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The Nourished Kitchen – A Masterpiece Collection of Farm-to-Table Traditional Food Recipes

When I first started my real food journey, I was searching for seasoned real foodies to help me learn how to incorporate this new way of living into simple, delicious recipes that my family would enjoy.

That’s when I discovered Jenny at Nourished Kitchen.

Her beautiful site not only helped me to hone my traditional food preparation skills through her comprehensive easy-to-follow eCourses and blog posts, but her recipes have continued to be a source of inspiration and enjoyment each time they grace our table.

So of course, I couldn’t be more excited to share with you the wonderful news … Jenny has put together a traditional foods masterpiece with the launch of her beautiful new cookbook – The Nourished Kitchen: Farm-to-Table Recipes for the Traditional Foods Lifestyle.

Jenny McGruther of the Nourished Kitchen blog

Quoting Jenny … “The Nourished Kitchen is an exploration of the deep connection between how food is grown, how it is prepared, how it nourishes our bodies and how it supports our communities. And in it, I wanted to emphasize the critical importance of sustainable, pasture-based farming and traditional methods of food preparation.”

One of the things I love most about Jenny’s cookbook (and her blog) is that it’s far more than a collection of delicious, healthy real food recipes – although you will most certainly find those in abundance. Instead, her approach is to help us build a foundation of knowledge about the connection between what we eat and how it impacts our health and our world, while also advancing an atmosphere of community that serves to encourage and inspire us all.

A perfect example of Jenny’s all-inclusive approach to the real food lifestyle is in how she has arranged the chapters within her book. Each walks the reader through the various avenues of real food – from the garden, the pasture and the range; to the fields, the wild and the orchard.

And speaking as someone who’s gluten-free/grain-free, let me assure you that this book has plenty to offer for everyone. With more than 160 recipes in this book, there is a wealth of delicious, healthy recipes that we can all enjoy, no matter what our dietary preferences!

Personally, one of my favorite chapters is “From the Larder.” As strange as this title may sound, it’s a chapter devoted to the art of fermentation. A method of preserving and transforming real foods into culture-rich dishes that help to nourish and heal our guts and bodies. With recipes for sauerkraut, pickles and relishes, to classic fermented beverages such as kombucha, water kefir and kvass, Jenny shares the centuries-old process of fermentation in a simple, straightforward manner that makes it easy for even the novice.

Two additional chapters near and dear to my heart are “From the Orchard” and “From the Garden.” As you all know, my affinity for berries and summertime fruits is only matched by my love for garden-fresh veggies. Jenny covers both with recipes that are simple, yet elegantly complex in flavor, such as her scrumptious Strawberries in Minted Honey Syrup recipe (shown in photo above).

Having the privilege of reviewing this beautiful book has been a special blessing since Jenny has been (and continues to be) such a source of inspiration to me and so many others. And after taking time to pour over each page of this beautiful book, and to enjoy several of the recipes she shares within its pages, I cannot recommend The Nourished Kitchen enough. It truly is a masterpiece that deserves a special place in every real foodie’s kitchen.

Disclosure: The above links to The Nourished Kitchen Cookbook are amazon affiliate links. By purchasing via these links The Nourishing Home receives a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. And although I received a free advanced copy of the book as part of Jenny’s review team, my endorsement of this beautiful book is based on my own personal opinion as someone who honestly appreciates this helpful resource.

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8 Strategies for Saving Money at Farmers Markets

By Kelly · 9 Comments

April 1 is the traditional opening day of the season for many farmers markets across the country and with an exceptionally long and cold winter, it couldn’t come fast enough!

While shopping at local markets can be a lot of fun and a great way to try new foods, the cost of local and specialty produce can add up, if we’re not careful. Here are eight strategies for saving at the farmers market this season:

1. Shop With a Flexible List

Rule #1 of shopping is always – make a list! Before you leave the house, look at your meal plan for the next 7-10 days and make a detailed shopping list that includes the name of each item you need and how much you need (quantity). When it comes to produce, I also recommend including what meal the item is planned for, incase you find something at a better price that can easily be substituted, such as yellow squash for zucchini in summer squash pasta, or nectarines for peaches in oatmeal breakfast crumble.

2. Know What’s in Season

In-season produce is usually more affordable, better tasting and contains more nutrients compared to produce that is not in season and is shipped from a far away location. Know what’s in season before you shop using this cool page from the Natural Resources Defense Council. It allows you to see what’s in-season by state, by month and by food!

Another option is Lovacore, a free app that shows you what’s in season and what local markets carry what you’re looking for. For those who prefer the paper/pencil method, download a free in-season printable guide.

3. Visit Several Markets in Your Area

I live in a relatively small town, but there are 11 farmers markets within a 20-mile radius and there is an enormous variety at each one – including the prices. For example, I visited two farmers markets on the same day. One market had conventional apples for $1.69 per pound and were not labeled as local. Another had local, organic apples for just $1.50 per pound – a difference of almost 20¢/lb in favor of the locally-grown organic variety!

Get to know the markets in your area and be able to distinguish which is the most affordable, which is best for organic items, and which offers those unique produce items that are fun to experiment with. Plan your trips to each market according to your shopping list and your budget. If you’re new to shopping at farmers markets, or need help finding some in your area, visit LocalHarvest.org or EatWellGuide.org.

4. Know What’s on Sale in Stores

I love supporting local farms, but sometimes shopping at grocery stores is the better option for a frugal grocery budget. Before you leave for the market, compare your shopping list with the sales circulars from your local stores and write down the sale prices. Then when you’re at the market, compare the stand prices against the prices you wrote down. But remember, choosing the lowest price isn’t always the best, since it might mean poorer quality and making an extra trip, thereby costing more in the long run in gas and time.

5. Walk the Entire Market First, Before Making Any Purchases

Not only do prices vary from market to market, but they can vary greatly from stand to stand within the same market! For example, the Swiss chard you see above on the left is $2 per bunch, while the Swiss chard on the right is $1.50 per bunch – and they’re both organic!

So before you buy anything, walk the entire market from end to end, noting the prices of the items on your shopping list along the way. Then make a second pass through and choose the stands that have the best price for the best quality.

6. Shop the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen

These lists, published yearly by the EWG, are a super helpful yes/no guide to buying organic. Grapefruit, avocados and onions rank very low in terms of pesticide residue, so you can save money by opting not to buy these organic. This will allow you to better afford to purchase organic for items that do rank high with pesticide residue, like strawberries, peaches and celery.

On the other hand, don’t write off vendors who aren’t certified organic. The process for becoming certified is very time-consuming and expensive and many small family farms just can’t afford to be certified, although they still follow organic practices. Ask if they use chemical pesticides or fertilizers or more natural methods instead, and what those methods are.

[Note from Kelly: I personally recommend getting to know your local farmers by discussing with them their farming methods and visiting their farms. Case in point, Tanaka Farms in Southern CA, is not organic certified but does follow organic practices and has farm tour visits and explains how they grow their produce. So to Tiffany’s point, yes, for some family farms it truly is an expensive process to be certified. But of course, we do have to be wary of those who would be dishonest. That’s why getting to know your local farmers is so important.]

7. Buy “Seconds”

The farmers are looking to sell their foods, even if they’re ugly or misshapen. These are often bagged and priced separately, or in a bin of their own, and marked down accordingly. Take advantage of the deal if those items are on your list.

I’ve also seen venders sort through their boxes in the middle of the day, removing the foods that aren’t in tip-top shape. If you see someone doing this, ask them if they’re selling those less-than-stellar items and how much they’re selling them for. You might want to have a price in mind as well, incase they’ve never been asked for their ugly foods before.

8. Bargain When Buying in Bulk

Farmers work very hard to provide quality food, and the prices reflect this. It can be insulting to attempt to bargain with them over one or two heads of lettuce that were just cut from the field within the past 24-48 hours. However, if you’re willing to buy 5-10lbs of something, they’re often willing to shave off a few dollars. Just be sure you have a plan for all the produce so it doesn’t go to waste!

BONUS! Other tips to make your experience at the farmers market a good one:

Bring Cash – smaller bills and change if possible
Bring Your Own Bag – consider bringing back glass jars, egg crates and pallet/flat containers if you previously bought them from the vendors. Some offer cash back for these items.
Arrive Early for Best Selection
Shop 30 Minutes Before Close for Possible Deals – Many people swear by this, but not all farmers discount their items just so they don’t have to bring them home! It’s worth a try once or twice though, to either rule the possibility out, or to have a new savings strategy!

What are your favorite tips for saving money at farmers markets? Leave them in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Note from Kelly: Don’t miss all of the other great budgeting posts that Tiffany has shared here. Simply click here and keep scrolling through to see her many helpful posts on how to save money on your food budget.

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Feeling SAD? It may be the Wintertime Blues.

By Kelly · Leave a Comment

With all this extreme weather, it’s no wonder that some are feeling a little blue. But even mild winters can cause a legitimate condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a.k.a. the Wintertime Blues.

In fact, as many as 20 percent of Americans are affected by SAD each winter, which is why I’m sharing “8 Strategies to Beat the Wintertime Blues” over at Keeper of the Home today.

Are you feeling SAD?
Seasonal Affective Disorder is most often characterized by moodiness, depression, cravings for simple carbohydrates, weight gain, fatigue and melancholy.

Decreased sunlight during the winter months is the main reason why people develop SAD. So for those who aren’t getting a daily dose of sunshine, SAD is often the reason for those oh-so-tiresome wintertime blues and blahs.

But rather than giving in to the blues, the good news is You Can Beat It! For the vast majority of those experiencing SAD, following the simple steps I’m sharing over at Keeper of the Home can truly help you to shake the blues, while you eagerly look forward to spring!

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