I pulled out my trusty Put Victoria on your Table bags and picked Tamra up on the way - this was her first farmers market and I was thrilled to be showing her around. We arrived early and did the customary lap before starting our shopping - Mornington Peninsula Organics were there with their beautiful range of vegies - including some heirloom carrots which we pounced on. We were lucky enough to taste the new Vanilla & Honey flavoured ice cream from Bella Pasta & Dolci and the Goat's Milk Body Butter from Seven Hills Tallarook.
I learned that the summer oranges are Valencia and the winter ones are Navels and the cherries were out again and freshly picked garlic graced many stalls too. My haul included another yummy chicken from Yapunyah Meadow Graze Chicken and I was devastated to hear that they'd planned to have a break until April anticipating a hot, dry summer - but could have possibly continued through considering the crazy weather we've been having. Some amazing organic broccoli, basil, carrots, beetroot, asparagus and fennel also made it into my bags. My pick of the week was 4 beautifully artichokes - I finally stopped avoiding them and grilled the Italian gentleman at the stall about how to prepare and cook them. There's no time like the present to try something new!
I've realised I'm missing something in my weekly market trip - a notepad and pen to jot down my spending and any recipe tips I pick up on the way - I'll be more prepared next week.
Did you know that the original carrots weren't orange? After some digging around in the Garden of Google I also found out that each coloured carrot has different health benefits:
White Carrots:
White carrots lack any significant pigment or color, but contain health-promoting substance called phytochemicals.
These are natural bioactive compounds,that work with nutrients and dietary fibre we eat, to protect our body against disease.
Purple Carrots:
These carrots, are usually orange inside, and actually, contain more beta carotene than orange carrots, but, they get their pigment from an entirely different source of pigments called, the anthocyanin.
These pigments act as powerful antioxidants, grabbing and holding on to harmful free radicals in the body and preventing them from doing any damage.
Anthocyanin, also help prevent heart disease by slowing blood clotting in the arteries and have good anti inflammatory properties.
Red Carrots:
The extraordinary color of these carrots is due to the concentration of the anti-oxidant pigment, called lycopene.
The red carrots contain as much lycopene as a tomato, and so share many of the same health benefits.
Nutritional studies suggest that eating at least one serving of a lycopene-rich food daily is believed to help prevent prostate cancer and other cancers.
Orange Carrots:
The orange pigment is from beta carotene and alpha-carotene. Both of these pigments give the carrot significant health benefits, such as antioxidant, antiseptic and antibacterial properties.
Orange carrots are also high in Vitamin A, which is essential for healthy eyes, so what your Grandmother used to tell you was right!
Yellow Carrots:
Yellow carrots contain xanthophylls and lutene, these pigments are similar to beta carotene, which help develop healthy eyes, help in the fight against macular degeneration.
They also have properties, which help prevent lung and other cancers and also help reduce the risk of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.
Information from
feedfury.com
Coming up next - what did I do with those artichokes?
