{fair trade & organic – ice box watermelon}

19 Jun

do you know how to pick out a good watermelon?!  … one that’s guaranteed to be ripe, juicy, and flavourful?!

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well, for one thing – to guarantee the flavour and ripeness, it’s important to begin with quality.

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i always opt for organic food {especially produce} when i can… organic produce is grown with more care, handled with more care, and therefore just plain tastes better… in my humble {and generally RIGHT} opinion :)

this sticker tells us that not only is this watermelon organic, but it’s fair trade. which {happily} means the farmers that grew this watermelon are paid a FAIR WAGE for their product and services.  this is extremely important to me also because i’m a collective thinker – i am grateful for that farmer who took time to grow this beautiful fruit for me to enjoy.  and i want him/her to get paid what they are worth for doing that service. fair trade kind of cuts out the middle man, if you will.  you can read more about fair trade products here.

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you also want to look for a good “water spot” on your watermelon.  this is a lighter area, often a shade of yellow or discolouration… this is where the water has gathered, creating the juiciness.  right around that spot, you want to “knock” on the watermelon, listening for a more hollow sound… if anyone looks at you funny or asks what you’re doing, just tell ‘em, “dude, i’m picking out the best watermelon ever!” and then they’ll wanna know your secret… :D

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i also like these “icebox” watermelons because they are seedless… it’s just easier to deal with.

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i use a melon-baller to scoop out mine…

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watermelon is kind of hard to fotograph… the texture is so fine.

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and i just found out that watermelon contains lycopene, which is what gives tomatoes their colour – apparently anything red has some amount of lycopene in it.  cool, right?!

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once i could no longer make little scoops, i just scraped out the remaining watermelon…

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and saved it for smoothies…

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:)

such a perfect summer fruit!

{hooray for cherry season!}

18 Jun

nom nom, don’t you just love cherries?!

they are so fabulous for so many reasons!! …

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good for your heart… {among other things like gout and blood clots}

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loaded with antioxidants… Continue reading 

{meatless mondays : quinoa pasta w/ sauteed ramps, simmered pear tomatoes, & fresh english peas}

17 Jun

that’s a mouthful, and a really long title for a blog…but that is essentially what is in this dish, and to leave out any part just seamed wrong.  those are all amazing and wonderful things and when you put them all together you get this incredible dish :

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super healthy, keeps well in the fridge, easy to make, delicious… cute. :)

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i mean, seriously though – it’s cute… sure – it’s pasta, but it’s cute. :P

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i’ve mentioned this pasta before – i love it for a bunch of reasons, including the fact that it is non-gmo, organic, and gluten-free. Continue reading 

{do your best little rain dance…}

16 Jun

…for colorado, please.

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we are on fire… again.

i hear it’s getting better, but a major downpour from the gods would be much welcomed at this point!!

{just some jams i have on repeat lately… and maybe a random foto of my cat}

14 Jun

i maybe have bounced around my apartment a few times dancing and singing along…

and alanis is just awesome – plus this song just makes me feel thankful for a lot of things…

and here’s callee – finding the only sunbeam in the house at the time :

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she’s so damn cute!!

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{“sui generis” in produce : the cherimoya}

12 Jun

in case you’re wondering : sui generis 

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have you ever seen or even better, eaten one of these beauties?!  this is the lovely cherimoya {pronounced “cher-uh-moi-uh”}…

i love how she is shaped like a heart… and yes, i totally think this particular fruit is a “she” – i don’t always feel that way, but i did about the cherimoya… what a unique and interesting and wonderful treat this was!  and she was definitely a lady!

when one first brings a cherimoya home, it’s a totally different colour than in this foto… that is to say, if it hasn’t ripened yet.  this particular fruit in the above foto is fully ripe.  typically when you buy them from the store, they are more on the green side… it takes 2 or 3 days to have it ripen up at home… it almost becomes like an avocado when ready to eat.

beauty comes in all colours, shapes, and sizes…

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they aren’t exactly cheap, weighing in at easily $5-$6 for one fruit… but my goodness, is it worth it! Continue reading 

{just some pics from june}

11 Jun

the temps were absolutely perfect last week – 70-80 degrees during the day and cool nights that require only a light sweater, but flip flops are comfortable.  the smell of the grill lingers in the air, the frangrance from the various blooms waft from every angle, the sun is warm, the air is warm, the days are long… and that means i take lots of little walks.

here’s a few shake-it app inspired fotos i snapped last week while wandering around my ‘hood…

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devouring the best pastrami sammy EVER – from masterpiece delicatessen in the highlands… my new favourite spot!!

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my neighbourhood kind of reminds me of new york…

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enjoying my first latte in about a year… {half caff, only – definitely iced!} Continue reading 

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