Green beans, tomatoes, shell peas, carrots, green onions, red and yellow potatoes - all picked fresh! Now, will someone please tell me what to do with all those carrot tops?!?What $17.00 buys you at the local thrift store located across the street from the market:
8 items, 3 brand new with tags, almost all brand name. What a great way to get in a little early back to school shopping without driving anywhere.Total shopping cost? $36.50 Crazy, isn't it?? The same shopping trip for the same items at a major retail venue? Probably more than $150 - if you catch some sales. Even if you aren't shopping this way to be green for the environment, how could you argue with saving this much green in your wallet?
13 comments:
Great point. So often, people ask me if it isn't more expensive to "be green"? No!
Oh, and that J Crew tee I got for $1.29 - totally cute. Little beaded flowers embroidered around the neck, light and flowy tee shirt perfect for hot weather and three compliments on it so far. ;-) Gotta love thrift shopping!
Throw your carrot tops - and other veggie waste - into a compost heap or worm bin. If you don't have either of those, then spread the waste around plants in your flower beds. They breakdown and provide great fertilizer!
What a spread! Good job! I'm totally missing carrots but one of the men at the farmers market said he's putting more in for the fall. Yeah!
GB - Oh, I wish I had your luck at the thrift stores. I have a hard time finding things that fit me and are age appropriate. Everything I find is a abercrombie tee that says something like "it's summer beyyotch". So not me!! I would be in heaven if I found JCrew for $1.29!! I did stumble across a new thrift store yesterday and she had some very nice things, though not terribly inexpensive. More like $8-10 for a blouse or shirt. I want good deals!! :o)
bobbi - I think I let the secret out before you were stopping by my blog - I don't have a compost heap or worm bin! Shhhhh, don't tell.
Heather - carrots are just barely starting to be in season here, but I like them small and tasty. When they get really big I think they taste like tree bark. :o) Not that I've actually TASTED tree bark! I just sort of imagine it would taste that way...
That's awesome!! Did your boys like their new clothes?
No! Eat your carrot tops! Clean them well by swishing through a bowl of water. Shake off the water. Chop finely and use in soups, stir fries, and pilaf-type dishes. They are an interesting texture, with a little different taste, so I'd advise using sparingly with other vegetables. Also, compost the thicker green stems as they aren't very good.
You can also dry the leaves and add to winter soups for nutrition. Here's more on eating carrot tops.
Arduous - They are away at camp, so haven't seen them yet. However, they will be impressed to find Adidas pants and Gap jeans all ready (with tags!) for the school year. I am amazed and what people give away.
Chile - I should have known. You have a use for carrot tops. Of course the prize winning recipe is top secret, but I guess I can throw some in some soup and call it parsley!
Sheesh, ECB, still with the recipe... Do ya beat dead horses too? ;-P
Is ECB okay with you? Your name is soooo long. (whine whine whine) I mean, I could continue with Eco Burbie, but that's still a whole lot of letters to type and I'm lazy. Eco B' is another option.
Oh, and, ahem, please note how nice I'm being by not suggesting Eco BM as an abbreviated nickname...
Chile - ECB / Eco 'B, whatever floats your boat. I appreciate your properness in not calling me a regular old BM. Though, from time to time I have been called poopy-head. Early elementary school aged boys can be SOOOO funny. At least they thought they were!
Mmm. Tree bark. Come on - it's good roughage, right?
Use the carrot tops in stock. I also like to stuff them inside of a whole chicken when I roast it. Flavor from garbage. Yum.
Just discovered your blog. I have to say, when I see a suburban mom with an "Affluent Persons Living Sustainably" badge on their blog, raving about thrift store shopping and craigslist, I have real hope for this world! Thanks!
farmer's daughter - I am thinking stock or soup might be the way to go. My boys will just think it's basil or parsley and SLURP down it will go!
Kathryn - Glad you stopped by! The thrift stores are stocked with such great stuff, amazingly many with tags! At first I was hesitant to thrift, now I love it!
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