Local food tastes better

The downtown Raleigh farmer's market opened on Wednesday. I was surprised and excited by the number of people that came to visit the market. The vendors are all terrific. There's local fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs, meat, seafood, bread and baked goods. If you're in Raleigh, the market's open now until the end of October, Wednedays 10 am - 2 pm. Support local food by buying from your farmer's market, no matter where you live.

Here are a few things I bought on Wednesday:
Speckled bibb lettuce & mizuna greens from Hilltop Organic Farm. Mizuna is a Japanese variety of greens. It tastes like a milder version of arugula. It's delicious in salads or cooked with stirfry.

Radishes from Wild Onion Farm and asparagus from Jackson Farms. I made a light spring soup with the asparagus.

And of course, more berries from Ball Farm. The farmer explained to me that strawberries don't ripen after they've been picked. He picks his berries and brings them to market. This is why local strawberries taste sweeter.