Every other week, this column will review ways and places to eat healthy in D.C.
Farmers markets are a great place to grab a freshly made cookie or samples of incredible apples. But what else do farmers market have to offer? What simple things can you make, even in a dorm kitchen, with the fresh produce available to you right on your campus?
Where To Try
It’s hard to miss the AU farmers market that is open on the south side of the quad every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are tons of other farmers markets around D.C. you can try, but the one on campus is the most accessible and has more to offer you than you would think.
ARIELLE WEG, FLICKR
What To Try
The AU farmers market provides tons of delicious, seasonal fresh fruits. A great, healthy snack you can make is a fruit salad with yogurt. The farmers market sells homemade yogurt, so grab a container and cut up all the fruit you can find to go inside. This season, the farmers market is selling pomegranates, apples, pears, kiwi and oranges. As long as you have a few simple utensils, you can easily make a delicious yogurt concoction.
The market also sells farm-fresh eggs, which taste great with all of the veggies available. Try buying some bell peppers, zucchini, onions and fresh cheese to add to a great omelette. All you need is a pan and some oil to get it started. Also, grab some fresh bread to toast to make a great egg sandwich for any time of the day.
Stir fry is a delicious, veggie-filled meal requiring minimal ingredients. When you are at the market pick up some onions, garlic, bell peppers, swiss chard, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini and anything else you see that’s green (sometimes there is broccoli and other veggie varieties). If you want to add some protein and a super easy sauce, buy the homemade peanut butter at the market and mix about a cup of that with a half a cup of sweet chili sauce (from any local supermarket). Once you cook up the veggies, mix in the peanut butter and sweet chili sauce for an incredible dinner. Also, add fresh peanuts, tofu, chicken or anything else you think might taste good (these you can buy at any supermarket).
ARIELLE WEG, FLICKR
Tips To Know
You can also buy dried fruit at the market, which is a delicious addition to your fresh fruit yogurt snack. Also, if you buy some almonds or other nuts and eat it with a big bowl of your fruit and yogurt, it can become a protein packed lunch that’s a nice change from the Terrace Dining Room.
Keep in mind that these products are not quite like what you get in a supermarket. Many of them, especially bread products and cheese, do not have the same kind of preservatives you get in store bought brands. This means the products are likely to spoil much faster than what you buy in a store. For example, Baby Bell cheese snacks may last in your fridge a few weeks whereas farmers market cheese won’t likely last more than a week. Feel free to ask the people at the market how long they recommend you keep what you’re buying.
