We went to the Farmers’ Market with Chef Ian (who is my cousin, by the way!) and met lots of farmers and learned some about all the different foods they grow in Ohio and even some about how they grow the food.

But I know something about what food is grown around here anyway, because I go fruit picking with my family every year!

After school gets out in June it’s time to go pick strawberries.  There are a few different farms we have gone to, and sometimes it can be pretty muddy out in the fields.  You have to stoop over the whole time to pick them, but you get to eat a lot of berries while you work!  (Don’t tell on us!)

Sometimes we pick raspberries and blackberries, too, but strawberries are our favorite.  We like to eat them with yogurt or ice cream (or maybe just with a little powdered sugar?) and to make strawberry jam to spread on biscuits or good old peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

In August this summer we were driving home from Girl Scout camp and stopped to pick blueberries.  This was the first time we did this…picking blueberries is easier than strawberries because you don’t have to bend over as much!  The farm we went to had all the berry bushes covered with nets, and they had speakers playing bird noises in the field.  We figured out the nets were to keep birds from eating up all the berries, but had to ask the farmer about the bird noises.  He explained that the actual noises they played were common Ohio birds like Robins and Grackles (whatever a Grackle is?), but the calls were what these birds cry out when there is danger around.  The idea is that if a Robin flies in looking for some yummy blueberries, it will think there is a coyote or something near and decide to keep going.  Pretty clever!

Now that Fall is here it will be time to pick apples soon!  We always have fun climbing up in the trees looking for perfect apples, and some of the farms we’ve gone to outside Columbus have neat play areas and corn mazes and straw slides, too.  Getting fresh cider in the Fall is always a special treat.  It’s really good warmed up on a chilly day!  Don’t tell again, but we eat some apples while we’re picking them, too!

Of course, it is almost time to go out and find perfect pumpkins for Halloween.  That’s always fun because we get to ride on a hay wagon to get out in the pumpkin field.

So like I said, I already knew about some of the food that farmers grow around here!

Lexie and her brother Jamie visit North Market with Chef Ian from Cameron Mitchell Restaurants and then gets to taste test all the produce they got!

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During the summer I like to eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and try new foods too. I like to eat fruit during the summer because it’s hot out and most fruit are nice and juicy on the inside and have a refreshing taste. One example of a nice and juicy fruit that’s good for you is a peach. A peach is big, juicy, refreshing, and good for you.

When it turns summer I eat a lot of vegetables too because I eat lots of salads, and raw vegetables are a good afternoon snack. In a salad there are a bunch of different vegetables; some are crunchy and others can be smooth but they’re all healthy. One of my favorite vegetables is bell peppers. I like bell peppers because of their texture, their colors, and because of their sweet, cold, crunchy, refreshing taste.

This summer I went to San Francisco where I ate a lot of sushi rolls, Japanese salads, healthy pizzas, and other new types of healthy dishes that I had never tasted before. It was yummy!

Start your own tradition.

Invite a friend, neighbor, mail carrier or a family member to join you for a heavenly cup of HOT CHOCOLATE:

HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE MIX

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

½ cup water

pinch of salt

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup of skim milk INSTEAD of heavy cream

dash of cinnamon (optional)

In a heavy saucepan or in the top of a double boiler, combine the chocolate and water over low heat, whisking occasionally until smooth.

Add a pinch of salt and sugar and continue to cook and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes.

In a bowl, whip together the skim milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Store this mix in a covered container. It will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator. This mix makes about 15 cups depending on how you use it.

*1 Serving*

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm 1 cup skim milk and pour into a mug. You can also warm the milk in a microwave oven. Stir in 2 tablespoons of hot chocolate mix.

For FAST and LESS Caloric HOT CHOCOLATE

Buy 365 organic hot cocoa mix from Whole Foods Market and follow directions

*Garnish with marshmallows, whip cream, CINNAMON.

Stay tuned for more fun details on Cinnamon!

My Dad and I made almond butter brownies together.  It was fun.  They have no flour so if you are allergic to wheat you can eat them.  They are sweet and also healthy because they are made with almond-butter which is full of protein.  When I tried to crack an egg I did it to  soft.  The next time I did it way too hard so half of the egg was in my hand and the other half went kerplunk into the mixing bowl! Instead of pulling the egg apart I just crushed the shell!  We cleaned it out and started again.

The brownies did come out great and they were delicious.  You should try to make them at home!

Here is the recipe:

1 (16 ounce) jar creamy roasted almond butter

2 eggs

1 ¼ cups agave nectar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½cup cacao powder

½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dark chocolate chips

In a large bowl, blend almond butter until smooth with a hand blender 

Blend in eggs, then blend in agave and vanilla

Blend in cacao, salt and baking soda, then fold in chocolate chips

Grease a 9x13 inch Pyrex baking dish

Pour batter into dish

Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes

Makes about 24 brownies