that I’m going to put my hope in the current administration to do it. I supposed I’m being cynical but…

United States. Dept. of Labor. OSHA. Safety and Health Topics: Poultry Processing. Aug. 2007. Web. 11 May 2010.

5th Blog Assignment

This blog assignment is a bit late, as I was absent from class when we recieved the farmers market assignment, so I had to wait until the next Saturday to attend. But better late than never, right? :)

First off, this wasn't the first time I had attended the farmers market. Since I was born and raised in Bellingham, I have been priveleged enough to attend the farmers market quite often. To me, it is something I really take pride in being from Bellingham. I love goin there on a beautiful sunny morning and seeing all the different types of people who attend and just the high energy and good vibes that the farmers market puts out. One thing I love about it is that the farmers market really brings different groups of people together. I know for a fact that I typically wouldn't associate with alot of the different types of people who attend there, but since we all are brought together under one common interest we are blessed with getting to know all different types of people.

Prior to arriving to the farmers market I had an idea of what meal I wanted to create. Since I am a fairly picky eater, I decided a stir fry sounded delicious, especially considering the large amounts of fresh veggies that the farmers market had to offer. I purchased a variety of different fresh vegetables from a few different sellers, all who told me these vegetables were locally grown. I chose to add green and red peppers, carrots, peapods, and onions (along with some chicken purchased from costco). I got home, put everything in the refrigerator and waited until that evening to make stir fry for dinner. I couldn't help but notice that all of these vegetables seemed different than what I was typically used to purchasing from the grocery store. They looked a bit different, maybe since they were organic, but definitely had a ton of flavor and I might even venture to say more flavor than what I usually get from the grocery store. I can honestly say this was one of the best dinners I have ever created by myself, and me and my roommate really enjoyed eating it on Saturday night.

Cromidas, Rachel. "The Pulse: Making Farmer's Markets more Accessible." New York Times. 11 November, 2010.

6th Blog

Food Inc. will greatly make me reconsider my food intake, no question about that. Although, I can not do anything (immediate) to change my economic status, I can start changing the way I eat. I WILL NEVER EAT TYSON CHICKEN AGAIN. And everyone else should consider the same.

Not only did I take this away from the film but I never considered that only three to four corporations control the American food industry. Although I do not consider myself an anarchist or for that matter, that much of a rebel, I just can not participate in this American system. I have to rebel in some way. Although I think I probably will not, and will be eating some of their food in the future. It is just so frustrating that we have turned into this, and that for a small time there was a glimmer of change but we went back to poor working conditions and poor (gross) food just to make money.

When I was hit with the immediate image of the chicken farmers at the beginning of the film, I knew that this movie would have some impact on me. I do not know if I will be able to get out of my head the factory workers snapping the heads of numerous chicks. Or the information that Tyson farms modified these birds so that they'll breasts will grow larger just because the American consumer likes white meat. And it is not only how the animals are treated, the image of Smithfield shows that the consumption of Americans' (and other countries') meat keeps worker's jobs intact. However disgusting and dangerous their jobs may be, they need it, and the job can be taken no matter how long they've had it or how hard they've been working. It is a vicious cycle.

Again Food Inc. has made me greatly consider my food intake. I will be checking out the website cited at the end of the film: takepart.com/foodinc. A journal article to consider:

Frazer, Lance. "Chicken Electronics: A Technology Plucked From Waste." Environmental Health Perspective. July 2004

Assignment 5

Approaching the market, it was easy to see the level of pride that the Bellingham community has it. It was not just a place where people buy and sell items, but rather it had the sense of a fair surrounding it. There were the stands with plants, produce, and cheese of course, but there was also art, music, discussion, and freshly prepared food with tables to congregate around. It was part old world grocer, part garden store, part exhibition and part festival. When looking for something to make a dish out of, my options were severely limited, illustrating the kind of hassle it can be to cook for a multiplicity of people. Seeing as I had already decided on making some sort of sauce of tortellini and ravioli (but had grudgingly accepted that, due to the shortcomings of a dorm kitchen, I would only be able to “doctor” the sauce with what I had procured), I looked for cheese, garlic, spinach, or mushrooms to add. However, seeing as those I was cooking for had conflicting notions of what they would be willing to eat, namely one disliked mushrooms and spinach completely, and the other would not go near garlic (and I still think the pair of them are crazy for saying so) limited my choices. Coupled with the fact that cheese is a very picky food, either you like a particular variety or you don’t, meant that I would have to find a compromise. When discussing the garlic with a vendor, I was able to acquire some that was younger than what might ordinarily be bought in the grocery store, meaning that its flavor would be less powerful, both blending into the rest of the sauce better, as well as allowing an additional person to consume it.
On the issue of how the produce was grown though, the vendor was far less helpful. It simply could have been that she was helping a friend or family member in selling the produce, or that the methods behind growing such things was second nature, and thus inherent yet somehow unexplainable. Either way, they insisted it was organic, and grown in a natural way. That said, the garlic worked perfectly well and was not used up completely, meaning that it will also be appearing in a more thorough home-cooked meal (hopefully with the sauce not coming out of a jar).
What was most interesting about the market was not what I bought for the sake of this assignment, but rather the multiplicity of live plants that were available for sale. Looking simply at live tomato plants, there appeared to be dozens of varieties ranging from ones that were best used for making sauce, to those that were grown for cooked or raw consumption. This can easily be used as an analogy for why I found the farmer’s market so interesting, it was not the idea that the produce sold was organic, or that it was a sign of protest against the industrial farming system, but rather the kind of extreme variance that can only be achieved at the confluence of individuals and small groups. Each working in their own way, producing something that is not the cookie-cutter definition of a product, but each providing their own contribution or change to the end result, whether it be big or small, for the consumer to appreciate on the other end.

Here is an example of how the farmer’s market is adapting to the modern world:

Vora, Shivani. “A Virtual Farmer’s Market” Inc. April 2010: 32. EBSCO. Web. 3 March. 2010.

Blog 5 Farmers Market

Grey, overcast, and threatening to rain: a typical Saturday in the spring at the Farmers Market, here in Bellingham Washington. I arrived 15 minutes before the market opened to make my vendor selection for this week’s assignment. Some of the vendors were still hustling to set up, but for the most part they were standing around drinking a hot beverage, smiling, laughing, talking with the other early arrivals. I picked Terra Verde Gardens to speak to as a man began singing and playing his guitar for change. I choose Terra Verde because of the huge beautiful displays of radishes, salad turnips (what?) and other greens. I bought bok choy (yes, I’ve never used it), salad turnips and some arugula. The second thing that caught my eye, was a brochure, “2010 Community Supported Agriculture” . It turns out you can buy shares in the business. It works this way: you can buy a full share, a ¾ share, or a Farmers Market Share. This money is used to cover the farms short fall of cash when it’s needed for spring planting and other costs. In return you get a box, yes a box of the current week’s fresh veggie every week of the Market!
Terra Verde farms is certified organic and is owned by Amy and Skuter Fontaine and located in Everson. Terra Verde has fan page on Face Book where they have recipes and other interesting stuff. The recipe I chose has bok choy in a stir fry with garlic and red pepper flakes. If you like garlic, you’ll love this. I felt like a savvy informed consumer to be purchasing food at the Farmers Market after a month of food shock since this class started.
I liked this article because it studied value and markets:

Connell, David J., Smithers, John, and Alun Joseph. "Farmers' Markets and the “Good Food” Value Chain: Complete. Web. 1 May 2010.

5th blog

Since I am kind of a picky eater, I decided to make something simple and to head to market and pick up a few things for a chicken salad sandwich. I thought the farmers market was actually very interesting, especially with all the different vendors. Since I my recipe was pretty simple all I needed was chicken breast, blanched slivered almonds, celery, cranberries and some onions. All the rest like mayo, ground pepper and the other seasoning I used I already had. But the chicken breast I got was skinless and was always boneless. It was interesting getting that kind of chicken because usually I never get breast because I prefer thighs or legs when it come to chicken. I didn’t really get to talk to any of the sellers because I was kind of in the rush, but I do think I will go there again because they had a large variety of different foods that looked good to eat.
So the recipe I made was pretty easy but was the first time I ever made a chicken salad. It was actually really easy, just had to cook the chicken for the most part. Well I cooked the onions as well but the celery, almonds and dried cranberries I just added in. The outcome was a success and the sandwich was very good. I also must say that I will definitely be using the recipe for this dish again. I will even try other recipes for different kind of chicken salad sandwiches.

5th Blog

Since it is my usual schedule to go to Snohomish County on Saturdays, I decided to visit their local fresh produce stand that I had seen many times before, but always thought would be out of my price range. Since most of the produce comes straight from Sunnyside farms, I decided this would suffice for my Farmer's Market assignment and while there, I realized buying fresh was not as bank breaking as I thought it would be.

While researching for a recipe to make, my father sent me out to buy food for ratatouille. I would need to buy: eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers (epicurious recipe), onions, parsley and various other things for the dish. And I threw in some fresh tortillas that just looked appetizing. The whole grocery list came to only about thirteen dollars, which although felt like a lot, still was not incredibly terrible for what I got. The vegetables were crisp and sweet, and vibrantly colored, and while there, Stephanie (the manager) came around to each customer with a bag of grapes and let us try the varying fruits.

Stephanie let us in on a little secret, she said that local farmers love when Yakima asparagus starts to come in because this means it is the beginning of fresh vegetables for the region. And the ratatouille my family made certainly tasted fresher than it had in the past, although the vegetables are cooked down, they retained a sweet taste that I had not tasted before.

Eller, Daryn. "Farmer's Markets: A Trip to Bountiful." Vegetarian Times. May 2002. pg 34