Market Finds, Quick and Easy Brunch

Today was another chilly, rainy spring Saturday morning at the Kansas City Farmer's Market! We got there promptly at 9AM, got our delicious once a week treat of sugary lattes at the City Market Coffeehouse and went shopping!

As part of my weekly recap of my amazing market shopping trips, I'm going to include how much I spent to show that eating healthy and local can be delicious and affordable! I do buy quite a few specialty items, like expensive organic breads; or deliciously expensive raw chocolates; but, the prices for the produce itself can't be beat - not to mention I'm handing the money directly to someone who helped grow it! Amazing.

Huge duck egg and super tall, completely edible garlic plants!

Bread of Life Bakery:
- Spinach Asiago loaf ($6.50) - the most delicious, moist bread ever, with HUGE hunks of asiago cheese baked into the loaf! YUMMMMMM!

Bryson's Farm: Always my first stop!
- five bright red tomatoes ($5)
- about 1/2 pound purple potatoes
- about 1/2 pound fingerling potatoes (two for $5)
- 2 bunches of radishes ($1 each)
- about a pound of delicious asparagus ($5)
- eight Morel mushrooms! (don't remember the price)

Hun's Garden: I got quite a bit from here today!
- Garlic chives ($1)
- 1 huge bunch watercress (50 cents)
- bunch green curly kale ($1)
- foot and a half tall cilantro ($1)
- bunch of curly parsley ($1)
- three foot tall garlic plants with leaves ($2)
- huge bag of baby spinach ($3)

Peacock Farms:
- a dozen DUCK eggs! We noticed they were only fifty cents more than the free range chicken eggs. A man also standing at the stall waiting to buy duck eggs told us the whites cook up firmer and the yolks are darker (almost orange-red) and much richer. $3.50

HUGE duck egg!

Other:
- Two flavored lattes: $10 (with tip)
- $2 to the two guys playing acoustic guitars and singing Niel Young, Beatles and other amazing songs. Thanks for providing awesome music!!!

I asked my husband to take the above picture of me with the garlic plant and duck egg, and while we were trying to get the perfect shot I looked over and noticed Cuddles perched on the back of the couch swatting at the garlic leaves. She took a couple sniffs of the bulbs and decided that she will stick with her kitty pellets, thank you very much ;)

"Stinky, stinky plant... I'll just eat what's in my bowl, thank you."

When we got home I immediately set out on my Saturday lunch ritual: using up all the rest of last week's produce (including produce from the grocery store that I still have). As hard as it is to resist my new finds, I really do need to use up the old stuff before the new!

Today's lunch was a mix of old stuff and new. No recipe, I just kind of threw it together, but here's the basics:

Double Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry; Cannellini Beans and Tomatoes on Spinach Asiago Toast; Duck Eggs

Chop up half an onion and  two stalks of broccoli, stems and florets, into bite sized pieces. Saute with some olive oil over medium heat. Slice some mushrooms and throw them in there. Slice up some garlic leaves and chop a jalapeno to throw in there too. Season with sea salt and Szechuan pepper.

Mash up some leftover cannellini beans with a little bit of onion and chopped tomato. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Slice the Bread of Life Spinach Asiago Bread into two thick toasts - spread the beans on the bread slices and let warm in the oven on low heat.

Warm a frying pan to medium heat and melt a little butter in there. Crack the duck eggs, add two tablespoons of water and cover with a glass lid. The eggs are finished when the yolks cloud over with a little bit of white.

Garnish everything with minced parsley. Yum!

I wish I was still eating this delicious meal!!