August 16, 2010

farmers market GIVEAWAY!

Because I picked my first tomatoes off my plants in my back yard last week.

Because it's the third week of August and the crops are at their peak.

Because I want you to GET OUT THERE and visit your local farmers market.
Because I just happened to be putzing around in the Model Drugstore in Holland Mi., and came across a few super cute things I could not resist buying.

Because of all the above....oh yeah AND because it has been WAY way too long since I have done a giveaway...feels like nearly an eternity since my last giveaway.

Because of ALL these things. I am doing a giveaway. And I'm as giddy as a girl in the front row of a Bon Jovi concert about it! It's been hard containing myself regarding these items for nearly a week. Are you sitting down?

I am giving away a cute bag...that looks like a strawberry. A colander with strawberry holes in it. A paring knife that has strawberries on it. AND brace yourself a pen that has a strawberry design! I KNOW, I know...it's a strawberrylicious GIVEAWAY!




I fit six large oranges in the colandar, just so you know it's not a mini colandar.


The pen even smells like strawberries! Just perfect for writing your list out for the market.


You have to admit, it is just too darn cute! And it has a nice sleeve to you could throw it in your picnic basket for cutting up apples or strawberries.


This bag is super cute. I think you could fit alot of produce in this bag and you could even put your dollars in the little strawberry pouch with draw string so you wouldn't even need to lug your purse along.





















I'm hoping all this will motivate you to get out to your local markets, if you haven't already or have never.

My son thought I was giving away a construction hat with silly holes in it. Don't worry you germaphobes I will clean his head cooties out of there before I send it to the winner.


So here is the deal. You NEED TO COMMENT to be entered to win. Just one comment per person this time please.

Answer this question:
What is your favorite vegetable and how do you prepare it?

Remember it's nice to share...so please pass on this Farmers Market Goodie Basket Giveaway to all your peeps. You can go to my sidebar and share me real easy.

DEADLINE is SATURDAY August 21! NOON eastern standard time. I will announce the wiener on Sunday August 22.

LuvYA!

post signature

45 comments:

  1. MAN, I love all veggies, so this is kinda' a hard question for me to answer. I would say mushrooms, but I think technically that's considered a fungus... at least that helps me to narrow it down a bit. Can I consider broccoli & cauliflower one thing? I mean the go together like peanut-butter & jelly... Either way, I really love them (and most all veggies) roasted. I just drizzle a little olive oil and garlic salt on-um, throw-um in a HOT oven (400 - 450 degrees depending if I've got anything else in there) and let em go to town. It's amazing how roasting veggies bring out their natural sweetness!! I also like to make cauliflower soup. I'm the only on in my family who will eat it, so I've got a giant tupperware full in my fridge RIGHT NOW! Anyway, I'm new to all this computer tech stuff! I've never responded before, but believe me Sheila, I check your blog daily. Whenever I laugh out loud or drool over my computer screen Spencer asks me what I'm reading & I always tell him "Luke's Mommy wrote something funny/yummy ect again." He still remembers Luke from last 4th of July... Keep up the good work Sheila!! You should really sign up for The Next Food Network Star!! Erika Betts

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  2. I too have a tough time picking a favorite veggie, but when pressed, I would have to pick asparagus. I think the best way to enjoy it is just roasting it with olive oil, sea salt, and cracked black pepper. The way they get all nutty good, sooo yummy! So glad Heather B. told me about your blog!

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  3. This is a hard decision...so many veggies that I love! My fave summer veggie is the cucumber. I love it salads and also in pickle form!

    What a fun giveaway. :-)

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  4. Beets Yes BEETS!

    Beet Hummus to be exact! 4 beets roasted till they are tender. Cool and peel the skin off. Place them in a food chopper. Add about 4 Tab. of tahini (or to taste) 4 Tab. Lemon Juice, 2 garlic cloves pressed, salt and pepper. Give it a whirl and taste it. Add more to suit your taste. Chill and serve with crackers or other veggies. The color is amazing and it really does taste like hummus. My non hummus loving husband really likes this one. Enjoy!!!

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  5. I would have to say I love celery, and I love to eat it raw! I guess carrots too then!

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  6. What a cute giveaway!!! I would have to say a tomatoe!!! Love garden fresh tomatoe sandwich with lots of mayo and salt/pepper!!! Can't anyore summer than that!!!

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  7. Cucumber, without a doubt. And I love to pick them right off the vine in my garden, wash, peel and eat. So yummy :)

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  8. Tomatoes...but homegrown - not winter- tomatoes. Those are the worst! I like to make savory tomato pies. Haven't blogged about it yet but will soon. It consists of homemade crust and fresh sliced tomatoes layered with Italian spices and fresh basil and shredded cheese. And topped with bacon. =)

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  9. Asparagus, roasted on the grill then smothered with garlic butter and sea salt!

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  10. Depends on the season! Right now cucumbers fresh from the garden, sliced tossed in a sauce of mayo,sugar, vinegar,S&P. If it is winter, I love roasted cauliflower with olive oil and sea salt.

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  11. One?? Really? Just one?!

    This is a hard one because I love almost ALL veggies. I would say tomatoes but they are technically a fruit so I'll pick broccoli because it is the next most used veggie in my house. (kids and hubs don't like the yummy stuff like asparagus and brussel sprouts)

    I like broccoli about any way you can serve it:
    raw on a veggie tray, steamed, with garlic and sesame, smothered in cheese... and in stuff too, like: quiche, omlets, casseroles, soups...
    As you can see, I eat a lot of broccoli!

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  12. My husband and I have really been on an asparagus kick of late - roasted w/some crumbled goat cheese on top.

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  13. Tomatoes...(for the sake of this post, let's just sit on the tomatoes are a veggie side of the table)

    Anyway I can get them
    I love to make homemade spaghetti sauce, salsa, just cut up with a little salt.

    LOVE LOVE LOVE tomatoes

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  14. I don't have a favorite vegetable because I like them all. In the summer I love home grown tomatoes though. My current favorite recipe with tomato sauce with butter. Peel 2 lbs of tomatoes, put in a pan with 2/3 of a stick of butter and 4-5 cloves of minced garlic. Just let them break down and cook for 20-30 minutes. Serve with favorite pasta and some yummy bread. Easy Peasy

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  15. POTATO!!!!!!! I dream of all things potato.

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  16. Carrots are probably my favorite. Raw or in carrot souflee!

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  17. Veggies - so many to choose. I would agree with those above that it depends on the season. my summer fav - zucchini - I will make it into bread or just chop it up and cook it in a little evoo...but the best way to eat it is to cook it in a cast iron skillet over a camp fire and then just before it is finished cover it with ooey gooey mozerella!

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  18. I really love steamed broccoli. I know I know so boring but I just love the way it tastes. So fresh and delicious. YUM. Andrea
    aarnold1998@gmail.com

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  19. I like almost all vegetables. My mom wouldn't let me go to the garden because I would eat almost as much as I picked. Right now fresh tomatoes are my favorite. I like to slice them with basil and shredded mozzarella, ground black pepper, evoo, and balsamic vinegar. But just eating a plain tomato is great.

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  20. I just found your blog via Red Letter Words. And I've been reading all about your PW fun. I love PW and her cookbook. Anyway, I think my fave veggie is green beans. I like them best the way my Granny prepares them...cooked w/butter and onions and maybe something else. I haven't been able to replicate her g.beans so mine usually come from a can :-(

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  21. I love me some cucumbers chopped into slices and dipped in raspberry balsamic vinegar!
    meaculpa115@yahoo.com

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  22. Oh my goodness, only one? That is tough. I guess right now I am loving me some fresh corn on the cob and I just shuck it and throw it in boiling water for 5 min ONLY. Eat plain since it is so sweet that way. This strawberry set is so sweet. Thanks for the chance to win.

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  23. That is the cutest giveaway ever! I love yellow squash, preferably straight from my Dad's garden. There are endless ways to prepare them but my favorite is in a "Scalloped Squash Casserole". Here's the recipe: http://www.heidisrecipes.com/2009/07/scalloped-squash-recipe.html. Thanks!

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  24. Fresh vegetables? Oh, joy! First on my list is a family fave: tomatoes. Big slicers to put with many pounds of bacon, fried up crisp, & put between slices of bread, & yum! The winter tomatoes just don't make that BLT taste right.
    Cucumbers sliced with onions, marinated in salt water. Dump the salt water, and add ranch dressing to the slices.
    And, let's not forget the broccoli & cauliflower florets mixed with diced onion, crumbled crispy bacon, in a dressing of mayo, a touch of sugar. YUMMY summer veggies. Which is the favorite? Not possible to choose. Maybe it would be fresh green beans cooked in the Presto pressure cooker with chunks of ham, onion, new potatoes a some bacon grease. Oh, now I need to find a farmers market with all of the above. Made myself hungry this morning! Cindy

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  25. My favorite vegetable is asparagus and I love to have it grilled with some spices!

    luckysluna(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  26. We joined a CSA this summer and I am trying so many new veggies and LOVE most of them!!! I have found an amazing salad using bok choy, I use kale in all sorts of yummy soups and stir fries as well as pizza, and kohlrabi is so yummy just eaten raw!!! But, I have to say that my favorite summer vegetable is corn!! I love to boil it for just a few minutes and then roll it in some butter and throw it on a hot grill to add that summer grilled flavor!!!

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  27. I would have to say potatoes - mashed all the way baby! Although tomatoes would come in a very, VERY close second - I eat them almost every day with or on something. Although, TECHnically the tomato is a fruit soooo.....;-)

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  28. I'd say tomatoes, but those are a fruit, right? Still, my fave summer salad is chopped tomatoes, homemade croutons, fresh mozzarella (cubed), basil and olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It's called a panzanella salad and is so amazing.

    For veggies, I have to go with fresh beans. Eaten right off the plant, they're great. I also drizzle with olive oil and salt and roast in an oven until parts start to brown. Add them to soup or chowder, salads, whatever, even pickled dilly beans are great.

    Love your blog!

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  29. I love zucchini and yellow squash sauted in olive oil with a little garlic and sea salt, sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese - mmm yummy!

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  30. Depends upone the time of year. Right now it is yellow summer squash. My guilty pleasure way of eatting is dip it in and egg wash and flour and fry... BUT I'm trying to be healthier so my favorit w/o resorting to the old favorite is grilled w/ a drizzle of balsalmic vinegar and some parm cheese on it. Yum.

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  31. Just recently I have started making more vegetables then usual. I guess my favorite so far has been Summer Squash. I peel it, cut in slices, dip in egg and then finely crushed Ritz Crackers and fry in some butter. Mmm..Mmm...It's the best.
    Love the giveaway, fun how you found everything in strawberries. LOVE IT!!

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  32. Celery, put some peanut butter on & eat it like that or cut it into small pieces. kimmymay03@Yahoo.com

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  33. I love broccoli the best.I like it in raw salads but the best way is steamed and covered in parmesan cheese

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  34. Shelia,
    I just wanted to say how much I enjoy reading your blog waiting for mention of my hometown. I miss Holland dreadfully and it's always nice to hear you talk about the area.
    On to the veggies, I like mine raw most often. Carrots and ranch are high on the list as well as tomatoes as long as they come in bruschetta

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  35. Zucchini! I love it sauteed in some EVOO and sprinkled with parmesan or coated with bread crumbs and parmesan and baked. Grilled sweet corn is also a favorite. And of course- POTATOES!!! Mashed, baked, fried. I'll take them any way they come!

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  36. Sugar snap peas, right out of the garden are the best. But i really love asparagus, grilled, yum!

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  37. Yum...well today I would have to be sweet potato fries...but if you asked me tomorrow I am sure it would be something different

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  38. Sheila,
    you are the cutest! Can't believe you got Noah to pose for with the colander on his head! Maybe that can be part of his portfolio? My favorite vegetable is tough! I love many, but my one of my favorites is Zucchini (is that spelled right?) favorite is on the grill with butter and garlic.
    Lori

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  39. I Love almost all veggies,especially in the summer, but today sweet potatoe fries and corn on the cob sound awesome. I cut sweet potatoes into wedges and sprinkle them with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven. YUMMY!!

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  40. Hi Sheila! I love love love acorn squash from Grandpa Bradley's/brother Dave's garden. I cut it in half and either bake or microwave until it's soft. Then, I mash it with a little bit of butter and milk. Yummmm. Thanksgiving is coming and what is Thanksgiving without squash? I'm thankful for squash. :)

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  41. I love corn on the cob....grilled outside....yummy!
    ~ Kimmy S

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  42. #1 artichokes, steamed with tons of chopped herbs. Served with melted butter. Yum-O!!

    #2 asparagus, very lightly steamed and topped with toasted pine nuts, tossed lightly in butter or flavored oil.

    Mmmmm.... love veggies!

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  43. Cucumbers.....any way....salads, plain, soaked in vinegar water, cucumber sandwiches......the list goes on, and on, and on, and on.

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  44. Zuchini! I love to sauté it with fresh tomatoes, basil . My kids love it fried and yesterday we made zucchini cupcakes.

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