Good Morning! It's a gorgeous day here in NC...a perfect day to hit the local market. I know it's November, and pretty close to Thanksgiving, but don't be fooled: there is usually still a LOT of fresh fruit and vegetables at your local produce stand or farmers market.
I would guess everyone thinks about the typical fall crops like winter squashes and root crops, but there's a lot more available, depending on where you live. Here in Eastern NC, apples are at their peak. Also available right now: broccoli, cucumbers, cabbage, pumpkins, late tomatoes, pecans, peanuts and sweet potatoes(mmm...fresh sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving!).
If you're in the Northeast states, there's still time to grab beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, onions, pears, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, tomatoes and turnips.
In the South, apples, broccoli, cucumbers, cabbage, mushrooms, pumpkins, tomatoes, turnips, pecans, peas, peanuts,spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, watermelon and zucchini.
In the Midwest, your local farmers are still producing apples, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, onions, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, squash and sweet potatoes.
In the Rockies, you can still get your hands on apples, carrots, onions and potatoes.
If you're the Pacific Northwest, sharpen your appetite for apples, asian pears, beets, blackberries, blueberries, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, grapes, mushrooms, onions, pears, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, rutabagas, spinach and turnips.
Californians, from what I've heard and seen-ya'll can get pretty much anything, pretty much any time. Same for you Floridians.
So see? Even though the weather outside may be getting frightful, the bounty from your local farms and markets is still delightful. There's still so many opportunities to bring fresh fruits and veggies into your daily diet!
I need new mixing bowls. I've put it off for awhile, but I can't deny the necessity any more. I have only one large mixing bowl left(thank you honey), and with Christmas baking coming up I'm going to need more than one mixing bowl to get everything done. Soooo, with that in mind, I went bowl and gadget shopping and as usual, I thought I'd share some of my cool findings....you know I can't resist neat kitchen stuff!
The first set I happened on were some awesome recycled melamine nesting bowls by Zak! in bright funky colors. As you can see below, they're not your grandma's melamine bowls! They don't really match my kitchen, but I still like them. I'd love to use them in my crafting room, though...it's the home of all things quirky and funky.
So today I went to the store, and started buying spices for my ornaments(thank you Food Lion Latin Foods section for your 99 cent spices)Each packet of cloves is enough to do one ornament...AND...they had whole allspice and star anise, which is wicked hard to find around here. So now I need to think up a few ornaments to make with those, too. Wow, my tree is gonna be FRAGRANT! and I'm going to make cranberry garlands, too, I think. Add a few "quilt balls", and I think it'll be a pretty cute tree.
Hey everyone! As promised, I am back with yet another post. I didn't post yesterday, because Dale and I decided to take the day to go rambling. It was such a gorgeous day that we couldn't resist. The foliage was beautiful and bright....I love Fall! We drove up towards New Bern initially, and from New Bern we drove to Morehead City and Beaufort.
I have always wondered about downtown Beaufort. We drive through the outskirts of town frequently on the way to the Cedar Island Ferry, but we've never gone down there before. I was pleasantly surprised! There are TONS of gorgeous homes(I am a sucker for historic architecture) and shops....hehehe. Antique shops, gift shops, clothing shops, novelty shops. Fabulous stuff. And restaurants for when you get hungry from shopping. Definitely my kind of place. Also just across from the Beaufort waterfront is Carrot Island. We were able to see some of the famous Shackleford Banks wild horses which apparently swim from the Banks to Carrot Island regularly. It was pretty cool.
Here are some of the homes we saw in Beaufort. I didn't have a camera this time, so I just pulled pics off the internet for ya'll:
I AM BACK.
Firstly, I want to apologize for my absence. Herbs N' Spice has been on hiatus due to personal reasons. Now that things have settled down and Fall has arrived, it's time to get back to blogging!
I think I should start out with a confession: I've started listening to Christmas music already. I know, I know...it's not even Thanksgiving...but who cares? I like it. If I had my way and if it was socially acceptable, I'd probably be listening to Christmas music 365 days a year. I love Christmas.
I am planning on making my own ornaments for the tree this year. One thing I'm going to make is kissing balls out of cloves and "log bundles" out of cinnamon sticks. So fragrant! I am also planning on drying some orange slices to hang, too. They'll go great with my "quilt" ornaments. I can't wait to put up my tree!! I will definitely post pics as I go.
Have you ever tried Pumpkin Butter? If you're a pumpkin lover, it's a must. Totally decadent and spicy. I recently put up 8 pints for my own use and for Christmas presents. I don't dare show up to a family gathering without it. If you'd like to try it, here's the recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
1 (29 ounce) can canned
pumpkin puree
3/4 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently.
2. Transfer to sterile containers and chill in the refrigerator until serving.
I do it in the crockpot, though. Combine everything in the crockpot, stir well, and cook on high for 2 hours. comes out exactly the same. If you want to can it, you can.
Try it! It's awesome on bran muffins, brown bread, soda bread, nut breads, etc.