Woah. So what happened. Today is Day 21 and you haven’t heard a peep from me in almost a week. I’ve cheated. I’ve been unfaithful to the produce in my vegetable drawer. Remember on Day 15 (a Wednesday) how I told you I had popcorn for dinner because of PMS and that I would explain later … well it’s later. A lot later.

Blame it on Aunt Flo

My boyfriend says I shouldn’t blog about this. He says it’s TMI. Perhaps, but so are a lot of things on the Internet. And if this is the most intimate thing I ever reveal about myself online, then I think I’m doing OK. So here goes: PMS hijacks my life every month. It’s true. I get irritable. I lose my patience. I curse at drivers. I roll my eyes at strangers who walk slowly in front of me at the grocery store. I sigh a lot. And I CRAVE junk food. Ice cream. French fries. Buffalo chicken anything. And in the case of Day 15 — Popcorn.

Or Blame it on Me

So, half way through my project, I slipped and had some popcorn. But it didn’t stop there. It opened the flood gates. I stuck to my Farmers’ Market breakfasts and lunches on Day 16 and Day 17, but for dinners I caved. On Thursday, I convinced my boyfriend to take me out to dinner. On Friday, I ate my restaurant leftovers. On Saturday, I stuck to my farmers market diet for breakfast and lunch, but after riding 10 miles in the Bull Moon Ride in Durham, NC, I noshed on some free BBQ. Sunday rolled around and I cheated again.

I was semi-back on track Monday (Day 20) eating farmers market granola for breakfast. But I had soup from my work cafeteria for lunch because I was too lazy to prepare a meal that morning. For dinner, I made a tomato and zucchini casserole and it was excellent. Here’s the recipe (given to me by one of my blog readers, Judy).

Majority Farmers’ Market

I didn’t go to the Market this weekend because I had plenty of leftover grass-fed beef, cheeses and pork sausage in the fridge and tons of tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and onions remaining. But, last night I found (much to my disgust) that my meat had spoiled (is this a side effect of buying meet with no preservatives?) and my cheese tasted funky enough to make me throw it all out.

So today was Day 21 and I’m not too proud of what I ate. So tomorrow I’m going to stock up on some supplies at the Durham Farmers’ Market and try to do a majority farmers market diet for the remaining nine days.

And then when this project is over I’m going to eat chocolate and cake, maybe even some chocolate cake. Because, I’m really, really craving it!

I have almost run the dishwasher more in the past 15 days than I have in the past three months. I’m certain of it.

You see normally, my boyfriend and I play the dishwasher game. You probably play this game too, although the rules require that you never admit it, so your secret is safe with me. You pretend not to notice as the racks fill up with dirty dishes throughout the week. Instead, you rearrange plates, bowls, mugs and glasses to squeeze just one more sticky container inside. You reason so long as there’s enough room to put one more cup inside, then technically you don’t have to be the one to fill up the soap and run the dishwasher.

Come on Down, You’re the Next Contestant on the Dishwasher Game

And then the game intensifies once one of us breaks down and drops the soap in the compartment. How many days can we go without one of us breaking down and emptying the dishwasher so we can refill it again? Since neither of us is about to accept chore assignments, and since we eat out so much, we usually only need to run the dishwasher once a week, sometimes less, occasionally more. But now, since I’m clearly the one making the mess, I have to take responsibility and load and unload the dishwasher every time and it really sucks.

The present state of my dishwasher.

Hello, Kitchen, It’s Nice to Meet You

But since I’ve started this project, I’ve been cramming the dishwasher with Tupperware containers, knives, forks, spatulas, plates, bowls, colanders and pots almost every day. I’ve never done so much chopping, slicing, dicing, marinating, mixing, sauteying and stirring in my entire life. If I want to eat, I have to prepare something. No pulling a box out of the freezer and popping it in the microwave. No takeout. No downtown dining. The Farmers’ Market Project requires spending a lot of time in my kitchen for food prep and clean up. And that leads to a lot of dirty dishes. I hand wash many of them, and still I’m filling up my dishwasher constantly.

Now Serving: Surprises

Is it worth it? Yes. I’m remembering that I love cooking. I cook so rarely, that I don’t think I’ve ever truly known that cooking is something I love to do. I’m also learning that, like my mom, I’m good at whipping up tasty concoctions with whatever ingredients happen to be in my fridge. I’ve followed few recipes since I’ve started this project. I just add a dash of this and a spoonful of that and it always turns out delicious.

I’m certain some of my shopping, cooking and dining habits will change at the end of Day 30. But I know what’s not going to change, once this project is over, I’m going back to playing the dishwasher game. And I plan on winning, over and over again.

After 11 days of eating only food obtained from Triangle Farmers’ Markets, I finally cheated. It was a deliberate decision I made on Day 11, when my boyfriend and I decided that we were going to road trip to Carowinds in Charlotte, NC, to celebrate our nation’s birthday by riding roller coasters.

Sure, I could’ve packed a Farmers’ Market lunch in a cooler and joined the families picnicking on the patches of lawn surrounding Carowinds’ parking lot. Heck I spent Day 11 at the Festival for the Eno in Durham, where I packed a tomato and cheese sandwich so I wouldn’t be tempted by the funnel cake batter and grease wafting through the park.

My boyfriend fakes a nap for the camera on the Intimidator at Carowinds.

But for Day 12 — the Fourth of July — I ate a piece of pizza, French fries, Dippin’ Dots and drank several Cokes at Carowinds. It was disgustingly delicious, overpriced arcade food. Prior to Day 12 I had not cheated once — not a single morsel of nonmarket food entered my body — and I haven’t caved since.

It gets worse. On the way home I ate some Doritos and then we stopped in Greensboro at Olive Garden, where I had pasta, bread sticks and salad.

On the bright side, I think this intentional slip helped give me enough will power for the home stretch. And it helped put my Farmers’ Market budget in perspective (my pizza slice, fries and a large Coke cost me $18 at Carowinds). I’m back on my market diet though, so stick with me for these final 16 days. And if you want to ditch my blog because of my slip, I totally understand. But just know I’m still committed to this project. It’s been incredibly difficult, but I’m trying hard to stay true to my quest.

This has been a tough weekend for me. It’s the first time I’ve seriously questioned this project and have toyed with the idea of just stopping. What happened? Well, I realized I’ve spent $267.44 on food from Farmers’ Markets over the past 11 days and my bank account definitely notices the hole.

Frequently Asked Questions

The most common question I’ve received is whether it’s more expensive to shop at the Farmers’ Markets. I’ve been saying that the veggies and fruits are about comparable (in some cases noticeably cheaper) and since they’re so much fresher and taste better than most of what I would get at the super market — totally worth it. A great example is fresh basil. I spent $1 for a heaping sandwich bag of fresh basil at the Durham Market. I’m sure at Harris Teeter I would need to buy two pre-packaged plastic containers of basil to equal the same amount and both would probably cost around $4.

This sweet farmer let me take a picture of his great marketing at the Carrboro Farmers' Market Saturday.

But the meats are more than what I personally would pay (and understandably so). The cheeses also cost more than what I personally would pay, though they’re not out of line for what you would spend on gourmet cheeses from the cheese case in the grocery store.  (I tend to buy bagged, pre-shredded cheeses for convenience, which is cheaper and less flavorful). And yet, the meats and cheeses are some of the best I’ve ever had. So, in a way, it’s totally worth it.

Regardless, I am definitely spending more on Farmers’ Market food than I would on typical grocery trips.

Flaw in my Process

I think the flaw in my Farmers’ Market Project, as well-meaning as it is, is that I’ve literally only been eating food from markets. And, with one exception (which I will reveal in a separate post) I have not cheated once. I have used condiments from my cupboard, but I wrote that exception into my initial rules. So when I go to the market, I have to stock up or go hungry. I think that alone is forcing me to spend more than I would prefer for this project.

The Pasta Example

For example, I spent $7.50 on 10 raviolis from a vendor at the Durham Farmers’ Market on Wednesday. Granted, they were more flavorful than anything I would have ordered from Olive Garden and definitely cheaper than a dish at Olive Garden. And if you remember my attempt at making home made pasta sauce, I spent about $8 on four pounds of tomatoes and then after hours of labor, only managed to get about a cup and a half of sauce.

I paid $7.50 for about 10 raviolis. I had to make the sauce myself, so that adds up too.

But, if I were making my own pasta-based meal at home, I would spend about $1 or so on a box of pasta (which would last me more than one serving) and then spend about $4 on a jar of sauce. Would it have tasted as good as the homemade ravioli or pasta sauce above? Definitely not. But I would still have enough leftovers for another couple of meals, which means I would save at least $7 and as much as $15 if you consider other ingredients I needed to finish the Farmers’ Market pasta dinners.

It’s Going to Be OK

So, for me personally, yes, the Farmers’ Market is definitely more expensive than the grocery store. But that’s because every ingredient I need is coming from the market. If I were just incorporating some of the food from the market into existing dishes, it would be a wash, or in some cases a savings.

But, I know if I had not forced myself into eating only from the market for 30 days, I would not have learned so much about where my food is coming from, about my eating habits and about how to fight personal urges for chocolate and fast food.

So, I’m going to continue on my quest. Today is Day 13, I wonder what I should cook for breakfast?

Tonight proved that you can cook an incredible meal made entirely from food you buy at the Farmers’ Market. I’ve already had some incredible dishes, but tonight I went all out.

I had this huge sirloin tip steak from Meadow Lane Beef that I’ve been dying to cook up, but it was way too big for me. So I invited my gal pal Lauren over and told her I was cooking. Here’s what I made:

* Mozzarella, tomato, basil, garlic salad coated in seasoned olive oil. I cut the crust off my sesame and sunflower seed bread and diced up the bread to add, per my boss’ wise suggestion and tossed that in too.

* Sweet corn. The best sweet corn I’ve had since childhood. I bought a couple of ears last weekend at the State Farmers Market, and those were OK. But tonight I made ears from the Durham market that I bought yesterday (sorry, I don’t remember which farm they came from) and seriously, it was like candy. So sweet. So delicious.

* Mashed Potatoes. I made some of my Greek yogurt alfredo sauce to use as a gravy.

* Steak, coated in spices and olive oil. It was a little tough, which I expected because I’ve learned that grass-fed beef is intended to be cooked rare or medium-rare. Lauren and I both like our steak medium well, so we decided we would deal with chewy steak if it meant it wasn’t bleeding. I made a red wine reduction sauce, complete with fresh garlic and onions per my boss’ suggestion and it honestly was one of the most savory things I’ve ever made in my entire life.

I even have leftovers for lunch tomorrow, hooray.

This meal may not seem particularly mesmerizing to foodies or regular farmers’ market shoppers. But for me, this project is about me breaking my processed food, dining out habit. Yes, I want to eat local and support farmers in my backyard in the process. But I’m not trying to make a greater statement here. Mostly, I just needed motivation to stick with a big life change like this. I haven’t cheated once in the 9 days since I’ve started. And I’m learning a lot about food, cooking and my lifestyle as a result.

I have 21 days to go and my food world has already changed for the better. I can’t even imagine what it will be like in three weeks.

I totally had a small cup of coffee today. Worse yet, it came from Starbucks. I know, I know, I know. But seriously, for the past seven days I haven’t slipped once. I’ve ignored the cakes, burgers, popcorn and cupcakes at two baby showers and a Durham Bulls game. I’ve turned a blind eye to the the pastas, pizzas and cupcakes that my boyfriend has eaten in front of me. And today, I just went for it. And let me tell you, that small coffee was the best coffee in recent memory. It was so good. I’m sorry if I let you down by downing the java, but “I just needed a little pick me up.” (geez, I sound like Kit from “Pretty Woman” … bonus points to any readers get that reference).

I ignored all of this food at my boss' baby shower Friday. We had a separate baby shower on Monday and I ignored cupcakes too.

Food wise, I haven’t slipped. Not even once. Every bite of food I’ve consumed in the past seven days has come from the Farmers’ Market, with the exception of some spices and condiments. And, you know what? I’m loving it. Seriously, there’s something empowering about choosing your food, knowing where it comes from, chopping it up yourself and devouring it. For those of you who already do this, you’re probably rolling your eyes. But anyone who is like me … the type of person who will jump at a chance to eat out if it means avoiding messing up the kitchen … will recognize that this is a true food awakening for me.

Tonight I had the most amazing concoction, made entirely of local food. I’m learning that if you only want to cook what’s in season locally without adding any real outside ingredients, then you have to get creative. I’m going to call it Ginny Hash! Sounds risque, doesn’t it? Really it was just this:

Ginny Hash

* 3/4 potato, shredded

* 1/4 small red onion, chopped

* 1/2 Tbsp. Margarine (sorry, not from Farmers’ Market)

Fry on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, flipping half way through. Then dice it up and fry it for another 5 minutes.

* In separate frying pan combine 1/2 zucchini and 1/4 red onion chopped with olive oil. Fry until cooked.

* In separate frying pan combine 1/3 lb. grass fed ground beef with your favorite hot sauce (I used a curry-based hot sauce that I love). Add one slice of farm fresh bacon and fry until crispy. Chop bacon piece up and stir bits into beef.

Mix all of the above ingredients on a plate, grate 1 Tbsp. of local cheese over the top and enjoy!

If you follow my directions you should end up with something looks like this:

"Ginny Hash" is good for all occasions: breakfast, lunch or dinner.

And it’s truly wonderful.

I called my mom six times today for help. The first time, I wanted to know the difference between ground chuck and ground beef (ground chuck is a better cut, less fatty, she said). The second time I wanted more advice on how to make homemade pasta sauce (would coring the tomatoes before I blanched them make them lose flavor in the boiling water, I asked … she said no). After that it was out of control.

Conversations with Mom

Question: How long should I simmer my tomatoes?

Mom: Until their rendered into sauce … you’ll just know. It’ll take a while. (90 minutes it turns out).

Question: What seasoning am I missing, because the sauce doesn’t taste quite right?

Mom: You need onions, basil, garlic, salt and oregano.

Me: I don’t have any oregano.

Mom: Well, that’s probably why it doesn’t taste right. Also, if it tastes too bitter add sugar.

Me: OK.

And on, and on.

Sometimes my mom is better than Google. I’ll take her feedback from 50+ years of life experiences over some whacko on Yahoo Answers any day.

Unplanned Trip to the Market

Anyway, I was attempting to make eggplant parmeasan. But after starting my first batch of pasta sauce, I realized I didn’t have enough tomatoes. So I made an emergency trip to the State Farmers Market and spent $18.69 on three pounds of tomatoes, squash, a red onion, two lemons and BACON!

My homemade pasta sauce wasn't pretty, but once I finished it, it sure was good.

Am I allergic to Eggplant?

I came home and finished my pasta sauce, which took two hours and didn’t look pretty, but it was delicious. So fresh. The onions (scallions and red onions) were a perfect touch. I was ready to fry up my eggplant for eggplant parmesan, so I sliced the perfect purple body and decided to take a bite. It was really bitter, which I expected based on what I’ve read. But what I didn’t expect was for my tongue, throat and mouth to start itching almost instantly. I called my mom and she said I was probably allergic. Turns out she’s allergic to eggplant too.

My tweep @JohnHinnant said it could be because I ate it raw and that you should only eat eggplant cooked. But after that experience, there was no way I was going to fry up that eggplant. Four hours later, and my throat and tongue are still itchy. Turns out I’m not alone on the itchy eggplant thing. Google (not my mom) pointed me to this blog, NotEatingOutinNY.com, where the blogger talks about experiencing the same issue.

Plan B

I had to figure out what I was going to eat. I asked my boyfriends if I could make pasta … and he said technically it would be against my rules. But there was no way I was wasting that pasta sauce.

My meat, sauce, cheese bread.

So I improvised. I sliced up some of my white bakery bread, topped it with some fried ground chuck, pasta sauce and mozzarella from Chapel Hill Creamery. Then I put it in the broiler for a few minutes and voila — a filling, flavorful meal.

No, if only my tongue would stop itching.

I knew today was going to be so hard. My vegetable drawer was nearing empty, and I had to go to a baby shower where I knew there would be mini burgers and cake. More than once I wondered: “What would be the harm in having a piece of cake at my boss’ baby shower?” But if I cheat on Day three, then what’s the point of this journey?

Somehow I resisted chowing down on the baby shower goodness.

Besides, I have something big to look forward to tomorrow — The Durham Farmers’ Market. I haven’t been to Durham’s market since it moved from a parking lot to its new home at Durham Central Park. Sounds like I’ll have no problem scoring meats, cheeses and maybe some baked goods. I hope so. This week has been rough.

Funnel Cake Challenge

I started this project hastily because I knew if I didn’t start it quickly, I would lose momentum and never fully commit myself to it. As a result, I’ve had to endure some pretty bland meals. Tonight I had one mashed potato, a sliced cucumber and some watermelon. Then I went to a Durham Bulls game, where I had to ignore the funnel cake grease wafting through the concession cooridor.

Cookbook Shopping

After the ballgame, I went to Barnes and Noble to try to find some of the cookbooks my blog followers have suggested. I was looking for either Deborah Madison’s “Local Flavors: Cooking & Eating from America’s Farmer’s Markets” or “Simply in Season” by Mary Beth Lind. Of course, in true B&N style, they didn’t have what I wanted so I settled for the “Southern Living Farmers Market Cookbook: A Fresh Look at Local Flavor.” I’m eager to pick out a few recipes before I leave for the Durham market in the morning.

When I was checking out, I ran into one of my tweeps. I’ve only met @isabisa once before, but we both immediately recognized each other. After exchanging hellos, she declared that my project has been inspiring her because she’s only been to the farmers’ market a few times too. Her comment made my day of resisting mini burger and funnel cake temptation totally worth it. Thanks, Alisa, you inspired me too!

And, hopefully, some fresh, local bacon is in my future.

BTW, I’m sharing random updates on facebook too.